The Role and Determinants of Concession Sales in Movie Theaters: Evidence from the Spanish Exhibition Industry

The importance of concession sales in the movie exhibition industry is widely acknowledged among economists and other social scientists that have studied this industry in the past. Despite this recognition, the lack of appropriate data has constrained existing studies that document the role that concessions play in movie theaters. Using detailed weekly movie theater data on concession sales, box office revenues and transaction characteristics from a major exhibitor in Spain, we shed light on the relation between concession sales and the following factors (i) theater attendance, (ii) non-traditional channels of ticket distribution, (iii) audience composition, and (iv) theater and market specific factors.      

Relational database design

Relational databases are the predominant method for storing repetitive data in computers because they allow efficient and flexible storage of that data. While medical directors and underwriters are more likely to use a spreadsheet than a database program to analyze their business, the data they wish to study are often stored in corporate databases. Or the data may be complex enough to require being keyed into or downloaded into a personal computer (PC) database program for storage, even if the data are then output to a spread-sheet for numerical analysis. In many circumstances, one can benefit from an understanding of efficient database design. After a brief overview, the reader is led step-by-step through a practical explanation of database design, from a flat file to a relational model.     

Purchase process for capital equipment and services

This article develops some interactive dimensions of the industrial buying center. Buying group processes and outcomes were examined for purchases of capital equipment and industrial services in 31 firms. Qualitative as well as quantitative data were analyzed to test the soundness of an interactive communication perspective on buying, and the managerial implications to be drawn from such an analysis. Equipment and services purchase measures were found to differ reliably across several indices suggested by our theoretical orientation.     

Futurists and state energy policy: The Wisconsin story

This analysis of the development of state energy policy focuses on the role of futurists and of alternative energy futures, from the experience of Wisconsin during the 1970s as viewed by participants in that development. First considered in the early 1970s, the concept of state energy policy has rapidly gained acceptance and become an important component of overall state policy. Methodological improvements and diversity and the involvement of growing numbers of people, groups, and agencies have been essential to shaping and improving the policy development process. A major success of Wisconsin's energy policy has been avoiding the construction of excess generating capacity by public utilities. A notable failure was not planning for revenue shortfalls with declining use of gasoline, despite early studies projecting the decline. Problem areas for improving the practice of energy policy analysis include the lack of creativity and imagination, the dissemination and embedding of results, and the analyst's need, in specifying problems and objectives, to work from the standpoint of policy makers.     

The Evolution of Scholarly Research on Sponsorship: Expectations About the Future of This Research Domain

This study examines how scholarly research on sponsorship has evolved from 2001–2011 and envisages the shape of this domain from 2012–2014. From the 6,240 words counted in 573 articles, we identified prominent themes around “sponsorship,” “sponsor,” “sport,” “brand,” and “marketing” from 19 key concepts. We assessed sets of concepts that best reflect the sponsorship theme by conducting a series of multiple linear regression analyses. Trend analyses from 2012–2014 indicated prospects for a dramatic increase in research activity around six topics. We anticipate the rate of sponsorship research will continue briskly in line with the continued escalation of global sponsorship expenditure.