OBJECTIVE 1: Give students an opportunity to understand the role of franchising in the small business sector of the American economy.
OBJECTIVE 2: Expose students to business research resources, and with the help of those resources, encourage them to think critically and form options on various business disciplines
Entrepreneurship:
*How was the business created? (whose idea, history of the company, where the company was started)
*Research how many stores are currently in operation, how many are franchises vs. company owned stores, and when why/the first franchise opened
*Explain the advantages and disadvantages of a parent business franchising its operations
International Business:
*Prepare a PMI (plusses, minuses, implications) for your firm's international expansion (provide at least 3 examples of each)
Operations Management:
*Does your firm have centralized or decentralized authority for decision making?
*Given today's global marketplace, explain the benefits and drawbacks of your firm's authority structure.
Finance:
*Explain all start up fees for your franchise
*Identify any ongoing fees for franchise ownership (how much, payment schedule)
*Determine the advertising fee charged to franchisees
Management:
*Prepare a SWOT analysis for your franchise. (3 examples per section)
*Compare your franchise's culture to that of a non-franchised competitor. What are the benefits and drawbacks of your firm's culture in today's global environment?
Human Resource Management: 10% of your grade
*What are the steps one must follow in order to become a franchisee?
*Why might an entrepreneur be inclined to buy a franchise?
EXCEL:
*Using EXCEL, provide a graphical representation of your franchise's profits and stock price relative to a non-franchised competitor, covering the most recent 3 consecutive years.
*What observations can you make about the competitive advantage or disadvantage of franchise ownership?