Fiona Lowe: “Digital Business Model Innovation and the Institutional Preservation of the Arts and Heritage Sector”

In Students by General Account

My research aims to understand how cultural institutions accommodate and navigate hybrid tensions – between their traditional identity as institutions occupying a physical place, and a new virtual digital space during the Covid-19 crisis. The research explores the do-ability of digital projects through an institutional lens. I am employing a comparative case study design, examining a theoretical sample of arts and heritage institutions across Northern Ireland. This sample is studied against a body of literature from the fields of institutional theory, organizational behaviour, business innovation, arts management and history.

Prior to commencing this doctoral research I gained a MA with Distinction in Arts Management and I also worked within the sector. Therefore my research is informed by both theory and practice.