ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book argues that the franchises exist in two broad types: traditional and business format. It describes microfranchising squarely within the framework of the traditional franchising that emerged in the West over the past century. The book shows microfranchising then adapts the franchising concept to the particularities of the developing world, which is so different from the Western world for which franchising was originally developed. It looks at how microfranchises have to create the market from scratch in order to generate demand for the products: rural communities have generally never heard of the products on offer and hence need to be educated about them before they can develop a desire to buy. The book offers valuable insights into the challenges facing microfranchises trying to replicate and scale up the operations in the developing world.