GHANA TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
FACULTY OF INFORMATICS
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
TITLE:
AN ONLINE CINEMA BOOKING/TICKET PURCHASING SYSTEM. A CASE STUDY OF GLOBAL CINEMA
A Project Work Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement For
BSc. Information Technology
BY:
JEFFERY K NKRUMAH – B020113012
SUPERVISOR:
PHILOMINA OFORI
1.0 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Cinema-going is one of the most popular out-of-home cultural activities, affecting a serious of social, economic and cultural phenomena in modern societies. Cinemas are considered to be an integral part of cities and they contribute to the definition of a local geography and identity. They also contribute to the preservation of the collective memory, since they constitute a significant social and cultural practice linked to a specific place, which acts as a common reference or landmark for many individuals.
The Cinema Industry was quiet buoyant in Ghana from 1960-1990 with many people trooping to cinema halls to watch the latest movies especially on weekdays and weekends. This also encouraged the production of many local movies which were mainly sponsored by government.
However, the cinema business gradually came to a halt from the late 1990s. This was due to many reasons such as;
Poor advertising and marketing methods to attract movie fans
The taking over of cinema halls by churches
The advent of globalization had let to more people having access to their own televisions, Video Cassettes and DVD players therefore people preferred watching movies in the comfort of their homes than watching at the cinemas.
Poor tracking and management of tickets sales which resulted in poor revenue.
Lack of investment by private film makers and poor maintenance of cinema facilities
However, over the past five years, the movie industry has been gradually bouncing back to its glorious days as a result of significant investment by film makers and cinema owners in an effort to advertise and promote the industry to attract patrons. There has however not been enough effort at managing tickets sales efficiently. If this deficiency is not properly addressed, it could cripple the cinema industry again.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Most cinemas in Ghana depend on a manual ticketing system whilst a few like Global Cinema at Weija make use of a Ticket automated system.
A Manual Ticketing System This is where tickets are pre-printed with serial numbers and sold at cinema gates or sold in advance at designated outlets.
Though this system might seem the cheapest and easiest to implement, it is inefficient and could be more expensive to the cinemas in the long run. This is so because of the manual stock taking that goes along managing the tickets. Tracking of tickets sales can also be difficult resulting in poor revenue generation.
Long queues are common scene at cinema gates and this discourages many movie fans especially those in the middle class since such scenes are associated with fights and misunderstandings.
Manual ticketing also gives the opportunity for unscrupulous people to engage in tickets racketeering resulting in hikes in prices of tickets.
An Automated Ticket System This system prints tickets from the computer at the instance of purchase by the customer. The sale is automatically recorded by the computer and the tickets stocks are automatically updated.
Though the automated ticket system is an improvement over the manual system It till have limitations, Global Cinema for Instance does not sell automated tickets outside the cinema because their automated system does not operate on a wide area network. Cinemas still have to reply on pre-printed tickets if they intend to distribute them outside the cinema.
The cost of constructing a wide area network to facilitate the automated tickets system could be overwhelming as compared to using the internet.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Currently there are no systems in Ghana whereby people can book and purchase their cinema tickets online. Many cinemas use a manual ticketing system and a few ones like Global Cinema use an automated system. The purpose of this study is to design and develop an online cinema booking/ ticket purchasing system, that aims to provide a convenient service to customers.
1.3 OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of the online ticket booking and purchasing system is to provide a convenient way for customers to buy cinema tickets. It is a real time system and though there are similar systems for more advanced countries, they do not provide an alternate online payment means such as the use of mobiles money from other telecommunication networks other that credit cards. Also been able to watch a preview of the movie you want to purchase tickets for such as trailers and other shot scenes, and also receiving an SMS notification for the approval of your purchase.
The projects aim;
To increase revenue for the cinema
To provide a convenient service for customers
To provide an alternative online payment through mobile Money that is not available in existing systems
To promote the cinema on the internet
To provide more efficient pricing policy to effectively distinguishing between, children, student and adult ticket holders
To Provide a short Preview of the movie on the website such as trailers and shot scenes
To provide a more attractive and interactive medium for purchasing tickets online
To provide an SMS notification for every purchase you make for Approval which ensures security
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE
This project is to compliment the new wave of excitement cinemas like Global Cinema have generated in the society, so that people can sit in the comfort of their homes or internet cafes or even use their Smartphones and book their tickets and be assured that their seats have been reserved. An online tickets system will encourage more movie fans and ultimately increase revenue for both film producers and cinema operators.
