Purpose

This paper aims to outline different signals that franchisors can use to communicate their value proposition to prospective franchisees. It also tests whether these signals can enable franchisors to charge a premium from their franchisees.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a mixed-methods approach to arrive at the findings. It uses a combination of open-ended survey and archival data to arrive at the findings.

Findings

Franchisees consider franchisor’s characteristics such as its “capability,” “support offered” and “franchisee membership criteria” significant while buying into their franchises. The results suggest that franchisors can leverage some of their capability signals to obtain a higher franchise fee if they use the right signals as desired by franchisees.

Research limitations/implications

Signals identified in this study are specific to this study. The relationship between the signals and franchise fee is applicable for high-performing franchises operating in the American context only. Future research can address this limitation by collecting more data, testing additional signals and using alternative methods to verify the findings.

Practical implications

Franchisors can take cues from the evaluative criteria used by franchisees to design their signaling strategies. Franchisors can leverage some of their capabilities to extract higher fees from their franchisees. Prospective franchisees should engage in due diligence before purchasing a franchise unit and avoid franchises with higher support fees and loose franchisee recruitment criteria.

Originality/value

This study contributes to research on the evaluative criteria used by franchisees. It contributes to the signaling theory by offering insights into the performance outcomes of signals in the franchising context. It also contributes to our understanding of franchising by adopting a mixed-methods approach that includes information about franchisors and franchisees.

中文翻译：

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特许经营：信号视角

目的

本文旨在概述特许人可以用来向潜在特许人传达其价值主张的不同信号。它还测试了这些信号是否可以使特许人能够向其特许人收取溢价。

设计/方法/方法

本文使用混合方法得出结论。它使用开放式调查和档案数据的组合来得出调查结果。

发现

加盟商在购买其特许经营权时会考虑特许人的特征，例如其“能力”、“提供的支持”和“加盟商会员标准”。结果表明，如果特许人使用被特许人期望的正确信号，则特许人可以利用他们的一些能力信号来获得更高的特许经营费。

研究限制/影响

本研究中确定的信号是本研究特有的。信号和特许经营费之间的关系仅适用于在美国经营的高绩效特许经营。未来的研究可以通过收集更多数据、测试其他信号和使用替代方法来验证结果来解决这一限制。

实际影响

特许人可以从被特许人使用的评估标准中获取线索，以设计他们的信号策略。特许人可以利用他们的一些能力从特许人那里收取更高的费用。准加盟商应在购买加盟店之前进行尽职调查，避免加盟费用较高且加盟商招聘标准宽松的加盟店。

原创性/价值

这项研究有助于研究特许经营商使用的评估标准。它通过提供对特许经营环境中信号性能结果的见解，为信号理论做出了贡献。它还通过采用混合方法方法（包括有关特许人和被特许人的信息）有助于我们对特许经营的理解。