Public policy in the USA strives to provide greater opportunity for women and minorities to participate in the economic mainstream. In the present paper, we examine the role that franchising plays in meeting these inclusive policy goals. Franchising serves as a natural private sector means for providing self-employment opportunities to individuals unable to acquire the skills or resources to operate an independent business independently (Hunt 1972: Williams 1999). Moreover, because franchisees gain access to established brands and publicly recognized service concepts, franchising may help overcome consumer reluctance to patronize women and minority-run businesses and become an attractive vehicle for incentivizing this segment to start their own businesses. The data in the present study reveal that (1) women and minorities are indeed represented in franchising in disproportionately higher numbers than men and non-minorities, and (2) that this representation is sector specific.
Keywords
- Business Owner
- Franchise System
- Protected Class
- Independent Business
- Woman Business Owner
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.