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A Project Report On: "Organizational Behaviour of Nestle"
A Project Report On: "Organizational Behaviour of Nestle"
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR OF
NESTLE
SUBMITTED BY
PRASAD D. MAHAJAN
ROLL NO: 31
(Prasad D. Mahajan)
2
Acknowledgement
3
INDEX
1 History of Franchising 6
2 Introduction 7
What is Franchising? 7
What is a Franchise? 8
Who is a Franchisor? 8
Who is the Franchisee? 8
What is Franchise fee? 9
What is royalty? 9
Basic Elements of Franchising (in a nutshell) 10
Business Format Franchising 11
Modes Of Franchising 12
The four Rs of Franchising 15
4
Procedure for Approval of Foreign Franchises in India? 31
BASKIN ROBBINS 32
YUM! BRANDS Inc 32
7 Conclusion 58
HISTORY
5
Most business historians date the beginning of franchising as a concept to the Middle
Ages, when feudal lords initiated the practice of selling to others the rights to collect
taxes and operate markets on their behalf. However, this makes the earliest examples
of franchising a political activity rather than a business activity. The first examples of
franchising as a way of doing business are found in mid-nineteenth century Germany,
where brewers set up contracts with tavern owners to sell their beer exclusively in the
taverns.
Franchising dates back to at least the 1850s; ISAAC SINGER, who made
improvements to an existing model of a sewing machine, wanted to increase the
distribution of his sewing machines. In 1851, a young successful company
SINGER in the U.S. found it unprofitable to provide after sales service for its
products to its distant outlets and far flung customers. To be able to do so without
sing its own sales force, the company hit upon a novel idea that became the
trailblazer for fanchising. They attracted independent individuals by offering them
protected territories with exclusive rights to sell and service their products. For this
they drew a legal contract that can be termed as the first franchise agreement
between a company and the inestors. This model ran successfully and soo the
company was able to establish a big network of franchised dealers. This successful
model was developed by Isaac Singer and so he is popularly known as the Father
of Franchising.
INTRODUCTION
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Starting up a new venture can be a risky affair. You can painstakingly explore and
research your market, time the set up to perfection, open your business where demand is
high, outdo the competition, offer the best range of products and services available,
advertise in the right places and still your business can fail. In fact global Small Business
Statistics indicate that one half of new businesses close within the first 3 years of trading.
When describing exactly what a franchise is, the important thought is the right to do
business in a prescribed manner.
What Is Franchising?
Though we are familiar with the term franchising, only a few of us are fully aware of
what the term exactly implies. The dictionary defines the word franchising rather
simply as an authorization granted by a company to someone to sell or distribute its
goods or services in a certain area. Literally speaking its exact definition is rights of
privilege granted.
Franchising in general means granting of certain rights by one party (the franchisor)
to another (the franchisee) in return for a sum of money. The franchisee then obtains
the authority to exercises those rights under the guidance of the franchisor.
The above definition is a very general in its nature and encompasses many different
forms of licensing arrangements.
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assistance in organizing, training, merchandising and management in return for a
consideration from the franchisee.
What is a Franchise?
A legal agreement that allows one organisation with a product, idea, name or
trademark to grant certain rights and information about operating a business to an
independent business owner. In return, the business owner (franchisee) pays a fee
and/or royalties to the owner.
Who is a Franchisor?
He is the owner of the franchised system. It owns the know-how of the concept and
the brand name. It grants franchises to third parties.
He is the one who has been granted the right by the franchisor to carry on the business
using the franchisors know-how and the brand name. Now, depending on the rights
granted, franchisees can be classified into:
1. Unit Franchisee this is the simplest and most common form of franchising.
This franchisee is granted the right to operate one unit or outlet of the franchised
business.
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region. These franchises are known as regional franchises or sometimes area
franchises.
4. Multiple Franchises Some unit franchisees operate not just one unit, but
several. These are referred to as multiple franchises and usually have a large number
of individual unit franchise arrangements one for each unit.
