MARKET ALIGNMENT AND DECISION MAKING PROCESSES

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which the decision making style of the selection committees of the three national South African performing arts festivals succeeded in supplying an entertainment product mix that satisfied the demand of their respective audiences. A conjoint analysis of festival audiences was utilised to compare and contrast entertainment product demand with actual entertainment product supply as recorded in the festival programs. Key members of the selection committees were interviewed to determine the decision making style of the committees. The main findings were that the entertainment product mix supplied by all three festivals was substantially out of alignment with the entertainment product mix demanded and that the decision making process of all three selection committees tended towards an intuitive, naturalistic style with very little reference to empirical market intelligence