The present Master Thesis investigates the concept of international franchising from both business and legal standpoints. The actuality of the topic is obvious: Franchising becomes one of the most perspective and fast-developing method for business expansion, and this Diploma was written as a reflection of such tendency. In the meantime, Franchising is an extremely complex and arguable business issue and still causes a kind of confusion in people's mind. For this reason, my effort in this Work is concentrated on the diversified influence franchising has on the business and economic environment, especially in times of economic troubles. And the Thesis proves the strong correlation between the economic and legal climate from the one hand, and the business opportunities from the other. This Diploma aims at the comprehensive research of the selected theoretical and practical aspects of international Franchising. The research is focused on detailed description of the three major pillars: franchise contract, the most evident franchising trends in terms of potential opportunities and risks, and, finally, the franchise overview with the analysis of the specific industries. The main conclusion that arises from this Thesis is definitely that international franchising is not just "a vehicle for conducting business" for large-scale experienced companies, but a real driver for globalization process now-a-days. The key message is that franchising tends to be considered more as the great business opportunity, even for small- or medium-sized companies, rather then a risky business concern. It is my great hope that this Master Thesis might help the potential entrepreneurs to create a broader view on franchising in international business format before making an intelligent decision about investing in a franchise. |