It is an upfront entry fee, paid by the franchisee to the franchisor, usually payable
upon the signing of the contract (franchise agreement) for the right to use the
franchisors name, logo and business system. Often, the franchise fee is also the
consideration paid for the initial training, site selection, operations manuals and other
help given by the franchisor to the franchise before opening the business.
What is Royalty?
It is a continuing payment that has to be made by the franchisee to the franchisor and
is payable on a periodic basis, which can be, weekly, monthly, or on any other.
Royalty payments can be either fixed amounts or could be based on percentage of
gross sales or any other such consideration that may be agreed upon by both the
franchisor and the franchisee in the franchise agreement.
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1. An entrepreneur (franchisor) has developed a system of doing business, which
works and decides to grant to another entrepreneur (franchisee) the right to use the
system.
3. The granting of the right to use the franchise system involves the right of the
franchisee to use the franchisors intellectual and industrial property, know-how,
business and technical methods, procedural system and other intellectual property
rights.
5. The franchisor retains the right of control over the performance of the franchise.
6. The franchisor undertakes to provide the franchisee with training and on-going
assistance.
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As compared to other types of franchising the most popular and widely used is the
business format of franchising. It can be defined as the contractual license granted by
one person (the franchisor) to another (the franchisee) which:
Permits the franchisee to also use the franchisors products and services, trade
name, trade mark, etc.
Allows the franchisor to exercise continuing control over the manner in which
the franchisee carries on the franchised business;
There are also some other modes of franchising such as manufacturing franchising,
product or trade name franchising, etc.
MODES OF FRANCHISING
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Direct Franchising
Under this system, the franchisor grants franchises to individual franchisees in the
foreign country through the execution of an international contract. The main problems
associated with this type of franchising is the difficulty of franchisors to control the
performance of the franchisees as these are located in another country, the assistance to
be provided to the franchisee during the operation of the contract. The question of
intellectual and industrial property rights in the foreign country also needs to be
considered. Taxation is another issue which receives due consideration. Furthermore, how
the franchise arrangement is structured and the existence of treaties between the countries
involved may have considerable influence on taxation. A very important question is
clearly that of the choice of law and jurisdiction. There is a tendency for franchisors to
want their own domestic law to apply to the agreement, even if the franchise is exploited
in another country. Another vital point to be kept in mind is the law relating to transfer of
technology that may be applicable.
Keeping the above problems in mind, it is observed that direct franchising is not used
extensively internationally.
Franchising through a subsidiary or a branch office are two methods which are often
treated together, although there are differences which derive from the fact that a
subsidiary, albeit controlled by the franchisor, is a separate legal entity whereas a branch
office is not. Whatever be the difference, an advantage of this approach is that the
franchisor is present in the foreign country as a corporate body. The contract will in this
case be a domestic contract and thus subject to local legislation.
The problems associated with this type are similar to direct franchising. In addition, the
franchisor will be required to send his personnel to the foreign country for the start up
operations thus involving work permit and residence formalities.
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Area Development Agreements
In the international scenario, this is widely used. In respect to such agreements, the
franchisor grants a person in another country, the sub-franchisor, the exclusive right
within a certain territory to open franchise outlets itself and/or to grant franchises to sub-
franchisees.
In this case, there are two agreements involved: an international agreement between the
franchisor and the sub-franchisor (the master franchise agreement) and a national
franchise agreement between the sub-franchisor and each of the sub-franchisees (the sub-
franchise agreement). The franchisor transmits all its rights and duties to the sub-
franchisor, who will be in charge of the enforcement of the sub-franchise agreement and
of the general development and working of the network in that country. All the franchisor
will be able to do is to sue the sub-franchisor in case of breach of obligation to enforce
the sub-franchise agreement as laid down in the master franchise agreement.
The advantages of this system are that the sub-franchisor is familiar with the local habits,
tastes, culture and laws of its country and that it will know ways about the local
bureaucracy for necessary permits as and when necessary.
