The National Museum (NM) was established in 1857 to house collections of art, textiles and metalware for the nation. It remains in its original building which is itself of architectural importance. Forty years ago, the government identified museums that held significant Heritage Collections (HCS). These are collections that are deemed to be very significant to the country. Three Heritage Collections were identified at the NM, a figure that has risen to seven in the intervening years as the museum has acquired new items Funding and structure The NM is currently 95% funded by direct grants from government. The rest of its income comes from a nominal admission charge and from private sponsorship of exhibitions. The direct funding from the government is based on a number of factors, but the number of Heritage Collections held by the museum is a significant funding influence. The Board of Trustees of the NM divide the museum's income between departments roughly on the basis of the previous year's budget plus inflation percentage. The division of money between departments is heavily influenced by the Heritage Collections. Departments with Heritage Collections tend to be allocated a larger budget. The budgets for 2017 and 2018 are shown in Figure 1. The head of each collection section is an important position and enjoys many privileges, including a large office, a special section heads" dining room and a dedicated personal assistant (PA). The heads of sections which have 'Heritage Collections also hold the title of professor from the National University The Director of Art and Architecture and the two professors who hold the Head of Architecture and Head of Art posts have, in the past, successfully lobbied individual members of the Board of Trustees with their concerns. The Director of Industrial Arts and the Director of Media and Contemporary Art have also circumvented the former Director General and directly contacted powerful figures in the Board of Trustees, television and the press to voice their conecms. There have been, in the past, television programmes featuring interviews with various heads of collections criticising changes proposed by the goverment The departmental structure of the NM (see Figure 2) is largely built around the twelve main sections of the collection. These sections are grouped into three departments, each of which has a Director The Board of Directors is made up of the three directors of these departments, together with the Director of Administration and the Director General. The museum is a charity run by a Board of Trustees. There are currently eight trustees, two of whom have been recently appointed by the goverment. The other six trustees are people well-known and respected in academic fields relevant to the museum's collections Government change One year ago, a new national government was elected. The newly appointed Minister for Culture implemented the government's election manifesto commitment to make museums more self-funding The minister has declared that in five years' time the museum must cover 80% of its own costs and only 20% will be directly funded by government. This change in funding will gradually be phased in over the next five years. The 20% government grant will be linked to the museum achieving specified targets for disability access, social inclusion and electronic commerce and access. The government is committed to increasing museum attendance by lower socio-economic classes and younger people so that they are more aware of their heritage. Furthermore, it also wishes to give increasing access to muscum exhibits to disabled people who cannot physically visit the museum site. The government have asked all museums to produce a strategy document showing how they intend to meet these financial, accessibility and technological objectives. The opposition party has, since the election, also agreed that the reliance of museums on government funding should be reduced significantly Collection sections Number of HCS Budget (5000) 2017 Budget (5000) 2018 Architecture Art Metalwork Glass 120-00 135-00 37-50 23.00 Textiles Ceramics 45.00 35 00 30 00 125-00 140-00 39 00 24.00 47.50 36-00 31-50 36-50 Furniture Books 35 00 15-50 Photography Fashion 15.00 10-00 10-50 1 Jewellery Sculpture Administration 50-00 25.00) 52 50 26-00 60-50 63-00 Total 621-00 647-00 Figure 1: Section budgets: 2017 and 2018 Traditionally, the NM has provided administrative support for sections and departments, grouped together beneath a Director of Administration. The role of the Director General has been a part-time post. However, the funding changes introduced by the government and the need to produce a strategy document, has spurred the Board of Trustees to appoint a full-time Director General from the private sector. The trustees felt they needed private industry expertise to develop and implement a strategy to achieve the government's objectives. The new Director General was previously the CEO of a major chain of supermarkets. Employees have reacted furiously to the government's proposal. The idea of linking budgets to visitor numbers has been greeted with dismay by the Director of Art and Architecture. This is a dreadful idea and confuses popularity with historical significance. As previous governments have realised, what is important is the value of the collection. Heritage Collections recognise this significance by putting the nation's interests before those of an undiscerning public. As far as I am concerned, if they want to see fashion, they can look in the high street shops. Unlike fashion, great art and architecture remains However, the new Director-General intends to make some significant changes within the museum in order to increase revenue and reduce costs. Some section directors and heads have caught whiff of his intentions. Although they were not clear of his proposals, a recent television programme featured interviews with various heads of collections criticising his intentions. They were particularly critical of the lack of consultation; "we are aware that certain strategies are being considered by the ex-grocer with no input from museum staff, said one anonymous contributor Board of Trustees Board of Directors Director General Director of Art & Architecture Director of Industrial Art Director of Media & Contemporary Art Director of Administration Head of Architecture Head of Metalwork Head of Art Head of Glass Head of Textiles Head of Ceramics Head of Books Head of Photography Head of Fashion Head of Jewellery Head of Sculpture Finance Purchasing Marketing Property Services Visitor Services Personnel Head of Furniture Figure 2: Current Organisational Structure Visitor numbers have been declining (see Figure 3) since 2014. 