Is innovation in ICT valuable for the efficiency of Italian museums?

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the efficiency in attracting visitors of Italian museums. Notwithstanding the extensive literature on museum performance measurement, the analysis of the role of technological innovation is relatively neglected. As a first attempt to fill this lacuna, this study presents a two-stage analysis of a novel sample of Italian state-owned museums built by merging information drawn from different sources. In the first stage, we use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and bootstrapping technique to measure the efficiency of museums. In the second stage, we use a bootstrap truncated regression approach to test the extent to which different forms of ICT affect museum efficiency. We distinguish the ICT investments into in situ and online services, since the former improve the visitors' experience on site, while the latter can prepare for the visit or, even, be a substitute of the visit. The results reveal that the use of ICT is generally associated with better performances but in situ services shows to play a major role.

Networking and spatial interactions: What contributes most to increasing museums' attractiveness?

“…Findings on the positive association between museum attractiveness and technological innovations (multimedia devices and smartphone and tablet apps) and digital services (websites, online catalogues, online ticket offices, social media accounts, etc.) are in line with those of Guccio et al (2020) and Palumbo (2022). For further details on emerging patterns in museums' adoption of technological innovations, see Bertacchini and Morando (2013).…”

Enhancing museums' attractiveness through digitization: An investigation of Italian medium and large‐sized museums and cultural institutions

“…Taking insights from the media richness theory (see, among others: Trevino et al, 1987; Rice, 1992), digitization is thought to determine several gains for museums and cultural institutions. It augments the cultural service offering, providing visitors with additional web‐based resources and digital solutions to enrich their visiting experience (Guccio et al, 2020). Apps for mobile devices expand the visitors' encounter with the cultural heritage, whilst multimedia contents–such as virtual reality tools and interactive stages–enable organizations to craft an immersive and personalized cultural experience, which is consistent with the visitors' evolving expectations (Carvajala et al, 2020; Müller, 2002).…”

Phygital approach to value co-creation in international museums

“…The continuous improvements and increasing diffusion of new technologies have recently contributed to foster innovation in the cultural sector (Cavalieri et al, 2023). As a result, new sources of economic and cultural value and new business models arise, while cultural awareness, enjoyment and participation are enhanced (Guccio et al, 2022;Schiuma, 2017). This rapid evolution over the past few years has led cultural heritage institutions to face numerous challenges and to rethink their role in the contemporary business environment (Chandna and Salimath, 2020;Lazzeretti et al, 2022).…”