The disadvantages include that the financial returns of the franchisor will be reduced by
the amount due to the sub-franchisor and also that the franchisor will have to rely on the
sub-franchisor for the performance of the franchise system.
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Joint Ventures
In the case of joint ventures, the franchisor and a local partner create a joint venture. This
venture then enters into a master franchise agreement with the franchisor, and proceeds to
open franchise outlets and to grant sub-franchises just as a normal sub-franchisor would
do.
An arrangement such as this will have to consider legislation on joint ventures in addition
to all the other legalities that are involved. Problems may also arise with the fact that the
double link may create conflicts of interest for the franchisor. The advantages accruing
from this arrangement may include that it could be a way to solve the problem of
financing franchise operations in countries where financial means are scarce.
Miscellaneous forms
There is no limit to the refinement that can be made to the above modes of franchising.
New forms of franchising, or combinations of different forms of franchising, appear at
regular intervals.
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Corporate history is replete with instances of outstanding franchising success and also
many failures. Learning from them, franchising can succeed if the franchisee has a right
combination of the four Rs prescribed. These are:
1. Realism
The franchisee should be very realistic in assessment of his business strengths and
weaknesses. Certain key areas where realism is a must while deciding to go into
franchising includes questions like are you prepared for the financial insecurity, are you
capable of developing a frame of mind when you can smile and be cordial even when the
customer is totally wrong. More important is the need for realism in evaluating the
products and services offered by the franchisor.
2. Resources
Many franchisees, during the early periods of their business when resources constraints
are common, tend to sometimes overlook sending in the royalty cheques to the franchisor.
Franchisors keep feeling and rightly so that their royalty is as much a key business
expenditure of the franchisee as payment for purchases or payroll is and any delay in
handling this area would lead to unfortunate consequences of a long term nature.
Therefore, while planning resources on a periodic basis, consider the payments that are to
be made to franchisor. Another area where most franchisees have problems is to manage
their resources while living within the franchising system. The franchising agreement, in
most cases, clearly indicates systems, procedures and methods of managing the resources.
The franchisee will do well to either be mentally prepared to accept the resource
management terms of the franchisor or make it clear at the beginning that he needs the
requisite leeway to manage his own resources.
3. Research
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Research on the franchisor is a must for the success. Various published sources also
provide fairly detailed information on most of the franchises that are on offer but to what
extent that will suffice for the Indian conditions needs serious examination. Whatever be
the methodology, the prospective franchisee will do well to build comprehensive
information on the franchisor, the products or service of offer, competing and substitute
products and services before he makes any move committing his financial resources on a
long term basis.
4. Resolve
Resolve to be part of the franchising system. The problem starts when a person gets into
franchising only because he has an entrepreneurial instinct but the instant he becomes a
franchisee, the true entrepreneur in him starts resenting the shackles that are imposed by
the franchising system. The options are clear either stay within the system and fully
learn the nuances of the business and prosper or try ones fledging entrepreneurial talent
and get into trouble.
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Advantages & Disadvantages of Franchising
He is the proprietor of his own business and owns the tangible assets of the
franchised outlet.
He gains from the franchisor the entire business concept with full training,
assistance in every aspect of setting up and running the business, and access to
necessary materials and supplies.
Franchisees have access to regional and national promotions / advertising
campaigns.
He gets an access to global standards and international technology in products and
services, without loss of control.
There is minimum risk as it is a tried and tested formula of the franchisor.
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The risk that the franchisor would have had to otherwise bare alone gets spread
across the franchisees.
Self-employed franchisees are generally more motivated than salaried managers
and are more likely to give better results for less expenditure of capital on behalf
of the franchisor. Also this reduces the requirement of appointing and maintaining
the additional staff that the franchisor would have had to in case of a non
franchised business.
The franchisor is free from the day to day unit operations since direct managing
responsibilities become the franchisees obligation.
