CFP: Global Franchising (IEMJ)

[entrepreneurship-phd at lists.uni-essen.de]

Call for Papers - International Entrepreneurship & Management Journal
(IEMJ)
Special Issue:  Global Franchising
Guest Editor:  Professor Dianne H.B. Welsh
Walter Distinguished Chair in Entrepreneurship, Sykes College of
Business,
University of Tampa, Florida, USA
Deadline: January 31, 2007

Issue 4, volume 3 will be devoted to the study of the expanding reach of
franchising around the world.  Furthering international research has
long been a goal of many international academic organizations and
journals. In fact, in the June 2005 issue of the Academy of Management
Journal, the editors examine international management articles that have
been published from 1970 to 2004 to really find out if they truly have
increased the international scope of the journal.  They concluded that
while there has been a dramatic increase in international management
research in their journal especially in the first half-decade of the
21st century, there is still more that needs to be done. This special
issue is a concerted attempt to expand the body of knowledge in the area
of international management research, particularly in a growing area of
entrepreneurial research-franchising.

Franchising has been one of the fastest growing methods of doing
business in the U.S. and abroad for the last half century. It is a less
expensive, less risky form of doing business than developing a start up
company (Taylor, 2000).  The franchisor, or founder of the unique
business format system, fits clearly into the definitions of
entrepreneurship found in the literature as reviewed by Low and
MacMillan (1988), such as carrying out new combinations (Schumpeter,
1934); driven by the perception of opportunity (Stevenson, Roberts, &
Grousbeck, 1989); and the creation of new ventures (Gartner, 1985).
Franchising encompasses entrepreneurial characteristics such as the
introduction of new products and services, innovative marketing,
openness to change, outrunning the competition and fast growth (Aldrich
& Auster, 1986; Gartner, 1985).

While franchisees differ from the traditional entrepreneurs in that they
are buying a license from an organization that has a market tested
concept and a structured set of operating procedures, usually decreasing
their risk substantially relative to a traditional start up business,
they are still business owners, which classify them as a particular type
of entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship entails: innovativeness, risk taking,
and proactiveness (Burgelman, 1983; Morrison, 2000). Despite the control
of the franchisor, a franchisee still must commit to a certain amount of
risk taking and proactiveness in the running their business
successfully.

This focused issue seeks to gain a better understanding of the
relationship between entrepreneurship and franchising worldwide, the
international expansionary activities by franchises into emerging and
industrialized markets, including motives and patterns of development
and investment; unique expansion strategies; challenges to expansion;
unique forms of franchising, such as hybrid franchises;
multi-generational family franchise expansion and other forms of
franchise expansion; solutions and lessons that franchises have learned
as they have expanded internationally, including cultural implications;
and the effect of trade policies on franchise expansion and success,
such as NAFTA.  Articles are encouraged in all disciplines that overlap
with franchising.

Researchers interested in publishing in this special issue on
international franchising should indicate their intention by sending an
abstract (or full paper) that includes a short introduction to the
topic, an outline of the research methodology, and a summary of the
findings to the Guest Editor, Professor Dianne Welsh, at dwelsh at ut.edu
no later than January 31, 2007.  The full paper is due no later than
March 31, 2007.  Please clearly identify your submission in the email
subject line, IEMJ Global Franchising Special Issue. All papers will go
through the regular double-blind review process, and must follow the
IEMJ Style Guidelines (see www.uv.es/iemj). This special issue will
include 7-10 articles of 7,000-8,000 words each, and will be published
in December, 2007.

More info at http://www.uv.es/iemj/