1,721,052 research outputs found
Innovative practices and opera houses performance: evidence from Italy
No full textNowadays opera houses are conservative institutions, sometimes described as museums of the
19th century. In particular, the analysis of the Italian scenario shows that these institutions
have to face cultural and managerial issues that compromise their stability. On one side they
have difficulties to promote a contemporary culture of opera. On the other, they face
managerial complexities that influence their economic sustainability. This paper aims at
analyzing how the concept of innovation can be introduced in their cultural strategies with
the intent to rebalance their asset. Specifically, this article explores how opera houses can
renew their standardized opera repertory, shedding light on the impact of a variety of
innovation practices on two performance measures: their occupancy rate and ability to attract
private funds. An empirical research is conducted on 30 Italian opera houses, using data
collected from 2006 to 2011
Change of policy for museums: is governance the answer?
No full textSince 2014, the 400 Italian State museums are experiencing a significant institutional change; once part of the Ministry of Cultural Goods and Activities and Tourism (MIBACT), they are now the organizations in charge of valorization activities. Moreover, 30 of them have been transformed into semi-autonomous organizations, that can directly manage proceedings from ticket sales, solicit private sponsorships and to develop a cultural strategy. Such a reform represents a major discontinuity over a tradition and narrative of heritage management built around preservation and exclusive involvement of public entities (state, regions, or municipalities). It has created a vivid debate on the destiny of heritage, the possibility and appropriateness of generating material and immaterial value around it, the outcomes of the effort. In this paper, we address the emerging relevance of effective governance in these organizations, by building on and extending previous literature on the role of board composition and performance, while exploring relevant contingencies that can affect such relationships. Moreover, we theoretically address issues on governance effectiveness emerging from ongoing heated public debate. Overall, our findings indicate that individual competency profiles of directors do not significantly impact the overall number of visitors. On the other hand, results indicate that diversity matters, both in terms of the interplay of director competence and board diversity and in terms of diversity within the board. Directors’ human capital is enhanced in the presence of a board with a complementary set of competencies. We suggest that the possibility for directors to effectively be agents of change (as it might be the case for directors with an international background or experience) is related to the presence of a complementary board. In very conservative organizations, this complementarity might mitigate the
2risk of conflict within the organization. From a policy point of view, it is important to address the issue of autonomy in a more comprehensive way, in order to allow a more effective valorization, while at the same time protecting the public function of the institution
Essere luoghi di comunità. L’importanza del fan club per le biblioteche
No full textL’obiettivo di questo capitolo è innanzitutto descrittivo. Data la strutturale scarsità di dati relativi ai comportamenti nella fruizione culturale, la possibilità di analizzare un campione ampio di utilizzatori – come quello dell’indagine “La biblioteca per te”, descritta nel primo capitolo di questo libro – è di per sé
una cosa importante. Al tempo stesso, poiché non si tratta di un campione rappresentativo dei frequentatori di una biblioteca, è molto importante caratterizzarlo nel modo più preciso possibile per dare valore ai ragionamenti che l’analisi del campione produce. E quindi, in primis, il capitolo si propone di analizzare a fondo questa parte degli utilizzatori delle biblioteche. Poiché la base empirica di riferimento è così specifica e particolare, il capitolo permette inoltre una riflessione sulle politiche di fidelizzazione, di coinvolgimento e di co-progettazione di servizi con utenti, a partire dall’esperienza di coloro che già conoscono le biblioteche. Come verrà esplicitato nel corso dell’analisi, i rispondenti, soprattutto una parte di loro, sono validi alleati potenziali delle biblioteche, probabilmente critici costruttivi, senz’altro profondi conoscitori di quello che una biblioteca offre
An Explorative Study on State-Owned Museum Performance in Italy: The Interplay between the Director’s Characteristics and Board Diversity
No full textState-owned museums are complex organizations traditionally focusing on research and conservation on the one hand and cultural diplomacy and national identity enhancement on the other. In recent years, their role has evolved around valorization activities, namely tourist attraction, education, and inclusion. This work explores the evolution of governance for this specific type of organization that remains under strict Government control, at least in Italy, while necessarily opening up to a broader set of stakeholders. In this context, great importance assumes that the interplay between the director and the board affects the museum's performance. Specifically, we focus on the role of directors' gender, nationality, and human capital characteristics represented by their international, curatorial, and within the Italian heritage experience and the moderating role of having to interact with a board with diverse (vs. homogenous) competencies and experience. Our explorative analysis of the first thirty Italian autonomous museums, created by law between 2014-2016, shows that the effect of directors' human capital and gender are enhanced in the presence of a board with a complementary set of competencies. From a policy perspective, our results suggest paying attention in the appointment and selection phase to both the effective autonomy and characteristics of the director and how board members' profiles complement them to foster a more effective valorization
Numerical Investigation of Curved Surface Sliders under Bidirectional Orbits
No full textThe study moves from the current debate about the suitability of the unidirectional tests regulated in the standards, and aims at investigating the effect of the displacement trajectory on the evaluation of seismic isolators.A 3D finite element thermal-mechanical model of a Curved Surface Sliders is formulated, and numerical analyses are performed considering unidirectional and bidirectional displacement-controlled orbits. The temperature rise at the sliding surface is calculated from the software and used to adjust at each iteration step the coefficient of friction of the bearing.The results of the analyses examining different orbits are compared in terms of maximum shear force, dissipated energy and temperature rise on the surface of the thermoplastic pad. The conclusions point to the fact that the unidirectional tests provide a conservative evaluation of the bearing performance, but are not suitable for determining the bearing properties that are needed for accurate nonlinear response history analyses. Furthermore, unidirectional tests tend to underestimate the temperature rise induced from bidirectional trajectories
The role of images in cultural organizations’ non-financial reports
No full textThis paper explores the role of visual elements in cultural organizations'
non-financial reports. Despite the extensive use of visuals in for-profit and
nonprofit reporting, there is limited research on their use in the cultural
sector. Using semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods, we
analyze reports from the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia
"Leonardo da Vinci" in Milan and the Museo delle Scienze in Trento. Our
findings aim to deepen the understanding of visual communication in
cultural organizations and its impact on transparency and accountabilit
La valutazione dei progetti culturali
No full textIl volume raccoglie contributi da diverse discipline attorno al tema della valutazione economica dei progetti cultural
- …
