Problem investigated and objectives: Franchisees often complain that franchisors do not meet their needs, and are generally viewed as being unhappy with the franchise relationship between franchisees and franchisors. The aim of this paper is to investigate the level of satisfaction of franchisees with the franchise relationship, including the following elements: franchisee independence, support with the selection of a distribution point, allocation of geographical trading areas, support with the design and layout of distribution points, comprehensive training programmes, the provision of continuous market and product information and operational support, and advertising and financial support, including systems for bookkeeping. Approach: The data represents two groups of the same franchise, namely franchisees operating for two years and less as franchisees and franchisees who have been operating for longer than two years as franchisees. The extent to which these two groups view the relationship elements differently will be examined. Findings: The findings indicate that both groups had a high level of satisfaction with the franchise relationship between franchisees and franchisors, with the exception of identified opportunities, which could be further developed in order to increase the franchisees’ level of satisfaction with the franchise relationship between franchisees and franchisors. Conclusion: In view of the results of this research, it was concluded that the franchisees of the selected franchisor in the franchise industry displayed a high level of satisfaction with the franchise relationship between franchisors and franchisees. Keywords: Franchisees’ satisfaction, franchisee and franchisor, franchise relationships, marketing orientation, Franchise Association of Southern Africa (FASA), franchise agreement, franchise legislation.

Throughout the last fifty years, scholars have explained franchising primarily through two limited means: agency theory and resource constraints theory. This paper investigates the proportions of company owned stores vs franchisee owned stores. Hypotheses are presented about the proportions of franchisee owned outlets among all industries and then among eight of the largest franchised industries within the US. The findings generally support that most firms use a mixed-method approach when determining their franchising mix but rely mostly on agency theory for most of that mix. The study also finds that the initial investment/asset requirement is the key mechanism to controlling the appropriate franchise proportions. / Business Administration/Interdisciplinary

The theme of the thesis is Franchising as a form of company development. The main aim of the work lies in the development of the franchising business model and its procedure that would be applicable to any other company. Another goal is to design the individual process steps and measures to ensure the proper functioning of the whole franchise system.

Background – The franchising industry in Sweden has experienced a vast growth in the recent years, and it makes up a significant part of the Swedish economy. The restaurant industry accounts for a large amount of the Swedish franchises. Due to the dynamic business environment today, companies need to increasingly strive for improvement in order to sustain their competitive advantage and to enhance their performance. Innovation may be required, and franchises are no exceptions. However, due to the nature of the franchise systems, with the franchisor imposing particular policies on the individual franchisees, the position of innovation in this context is not clear. On one hand, a franchise should act innovatively in order to remain competitive in the marketplace, but on the other hand, the franchisor limits the activities of the franchisee to ensure system uniformity through brand and quality management. The position of innovation in the franchise context is ambiguous, since very little research has been conducted on the topic. Purpose – The purpose of this thesis is to examine Swedish franchises within the restaurant industry and to determine the position of innovation in the franchise context from the perspective of the franchisee. Method – A case study with semi-structured interviews with five franchisees in a specific region in Sweden were conducted to gain empirical material on the topic of innovation within restaurant franchises. The obtained data was then analyzed with the help of existing literature on innovation and franchise systems. Conclusion – It was discovered that Swedish franchises within the restaurant industry pursue product and marketing innovation. The innovation is mostly incremental, rather than radical. Several different factors contribute to why franchisees pursue innovation. It was also identified that some Swedish franchisors take an active role in encouraging innovation in the franchises, while other franchisors have a more passive, or even discouraging stance towards franchise innovation.

The aim of this diploma theses has been to assess the advantages, disadvantages, restrictions and opportunities of making business in the franchise system. This theses has been created in cooperation with concrete entrepreneur.

