Leveraging analytics to produce compelling and profitable film content

Producing compelling film content profitably is a top priority to the long-term prosperity of the film industry. Advances in digital technologies, increasing availabilities of granular big data, rapid diffusion of analytic techniques, and intensified competition from user generated content and original content produced by Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) platforms have created unparalleled needs and opportunities for film producers to leverage analytics in content production. Built upon the theories of value creation and film production, this article proposes a conceptual framework of key analytic techniques that film producers may engage throughout the production process, such as script analytics, talent analytics, and audience analytics. The article further synthesizes the state-of-the-art research on and applications of these analytics, discuss the prospect of leveraging analytics in film production, and suggest fruitful avenues for future research with important managerial implications

One size does not fit all: The importance of contextually sensitive mHealth strategies for frontline female health workers

mHealth solutions represent an exciting new frontier in the fight against myriad health challenges faced in the developing world, where the use of mobile phones has become pervasive across various socioeconomic boundaries. The principal users of these solutions are frontline healthcare workers; mostly women, often working at the lowest rung of health hierarchy. The distinctive value of this workforce lies in its ability to successfully deliver health services whilst being sensitive to the culture and context of their communities. Since these women are from the client communities, they can speak to them in ways outsiders cannot. Using a contextualized case study of lady health workers (LHWs) working in rural areas of Pakistan, this chapter demonstrates how the potential represented by such frontline health workers can be maximized. To this end, it draws upon in-depth longitudinal qualitative accounts of eight LHWs involved in a 2-year pilot mHealth project to improve antenatal health care. This chapter uncovers how sociocultural barriers—such as prohibitive financial concerns and gender-based discrimination— inhibit acceptance of mHealth solutions in Pakistan. The study found that these barriers adversely impact both LHWs’ initial adoption of mobile devices as well their inclination to continue using mHealth solutions. This chapter explores how macro- and micro-level communication strategies can be used to ease these barriers. It also explores how LHWs themselves can use mobile technology to better connect with their client communities. If mHealth is to be the brave new frontier in the domain of health innovations, we need to do more to understand the finer points of its contextually sensitive applications. This chapter seeks to explore how this can become a reality for rural areas of Pakistan