Appendix Questionnaire Interview
Introduction
1) Introduction of myself. My study: Business Administration and an explanation of my Master: Strategy and Innovation.
2) An initiative has risen to launch a children’s museum in the Netherlands, with location Amsterdam. I am interested in how this initial process has been managed with regard to the various stakeholders.
3) Can you make a description of your function and your daily tasks? 4) How would you define a Children’s Museum?
5) What is according to you successful within a Children’s Museum?
6) Which specific Children’s Museum elements add value to ‘society in the sense that people or children think, feel or judge differently?
The Launch of the Children Museum
1) Who was the initiator of this Children’s Museum and when was it launched?
a. Was this museum modeled after another museum or what is the source of inspiration example?
2) How did this process take off?
a. Who was responsible for writing the business plan? b. What kinds of people were gathered to cooperate?
i. What was their commitment to the Children’s Museum? ii. Did they work for a salary or were they voluntary?
c. Which other people seemed to have a stake in the Children’s Museum? iii. What was their commitment to the Children’s Museum? iv. How was their cooperation? (Oppose/accommodate) 3) What was the role of the Government?
a. Did they support the project?
b. Did they support the project financially?
c. If yes, what influence did they want to practice on aspects of the Children’s Museum like location, exhibitions, educational elements, name, etc.?
4) What was the role of the City Council? a. Did they support the project?
b. Did they support the project financially?
c. If yes, what influence did they want to practice on aspects of the Children Museum like location, exhibitions, educational elements, name, etc.?
5) What was the role of the European Union? a. Did they support the project?
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c. If yes, what influence did they want to practice on aspects of the Children Museum like location, exhibitions, educational elements, name, etc.?
6) Have you had any support of foundations? a. IF so where they public or private?
b. What demands did the Children’s Museum have to meet?
c. What was the influence they wanted to practice on aspects of the Children’s Museum like location, exhibitions, education, educational elements, name, etc.?
7) Has any part of or has any total exhibition ever been sponsored by firms/organizations/enterprises?
a. Which ones are these for example?
b. Which demands did the Children’s Museum have to meet?
c. What was the influence they want(ed) to practice on aspects of the Children Museum like location, exhibitions, educational elements, name, etc.?
8) How is the bargaining power of the financial supporters towards the operational freedom of the management of the Children’s Museum, like location, exhibitions, educational elements, name, etc.?
a. How is this expressed?
9) Do you have financial figures of the last 5 years?
a. How is the distribution between revenues and expenses? b. Has there been a growth or a decline in the revenues?
i. How can you exemplify this? 10) How were the starting costs being financed?
The content of the Children’s Museum
11) What is the target group? Profile? 12) What is the entrance fee?
a. Is there a trend in the height of the entrance fee noticeable compared to the past, present and in the nearby future?
b. On what basis is this fee set? For example, to cover the starting costs high fees? Afterwards lower because of revenues from shops and restaurant?
c. Are there special “frequent visitor” discounts? Have a subscription? d. Is it possible to become a member?
i. What are the (dis) advantages
e. Are there discounts for groups? Schools? Birthday parties? f. What is the philosophy behind these fee heights?
13) Has there been an increase or decrease of the amount of visitors the last few years? a. If yes, why?
b. If yes, how much?
c. If yes, was this foreseen in the strategy?
14) How often does an exhibition change in your Children’s Museum? a. Is there a philosophy behind this decision?
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Building
15) Why was this location chosen for a Children’s Museum? a. Was this an existing building or new?
b. If building existed:
i. What was the rent and what is it now?
ii. Are there other conditions you have to take into account to rent this building? Freedom to paint or build?
iii. How long can you make use of this location? Is it determined time? c. If building is built from scratch:
i. Who designed the Children’s Museum? (An architect, the management, the initiator, children themselves)
ii. How much did it cost to build it? iii. How long did the construction take? iv. How was it to get a license?
v. How did the surrounding of the location react?
Organizational structure
16) How many employees work in the Children’s Museum? a. What kind of departments do you have?
17) How is the management of the Children’s Museum organized? a. How many managers?
b. What are their tasks?
18) How is the creative department of the Children’s Museum organized? a. How many creative employees?
b. What are their tasks?
19) The Children’s Museum is a non-profit organization. Are there special rules concerning this state? a. Who has set these rules?
20) How do the management and the creative department cooperate?
21) Do the rules of being a non-profit organization bring any tension between the management and the creative department?
22) Who are the direct competitors of the Children’s Museum?
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Legitimacy
23) How did the Children’s Museum created familiarity? How was it brought under the attention of the public?
24) How did you manage that the public was acquainted what the Children’s Museum had to offer? 25) What kind of support did you receive while launching the Children’s Museum? (Money, licenses,
PR, respect, voluntary workers)
25) Who gave this support? (Government, City Council, funds, foundations, consumers). 26) Why did they give support?
27) What is the reputation of the support givers? (Government, City Council, funds, foundations, consumers).
Children Museum Association
1) What kind of role does the Hands On Europe Association play for the Children’s Museum? 2) What kind of role does the American Children’s Museum Association play for the Children’s
Museum?
Finish
Do you have complementary documentation and/or information?
Do you have pictures of the Children’s Museum? Would you object if we use these for our presentation, so as to show to various future stakeholders in the Netherlands what a Children’s Museum really looks like