The system will also provide advertising opportunity for organizations and individuals to advertise their products on the website, the vouchers or the cinema tickets.
The internet is likely to be the primary source where customers can lern about products and make purchases. An online cinema ticket system would provide movie fans with information on available tickets and prices.
The internet penetration is still low in Ghana with fewer than 1,000,000 of the population having access according to The Internet World Stats Report published by ITU in June,2009[10]. It is hoped that with the ongoing investment by telecom companies, more people would get easier and cheaper access to the internet as well as be educated on the uses and application of the internet. This would help make the online cinema ticket purchasing system achieved its full potential.
2.0 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Old Theatre Booking System
The theatre provides infrastructure and facilities for a performance to take place, the same way in which a cinema provides screens and projectors to show movies. An audience patronize this for a fee. A booking system is used to ensure customers can purchase tickets for a given performance well in advance and avoid being disappointed at the last minute. Theatre owners also prefer tickets to be sold as early as possible, both for financial reasons [1], and to avoid a long queue at the entrance just before the performance is due to start. The theatre box office is the section where the bookings are made, being the first point of contact between the theatre and the public [1].
Before electronic printers were introduced in box office, ticket books were used. The theatre staff would also have a plan for each performance, with a corresponding ticket book. The customers would have access to a diagram of the theatre to indicate their preferred seats. The staff was also expected to know about the performance in question, so that customer questions could be dealt with in satisfactory manner [2]. The customer would finally pay for the agreed seats, and receive tickets printed with the respective seat numbers. The staff would have to carefully mark off the seats on the seating plan for every ticket sold, to avoid double booking.
Seats were also sold by telephone or mail order to those customers who could not readily pay a visit to the box office. In the mail order system, the customer would post a cheque with an order for the desired seats, date and time, with a stamped, self-addressed envelope [3]. If the order arrives early enough, the box office would book the seat requested, and post the appropriate tickets back to the customers, who would receive them at least two days after the order was first sent. However, if the order had been sent after desired seats had been sold, the box office would have to send the customers a refund, with the list of the remaining seats [2]. This process would then be repeated until the customers either accept an alternative booking, or demand a refund [2] if all desirable seats had been sold out. Therefore, mail order could also result in disappointment to the customer and a revenue loss to the cinema. To make the mail ordering process more effective, theatres also sold seats for a whole season of performance [2]
On some occasions, not every tickets would have been sold out, and some ticket holders would not attend. In order to maximize profits, the box office would sell any unreserved seats at subsidized rates a few hours before the show starts [3], [4]; and the subsidized tickets would be clearly indicated on the tickets stub (which is retained in the box office) for easy accountabilities at the end of the day [5]. Sales were sometimes deduced by counting the number of unsold tickets after the performance had begun [7], but due consideration would have to be given regarding any discounting ticket sold.
The theatre manager was concerned with various tickets sales report, such as master statement showing the number of seats at each price and the total potential income on ticket sales, daily reports, weekly reports and seasonal reports [5]; [8], An example of a 'Weekly Returns' (gives the seats occupation as a percentage and total money collected for each day of the week) and 'Final Returns' (which gives the total money collected in advance booking, at the doors and percentage of seats occupied). [6]
Therefore, theatre managers in the past made use of tickets sales reports and the reporting style varied from one theatre to the other .
Modern Theatre Booking Systems Although the fundamental principles of a theatre booking system have remained unchanged overtime, developments in communication and other technologies have had major impact on their implementation. In 1969, Sweeting [2] speculated that perhaps theatres could benefit from computerized ticketing system, similar to what airlines at the time had started to adopt. In the late 1960s, the personal computer was not common and were bulky, expensive industrial machines which would set up to execute tasks specific to the organization in question, making them too expensive for small and medium enterprises to acquire.
