| Abstract [eng] |
Value creation of cultural services is a relevant topic in today’s context. Cultural services enrich the cultural life of society, enhance identity, shape people’s life habits, create values, develop social integration and social cohesion. Ucinavičiūtė and Prapiestienė (2019) state that cultural institutions offer unique services and enrich the cultural life of the society, however, globalization, technological development and social transformations have a significant impact on cultural services, their accessibility and quality. Evans (2020) points out the need to deepen the understanding of contemporary societal needs and how cultural institutions can contribute to improving the quality of life and public value creation. Although most other academic papers analyze the economic impact of culture on regions and cities, little attention is paid to the local communities that are directly affected by cultural services. The object of the Final Degree Project is the value created by cultural services for local residents of Kaunas District Municipality. The aim of the project is to assess the value created by cultural services for local residents of Kaunas District Municipality. To achieve this aim, three objectives have been set: 1) to carry out a theoretical analysis of the concept of cultural services and value created by cultural services; 2) to analyze national and international legal and strategic documents on the value created by cultural services; 3) to research the value created by cultural services in Kaunas District Municipality for local residents. The research method chosen for the project was the analysis of primary and secondary data - analysis of scientific papers and legal documents and semi-structured interviews. The project consists of three parts: theoretical analysis of the value created by cultural services for local residents, analysis of the value created by cultural services in the legal acts of international organizations and Lithuania, and the study of the value created by cultural services for local residents in Kaunas District Municipality. For this project, eight experts were chosen as informants, who in their professional practice deal with the provision of cultural services, accessibility and the value they create for local residents on a daily basis. Representatives of different institutions such as the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Kaunas District Municipality, culture centers, public institutions and other institutions providing cultural services were chosen to be interviewed in order to determine the different approaches towards the researched topic. The results show that the value created by cultural services is classified on the basis of economic, social and cultural factors. The value created by cultural services is a difficult indicator to measure, however, it can be identified through the satisfaction of residents’ needs, the preservation of national heritage, the creation of a cultural identity, the achievement of sustainable development objectives, the accessibility of cultural services, the pursuit of the title of European Capital of Culture, and the provision of high-quality and useful services. After the empirical research it was found that the respondents’ views agree on many issues, which confirms the relevance of the research topic and identifies the existing problems in the context of the value created by cultural services for local residents. The research results revealed that the value of cultural services is closely related to the direct benefits to the residents, and that increasing the latter is a priority. Increasing the value of cultural services requires making them easily accessible to local residents, increasing funding for cultural institutions, promoting the involvement of residents, analyzing their needs for cultural services and events, and strengthening communication between policy-makers, implementers and recipients. The research provides conclusions and recommendations for increasing the value created by cultural services. |
