Inside and outside the boardroom: Collaborative practices in the performing arts sector

Collaboration is crucial in the arts sector, where forms of collaborative governance (CG) – the inclusion of private partners in the decision-making process – have been implemented in order to overcome scarcity of resources and to engage with stakeholders. The governance of performing arts organizations today must be based on constant collaboration between public and private entities in order to generate greater value. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of CG in performing arts organizations by means of a case study of I Teatri Foundation of Reggio-Emilia, one of the first theatres in Italy to include private partners in governance. The methodology is based on both documentary analysis and interviews. The findings show that CG should be applied at micro and meso levels (inside and outside the boardroom), as both levels contribute to the creation of value for the audience

Inside and outside the boardroom: Collaborative practices in the performing arts sector

Collaboration is crucial in the arts sector, where forms of collaborative governance (CG) – the inclusion of private partners in the decision-making process – have been implemented in order to overcome scarcity of resources and to engage with stakeholders. The governance of performing arts organizations today must be based on constant collaboration between public and private entities in order to generate greater value. The purpose of this study is to identify the drivers of CG in performing arts organizations by means of a case study of I Teatri Foundation of Reggio-Emilia, one of the first theatres in Italy to include private partners in governance. The methodology is based on both documentary analysis and interviews. The findings show that CG should be applied at micro and meso levels (inside and outside the boardroom), as both levels contribute to the creation of value for the audience

Financing Sustainability in the Arts Sector: The Case of the Art Bonus Public Crowdfunding Campaign in Italy

This paper addresses the conditions that can facilitate the long-term effectiveness of civic crowdfunding fundraising strategies. While previous studies have provided a broad picture of the possible conditions for fostering effective fundraising strategies, most have considered the implications of fundraising only for management or only for cultural policy, neglecting an integrated approach that contemplates the needs of both. Thus, this work integrates cultural management and cultural policy perspectives by discussing a specific exploratory case study: Art Bonus, a cultural patronage tax incentive strategy introduced by the Italian government in 2014, which also includes civic crowdfunding features. To the best of our knowledge, Art Bonus is the first national civic crowdfunding platform supported by a national government. As an innovative and unique platform, its analysis is particularly relevant. This work analyzes the system’s functioning and the results obtained in its first years of operation (2014–2016) by accessing the public database relating to the donations transited through the platform. While the initiative effectively channeled more fundraising resources into the cultural sector, the results also illustrate potential points for improving such a system

Disruptive crisis management: lessons from managing a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: Healthcare organizations worldwide were badly hit by the “surprise” of the pandemic. Hospitals in particular are trying hard to manage problems it caused, searching for solutions to protect the health of citizens and reorienting operations. The implementation of resilience solutions in the coping phase and the ability to react promptly and redefine activities is essential. Integrating crisis management and resiliency literature, this paper discusses how health organizations were able to cope with adversity during the crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The research is conducted through a case study of a large Italian hospital, the Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation, which was one of the leading hospitals in the Italian response to the pandemic. Findings: The case reports actions taken in order to continue functioning and to maintain core activities despite severe adversity. The overall response of the Gemelli was the result of the three types of response: behavioral (effective leadership), cognitive (rapid resource reallocation) and the contextual reinforcement (multiagency network response). The authors highlight how an integrative framework of crisis management and resiliency could be applied to healthcare organizations in the coping phase of the pandemic. The experience of the Gemelli can thus be useful for other hospitals and organizations facing external crises and for overall improvement of crisis management and resilience. Responding to crisis brings the opportunity to make innovations introduced during emergencies structural, and embed them moving forward. Research limitations/implications: The paper focuses only on the coping phase of the response to the pandemic, whereas building long-term resilience requires understanding how organizations accumulate knowledge from crises and adapt to the “new normal.” Originality/value: The paper responds to the call for empirical studies to advance knowledge of an integrative framework of crisis management and resiliency theories with reference to complex organizations such as healthcare

Balancing artistic and financial performance: is collaborative governance the answer?

Purpose: Opera houses have been traditionally publicly financed in many western countries. However, today many opera houses are facing serious financial troubles, due to the recent financial crisis. There is thus a widespread public debate on measures to ensure agency efficiency for performing arts organizations. Focusing on the reform implemented recently in Italy, which submitted opera houses that had severe financial difficulties to a recovery plan and encouraged forms of collaborative governance (CG), the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of CG on the performance of the arts sector. Design/methodology/approach: Multiple case studies are used, on longitudinal data from multiple sources over a period of up to five years, in order to triangulate the narrative of financial and artistic performance and ensure trustworthiness. The study thus spans the period before the Bray Law came into force (2013) and covers the entire period in which recovery plans were implemented. Findings: The analysis explores how opera houses are building sustainability for themselves and the community in terms of financial and artistic performance through CG. Various forms of CG adopted yielded positive results. Furthermore, more robust forms of CG generated better performance, especially from a financial point of view. Originality/value: This paper adds to the limited knowledge of CG in the non-profit sector by bridging the fields of agency performance and CG. It discusses how the introduction of forms of CG can build up long-term sustainability, solving the dilemma of how to achieve financial equilibrium without compromising artistic quality, focusing on the case of opera houses, which are notably affected by Baumol’s cost disease

