IJAM Volume 7 Number 3 (PDF)

EDITOR’S NOTE

This issue of IJAM places a strong emphasis on marketing, with a decidedly Italian connection. Indeed, four of the six articles touch on the topic of marketing and three relate specifically to the situation in Italy.

In marketing, the positioning of a company or brand is a key concept that has generated a wealth of literature in every field except the cultural sector, where the topic is seldom addressed. This issue of IJAM offers an analysis of the positioning of two leading Italian cultural enterprises that are famous the world over: the Piccolo Teatro of Milan and the Venice Biennale. The article on the Piccolo also looks at the quality of the theatre’s customer service, while in the case of the Biennale the authors discuss the key components of strong positioning.

The third article in which Italy figures prominently discusses the organizational changes that have taken place in Italian opera houses following the decision by the government to privatize certain prestigious institutions. The article reveals what appears to be a wide gap between intention and reality when it comes to the modification of managerial practices.

In another order of ideas, technological advances have found applications in all areas of human activity, including the cultural sector. Museums are no exception. Indeed, audioguides are becoming a thing of the past in this sector, as an increasing number of museums take advantage of new technological tools to present their works and artifacts to visitors in a more interactive fashion. As we will see, this development has given rise to a new conception of customer relations.

It is always interesting to compare the attitudes and behaviours of consumers in different countries. One of the articles in this issue highlights the differences in behaviour between North American, European and South American cultural organizations with regard to reviews. 

Finally, academic research in cultural management is a relatively recent addition to management research. According to some authors, the type of research conducted in schools of administration is too often marked by an excess of academicism. Although things have not yet reached that point in the cultural sector, Laurent Lapierre’s article warns against a tendency towards what he views as a weakness of management schools. 

François Colbert
Editor