Franchising gives him an assured earnings stream to fund continuous R & D
investment.
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Some General Issues on Franchising
Franchising is one of the worlds fastest growing and most lucrative industries. Franchise
businesses will be turning over an estimated $ 2 trillion (which is roughly equal to twenty
times the size of Indias current GDP).
Franchising permits businesses to grow more rapidly than any other method. By
increasing the efficiency by which goods and services are distributed, it brings impressive
gains to any economy. On a cultural level, franchising is one of the few developments
that generate employment, earnings and entrepreneurship at the same time. It
disseminates ownership rights and decision-making power to thousands of small-unit
operators. For developing countries, or countries shifting to a market economy,
franchising has the effect of creating relationships between one economy and another. It
promotes sharing of technologies, trademarks, marketing, intellectual property and even
architectural designs.
Franchising is a particularly good developmental tool in any part of the world where
financial resources are short and the need to simulate individual initiative is acute. There
are no tariff barriers to be dealt with. It puts little strain on the receiving countrys balance
of payments. Thus, not surprisingly, awareness of the benefits of this business formula is
growing at an international level.
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The key attractions of franchising in India are as follows:
1. Lower Capital Requirements
Franchising is an excellent way for both Indian and foreign corporations to expand their
businesses and make their brand names known in India without having to risk large sums
of money by way of direct investment. The franchisees finance the expansion of the
business in India. In return they have the opportunity to make substantial income and
capital profits.
2. Geographical extent of the country
Franchising can enable a company to take advantage of the vast Indian market of over
1000 million people and growing at a rate of 1.9% p.a. There is an ever-growing demand
of goods and services such as fast food and beverages, clothing, electronic goods,
computer hardware and software and professional services. The infrastructure is poor,
however, and operating a corporately owned distribution system that fully exploits the
geographical expanse of the country is extremely difficult and inefficient. Empowering
participants in the distribution system by granting them an equity interest in it (i.e. by
granting a franchise) can substantially improve the efficiency in the distribution system.
3. Cultural Empathy
Franchising well suits the entrepreneurial side of Indian culture. Indian business people
are fiercely proprietary and feel a need to have ownership and control over their business
operations which they can pass on to future generations. However, at the same time they
are keen to benefit from the goodwill and technology that can be provided by the
franchisor. Franchising allows them to reconcile these conflicting ambitions.
4. Harnessing local market knowledge
A company needs a great deal of knowledge of the different regional markets in India.
What holds good for Punjab may not be relevant for Kerela. Franchising provides a sure
and easy way of accessing the right level of relevant local market knowledge. Also in
case of international franchisors Indian master franchisees offer them direct access to
substantial market knowledge and a considered and sophisticated approach to its
exploitation.
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Franchising in India so far?
Franchising in India is at its early stage and neither business people nor the courts have
had much exposure to it. Soft drinks and hotel franchises arrived in India in the 1960s,
but in the 1970s and 1980s, the government expelled foreign brands from India.
Some international franchises have recently come back to India and are doing well. Hotel
businesses like Best Western Group and the Quality Inn Group have established
themselves. Also, Walt Disney has been successful in having its label in all sorts of goods
for children, whether they are clothing, toys, and school equipments. Fast food chains
like McDonalds, Slice of Italy, Dominos, and Taco Bell have also come in. Pepsi and
Coke have re-captured the soft drinks market.
Let us have a look at some key facts that point to the growth of the franchising sector in
India:
There are over 600 active franchisors in the country
There are over 40,000 franchisees (across sectors) in India today.
The total investment put in by these franchisees in setting up their individual
franchised businesses is over Rs 5,000 crore.
The total annual turnover achieved by franchised businesses in India is in the
region of Rs 8,000-10,000 crore.
The total manpower directly employed by these franchised businesses is around
300,000.
Industry classification reveals that IT education sector dominates the Indian
franchise sector with a sizeable share of 40 per cent.
