Investigating performing-arts organizations between customer education and performance quality

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Starting date
June 30, 2016
Duration (months)
36
Departments
Business Administration
Managers or local contacts
Brunetti Federico

This research project aims to investigate nonprofit performing-arts organizations that currently face several challenges due for example to scarcity of funding and increased competition from the entertainment industry.
With specific reference to opera, this project explores customer education programs (CEPs) in Italy in order to improve their service experience because opera requires a certain level of customer education to be appreciated. Taking into account the Lyric Opera Theatres and Foundations (LOTFs) industry as investigation field, this research investigates both CEPs in Italy and the effect of perceived performance quality and customer education on customer attitudinal loyalty to opera from a cross-country perspective.
The expected results are the following: 1) most CEPs are targeted to young students and teachers and include a variety of activities such as meetings, rehearsals, tours, and laboratories. They are organized mainly from October to April/May, generally in theatres. CEPs pursue cultural, social and educational goals. They present a wide range of prices and use quite traditional learning tools. 2) higher levels of perceived service quality and customer education positively affect attitudinal loyalty.
Practical implications can be provided to performing-arts managers. 
 

Project participants

Angelo Bonfanti
Associate Professor
Federico Brunetti
Full Professor
Vania Vigolo
Associate Professor
Research areas involved in the project
Gestione dei servizi
Service management
Gestione del turismo
Tourism management
Publications
Title Authors Year
Empowering customer education: a research agenda for marketing studies Brunetti Federico; Bonfanti Angelo; Vigolo Vania 2016
Effects of Customer Education in Terms of Customer Perceived Value: The Role of Customer Evaluation Skills Bonfanti Angelo; Brunetti Federico 2015
Customer Education, Evaluation Skills And Perceived Value: A Theoretical Framework Bonfanti Angelo; Brunetti Federico 2014

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