2017 2016 2015 2014 Visitor numbers (000s) Age 17 or less Age 18-22 Age 23-30 Age 31-45 Age 46-59 Age 60 or more Total 10 3 10 20 35 40 120 12 8 15 20 35 35 125 15 12 20 18 30 35 130 15 10 20 25 30 30 130 Figure 3: Visitor numbers 2014-17 Required: The new Director General has appointed you as a consultant Prepare a report for the new Director-General that includes an analysis of the current culture of NM and an assessment of how the culture may need to be changed to align with the aims of the government. (16 marks) Professional skills marks are available for demonstrating evaluation skills in assessing the implications of the changes needed in relation to the future culture of NM. (4 marks) The National Museum (NM) was established in 1857 to house collections of art, textiles and metalware for the nation. It remains in its original building which is itself of architectural importance. Forty years ago, the government identified museums that held significant Heritage Collections (HCS). These are collections that are deemed to be very significant to the country. Three Heritage Collections were identified at the NM, a figure that has risen to seven in the intervening years as the museum has acquired new items Funding and structure The NM is currently 95% funded by direct grants from government. The rest of its income comes from a nominal admission charge and from private sponsorship of exhibitions. The direct funding from the government is based on a number of factors, but the number of Heritage Collections held by the museum is a significant funding influence. The Board of Trustees of the NM divide the museum's income between departments roughly on the basis of the previous year's budget plus inflation percentage. The division of money between departments is heavily influenced by the Heritage Collections. Departments with Heritage Collections tend to be allocated a larger budget. The budgets for 2017 and 2018 are shown in Figure 1. The head of each collection section is an important position and enjoys many privileges, including a large office, a special section heads" dining room and a dedicated personal assistant (PA). The heads of sections which have 'Heritage Collections also hold the title of professor from the National University The Director of Art and Architecture and the two professors who hold the Head of Architecture and Head of Art posts have, in the past, successfully lobbied individual members of the Board of Trustees with their concerns. The Director of Industrial Arts and the Director of Media and Contemporary Art have also circumvented the former Director General and directly contacted powerful figures in the Board of Trustees, television and the press to voice their conecms. There have been, in the past, television programmes featuring interviews with various heads of collections criticising changes proposed by the goverment The departmental structure of the NM (see Figure 2) is largely built around the twelve main sections of the collection. These sections are grouped into three departments, each of which has a Director The Board of Directors is made up of the three directors of these departments, together with the Director of Administration and the Director General. The museum is a charity run by a Board of Trustees. There are currently eight trustees, two of whom have been recently appointed by the goverment. The other six trustees are people well-known and respected in academic fields relevant to the museum's collections Government change One year ago, a new national government was elected. The newly appointed Minister for Culture implemented the government's election manifesto commitment to make museums more self-funding The minister has declared that in five years' time the museum must cover 80% of its own costs and only 20% will be directly funded by government. This change in funding will gradually be phased in over the next five years. The 20% government grant will be linked to the museum achieving specified targets for disability access, social inclusion and electronic commerce and access. The government is committed to increasing museum attendance by lower socio-economic classes and younger people so that they are more aware of their heritage. Furthermore, it also wishes to give increasing access to muscum exhibits to disabled people who cannot physically visit the museum site. The government have asked all museums to produce a strategy document showing how they intend to meet these financial, accessibility and technological objectives. The opposition party has, since the election, also agreed that the reliance of museums on government funding should be reduced significantly Collection sections Number of HCS Budget (5000) 2017 Budget (5000) 2018 Architecture Art Metalwork Glass 120-00 135-00 37-50 23.00 Textiles Ceramics 45.00 35 00 30 00 125-00 140-00 39 00 24.00 47.50 36-00 31-50 36-50 Furniture Books 35 00 15-50 Photography Fashion 15.00 10-00 10-50 1 Jewellery Sculpture Administration 50-00 25.00) 52 50 26-00 60-50 63-00 Total 621-00 647-00 Figure 1: Section budgets: 2017 and 2018 Traditionally, the NM has provided administrative support for sections and departments, grouped together beneath a Director of Administration. The role of the Director General has been a part-time post. However, the funding changes introduced by the government and the need to produce a strategy document, has spurred the Board of Trustees to appoint a full-time Director General from the private sector. The trustees felt they needed private industry expertise to develop and implement a strategy to achieve the government's objectives. The new Director General was previously the CEO of a major chain of supermarkets. Employees have reacted furiously to the government's proposal. The idea of linking budgets to visitor numbers has been greeted with dismay by the Director of Art and Architecture. This is a dreadful idea and confuses popularity with historical significance. As previous governments have realised, what is important is the value of the collection. Heritage Collections recognise this significance by putting the nation's interests before those of an undiscerning public. As far as I am concerned, if they want to see fashion, they can look in the high street shops. Unlike fashion, great art and architecture remains However, the new Director-General intends to make some significant changes within the museum in order to increase revenue and reduce costs. Some section directors and heads have caught whiff of his intentions. Although they were not clear of his proposals, a recent television programme featured interviews with various heads of collections criticising his intentions. They were particularly critical of the lack of consultation; "we are aware that certain strategies are being considered by the ex-grocer with no input from museum staff, said one anonymous contributor Board of Trustees Board of Directors Director General Director of Art & Architecture Director of Industrial Art Director of Media & Contemporary Art Director of Administration Head of Architecture Head of Metalwork Head of Art Head of Glass Head of Textiles Head of Ceramics Head of Books Head of Photography Head of Fashion Head of Jewellery Head of Sculpture Finance Purchasing Marketing Property Services Visitor Services Personnel Head of Furniture Figure 2: Current Organisational Structure Visitor numbers have been declining (see Figure 3) since 2014. 2017 2016 2015 2014 Visitor numbers (000s) Age 17 or less Age 18-22 Age 23-30 Age 31-45 Age 46-59 Age 60 or more Total 10 3 10 20 35 40 120 12 8 15 20 35 35 125 15 12 20 18 30 35 130 15 10 20 25 30 30 130 Figure 3: Visitor numbers 2014-17 Required: The new Director General has appointed you as a consultant Prepare a report for the new Director-General that includes an analysis of the current culture of NM and an assessment of how the culture may need to be changed to align with the aims of the government. (16 marks) Professional skills marks are available for demonstrating evaluation skills in assessing the implications of the changes needed in relation to the future culture of NM. (4 marks)