Langley in 1980 suggested that computer-based ticket system was only feasible for large theatre operations [5]. However, with today's comparatively low hardware cost, the computer has become affordable and is common in most offices. Even the smallest of theatres coulf afford computerized system. This made it possible for theatre bookings to be done faster than mail order described in the previous section.
Reid in 1983 observed that computers were replacing the traditional paper and pencil systems, allow several customer care staff to simultaneous access the same seating plan, thus avoiding queues and improving on customer services, compared to the manual system [6]. Hillenbrand in 2001 proposed that theatres should also make use of the opportunity provided by other service providers such as toll free numbers, credit card processing, internet and mail order, all of which today's consumers make use of. [1]
In addition to knowing about the performance, the modern day box office staff is expected to be able to give customers advice on facilities like restaurants and parking, as well as work outside normal working hours, in order to provide convenient opening hours to the public [4].
Since the theatre of today has to compete with other entertainment facilities available to customers, it has to market its services widely such a making discount tickets available to the press, producers, actors etc, as a means of promoting the theatre.
Modern day theatre managers still make use of the same types of report that were used decades ago, but have come to expect them instantly due to computerization. A computerized reservation system has the potential to provide the precise type of information required with just a mouse click. Comparing manual and computerized booking systems, Collins quotes a manual theatre manager describing it as 'labor intensive, bulky and hard to make changes' as opposed to 'fast, easy and sleek' respectively ([7] p. 125)
Factors Influencing Adoption of Online Ticketing
By Mitra Karami in Luleå University of Technology
Electronic commerce has become one of the essential characteristics in the Internet era. According to UCLA Center for Communication Policy (2001), online shopping has become the third most popular internet activity, immediately following e- mail using/instant messaging and web browsing. It is even more popular than seeking out entertainment information and news, two commonly thought of activities when considering what Internet users do when online. Online shopping behavior (also called online buying behavior and Internet hopping/buying behavior) refers to the process of purchasing products or services via the Internet. Recent advances in technology, particularly in the field of electronics and telecommunications, have led business and commerce in new directions over the last few decades. New forms of trade have emerged from these advances and one area is of particular interest: Electronic Commerce. Electronic Commerce (EC) has emerged as the most important way of doing business for years to come. This term was first used by Kalakota and Whinston (1996). Electronic commerce deals with the facilitation of transactions and selling of products and services online, i.e. via the internet or any other telecommunication network. This involves the electronic trading of physical and digital goods, quite often encompassing all the trading steps such as online marketing, online ordering, and electronic payment and for digital goods, online distribution (Jelassi, 2005).
This field incorporates a large number of techniques for conducting business using electronic assistance. By far the most exciting and versatile part of electronic commerce involve transactions over the Internet According to the United States Department of Commerce, for the year 2001, total retail sales were US$ 3.50 trillion and e-commerce retail sales was US$ 32.57 billion (Vijayasarathy, 2004). Electronic Commerce has been proven to be beneficial to sellers and buyers alike. Through the usage of electronic commerce, sellers can now access narrow market segments that may be widely distributed geographically, thereby extending accessibility globally (Napier,2001). Buyers reap the benefits from having access to global markets and access to a much larger product catalogs from a wider and varied range of sellers. Kalakota and Whinstone state that EC has two distinct forms: Business-to-business and business-to consumer. Much of the growth in revenues from transactions over the Internet has been achieved from business-to-business exchanges leading to the accumulation of an impressive body of knowledge and expertise in the area of business-to-business electronic commerce (Butler and Peppard, 1998)
Unfortunately; this is not the case for business-to-consumer EC. With the exception of software, hardware, travel services, and few other niche areas, shopping on the Internet is far from universal even among people who spend long hours online. Moreover, many companies already practicing electronic commerce are having a difficult time generating satisfactory profits. For example, many e-companies such as Amazon.com have successfully attracted much attention but have not been able to convert their competitive advantage into tangible profit (Yan and Parad, 1999).
