Paul K. Bergey

Dynamic Effects Among Movie Ratings, Movie Revenues, and Viewer Satisfaction

This research investigates how movie ratings from professional critics, amateur communities, and viewers themselves influence key movie performance measures (i.e., movie revenues and new movie ratings). Using movie-level data, the authors find that high early movie revenues enhance subsequent movie ratings. They also find that high advertising spending on movies supported by high ratings maximizes the movies revenues. Furthermore, they empirically show that sequel movies tend to reap more revenues but receive lower ratings than originals. Using individual viewer–level data, this research highlights how viewers’ own viewing and rating histories and movie communities’ collective opinions explain viewer satisfaction. The authors find that various aspects of these ratings explain viewers’ new movie ratings as a measure of viewer satisfaction, after controlling for movie characteristics. Furthermore, they find that viewers’ movie experiences can cause them to become more critical in ratings over time. Finally, they find a U-shaped relationship between viewers’ genre preferences and genre-specific movie ratings for heavy viewers.

A Simulated Annealing Genetic Algorithm for the Electrical Power Districting Problem

Due to a variety of political, economic, and technological factors, many national electricity industries around the globe are transforming from non-competitive monopolies with centralized systems to decentralized operations with competitive business units. A key challenge faced by energy restructuring specialists at the World Bank is trying to simultaneously optimize the various criteria one can use to judge the fairness and commercial viability of a particular power districting plan. This research introduces and tests a new algorithm for solving the electrical power districting problem in the context of the Republic of Ghana and using a random test problem generator. We show that our mimetic algorithm, the Simulated Annealing Genetic Algorithm, outperforms a well-known Parallel Simulated Annealing heuristic on this new and interesting problem manifested by the deregulation of electricity markets.

Supply Chains in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Decision Support System for Small-Scale Seed Entrepreneurs

It is necessary to infuse a consistent supply of improved seed varieties into local sub-Saharan African crop production to improve low crop yields. The best distribution channel for the improved seed varieties may be small-scale commercial seed companies, but local entrepreneurs struggle to determine whether such businesses are viable. Using a multi-echelon supply chain approach, a decision support system (DSS) was designed to help African seed entrepreneurs make informed decisions about small-scale seed chain businesses. Specifically, entrepreneurs make decisions about where to locate seed enterprises, with which farmers to contract, and where to store seed. Optimization and simulation modeling are used to evaluate infrastructure variables such as distance, transportation cost, and storage loss and cost in three development level areas. Currently, the decision tool is used in Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania. The model has supported the start-up of at least 17 small seed companies that are now introducing improved seed varieties into villages and farms. The DSS applies decision science research in a humanitarian application and offers important managerial implications about supply chain infrastructure to nongovernmental organizations and humanitarian groups. Such applications are vital as groups such as USAID, the Gates Foundation, and the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) continue to move toward micro-enterprise, value chain, and market-oriented development programs.

Innovation as the strategic driver of sustainability: big data knowledge for profit and survival

Innovation has long been a central strategic focus of firms, and sustainability has recently become such a focus. We posit that innovation-across the value chain, in strategy, and in business models-is the central element of any truly sustainable business. Linking the theoretical models of Market Orientation (MO) and the Resource Based View of the Firm (RBV), purposive search directed through a Knowledge Based View (KBV) offers a schematic outline for how and where applications of big data analytics can facilitate innovation for long-term sustainability of the firm-for survival, profit, and dynamic fit with the changing environment.

Leveraging social media technology for business transformation: the case of corporate social communities

Abstract Purpose This chapter explores the role that social media can play to support entrepreneurs in managing complex interfirm communities. As companies increasingly operate in highly connected environments, it is important to move beyond corporate networks, and understand and build corporate social communities (CSCs) that underpin organizations. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted 14 case studies at member firms of GS1 Australia — a not-for-profit association dedicated to the development, implementation, and promotion of information technology standards to improve supply chain management. Finding The gathered data illustrate a number of common challenges managers typically encounter in their supply chain operations. In response to these challenges, the authors propose distinct ways in which CSCs can leverage and transform interfirm relationships and support operational goals. Research limitations/implications The empirical investigations were limited to the supply chain context, and Australian companies. The benefits pertinent to CSCs were only explored conceptually. Further studies should address these limitations. Practical implications We provide empirical evidence supported by theoretical insights that CSCs are powerful tools that community designers and managers can leverage to transform business-to-business (B2B) relationships. Originality/value The originality of this study resides in advancing theoretical understanding and providing practical managerial guidance on how to best deploy CSCs in a supply chain context. Additionally, we consider the role CSCs play in different stages of B2B relationships, and the reasons why most managers are hesitant to adopt CSCs.

AMCIS 2002 Panels and Workshops II: Spreadsheet-Based DSS Curriculum Issues

When challenged to justify the value of information systems (IS) research, decision support systems (DSS) is usually cited as one the most compelling examples of where IS research made the transition successfully from theoretical academic journals into the “real-world”. In light of this assessment, it is somewhat surprising that offerings of DSS courses waned over the years. This paper identifies several possible reasons for the decline in DSS course offerings and suggests innovative approaches using spreadsheets for breathing new-life into this cornerstone of the IS field.

Editorial: A global perspective on teaching innovation, entrepreneurship and engineering management

I truly believe that the art of teaching innovation and entrepreneurship in an engineering management setting has never been more essential to our future prosperity. It is well understood that advances in technology are essential for increasing productivity, thereby raising living standards for everyone in the general population. Advances in technology often originate from innovations in science and engineering, which are then delivered to society by entrepreneurs who create new products and services. So how does one teach skills like `innovation? or `entrepreneurship?? Are these skills innate to some individuals or can they be learned?

Project management in education [Editorial]

PROJECT management is a recurring theme published in EMR because innovations are typically managed as projects and thus, project management competence is essential to the career success of practicing technology managers. A course in project management is fundamental to nearly all engineering management education programs. On-line education and e-learning is growing rapidly and understanding the issues unique to teaching project management in this environment will serve the emerging generation of engineers entering the field as well as those already engaged in the profession.

Editorial: Team formation and performance

WORLD class athletes, like world class managers, have an innate understanding of team dynamics and the impact that it has on both individual and team performance. In this issue of EMR we aspire to understand the intricacies of team formation and performance. Todays globalized companies use distributed teams across great geographic distances and fuse this gap vis-a-vis modern technology. Global companies often construct teams of teams. How do we assemble the best team to meet our goals? What technology is most suitable to enable teams to perform at their maximum capability?

Conditional efficiency, operational risk and electronic ticket pricing strategies for the airline industry

As the USA moves towards an economic slowdown and possible recession, the airline industry is particularly vulnerable to consumer price sensitivity regarding the purchase of electronic tickets. In this research, we provide a methodological approach that utilises operational risk metrics to examine the impact of various electronic ticket pricing strategies on profitability. Specifically, the work presented herein is differentiated from previous airline revenue management studies in the following ways: 1) we develop a Monte Carlo simulation model which can be used effectively to construct conditionally efficient discount ticket pricing strategies, 2) we show that the operational value at risk and expected shortfall are effective measures for weighing the risk-return tradeoffs for efficient discount ticket pricing strategies along the constructed frontier and 3) we implement a demand-recapturing variable in the simulation model where prior studies have assumed independent demand among various consumer classes.