Festival fringe production and the long tail
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68855 , vital:29332 , http://www.econrsa.org/node/1170
- Description: Publisher version , In the past 15 years, there has been a worldwide proliferation of arts festivals, including so-called "fringe" festivals, which encouraged more experimental and avant-garde productions. While fringe festival productions had the potential to generate significant income for producers, their aims were primarily related to artistic innovation and it is well known that putting on a fringe show is highly unlikely to provide financial gain for most producers. This is what is referred to in statistics and marketing as a "long tail" distribution, in which a minority of producers in a particular market earn the vast majority of industry income. However, for individual producers of live theatre, such a distribution represents high risks and potentially large financial losses. This article uses producer data from two different fringe festivals in South Africa to explore determinants of ticket sales and box-office income. Included in the analysis is a consideration of the impact of genre and pricing strategies on the probability (Logit model) of shows being in the top 10%, 30% and 50% of best-selling and earning productions. Results support the long tail hypothesis.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Determinants of student satisfaction with campus residence life at a South African University
- Authors: Botha, Ferdi , Snowball, Jeanette D , De Klerk, Vivian A , Radloff, Sarah E
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68543 , vital:29281 , https://econrsa.org/publications/working-papers/determinants-student-satisfaction-campus-residence-life-south-african
- Description: Publisher version , Although there are a number of studies on the determinants of general quality of life among university students, these occur mainly in developed countries and do not focus specifically on campus-based residence life. It has long been accepted that factors outside the classroom (“the other curriculum”) can contribute to academic success, as well as the achievement of other important outcomes such as the appreciation of human diversity. Striving towards equality of residence life satisfaction across different racial and gender groups, for example, is thus important for academic outcomes and for the development of well-functioning citizens. This study is based on the 2011 Quality of Residence Life (QoRL) Survey, conducted at a South African university, comprising roughly 2 000 respondents. Based on descriptive analyses and ordered probit regressions, the study investigates the association between satisfaction with QoRL and (i) residence milieu and characteristics, (ii) direct and indirect discrimination, (iii) perceptions of drug and alcohol issues in residence, (iv) safety, and (v) individual student characteristics. One of the main findings is that there are no significant differences in satisfaction with QoRL across racial and gender groups; a finding that suggests significant progress in university transformation and equity goals. The general atmosphere and characteristics of residences are also important predictors of QoRL satisfaction. , Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) is a research programme funded by the National Treasury of South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2013