Push and pull factors in international franchising
基于151家美国特许经营企业1994-2008年的面板数据，研究发现母国与东道国经济环境差异（如经济增长和不确定性）持续影响企业海外扩张决策，对研究国际特许经营的学者有参考价值。
Purpose Using munificence, real options and ambidexterity theories, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the differential between home and host market environmental conditions affects US international franchising expansion. Design/methodology/approach The authors used firm-level panel data for 151 US-based franchising firms, from Bond’s Guide for Franchise Opportunities , for the years 1994-2008 plus macroeconomic data on the environment, to explain the probability of franchising. Findings The paper finds that the differential in economic growth and economic uncertainty impacts franchisors’ desire to expand abroad on a continual basis. Research limitations/implications Researchers in international franchising should not only focus on host market environmental variables (pull factors), but also on conditions in the home market (push factors). Originality/value The paper adds to environmental explanations of international franchising by focusing on the differential in munificence and uncertainty between home and host countries.