The growth of franchising has been an important trend in the hospitality industry, since it was introduced into the restaurant sector by Howard Johnsons in the 1930s. In recent years, because of intense competition quick service restaurants have experienced significant external and internal pressures. Such pressures have caused disputes and abuses of the system and have affected external suppliers, customers, and suppliers, as well as franchisees within the franchise system. Because the franchisor-franchisee relationship has yet to be fully explored, knowledge of the factors that produce a high-quality relationship between franchisor and franchisee are critical to the advancement of knowledge in the hospitality industry. Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory is offered of an effective theoretical model of antecedents that can predict the effectiveness the franchisor-franchisee relationship. This study presents a model based on a subset of the Leader-Member Exchange theory. Using the survey responses of franchisees in the restaurant industry, this study identifies the key factor that affect the franchisee's commitment, the franchisee's satisfaction with purchasing or operating franchise outlets, the effects of the franchisor's brand name on the quality of the relationship, the franchisee's perception of the franchisor's support, the franchisee's motivation to become a franchisee, and the franchisee's performance. The results of this study generally support the hypothesized model and provide strong support for the idea that the quality of the relationship between franchisee and franchisor plays a role in ensuring that the contractual relationship will lead to franchisee job satisfaction and financial success for both. The proposed model provides franchisors with valuable information for establishing an effective management strategy to improve the relationship between franchisor and franchisee and thus improve the rate of success of both franchisor and franchisee. Similarly, the model can assist both the franchisor and franchisee in understanding their policies in strategic terms and in integrating their different activities to provide the firm with the quality relationship required for maintaining advantage. / Ph. D.