Number of outlets: A majority (68 per cent) of franchise operations are small with
50 or less outlets. Only three per cent franchisors have more than 500 outlets,
while 22 per cent have outlets numbering 51-100. The fact that most operators are
comparatively small is a probability because most of the franchisors are still
comparatively new.
Annual turnover from franchising Turnover from franchising is still not very
large. Only two per cent of franchisors have a turnover of more than Rs 500 crore
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from their franchising operations. About five per cent have a franchise turnover
ranging Rs 100-500 crore; Four per cent have a turnover ranging Rs 50-100 crore;
11 per cent have a turnover ranging Rs 20-50 crore and 24 per cent have a
turnover ranging Rs 5-20 crore. However, more than half (54 per cent) has a
turnover less than Rs 5 crore.
These facts and figures highlight the extent to which franchising as a way of doing
business has been accepted in India. Also, there are increasing numbers of businesses that
are exploring the franchising route to business expansion.
Ms. Shah an NRI arrived, on New Years Eve. She was so happy to know that the Indian
economy had grown in the last quarter at 8.4%. She decided to go to the US to pursue her
dream of running her own business late back in 1970, an era plagued by regulation and
bureaucracy. Her business of selling Indian garments in the New York, US had been
tremendous successful.
Now, in 2004, she was amazed to see the change in the Indian capital. She used the Hertz
Rent-A-Car service for airport pick-up. She decided to stay at Orchid (a franchised
hotel chain). For instant rejuvenation she dropped at Shehnaz Hussain Beauty Parlour.
She was overjoyed when she came to know about the local Subway operating with the
same American standards in India. She appreciated the food, as it tasted exactly the same
as she had at the Times Square Junction, New York. She was glad that the Ritu Beri
designed clothes are available in Delhi, and they are franchising at an international level.
She knew that the clothes designed by her were a rage in the US and she couldnt afford
to miss this golden opportunity.
What one would notice is that all these companies have expanded gradually and made
their presence by franchising. Franchising, as a way of expansion in India was little
known till the 1990s. Today, franchising has forayed into all industries from Food and
Fuel to Lodging and Child Care. In India, the industry is a little over ten million ($).
There is limitless potential, as this industry is at a very nascent stage.
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Ordinary start-ups face a problem with finding the right location, evaluating an
opportunity and also in most of the times lack experience as to how a similar business is
managed. They risk their initial investment. 90% of start-ups fail in the first year itself.
Of those that survive another 90% fail in the next two years. In a franchised business,
over 90% succeed. This success rate usually lures entrepreneurs with no experience but
with a surplus capital and a will to succeed towards franchising.
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Let us look at some major Indian franchisors but before that let us have a look at what
Mr. Gian Mario Migliaccio has to say about the Indian franchising industry.
What additional benefits would an Indian franchisor get by partnering with you?
InfoFranchise.in will be the Indian Franchise Website, but it doesnt stop there.
InfoFranchise is a connection link from India to the world and vice-versa. Our goals are
to promote the best Indian franchise concepts through the web and show the India
Experience throughout the world network. India is a great area for franchise concepts.
Now Indian brands can act on expanding their experiences overseas, and InfoFranchise
will help them as they go worldwide!
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Can franchising work for everyone?
Franchising is a wonderful idea. It is one of the best ways to create your own-business
with low risk. But low is not zero. The franchisee needs to be sure before signing the
contract. The problem is the same all over the world: dont sign a colorized brochure.
Sign the value of know-how.
Ask a lawyer, consulting agency and/or even ask the other franchisees in the chain
directly is good advice. The other important thing is being a positive person: the
franchisee is not an employee, they are the company and they have the responsibility
to create success. This is 24/7 job. The possibility for success is inside everyone. Find it.
Can you list some of the pros & cons of marketing through internet in a developing
country like in India where the reach of internet is extremely low in the smaller
towns?
