An Exploratory Study to Identify the Site Selection Factors for U.S. Franchise Restaurants

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify site selection factors under six categories that are most pertinent for the successful operation of U.S. franchise restaurants. The results highlight the most important site selection factors, which can be used as a guide by franchisors as well as franchisees. The selected six site selection categories as narrowed down in this study included general location, position of site, demographics, traffic information, competition, and cost consideration. The Delphi technique identified 56 site selection factors under these six categories, which were ultimately predicted as necessary for the success or failure of franchise restaurants.     

The Role of Economic-Demographic Factors in U.S. International Restaurant Franchising:

This paper studies the effect of both economic and demographic factors on the international restaurant franchising (IRF). The study utilizes regression analysis of pooled cross-section (6 countries) and time series (10 years)data. It is found that among the economic factors, the market size has a strong positive effect on IRF. On the other hand, the ratio of female workers to the total labor force is positively related to international restaurant franchising. The paper also investigates the relationship between demo-economic factors and IRF for two subsets of interest, developed and developing countries.     

The Effective Delivery of Franchisor Services: A Comparison of U.S. and German Support Practices for Franchisees

ABSTRACT

Conventional wisdom suggests that more services offered by franchisors should lead to fewer complaints from franchisees, and that franchisees ought to be better off with additional support provided. We set out to differentiate those services that are truly effective and are perceived as beneficial by franchisees from those that may have little effect or may even be perceived as counterproductive. Our survey targeted franchisors in the U.S. and in Germany, comparing the most mature franchise market globally to one that is relatively young. System disruption was found to be dependent on the maturity of the market, as little differentiation is provided in the very mature U.S. market, but considerable differentiation exists in the younger German market. Also, the size of the system matters, as bigger systems typically provide more services. Finally, different types of services have varying levels of effectiveness in the less mature franchise market of Germany.     

International Expansion of SMEs: The Inducascos Case

While small and medium enterprises contribute to gross domestic product, generate crucial employment, and improve socio-economic development, unfortunately the literature on the internationalization processes of these companies remains timid and inconsistent. The following study seeks to analyze the international expansion of the Colombian company Inducascos. The research follows the structure of a case study including literature analysis and secondary data of the Colombian industrial market and Inducascos. Challenges, opportunities and learning process of the organization related to its international expansion and set out, seeking to contribute to the existing studies in international business.     

U.S. International Deficits,Debt, and Income Payments: Key Relationships Affecting the International Outlook

A variety of issues and relationships will be of fundamental importance in determining the future paths of the U.S. current account, international debt position, and net international income flows. This paper describes the key relationships and presents projection results that illustrate the sensitivity of the outcomes to those relationships. Although the base case scenario presented in the paper shows a relatively benign outcome based on Blue Chip projections and the likely continuation of historical relationships, alternative projections help to illustrate the risks—and the potential sources of those risks— for a more adverse outcome for U.S. international deficits, debt and income flows. JEL Classification F21     

Borrowing Without Debt? Understanding the U.S. International Investment Position

Sustained large U.S. current account deficits have led some economists and policymakers to worry that future current account adjustment could occur through a sudden and disruptive depreciation of the dollar and a sharp drop in U.S. consumption. Two factors that, to date, have cast doubt on such concerns are the stability of U.S. net external liabilities and the minimal net income payments made by the United States on these liabilities. We show that the stability of the external position reflects sizable capital gains stemming from strong foreign equity markets and a weaker dollar—conditions that could be reversed in the future. We also show that while minimal U.S. net income payments reflect a much higher measured rate of return on U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) assets than on U.S. FDI liabilities, JEL Classification F21     

Estimates and Determinants of Armington Elasticities for the U.S. Food Industry

This paper provides estimates of elasticities of substitution between domestic and imported goods for 40 4-digit S.I.C. food manufacturing industries and explains the inter-industry differences among these coefficients in terms of industry sectoral characteristics. The results show that there is a wide range of variation among such elasticities and that the intensity of each industrys percentage of output sold to final consumers, foreign direct investment, expenditures on advertising and the existence of import quotas affect the degree of substitutability between domestic and foreign goods in the face of a relative price change.     

