Cultural Economics: theory Subject code CC4111 Academic year 2014 – 2015, Term 1. Lecturer(s): Dr. Filip Vermeylen Dr. Erwin Dekker Final Essay Museums pricing Michailidou Maria-Eleni 410683 07/12/2014 To charge or not to charge? Which are the different price setting mechanisms used by museums and how do they differ when they belong to the public sector? In which ways could museums increase their revenues? Museums are important institutions that aim in the preservation and exhibition of heritage for the public benefit. However, since they are part of the economy, they are often subject to “dynamic change” (Johnson, 2003, p. 317). Due to the changes of the last few decades, the sector has engaged into several …show more content…
Museum managers should carefully examine individually all aspects of a museum’s function in order to answer this dilemma. They must take into account the situation of each museum in terms of wealth and popularity, its target group (type of visitor it attracts), the collection as well as its location (Bailey, Falconer, Foley, McPherson, & Graham, 2007). Several authors have used the marginal costs theory in order to argue in favor of free admission to museums. The fixed costs for museums are so high in comparison to the variable costs that the marginal cost theory suggests that the actual costs for every additional visitor are minimal. Therefore, they may as well establish a free entrance since it does not really affect them (Dickenson, 1993). On the other hand, according to Frey and Meier, although econometricians have estimated demand for museums to be price inelastic, there is not enough evidence to support it since most researches are based on cases of one or two museums (Frey & Meier, 2006). There are cases of course where entrance revenues are crucial for the operation, especially when it comes to very popular institutions such as zoos, museums of science and aquariums where the range of visitors reaches one million (Dickenson, 1993). Charging can also be questioned for social and political reasons. Dickenson argues that charging serves as a motivation for people that respect heritage as well as a discouragement for the indifferent ones
Although a cultural center for entertainment and education, a museum is, at its core, a business. Being such, it must operate as such. Obtaining and maintaining valuable artifacts is expensive; procurement, transportation, upkeep, and security are some of the many costs involved. The revenue generated by the museum has to be sufficient enough to cover these large expenses. For that reason, the cost-effectiveness of a piece must be considered. A famous piece, such as the Mona Lisa, will
This unique and contemporary event provides patrons with live entertainment, food and drink as they revel in the wonders the museum has to offer. Carrie Martin’s aim is to attract at least 3,500 visitors for the grand opening and maximize profits. Corporate capabilities, competitors, and consumers will be examined to develop an effective marketing plan.
In “Letters to Birmingham,” King uses figurative language and literary devices to achieve his purpose of getting his point across. For example, King stated in his letter, “Birmingham is probably the most thoroughly segregated city in the United States. Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of the country.” King uses this quote to get the point across that they protested in Birmingham because it had the worse case of segregation. He needed people to understand all the brutality the bestowed upon them and the reason that it must stop.
"The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in Collier's book on January 19, 1924. The story features a big-game hunter from New York who falls off a yacht and swims to an isolated island in the Caribbean, where he is hunted by a Cossack aristocrat. The story is inspired by the big-game hunting safaris in Africa and South America that were particularly fashionable among wealthy Americans in the 1920s.
Examining the Saint Louis art Museum gave me a new prospective on art and what it does for our society. The art museum is obviously filled with art, but it’s how they present the art that strikes me. From the statue of King Louis IX of France to the building itself shows that there is a lot of history in and around the museum. The museum is one of the principals of art museums in the country, with paintings, sculptures, and cultural objects from all over the world. The building is three-story tall and is located in Forest park. It’s free to attend the museum because the city pass a bill with subsidy from the culture tax from Saint Louis and city district. So, the museum was trying to achieve a since of culture coming from Saint Louis region
What defines a memorial museum as a category of museum? While symbolizing the event and forming public perspectives on it, “the ethics in memorial museums, ethics morality and human deeds occupy the very heart of the topics on display, and correspondingly involve especially careful consideration of representation and reception” (Williams, Memorial museums, 220). Memorial mMuseums should be responsible at when choosing the objects they display, narrating the event and establishing visitors’ memories.
When a museum has prestige on a national level, they can be under high scrutiny of exhibits or objects displayed by the public. Controversial topics, for example, the Enola Gay exhibit, has left historians hesitant and confused on how to create exhibits with correct history, but also not upsetting any individual who were involved with said history. Historians have a trying task of addressing both sides of a historical event, even though it might depict individuals in an unflattering way. A historian is not allowed to have a bias for events, this could have an impact on the way an exhibit is created. Another point that was brought to light in Bunch’s article was museums have the ability to educate the public, so difficult topics should not be
Thesis: The Government can give permission to make the museum but it is usually business runned when it comes to maintaining it.
There are opportunities though, and they are good opportunities. I was able to identify three that they should pay attention to and really hit hard on. In today’s economy, people aren’t wanting to spend a lot of money. The recession is making people be a lot more conscious about money. Good news, the museum is free. If marketed properly, this could be a huge way to gain new visitors. Plus, art museums have sophisticated connotations that make people feel smart when they go to them. What better way to spend the day than to go somewhere that is free and feel sophisticated? Another opportunity is that new exhibits could attract younger demographics, pending on the exhibit. This could be tricky though because they want to attract everyone, but older crowds are interested in things that younger generations aren’t. They have to be able to balance the attractions so everyone can relate to it and want to view it.
In an era of fast-paced social transformations, museums as social institutions are faced with more challenges than ever before. New cultural policy, economic pattern shift, technological innovation and other factors are all putting the pressure on. Management therefore becomes extremely vital to museums as to all industries, and at the core of it lies the issue of forward planning. Forward planning, of which Stuart Davies has made a definition (1996,7), is a process that can guide museums through the difficult times, producing better services and greater efficiency. As the product of this process, a forward plan then should be able to help museums in sticking to their set goals, monitoring the fulfillment of schedule and continuing with strategic thinking. However, having a written document does not necessarily guarantee museums a secure future. Though there are no rules that must be complied with in the composition, there are indeed standards relating to the nature of museum management involved and in need of appropriate address.
‘Imagine you were in charge of a museum’s collecting policy. What would you chose to collect and how would you justify these decisions?’
The Cambridge Dictionary Online defined museums as “places of study, buildings where objects of historical, scientific or artistic interest are kept, preserved and exhibited”. To The Museums Association, a museum is “an institution which collects documents, preserves, exhibits and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public benefit”. Since 1998, this definition has changed. Museums now enable the public to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. They are institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold in trust for society. Mike Wallace (1996) categorised museums into four distinct types, namely National Museums that hold collection of
Allan D. Barton, Department of Commerce, Faculty of Economics and Commerce, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
The second reason why the sense of nostalgia is not necessary in heritage industry is that economic pressure in the museum can affect the authenticity of the past in the museum. With the development of industrial heritage nowadays, heritage industry has been an essential aspect of the economic foundation in some countries. An increasing number of precious historical places are repaired and protected, which because not only the historical and cultural values of heritage are meaningful, but also because visiting heritage can raise people’s awareness to recognize the value of historical places and preserve them. In order to attract more visitors, heritages are often promoted as tourist attractions. Actually, at the same time, heritage
Okay,I will be honest.I always believed that this museum focuses on future laser technology,robots,space travel and all those cliche things we see in any sci-fi movie.I could not be more wrong. Rather than focusing on the futuristic technology,it focuses on ecology,a sustainable world and a sustainable future. One more surprising thing is that instead of objects,this museum displays ideas. It defies the concept of museum which we have seen till now.And I think it is so