http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/10828/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16070/ 2009-06-01T00:00:00Z This paper is about a marketing decision support system in the movie industry. The decision support system of interest is a model that generates weekly movie schedules in a multiplex movie theater. A movie schedule specifies, for each day of the week, on which screen(s) different movies will be played, and at which time(s). The model integrates elements from marketing (the generation of demand figures) with approaches from operations research (the optimization procedure). Therefore, it consists of two parts: (i) conditional forecasts of the number of visitors per show for any possible starting time, and (ii) a scheduling procedure that quickly finds a near optimal schedule (which can be demonstrated to be close to the optimal schedule). To generate this schedule, we formulate the "movie scheduling problem" as a generalized set partitioning problem. The latter is solved with an algorithm based on column generation techniques. We tested the combined demand forecasting/schedule optimization procedure in a multiplex in Amsterdam, generating movie schedules for fourteen weeks. The proposed model not only makes movie scheduling easier and less time consuming, but also generates schedules that attract more visitors than current "intuition-based" schedules. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/16418/ 2009-04-01T00:00:00Z This paper reports the development and implementation of a decision support system in a non-traditional domain — the motion picture industry. The approach reported here is evolutionary, and the model was designed to assist exhibition executives in movie scheduling. After an earlier successful collaboration in scheduling a single theater with multiple screens, we now turn to the multi-theater multi screens situation, describing the problems encountered in that situation and how we have dealt with them. Using a quasi-experimental design, the decision support system was estimated to improve the net margin by over US $ 900,000 on an annual basis. The paper describes the implementation process and the performance evaluation metrics that had been agreed upon with the management. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/12483/ 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z Globalisation, liberalization and rapid technological developments have been changing business environments drastically in the recent decades. These trends are increasingly exposing businesses to market competition and thus intensifying competition. In such an environment, the role of marketing management support systems (MMSS) becomes exceedingly important for the long-term growth of an organisation’s marketing expertise and success. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of a globally distributed R&D project spanning three continents in developing an MMSS for the motion picture industry. We first provide the conceptual background of the MMSS and knowledge management systems relevant for our work. We then provide a detailed case study of our MMSS implementation. We specifically focus on the following elements of our work: globally distributed R&D efforts, knowledge elements, and fit between demand and supply sides of MMSS. We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research in this area. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/10093/ 2007-05-11T00:00:00Z This paper describes a model that generates weekly movie schedules in a multiplex movie theater. A movie schedule specifies within each day of the week, on which screen(s) different movies will be played, and at which time(s). The model consists of two parts: (i) conditional forecasts of the number of visitors per show for any possible starting time; and (ii) an optimization procedure that quickly finds an almost optimal schedule (which can be demonstrated to be close to the optimal schedule). To generate this schedule we formulate the so-called movie scheduling problem as a generalized set partitioning problem. The latter is solved with an algorithm based on column generation techniques. We have applied this combined demand forecasting /schedule optimization procedure to a multiplex in Amsterdam where we supported the scheduling of fourteen movie weeks. The proposed model not only makes movie scheduling easier and less time consuming, but also generates schedules that would attract more visitors than the current ‘intuition-based’ schedules. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/10069/ 2007-05-10T00:00:00Z This paper describes a model that generates weekly movie schedules in a multiplex movie theater. A movie schedule specifies within each day of the week, on which screen(s) different movies will be played, and at which time(s). The model consists of two parts: (i) conditional forecasts of the number of visitors per show for any possible starting time; and (ii) an optimization procedure that quickly finds an almost optimal schedule (which can be demonstrated to be close to the optimal schedule). To generate this schedule we formulate the so-called movie scheduling problem as a generalized set partitioning problem. The latter is solved with an algorithm based on column generation techniques. We have applied this combined demand forecasting /schedule optimization procedure to a multiplex in Amsterdam where we supported the scheduling of fourteen movie weeks. The proposed model not 2 only makes movie scheduling easier and less time consuming, but also generates schedules that would attract more visitors than the current ‘intuition-based’ schedules. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/12494/ 2001-01-01T00:00:00Z Every Monday morning, Pathé Theaters in the Netherlands decides which movies in its cinemas to retain and which to replace. It must choose replacement movies from those available at that time. We implemented the SilverScreener model, a mathematical-programming system [Swami, Eliashberg, and Weinberg 1999] to help Pathé managers make those decisions for one six-screen theater and tested its performance against the performance of two unaided similar multiscreen cinemas. Using Pathé's historical data, managerial judgment, and theater-specific factors, we developed an attendance-forecasting system. While a fully controlled experiment was not possible, the revenues at the theater using the Silver-Screener recommendations were higher than those at the two comparable theaters. Managerial attitudes towards the modeling system improved after implementation of SilverScreener.