Supa Ngwao Museum Case Study

SUPA NGWAO MUSEUM

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The report below is concerned with the use of ICT at Supa Ngwao Museum and the role it plays in the strategic development of the establishment. It will go further to look at the electronic presence of the museum as well as pave a way for recommendation of strategic technology solutions. While doing this assessment, the researcher paid close attention to the following; Social media, email, website presence etc.

1.2 BACKGROUND

Museums around the world exhibit and preserve the culture and heritage of respective tribes/nations. They now form part of the newly developed niches of the tourism industry, contributing immensely to the country’s economy. Supa Ngwao, meaning “show culture”, plays a major role in the

ICT is built around 4C’s, namely; computing, communications, content and capacity building (Economic report by the president, 2003). However it has come to the researchers’ attention that less emphasis is put on computers since its value seems to be depreciating. Lanvin & Qiang (2003) show evidence by suggesting that computer continue to grow less and less expensive since they can be donated, as compared to communications, software and training which on the other hand make ICT expensive.

ICT’s allow destinations to improve their online presence, and offline connectivity (Buhalis, 2003). This is to say that the use of ICT helps company’s gain recognition. It will now be noticed both online and physically therefore increasing chances of formed collaborations with other public and private organization. Effective and high speed ICT infrastructure and software applications in the tourism and hospitality industry are crucial for tourism development (Buhalis & Costa, 2006). High speed ICT infrastructure suggests that information from DMO to consumer and vice versa will be relayed at a faster speed. The information will reach a larger target audience, therefore connecting both the actual and potential market. This implies that not only do tourism organisations secure their market but also penetrate new markets with

Museums are rapidly becoming involved in innovative activities in order to create a platform where the museum operates in a more sustainable, attractive and interactive way with all major stakeholders. Martin (2012) argues that ICT/ e-business plays a major role or is responsible for how innovative most museums or other cultural heritage institutions are. Bahskhi & Throsby (2010) ; Peacock (2008) adds to the above argement by highlighting that technology has brought about endless possibilities that assist in enhancing communication with their audiences and bring about business models that will help in widening the economic and social values of the cultural heritage