Titel: Franchisee-based brand equity inom fastighetsmäklarbranschen – Varumärkets värde för franchisetagare Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Ebba Granberg, Malin Bloom Handledare: Jonas Kågström Datum: 2015 - maj Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att analysera vilka källor franchisetagare påverkas av i skapandet av FBBE inom tjänsteföretag. Detta med avseende på vilken betydelse varumärket har i franchisekonceptet och huruvida detta påverkar franchisetagarens intentioner att ingå i ett franchiseavtal samt bibehålla franchiserelationen. Metod: Då syftet med studien är att analysera franchisetagarens påverkan av FBBE, har således studien genomförts med en kvalitativ forskningsansats. Semi-strukturerade intervjuer har utförts med 12 franchisetagare inom fastighetsmäklarbranschen, vilka alla arbetar i Stockholmsområdet. Materialet har därefter analyserats med hjälp av dataanalysprogrammet Nvivo10 och presenterats tillsammans med resultaten för studien. Resultat & slutsats: Studien introducerar en ny modell över FBBE inom den svenska fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Denna studie är avgränsad till ett specifikt geografiskt område och det kan därför vara av intresse att upprepa en liknande studien inom samma bransch, men i ett annat geografiskt område. Då studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats kan det även vara av intresse att överföra studien till en kvantitativ forskningsansats för att skapa en generaliserbarhet för den svenska fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Det kan även anses vara intressant att utforska franchisegivarens uppfattning om franchisee-based brand equity. Uppsatsens bidrag: Bidraget kan öka förståelsen för franchisetagare vid val av franchisegivare samt ge en ökad förståelse för källorna till franchisee-based brand equity. Franchisegivare är likväl en målgrupp för uppsatsens tillämpning då även de kan få en ökad förståelse för vilka aspekter som är av vikt vid franchisetagares val av franchisenätverk, men kan även vara av intresse för verksamma fastighetsmäklare inom branschen. Nyckelord: Franchise-based brand equity, varumärke, franchisetagare, attraktion, bibehållande och källor. / Title: Franschisee-based brand equity in real estate business – brand equity for the franchisee Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Ebba Granberg, Malin Bloom Supervisor: Jonas Kågström Date: 2015 – may Aim: The purpose of this study is to analyze the sources franchisees is affected by in the creation of FBBE in service companies. This is with regards to the significance of the brand in the franchise concept, and whether this affects the franchisee’s intentions to enter into a franchise agreement and to maintain the relationship. Method: Since the purpose of the study is to analyze how franchisees are affected by FBBE, the study has been done with a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 franchises from the real estate market; all of which is working in the Stockholm area. The materials were then analyzed by using the data analysis program Nvivo10 and are presented together with the results of the study. Result & Conclusions: The study introduces a new model for FBBE in the Swedish real estate business.  Suggestions for future research: Due to the decision to limit our study to a specific geographic area, it is of interest to replicate the study in the same field, but in a different geographical area. Because of the studies qualitative research approach it would also be in the interest to transfer the study to a quantitative research approach to create a generalization for the Swedish real estate business. Also too consider the franchisor’s perception of franchisee-based brand equity. Contribution of the thesis: The contribution of the study can be used by franchisees to increase their understanding in the selection of franchisors and provide a greater understanding of the sources of franchisee-based brand equity. Franchisors are nonetheless a target audience for the essays appliance, as they can have a better understanding of what is important to the franchisee in the choice of franchise networks, but it can also be in the interest to active real estate agents.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcia Aparecida da Rocha Sousa.pdf: 1588799 bytes, checksum: 8cc2c505ede38d533556177c140b245c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-13 / This study aims to investigate the desired profile of the franchisee disclosed by franchisors in the prospecting phase of candidates and the profile of candidates interested in acquiring a franchise. Based on data collected, evaluate if both profiles, the ones disclosed by franchisors and the profile of people interested in acquiring a franchise, are aligned. The research, qualitative and quantitative, was structured in 2 steps. The 1st step was conducted with 165 franchisors who received the Seal of Excellence in Franchising 2013, awarded by the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF). The main characteristics that a franchisee must possess were defined in the researched literature. The data, collected on websites and promotional material, were analyzed using content analysis method. The 2nd step was based on secondary data sourced by ABF, related to a research with 18.472 people who had interest in acquiring a franchise. The data of 820 respondents were entered in IBM SPSS.20 Statistics tool, where graphs and spreadsheets allowed identifying the sample profile. The content analysis method was used to support processing open questions. Finally, it was applied the triangulation technique, aiming to identify the relationship among the profiles selected in both researches. The 1st survey results revealed that managerial ability is the most quoted characteristic profile of the franchisee by franchisors, followed by financial capacity, entrepreneurial skills and personal commitment to the business. The 2nd survey, related to the people interested in acquiring a franchise, revealed that majority of respondents are men, 26 to 35 years old, graduated or post graduated and total income between 7,5 and 13 Brazilian official minimum wages. Besides that, we identified the following main characteristics: management skills, financial capacity, personal commitment with the business and believe the products or services are relevant. Finally, we concluded that profile of the franchisee disclosed by franchisors and the profile of candidates interested in acquiring a franchise are relatively aligned to the following characteristics: individuals who are between traditional managers and corporate entrepreneurs, participating directly in the business rather than delegating tasks, graduated, with managerial skills to handle appropriately the business; being able to increase customers value perception, adding value to the brand, products and services / Este estudo tem como objetivo principal identificar o perfil do franqueado desejado pelos franqueadores e o perfil das pessoas que desejam adquirir uma franquia. A partir dessas informações, avaliar se existe alinhamento entre o perfil idealizado pelos franqueadores e o perfil das pessoas que pretendem comprar uma franquia. A pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, foi realizada em duas etapas. A primeira foi realizada com as 165 empresas franqueadoras que receberam o Selo de Excelência em Franchising 2013, concedido pela Associação Brasileira de Franchising (ABF). As características do franqueado foram definidas a partir da bibliografia levantada. Os dados foram coletados nos websites e no material promocional das empresas e analisados utilizando análise de conteúdo. A segunda etapa da pesquisa contou com dados secundários fornecidos pela ABF, referentes à pesquisa com 18.472 pessoas que tinham interesse em comprar uma franquia. Os dados dos 820 respondentes foram transportados para a ferramenta estatística, denominada IBM SPSS.20, em seguida foram construídas tabelas e gráficos para identificar o perfil da amostra. Para processar as perguntas abertas foi utilizada a análise de conteúdo. Por fim, foi aplicado o método de triangulação, com o objetivo de identificar a relação entre os perfis identificados nas duas etapas da pesquisa. Com relação ao perfil desejado pelos franqueadores, os resultados da primeira etapa da pesquisa revelaram que habilidade gerencial é a característica do perfil do franqueado mais citada pelos franqueadores, seguida da capacidade financeira da empreendedora e do comprometimento pessoal com o negócio. Quanto ao perfil das pessoas que desejam comprar uma franquia, a segunda etapa da pesquisa revelou que a maioria dos respondentes são homens, na faixa etária entre 26 e 35 anos, com formação de nível superior (graduação e pós-graduação), e renda familiar entre 7,5 a 13 salários mínimos. Além disso, foram identificadas as seguintes características desse perfil: habilidade gerencial, capacidade financeira, comprometimento pessoal com o negócio, identidade com o ramo e marca e educação formal. Finalmente, foi possível concluir que o perfil do franqueado idealizado pelos franqueadores está alinhado ao perfil das pessoas que desejam comprar uma franquia, em relação às seguintes características: são indivíduos que estão entre gerentes tradicionais e empreendedores; que participam do negócio ativamente ao invés de delegar tarefas; que têm formação e qualificação profissional para gerir o negócio; e que poderão aumentar a percepção de valor que os consumidores terão em relação à marca produtos e serviços