Selling in cyberspace is very different from selling in physical markets, and it requires a critical understanding of consumer behavior and how new technologies challenge the traditional assumptions underlying conventional theories and models. Butler and Peppard (1998), for example, explain the failure of IBM's sponsored Web shopping malls by the naive comprehension of the true nature of consumer behavior on the net. A critical understanding of this behavior in cyberspace, as in the physical world, cannot be achieved without a good appreciation of the factors affecting the purchase decision. Although text books and articles on internet marketing and online consumer behavior have begun to appear, however comparatively little is known about how web purchase behavior differs from traditional purchase behavior and whether there are any specific web-based factors that should take into account (Heijden et al., 2001).
Online Ticketing
Electronic ticketing over the Internet is a good example of Internet commerce. The aim is to facilitate the buying or reservation of tickets online, thereby making the process more easily accessible and convenient. Through these services tickets may be purchased from any location and at any time, provided an Internet connection exists. Typically, the tickets are ordered from a web site that provides both tickets information and the purchasing or reservation service. Internet or 'online' ticketing is all about providing a useful and efficient service to clients and customers. The aim is to make the purchase or reservation of tickets easier. Naturally, this will encourage sales. Online ticketing system has been used especially by firms who sell travel tickets, performing arts, game tickets, concerts, movies and many other activities.
The use of the Internet makes buying a ticket more convenient since the service is available at any geographical location, including your home (or even remotely via a laptop and cellular phone) and at any time of the day, any day of the year. Online ticket services have a further advantage by providing relevant information alongside the service. This can aid purchasing decisions and may encourage future usage (Buford,1998). So ticket buyers have quite an easy commute to the ticket booth these days-they only have to get to their home personal computer and onto the internet. It beats standing in lines (perhaps out in the rain) and day, and the only traffic one encounters is that of the so-called information superhighway.
There are also benefits for those providing the service. New markets are being created and ticket sales are increased. Apart from maintenance and data updates, no manpower is required to provide the service once it has been established. The process of recording the transactions is more automated and overhead is reduced. An important point is that ticket providers are also providing a convenient service to customers and are thereby improving public image and encouraging return customers. (Burford, 1998)
Several countries across the globe are already enjoying the benefits of electronic ticketing including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, France, Mexico, Central America, Chile, Argentina, Belgium, Venezuela and The Netherlands. In fact, in the US it has 80 per cent market penetration while in Europe it is approximately 40 per cent. More than $350 million dollars in event tickets were sold online during 2000 in U.S.A and the number was increased to $3.9 billion in 2004 (Bhatia, 2004).
Conclusion
From the preceding reviews I agree with the authors on the fact that the fundamental ticket booking principles have not changed over time but with the arrival of the computerized age there is pressure from customers and society in general to modernize manual systems, so that theatres and cinemas can compete globally with other entertainment and service providers. Implementing a ticketing system on the internet would even make it more convenient for customers to book and pay for their tickets online in the comfort of their homes.
References/ Bibliography
Book References [1] Hillenbrand, M 2001, Produce Your Play Without a Producer, Smith ans Kraus, Inc, Hanover, NH, USA.
[2] Schneider, Re & Ford, MJ 1993, The Well-Run Theatre, Drama Book Publishers, New York
[3] Pick, J 1985, The Theatre Industry, Comedian Publishing Group, UK.
[4] Carmack Celentano, S & Marshall, K 1998, Theatre Management, Players Press, Inc, USA
[5] Langley, S 1980, Theatre Management in America Principles and Practice, Drama Book Publishers, New York.
[6] Sweeting, E 1969, Theatre Administration, Sir Issac Pitman and Sons Ltd, London.
[7] Collins, T 2003, How Theatre Managers Manage, The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
[8] Reid, F 1983, Theatre Administration, A&C Black (Publishers) Ltd, London.
Internet References [9] Filmbirth, History of Cinema in GHANA http;//www.filmbirth.com/Ghana.html
[10] ITU, (2009) The Internet World Stats Report http;//www.internetworldstats.com/Africa.html
[11] Derek Pejakovic,(2006), Theatre Booking System http;//eprints.usq.edu.au/2634
[12] Microsoft, Tutorials for Learning Active Server Page(ASP) Program http;//www.wwasp.net/get-started