Value-based health-care principles in health-care organizations

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the value-based health-care model in defining a strategy to guide the evolution of health-care organizations toward a value-oriented model. To improve the quality of care by ensuring economic sustainability, it is necessary to redefine the concept of competition in healthcare and align it with the concept of maximizing value for patients. Design/methodology/approach: Performance measurement is a crucial aspect of the analysis of health-care organizations. Porter developed an effective analytical technique and presented the measurement of health-care outcomes based on health conditions, the efficiency of health-care organizations and the type of service provided. Findings: Clinical outcomes and data on the costs of care of each patient are essential to evaluate improvement in treatment value over time. Engaging in the evaluation of what happens to patients in their course of care enables the expansion of the measurement of outcomes because it measures all the health services related to it. Originality/value: Building a health-care system based on the value and continuous improvement of care and services provided is a goal shared by many countries and international organizations. Today, the analysis of outcomes is important for making informed decisions, directing and planning clinical and organizational changes by improving the quality of care and services

Separation delay on thick airfoil using multiple synthetic jets

High momentum 2D synthetic jet actuators are tested experimentally focusing the investigation on the separation delay over the airfoil NACA 0024 at high angles of attack. Four slots are present on the suction side of the airfoil. The number of slots in the downstream direction, the position and the width of the active slots and the forcing frequency were varied to investigate on their effects produced. Pressure measurements and wake analysis were performed at Reynolds number equal to 106. A weak influence was observed at low and medium incidences on the lift and drag curves. Considerable increments of the lift coefficient also associated with drag reductions were obtained at high angles of attack according to the values of the forcing frequency and the slots configuration. The influence of the slot width does not highlight great differences on the lift and drag curves. The upstream location of the slots is more effective to delay separation compared with further downstream positioning. Two consecutive active slots were effective as a single one at the same frequency while the estimated comparison at constant momentum could allow better performances. The tests were carried out operating with forcing frequencies near the resonance conditions of the system synthetic jet- cavity-pneumatic line

Trapped vortex cell for aeronautical applications: flow analysis through PIV and Wavelet transform tools

Results of the application of a trapped vortex cell to an airfoil with the aim of improving the aerodynamic performances are presented for two complementary experiments arranged at CIRA and at Politecnico di Torino. In the CIRA experiments, PIV measurements on a simplified configuration were carried out to characterize the trapped vortical structure and its effect on the separating flow downstream of the cell. In the experimental investigation at Politecnico di Torino, static pressure distributions were measured around a complete airfoil model, to yield lift and pitching moment coefficients. Wake surveys were also carried out to measure the drag. To study the unsteady phenomena inside the cavity pressure fluctuations signals were also investigated using Kulite sensors. In both experiments, the angle of attack of the airfoil and the Reynolds number were varied. It is shown that the flow inside the cell is highly unsteady with significant shedding of flow structures downstream. This phenomenon results in a large region of separated flow, in higher drag and lower lift. By contrast, the cell flow is considerably stabilized and regularized by applying distributed suction over the cell wall. As a result, the flow downstream of the cell reattaches and lower drag and larger lift are observed

Trapped vortex cell for aeronautical applications: flow analysis through PIV and Wavelet transform tools.

Abstract Results of the application of a trapped vortex cell to an airfoil with the aim of improving the aerodynamic performances are presented for two complementary experiments arranged at CIRA and at Politecnico di Torino. In the CIRA experiments, PIV measurements on a simplified configuration were carried out to characterize the trapped vortical structure and its effect on the separating flow downstream of the cell. In the experimental investigation at Politecnico di Torino, static pressure distributions were measured around a complete airfoil model, to yield lift and pitching moment coefficients. Wake surveys were also carried out to measure the drag. To study the unsteady phenomena inside the cavity pressure fluctuations signals were also investigated using Kulite sensors. In both experiments, the angle of attack of the airfoil and the Reynolds number were varied. It is shown that the flow inside the cell is highly unsteady with significant shedding of flow structures downstream. This phenomenon results in a large region of separated flow, in higher drag and lower lift. By contrast, the cell flow is considerably stabilized and regularized by applying distributed suction over the cell wall. As a result, the flow downstream of the cell reattaches and lower drag and larger lift are observed

Missense mutations in the PML/RAR alpha ligand binding domain in ATRA-resistant As2O3 sensitive relapsed acute promyelocytic leukemia

Background and Objectives. Acute promyelocytic leukemia is characterized by the chromosomal translocation t(15;17) which yields the fusion product PML/RAR alpha. Art-trans retinoic acid probably induces differentiation of atypical promyelocytes and clinical remission in APL patients by binding to the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the RAR alpha portion of the PML-RAR alpha chimeric protein. Structural alterations of the LED of the PML/RAR alpha have been revealed in ATRA-resistant APL cell lines and in a few APL patients with acquired clinical resistance to ATRA therapy. Two APL relapsed patients with clinical resistance to ATRA therapy were evaluated for the presence of nucleotide mutations in the LED of PML/RAR alpha gene and then treated with arsenic trioxide (As2O3). Design and Methods. DNA fragments from the LED of the PML/RAR alpha: chimeric transcript were obtained by reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction. Direct sequencing was performed by an unambiguous bidirectional automatic analysis. Samples representative of APL onset and relapse were analyzed from both patients. Results. In both patients, at the ATRA-resistant relapse, a missense point mutation in the LED of the PML/RAR alpha gene was found. The mutations, absent at APL onset, led to an Arg272Gln and to an Arg276Trp amino acid substitution, according to the sequence of the RAR alpha protein. Both patients had complete clinical and hematologic remission after treatment with As2O3. Interpretation and Conclusions. LED missense mutations appear to be a significant mechanism of acquired ATRA-resistance in vivo, closely related to clinical APL relapse. The two cases reported here provide the first in vivo evidence of Apt, relapsed patients, who have become ATRA-resistant for molecular reasons, being sensitive to arsenic trioxide