上海旅游服务贸易国际竞争力及其影响因素实证研究

在对上海旅游服务贸易竞争力水平定量测度的基础上,采用多元回归分析方法,研究上海旅游服务贸易国际竞争力的主要影响因素。研究表明:相对于全国而言,上海旅游服务出口市场占有率和贸易竞争优势指数具有优势,而显示性比较优势指数相对较弱;入境旅游人次、入境过夜旅游人天数和入境旅游外汇收入所受的影响因素不尽相同,但旅游业固定资产原值、从业人员数量、外资星级饭店数量是共同因素。上海可以从更加重视旅游服务贸易、扩大旅游业固定资产投入、推进旅游企业集团化进程、完善从业人员配置等方面进一步提升旅游服务贸易国际竞争力。     

Technological opportunism effects on IT adoption,intra-firm diffusion and performance: Evidence from the U.S. and Spain

The paper pursues a joint analysis of the direct influence of the level of a firm's technology opportunism capability on performance and on the adoption and intra-firm diffusion of Internet-based technologies. The study here examines the mediating effect that intra-firm diffusion exerts on the relationship between capabilities and performance. This study uses the results from a survey of 100 Spanish and 109 American franchise firms. Results indicate that the firm's level technological opportunism influences the adoption and intra-firm diffusion of technology and also has a positive impact on performance. While intra-firm diffusion is a driver of performance, adoption has no influence. Finally the indirect impact of technological opportunism on performance differs across countries. While for American firms, the integration of technologies into activities that related to communication with partners has a positive impact on performance; Spanish managers should focus on the integration of these technologies into back-end functionalities.     

从知识产权协议草案看TPP 谈判高标准 与国际规则制定

本文以目前TPP谈判唯一泄露的知识产权草案为切入点,通过与另一知识产权高标准协议——ACTA的比较,认为TPP谈判标准是目前之最高标准。知识产权高标准代表了发达国家对外贸易的经济利益,美国以胡萝卜加大棒的方式影响国际规则的制定,使得知识产权高标准成为另一种无形的贸易障碍。     

Analysis of Relative Growth Rates Between Domestic and International Earnings of U.S. Based Publicly Traded Restaurant Firms

ABSTRACT

This study explores the relative growth rates in earnings of public restaurant firms for a 20-year period from 1981-2000. No significant differences were found in sales growth between multinational and domestic restaurant firms. However, multinational firms significantly outperformed domestic firms in growth of operating income and pre-tax profitability. Multinational restaurant firms also had significantly lower negative growth in domestic earnings when compared to domestic firms. The results imply that multinational restaurant firms are more efficient than domestic firms in converting sales into profits.     

农产品出口信贷担保国家分配的影响因素研究——以美国为例

文章在介绍农产品出口信贷担保背景的基础上,选取1999-2007年15个使用美国农产品短期出口信贷担保的国家为研究对象,分析美国制定这种政策措施的影响因素。研究发现:这种政策措施的设计初衷是为了维持和扩大现有国际市场的份额,并开拓竞争出口国不占有优势的市场;而且,措施的实施并不是用于救济那些无钱从国际市场购买粮食的国家。     

Brand Personality of Global Quick-Service Restaurants in Emerging and Developed Markets: A Comparative Study in Brazil and the U.S.

This study aimed to determine the dimensions of the personality of global quick-service restaurant brands perceived by young consumers in the U.S. and Brazil, and whether these dimensions showed similar configurations in both countries. A survey was carried out with two QSR brands (McDonald's and Subway). Data analysis utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The study identified five personality dimensions for each of the brands studied in each country. Results support the proposition that global brands can carry a common meaning across nations, but also that certain local nuances of brand personalities can differ.     