India does have two sides it seems. Part of the world knows that India may be the best
place for the IT Engineers, Programming developers or for innovative technologies. Then
there is the other half of India that is not so up to date. This situation is not so different in
China or Russia and is very similar to Old Europe after the second World War. The
economy is in need of creating a Booming India and the Internet is just the way to
accelerate that boom. Now about 20% of the Indian population can navigate Internet
well. With just a look you can see that this percentage is not so different from the entire
European region.
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How do you see India as a growing market for franchising?
India is a great market with enormous potential. The one thing that sets it apart: The
Culture. In India the culture is so different from Europe or the USA, it is necessary to
know the market, the culture and the history. Adapting the concept before starting in India
is the only way to make it as an overseas brand. The Indian concept can also use the
International experience to create and expand a great concept in one of the largest and
fastest growing markets in the world.
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Indian Success Stories
Jumbo King Vada Pav
Three years ago, Dheeraj Gupta was in Dubai trying to market Indian sweets. He asked a
client about the population of Indians living in the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai
is a small part-- about 15 to 20 lakhs.
This was stunning news. Here he was trying to sell Indian sweets to a population just
about the size of Malad, which houses about 16 lakh people. He wondered why he had
abandoned a population of I billion Indians and tried to entice 20 lakh people to eat his
sweets.
It was then that he decided to focus on these one billion people and make them his
customers. Fortunately, around the time, he read the biography of Ray Kroc, the man
behind McDonalds. Fifty years ago, Ray Kroc had been able to spot the potential of the
hamburger and franchise it to the world. Today, with 30000 outlets worldwide,
McDonalds at $30 bn is bigger than Indias largest company, Reliance at $16 bn.
coincidentally, around the same time as he was reading the book, Dheeraj was in London,
staying with the Burger King franchisees. He observed the operations closely and decided
to experiment on something similar in Mumbai.
The product most similar to the burger was vada pav.. ubiquitous and inexpensive, it
looked like the ideal finger food to experiment with. The journey to brand the vada pav
began in august 2001.
Jumbo King has several first to its credit. It is the first vada pav company to set up at
1500 sq feet central kitchen to manufacture vadas. It is the first company to brand the
vada pav, pay 12% sales tax and now franchise it. Ask him how did he do this and pat
comes the reply We have grown almost at 250% year on year in the past. This has
happened due to the franchise route that the company has taken.
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The target of the company is to grow through the franchisee route. For first it wants to
make a strong presence in the western suburbs and then moving on to central and south
Mumbai. Eventually it is targeting 100 stores in Mumbai within three years.
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Franchising Association of India (FAI)
About FAI
Mission of FAI:
Tap the vast entrepreneurial energy available in the country by promoting the concept and
practice of franchising in India.
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Potential of International Franchising in India
The Indian economy is growing at an average of 8% - 8.5% in the recent years, thanks to
the ongoing reforms and disinvestments. The middle class has never had it so good, with
plenty of options and credit available in abundance at a competitive rate. There has been
a change in mindset; a flamboyant generation is gradually replacing the debt-cautious.
Banks have identified India as one of the fastest growing retail market. Banks and
financial institutions have disbursed loans of over Rs. 100,000 crore (USD 20 Billion).
Franchised operations are becoming more popular in geographically vast and culturally
diverse nations like India, as franchising helps to overcome the difficulties posed by
having a chain of company owned outlets.
The Franchising Industry received a fillip in during the 1990s due to the opening up of
the economy. Since, then, sales from franchised business have grown at an average rate
of 20 30% compared to an economic growth rate of 6-8%
Today, International franchising in India is one of the most exciting areas in the franchise
industry. today, globetrotters are more likely to do their shopping in franchised stores.
global franchise organisations like pizza hut, marks and spencer, mcdonalds, subway, hp,
holiday inn, medicine shoppe, marrybrown, dominos, golds gym, kodak, kentucky fried
chicken are bullish on the potential of franchising in india and have started their franchise
operations. It is advisable for international companies wishing to make a presence in
India, to divide India into different zones and appoint master franchisees for each of them
or they can also opt for a national master franchisee.
