The sustainable management of museums. An italian perspective

Purpose \u2013 The theme of sustainability in museums has not been sufficiently explored in the international literature on cultural heritage management as well as few museums are already involved in programs to promote sustainable development. Considering this gap, the purpose of this study is twofold. Firstly, to provide a conceptual model applying the principles of sustainable development to the enhancement of cultural heritage and, secondly, to analyze the case of Marche Region. Design \u2013 After analysing the three dimensions of sustainability \u2013 environmental, social and economic \u2013 and their possible application to museum management, the research tested the theoretical assumptions through an exploratory qualitative/ quantitative survey. Methodology \u2013The structured questionnaire was submitted to a sample of museums and consisted of a wide range of questions, primarily, although not exclusively, quantitative, which examined both museum management and sustainability orientation. Approach \u2013 The analysis focused on two different dimensions: the first aimed at understanding the perception of sustainability and the value of its components, the second aimed at investigating museums\u2019 willingness and reasons to engage in concrete sustainability-oriented actions. Finding \u2013 The field research showed Marche Region\u2019s museums have a full awareness of the benefits of sustainable management. However, the lack of a managerial approach to the museums\u2019 development compromises their ability to transfer this orientation in operational policies. Originality of research \u2013 The paper provides a multidimensional model for measuring the level of museum sustainability, able to analyze cultural and behavioral components. This analysis identifies possible areas of intervention for regional policies aimed at improving sustainability orientation of museums

MEASURING PROPENSITY OF ONLINE PURCHASE BY USING THE TAM MODEL: EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

The study aims to investigate the dynamics of online purchasing behavior through the analysis of a sample of students from Italy. The objective is twofold: firstly, to outline a descriptive picture of the type of relationship with the web and the use of the TAM model to highlight the propensity to use electronic commerce by the analyzed sample. An interesting evidence is the prevalence of using the Internet for social activities rather than for purchases. In fact, the propensity to purchase online is still very limited and mainly concerns cultural and tourist services rather than physical products. Mobile devices are the main devices for connecting students to the Web and, consequently, the most used for purchasing online

Mapping and Evaluating the Attractiveness of Pilgrim Routes from an Experiential Perspective: the Case of the ‘Paths through Italy’

The assessment of tourist offerings and the attractiveness of tourist destinations has been the subject of many studies in the tourism management literature over the years. Several authors have examined the territorial characteristics and factors that nurture tourist destination attractiveness in order to create flexible models that are capable of providing recommendations and instructions for destination management policies in the tourism industry. However, one of the fields in which this topic has so far been under-studied is with regard to pilgrim routes. Calling upon the ‘Atlas of the Paths through Italy’ which represents the official census or count of Italian routes published and recognised by the Ministry of Environmental, Cultural and Tourism Heritage (MiBACT) in 2016, the purpose of this article is to compare all the ‘Paths through Italy’ and classify them according to their expressed or unexpressed tourism potential. In particular, through an experiential approach and the use of Fuzzy Set Ideal Type Analysis (FSITA) methodology, this article aims to evaluate the attractiveness of the Paths in terms of their structural capability, create a taxonomy of the Paths, identify the most attractive type of Path which should be taken as a best practice benchmark, and provide managerial and policy suggestions to improve the attractiveness of the weaker Paths. The results of the analysis found that three Paths had strong potential and six Paths had good potential for tourism development. This study provides both a descriptive framework and an interpretative approach to the Italian Paths to help public intuitions manage and develop policies for the sustainable development of these pilgrimage routes

Staged magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy for the treatment of bilateral essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease related tremor: a systematic review and critical appraisal of current knowledge

IntroductionEssential tremor (ET) and Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are debilitating neurodegenerative disorders characterized by tremor as a predominant symptom, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. Magnetic Resonance-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Thalamotomy is an innovative therapeutic option for the treatment of unilateral medically refractory tremor with fewer adverse effects compared to traditional surgical interventions. A recent CE approval allows appropriate patients to have their second side treated.ObjectiveThe objective of this systematic review was to analyze available current knowledge about the use of MRgFUS for the treatment of bilateral ET and PD related tremor, to identify the effectiveness and the risks associated with bilateral treatment.MethodsEligible studies were identified by searching published studies in PubMed and Scopus databases from May 2014 to January 2024 and by identifying ongoing studies registered on the clinicaltrials.gov website. Data were summarized by considering the following information topics: the number of patients involved, the selected lesion target, the assessment tool used to evaluate clinical changes, the observed improvement, the reported side effects, and the time interval between the two treatments. The study was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42024513178).ResultsNine studies were eligible for this review, 7 for ET and 2 for PD. The involved population included a variable number of patients, ranging from 1 to 11 subjects for ET and from 10 to 15 subjects for PD. The main lesional targets were the ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus, the pallidothalamic tract and the cerebellothalamic tract bilaterally. All studies investigated the tremor relief through the Clinical Rating Scale for Tremor (CRST) in patients with ET, and through the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in patients with PD. A variable degree of improvement was observed, with all patients expressing overall satisfaction with the bilateral treatment. Adverse events were mild and transient, primarily involving gait disturbances, dysarthria, and ataxia. A standardized protocol for administering the two consecutive treatments was not identifiable; typically, the timing of the second treatment was delayed by at least 6 months.ConclusionAvailable evidence supports the effectiveness and safety of staged bilateral MRgFUS treatments for ET and PD-related tremor

Imprese turistiche e sostenibilità: evidenze empiriche dalla provincia di Pesaro e Urbino

Il ruolo delle imprese turistiche all’interno dei processi di sviluppo sostenibile delle destinazioni è un tema di crescente interesse tra gli studiosi di Destination Management (Cfr. Marin e Jafari, 2002; Roberts e Tribe, 2008; Ambrosie, 2010). L’adesione ai principi della sostenibilità ambientale da parte dei soggetti imprenditoriali rappresenta un elemento imprescindibile per i territori che vogliano qualificarsi come “sostenibili”. Emergono, in tal senso, due questioni su cui focalizzare l’attenzione dei policy makers. La prima attiene alla valutazione del grado di orientamento alla sostenibilità delle imprese turistiche – sustainability orientation; la seconda riguarda la capacità di stimolare attraverso azioni di meta-management tale orientamento qualora risultasse al di sotto di livelli ritenuti accettabili. Obiettivo del lavoro è quindi duplice: da un lato proporre un modello teorico di valutazione del grado di attenzione e di rispetto dei principi della sostenibilità da parte imprese turistiche – arricchito da una indagine empirica su un campione di 90 imprese del comparto accomodation localizzate nella provincia di Pesaro Urbino; dall’altro formulare alcune possibili linee di intervento per i policy makers responsabili dello sviluppo turistico delle destinazioni. Nonostante i limiti della ricerca, segnatamente la ristretta estensione del territorio di riferimento e del numero delle imprese osservate, lo studio offre importanti evidenze circa il rapporto tra imprese turistiche e crescita sostenibile del territorio, rapporto ricco di implicazioni culturali ed etiche che impongono, per le imprese, una efficace traduzione in termini manageriali, ovvero politiche capaci di cogliere le sfide legate ad un nuovo modello di sviluppo oltre che alle nuove tendenze della domanda turistica globale