贸易逆差是否削弱了一国国际竞争力:美国经验

一国贸易逆差通常被认为会损害该国的国际竞争力。本文从美国巨额贸易逆差的成因入手,结合产品市场生命周期理论、国际分工现状两个方面分析逆差与竞争力的关系,认为美国巨额贸易逆差是美国经济增长与旺盛社会需求的结果,同时也是其国际分工、产业结构高级化的产物,由此反映出贸易逆差并未削弱美国竞争力。诸如日本、德国及印度等多国经验也显示贸易差额与一国国际竞争力的分离关系。因此,当前贸易差额已不能成为衡量一国国际竞争力的标准。     

International expansion of U.S. manufacturing family businesses: the effect of ownership and involvement

Family firms play an important role in today's global economy. However, limited empirical research has identified factors that spur these firms' internationalization. Highlighting the altruism that pervades family firms, this exploratory study examines the individual and interactive effects of family ownership and involvement on subsequent internationalization of a firm's operations. Results from the analyses of 409 U.S. manufacturing firms show that family ownership and involvement in the firm as well as the interaction of this ownership with family involvement are significantly and positively associated with internationalization. The implications of the findings for research and managerial practice are discussed.     

The Expansion of the U.S. Stock Market, 1885 1930: Historical Facts and Theoretical Fashions

Based on an analysis of the leading trading markets for stockin the United States, I document the dramatic expansion thattook place in the scale and scope of the country's stock marketfrom the mid-1880s to the early 1930s. My analysis suggeststhat a broad-based stock market was a long way from being establishedeven by the early teens. It took the impetus provided by WorldWar I, plus the enthusiasm of the 1920s, to bring such a marketinto existence. I consider the capacity of today's fashionabletheories, which link the development of stock markets to improvementsin minority shareholder protection, to explain the growth ofthe U.S. stock market, and find that they cannot account forthe historical patterns that I identify. However, I suggestthat there are other arguments that are worthy of further consideration.First, there were factors, besides minority shareholder rights,that led to changes in the demand for corporate stocks duringthis period, especially an increase in the demand for stocksby institutional investors, notably banks and insurance companies,as well as the emergence of a retail market for stocks afterWorld War I. Second, there were also important developmentsin the supply of corporate stocks after the War, including theissuance of stock to fund the expansion of young firms, butespecially to facilitate mergers and acquisitions by establishedfirms, which seem to have played an important role in drivingthe expansion of the U.S. stock market.     

The determinants and consequences of across-the-board trade restrictions in the U.S. economy

This paper examines the effect of macroeconomic fluctuations in the determination of across-the-board trade restrictions in the U.S. economy.

The empirical results reported show that generalized trade intervention is most immediately affected by wealth transfer abroad through the trade balance and not by a slowing in employment growth. Furthermore, trade restrictions are associated with a decline in the stock market and aggregate employment.     

多维视野中的美国337 调查及其应对策略研究

从法律规则视野出发,美国337调查保护知识产权的立法目的具有一定的合理性,在技术层面具有表面的合规性和可司法性,但从贸易政策视野出发对337条款发展历史,特别是337条款调查与历次危机中的美国政府经济政策间关系的宏观分析充分揭露了该条款贸易保护主义的本质。对337条款本质的多维认知有助于指导我国政府、主管机关和企业从不同层面采取综合措施有效应对337条款调查。     

美国购物中心的规模效益分析

通过分析美国购物中心的发展历程、规模结构和规模效益,发现,美国购物中心在零售业中占主导地位,2003年美国购物中心零售额比重为35．6%。尽管美国经济发达,消费水准很高,但购物中心的发展并不贪大和盲目攀比,购物中心以中小型为主体,平均单个购物中心出租面积规模为1．15万平方米/个,地区分布较为均衡。美国不同规模购物中心的单位面积效益差异不明显,“规模和效益成正比”的结论不能成立。     

基于模糊集定性比较分析的民营企业政治行为有效性研究

随着我国民营经济的不断发展,民营企业不仅在经济领域内扮演着重要的角色,也在社会政治领域发挥了越来越大的作用。通过构建企业政治行为战略框架,并在此基础上应用定性比较分析法进行多案例研究,探讨民营企业规模、政治战略、政治联系和政治影响力之间的相互匹配关系及对企业政治行为有效性的影响。研究不仅从理论上进一步完善和丰富了企业政治行为理论的内容,而且有着重要的实践意义。