This diploma thesis is focused on a franchising business establishment, particularly on the business establishment of a fictive coffe house which could become a well known franchising concept on the Czech market. Primary advantage of franchise compared to the other types of business cooperation is mainly risk reduction for the investor (franchisee) who obtains proven model of the business. For the franchisor the franchise means an easier way how to widen his business without taking higher lability. The main reason for choosing this topic is an attractivity of this field. Correct preparation and serving of a cup of coffee is not an easy process and there is not a big number of coffee houses and restaurants which can offer such a coffee. By offering high-quality and delicious coffee at user acceptable price our company would like to achieve its objectives and be a successful. The primary objective of this diploma thesis is to analyse and define strategy, mission, vision, marketing activities, product strategy and price policy of a new coffee house. These factors should be used for successful enter to the market. Secondary objective is to determine necessary initial capital, planned costs analysis and investment rate of return.

Course: Degree Project in Supply Chain Management, the Business Administration and Economics Programme, 4FE19E Authors: Matilda Engblom and Katarina Nyberg Supervisor: Arash Kordestani Examiner: Helena Forslund Title: Following the Recipe Brings Franchisees to the Table - A Case Study Consolidating Purchasing and Calculating Cost Savings at Franchisees Background: As a franchisor, Company X does not have insight or control in purchasing at their franchisees. Spend analysis is a tool used to identify current purchased volumes and costs. An aim with spend analysis is to decrease the cost and analyse the spend. There are four different types of consolidation that can consolidate the current purchased volumes and create purchasing cost savings. They are article, volume, supplier and transport consolidation. However, identifying the current situation can be hard in the franchise concept and therefore hard to create purchasing cost savings. It is therefore of need for the franchisor to have insight and control over their franchisees in purchasing. Purpose: The purpose of this study is mainly to identify how the current purchased volumes can be consolidated to create purchasing cost savings for the franchisees of Company X in the Middle East. In addition, calculate the purchasing cost savings that consolidation could lead to. As well as, investigate how a franchisor can regain insight and control in purchasing over their franchisees. Methodology: This case study had a mixed research strategy of explanatory sequential design. Empirical data was collected by both unstructured, semi-structured and structured interviews. The analytical methodology was based on pattern matching. Confidentiality has been of great focus during the study for ethical considerations. Conclusion: The current purchased volumes and costs were identified, enabling different types of consolidation and calculations for purchasing costs. The consolidation model (Figure 28, p. 43) illustrates four different types of consolidation, article, volume, supplier and transportation, which should be followed. Lastly, Table 38 (p. 85) presents actions for regaining insight and control over franchisees.