Overview: Business
relationships and activities will be mapped to establish the functional
characteristics of the fine arts industry cluster of which the National
Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has long been the dominant figure. Many
of the core activities of the NGV have been severely disrupted over a
period of four years (1999 to 2003) due to refurbishment. This
circumstance has made it possible to examine, over time, the effects of
dislocation of the dominant member on the way a cluster
functions. The research will provide information on how fine art
businesses, including some that are competitors, inter-relate, and how
and to what extent a previously dominant player can reinstate its
position after a period of dislocation.
For the purpose of this research a cluster is defined as a complex
system capable of initiating a synergetic process where inter-related
organisations and associations are linked by commonalities,
complementaries and rivalry. Inter-relations between cluster
members can be explicit and implicit, that is, as informal social
systems or as formal structures. A second aspect of a cluster is
that of proximity which may be geographic or functional.
This investigation will compare cluster functioning and inter-relations
between members during three phases of transition, that is, before,
during, and after disruption of the NGV's core activities. By
employing a longitudinal design, this circumstance provides a unique
opportunity to compare and analyse inter-relationships during the
process of change within the fine art cluster and determine the effect
of dislocation of its key player, on how the cluster operates.
Essentially this investigation is concerned with the manner in which
the inter-relationships between cluster members respond to change in
cluster dynamics during dislocation of its key player. |
