The Corporate Museum is a field of study that has been little explored and that occupies a partic... more The Corporate Museum is a field of study that has been little explored and that occupies a particular position, at the intersection of the cultural realm of public museums and the world of business, and is characterized by a managerial vision. Corporate museums are physical structures in which the history and the memory of a company are told. The few works in this area look at these museums as a storehouse of organizational memory, as a tool for public relations and marketing, that is, for corporate communication. Although mainly framed in the context of corporate communication tools, studies conducted so far have neglected the potential of these structures as an expression of a social orientation of the firm, first demonstrated by attention to satisfying the legitimate expectations of the stakeholders (primarily, employees and local community). This paper intends to offer a contribution in this direction. We propose to strengthen studies that show a link between Corporate Museums and social oriented behaviors and to investigate the organizational conditions that could allow Corporate Museums to play a social role. Introduction Despite their long pedigree, Corporate Museums (CMs) are a field of study that has been little explored. They are physical structures in which the history and the memory of a company are told. They manage collections owned by a company, are situated inside, and let visitors retrace both the past and the present of the business from different points of view, such as strategic, techno-productive, social. The few works in this area focus on these museums as a store of organizational memory, as a projection of the corporate identity inside and outside the company, as a tool for public relations and marketing, that is, for corporate communication (Piatkowska, 2014). Although mainly framed in the context of corporate communication tools, studies conducted so far have neglected the potential of these structures as a way of being for social responsibility, i.e. an expression of a social orientation of the firm, first demonstrated by attention to satisfying the legitimate expectations of the stakeholders, primarily organizational and societal stakeholders (Werther, Chandler, 2005). While the research is still at an embryonic stage, this paper intends to offer a contribution in this direction. We propose to strengthen studies that show a link between CMs and corporate social behavior "in practice" and to investigate the organizational conditions that could allow CMs to play a social role. Consistent with the research problem and considering the exploratory nature of the study, a qualitative approach was chosen, based on an in-depth case-study [Yin, 1984], in order to better describe and interpret the "how" and the "why" of choices made by these museums structures and to assess the "results" achieved.
The Corporate Museum is a field of study that has been little explored and that occupies a partic... more The Corporate Museum is a field of study that has been little explored and that occupies a particular position, at the intersection of the cultural realm of public museums and the world of business, and is characterized by a managerial vision. Corporate museums are physical structures in which the history and the memory of a company are told. The few works in this area look at these museums as a storehouse of organizational memory, as a tool for public relations and marketing, that is, for corporate communication. Although mainly framed in the context of corporate communication tools, studies conducted so far have neglected the potential of these structures as an expression of a social orientation of the firm, first demonstrated by attention to satisfying the legitimate expectations of the stakeholders (primarily, employees and local community). This paper intends to offer a contribution in this direction. We propose to strengthen studies that show a link between Corporate Museums and social oriented behaviors and to investigate the organizational conditions that could allow Corporate Museums to play a social role. Introduction Despite their long pedigree, Corporate Museums (CMs) are a field of study that has been little explored. They are physical structures in which the history and the memory of a company are told. They manage collections owned by a company, are situated inside, and let visitors retrace both the past and the present of the business from different points of view, such as strategic, techno-productive, social. The few works in this area focus on these museums as a store of organizational memory, as a projection of the corporate identity inside and outside the company, as a tool for public relations and marketing, that is, for corporate communication (Piatkowska, 2014). Although mainly framed in the context of corporate communication tools, studies conducted so far have neglected the potential of these structures as a way of being for social responsibility, i.e. an expression of a social orientation of the firm, first demonstrated by attention to satisfying the legitimate expectations of the stakeholders, primarily organizational and societal stakeholders (Werther, Chandler, 2005). While the research is still at an embryonic stage, this paper intends to offer a contribution in this direction. We propose to strengthen studies that show a link between CMs and corporate social behavior "in practice" and to investigate the organizational conditions that could allow CMs to play a social role. Consistent with the research problem and considering the exploratory nature of the study, a qualitative approach was chosen, based on an in-depth case-study [Yin, 1984], in order to better describe and interpret the "how" and the "why" of choices made by these museums structures and to assess the "results" achieved.
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