India is a self-governing and competitive territory for doing business. Franchise
companies enjoy economies in scale. India also has a vibrant, vigorous and vivacious
media, a pool of high skilled and technologically sophisticated labour, an independent
and impartial judiciary and a robust legal infrastructure. Based on the successful
companies that have enjoyed financial gain since the silent franchise boom during the
1990s, the future of franchising is positive.
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Procedure for Approval of Foreign Franchises in India
The approval procedure is complex and bureaucratic. The application has to be made to
Secretariat for Industrial Assistance, Department of Industrial Development in form FC
(SIA) along with 10 extra copies. No fees need to be paid with the application for
technical collaborations.
On submission, the Entrepreneurial Assistance Unit (EAU) allots a registration number.
The application is then sent to the Foreign Collaboration section 1 in SIA, which sends
the document to various departments such as the technical advisory section, department
of economic affairs and the concerned administrative ministry for scrutinizing. Their
comments along with the papers are then put before the Project Approval Board (PAB).
The Board takes into account the need for foreign know-how, technology transfer and the
terms of the franchising agreement.
Those proposals involving only financial collaboration or a combination of financial and
technological collaboration are sent to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
If the investment in the project is up to 600 crore rupees, the application is sent for final
decision to the Empowered Committee headed by the Finance Minister. In respect to
projects requiring more than 600 crore rupees, the application is sent to the cabinet
committee for final approval. The Section 2 of SIA issues the final approval within a
period of approximately 45 days from the submission of the application form.
The approval by the government may vary the terms of franchise including the mode of
payment of royalty / lump sum payment to the franchisor. If the terms are not favorable to
the franchising business, representation against the same can be made to the
administrative ministry concerned. A copy of the representation made by the applicant
should also be sent for information to the Foreign Collaboration Section 2 of SIA.
We thus see the bureaucratic bottlenecks involved in obtaining the permission to set up
foreign franchises in India. This deters investment.
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Some of the major international franchisors
Let us look at some of the major international franchisors present in the country:
Baskin Robbins set up its operations in India in 1993 and soon started its own
manufacturing plant in Pune, Maharashtra. It is the only manufacturing plant to be
established outside North America. Baskin Robbins operates on a Franchise Model and
its business margins are competitive. Currently there are 150 Baskin Robbins stores
established across India. Its spread in India is quite unique, in the sense that you are as
likely to find a cozy little Baskin store tucked away in remote Shillong as you would in
the main streets of Mumbai. As of today, Baskin Robbins looks forward to an eventful
year ahead, with plans of exponential growth and expansion.
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Yum! Brands Inc. (Previously known as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc.), based in
Louisville, Ky., is the worlds largest restaurant company in terms of system restaurants
with over 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries and territories. KFC, Pizza Hut,
Taco Bell are some of the well known brands of the company. The company is on an
expansion spree in India.
As of now there are more than 125 Pizza Hut restaurants across 31 cities in India. The
company plans to open more 35-40 Pizza Hut restaurants across the country this year.
The company also plans to double the number of KFC restaurants in the country from the
current 15. Cities in which it would set up outlets include Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai
this year. Yum! has been following the franchisee model with Pizza Hut and KFC in India
so far. Currently, KFC is present in six metros including Bangalore, Hyderabad and
Chandigarh. "There is tremendous potential in the metros and we plan to expand our
presence in towns such as Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Indore in this year," Mr. Arvind
Mediratta, Chief Marketing Officer, Yum! Restaurants International, said.
The food chain that entered the Indian markets nine years ago has also changed its brand
positioning from `good time, great pizzas' to `treat you just can't beat.' It has also roped in
actor Jaaved Jaaferi as its brand ambassador for a year to market its new meal combos.
On marketing spends of the company, Mr. Mediratta said, "Yum! has been allocating
around Rs 15 crore-20 crore each year to marketing and advertising activities which
amounts to nearly one per cent of the total turnover of the company."
