Suchergebnisse

The conventional image of the small business owner is that of a highly independent individual, taking risks and 'doing it tough' with limited assistance from others. However, research conducted in the United Kingdom and Australia with high performance small firms suggest that this is not so. A multivariate data analysis of the relationship between business management practice and sales growth performance identified the importance of partnering. This refers to the process of working in partnership with people who affect the business. Partnering involves creating and maintaining partnerships with everyone who affects your business. Working in partnership involves the creative talents and energies of everyone who can affect your business. The effect is that everyone, from staff through to supplier and customers, works together for mutual gain. These findings suggest that the owner of a small business needs to view himself or herself less as a lonely, isolated battler and more as someone who can gain from partnering. A willingness to seek strategic alliances can prove a valuable source of potential growth for small firms.

A firm's performance in the host country to a great extent depends on its mode of market entry. Most research in the area of foreign market entry mode choice has concentrated on large firms or multi-national enterprises. This paper examines the effects of different foreign market entry modes on the performance of small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Australia and Singapore. The data from a sample of 104 SMEs suggests that four market entry modes - licensing, manufacturing/wholly-owned subsidiary, franchising, and acquisition significantly impact performance. It was found that Singaporean firms were more likely to use these market entry modes than their Australia counterparts. This study also reveals that good performers tend to be relatively internationalised, in better control over their export channels, less dependent on industry information sources, and more concerned over loss of proprietary rights to knowledge. Implications of the findings for research and practice are also discussed.

PurposeAlthough international franchising has occurred in East Asia over the past 20 years, surprisingly very little academic research has been undertaken to understand key dynamics of this marketing phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to examine franchise resources, which is a key construct in the internationalization of retail franchising.Design/methodology/approachA multiple case study approach has been adopted to generate rich data designed to aid understanding of the complexities inherent within such an international marketing relationship. The data were drawn from five US food service retail franchises, which are household brands across East Asia, operating in Singapore.FindingsThis study presents several interesting findings for the retail franchise industry. First, consistent with resource scarcity theory, international franchising relationship begins with a high degree of franchise dependency on the local franchisees. Next, international franchisors will be well served to select their overseas franchisees with strong financial resources to engage in rapid expansion, good contacts to secure early stores in prime retail locations and well‐proven local knowledge to modify the concept to suit particular market needs.Practical implicationsFindings from this study have important managerial implications for international retail franchisors on how to effectively select franchisees to successfully launch and manage their brands in East Asia.Originality/valueThis empirical study has made a major contribution in adding to the limited body of empirical knowledge on franchisee selection in international retail franchising, particularly in East Asia. It is hoped that this paper will encourage more academics to investigate why certain international retail franchise concepts perform relatively better in East Asia than others.