Abstract

This thesis explores the role of outsourcing in current museum developments through the case studies of the multinational companies Acoustiguide (a subsidiary of the Espro Acoustiguide Group) and Lord Cultural Resources in their chosen field of operation--museums, galleries and other cultural and heritage organizations. It examines their business operations against the backdrop of global museum transformations through an analysis of each company's economic, industrial, and discursive formations, and points to global flows of cultural exchange, as defined by Appadurai (1996), in an international field of cultural production. Bourdieu's concept of cultural intermediaries and field theory are central to this analysis. To meet the demands of the 20 century's increasingly global and technologically advanced world museums must balance traditional and contemporary roles. As a result, they have adopted and adapted certain organizational restructuring practices from the corporate sector. The relationship between these companies and museums is an exchange, with each ultimately influencing the development of the other. Keywords: cultural production; cultural intermediaries; museum; non-profit; outsourcing; globalization; technology; audio guide; Acoustiguide; Espro Aucoustiguide Group, Lord Cultural Resources, global consultancy; interpretation.