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LEGAL ASPECTS OF FRANCHISING IN INDIA
Franchising as a business concept is catching up very rapidly in India. Though this being
so, presently, there is no franchise specific legislation in India. However, there are various
laws, which affect the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee, such as the
Contract Act, Competition Laws, Intellectual Property Laws, etc. Besides these, there are
other laws which need to be considered by a foreign franchisor before expanding into
India, such as Foreign Exchange Regulations, Taxation, Labor Regulations, Property
Laws, etc. An in-depth understanding and legal assistance in respect of these laws is
necessary before foraying into the franchise market.
(i) Contract Act
Formation of Contract:
The contractual relationship between the franchisor and the franchisee would be
governed by the Indian Contract Act, 1872. The franchise agreement must ensure the
existence of the basic ingredients of a valid contract such as lawful consideration for the
agreement, lawful object and purpose of the agreement and capacity of the parties to
enter into an agreement.
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Trade Mark Protection:
There are three courses of action that can be initiated against trade mark infringement,
viz. (a) an injunction under statute (b) an infringement or a passing off action, depending
on whether the trade mark is registered or not and (c) criminal action for an offence of
falsifying a trade mark. Appropriate provisions need to be incorporated in the Franchise
agreement dealing with the rights and obligations of the parties in case of infringement of
trade marks, restriction on use of the trade marks during and post termination of the
franchise agreement.
Copyright Protection:
The Manuals containing the entire technique of running the franchise business and
advertising material are of great value to a franchisor and unlawful reproduction and
piracy of this literary work can be protected under the Copyright Act, 1957. According to
Section 17 of the Copyright Act, the author of a work shall be the first owner of the
copyright therein. Therefore, the franchisor as the owner of the copyright has the
exclusive right to own and license the work, institute proceedings for infringement by
claiming injunction, damages and accounts of profits made by the defendant as a result of
the violation of the copyright
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agreement is not hit by the provisions of the MRTP Act and at the same time sufficiently
protects the interests of the parties.
Competition Law:
The focus is now shifting from curbing monopolies to promoting healthy competition in
India. Accordingly, the Competition Act, 2002 has been passed to replace the MRTP Act.
Some of its provisions have not yet come into force, as a Government notification to that
effect is awaited. Hence, presently the applicability of the provisions of the MRTP Act
continues.
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(vi) Labour Laws:
Issues with regard to employees employed by the franchisee would be subject to various
labour legislations such as Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions
Act, 1952, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 etc. There are
also various legislations at the State level, which prescribe hours of work in shops and
establishments.
(vii) Taxation:
Various direct and indirect tax laws such as income tax, sales tax, excise customs etc.
would be relevant in the context of franchise relationship as they are in any other
business concept.
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Depending on the nature of the industry/sector to which the franchise belongs, various
sector specific legislations need to be considered e.g. in the case of a food and hospitality,
licenses under the Shops and Establishments Act, Eating House license from the
Municipal Corporation, Health license from the Health Department of the Municipal
Corporation would be required.
Conclusion
Considering the peculiar nature of the business concept in franchising, appropriate legal
advice and proper understanding of the relevant legislations is a must both for the
franchisor and franchisee before entering into the relationship. A proper understanding
between the parties suitably documented would form a strong foundation for success of
the business relationship and expansion of the franchise network.
To conclude, the future trends involving franchised businesses are varied. The local
franchising industry can expect a colorful future. On the one hand, franchisors and
franchisees have some exciting possibilities to pursue, while on the other, there is a range
of new threats to contend with. In my view, the future brings increased complexity to the
role of franchise system management. This complexity will also lead to growth and
further penetration of this amazing WIN-WIN PARTNERSHIP. Franchise strategists will
have more options and to consider and at least some of these will require specialists skills
to evaluate, progress and prosper in this rapidly changing evolving market.
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