Articles

TASA ID: 11532

PREFACE

International franchising has fascinated me for many years.  I still get excited seeing a familiar trademark when driving down a street in New Delhi, Cairo, or Paris.  While traveling outside the United States, my wife and I will frequently play a game seeing who can point to a recognized sign first such as McDonald’s or Gold’s Gym with the same exuberance of children playing car-trip games.  

Much has been written in recent years extolling the virtues of franchising as it exists in the United States.  However, there has been a dearth of information and analysis of the economic impact and potential of franchising, or similar economic expansion systems, in developing countries. Most of what has been written about international franchising has dealt with the legalities pertaining to franchise law, licensing, and trademark and patent law, and their disparities from country to country.  In spite of the scarcity of academic and research analysis, the period between the 1980s and the early-2000s witnessed a dramatic increase in international franchising and similar commercial expansion activity. This has occurred not only in Western Europe but also in Asia, South and Central America, Eastern Europe and, to a more modest extent, Africa and the Middle East. In this article, I attempt to point out some of the benefits and consequences of importing Western (essentially American) franchises and franchising techniques into developing economies.  

TASA ID: 408

Recently, I became intrigued with an advertisement on television for a product / service which appeared new.  It concerns a mobile telephone service which would cut my current service plan by about 50% … saving about $1,500 a year.  The advertisement indicates that a subscriber could use their current cell phone, merely removing the sim card and inserting the new one from this new carrier.  Although the new carrier does not have their own cell towers or cell facilities, it has contracted, according to the ad, to ‘bounce’ off two other very major cell carriers, depending upon the location of the call being made and the receiver of the call. 

TASA ID: 10840

Republished with permission.

Abstract 

Medical malpractice as it relates to transvaginal mesh implantation adds another level of responsibility when deciding on surgical options to repair stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. As mesh is a viable option for repair, the informed consent process must involve a time commitment to discuss thoroughly the knowns and unknowns about mesh, and potentially must cover other aspects related to surgery: FDA classification of mesh, experience, potential off label usage, and conflicts of interest. A therapeutic alliance must be developed between physician and patient to allay possible fears about the intrinsic uncertainty of surgery. Proper risk assessment of the patient and pre-operative judgment as to when and if mesh implantation is appropriate are decisions that must be documented. Resolution of a conflict from a complication can be dealt with formally or informally. Above all, sharp skills, good communication, broad knowledge base of mesh surgeries, complication management, knowledge of guidelines, along with methodical documentation can mitigate or avert mesh-related litigation.

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TASA ID:

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is harm to the spinal cord which causes physical, physiological, and/or emotional changes in an individual. Each year, there are 17,500 new spinal cord injuries, in the United States, there are between 245,000 and 353,000 Americans living with a spinal cord injury. Most spinal cord injuries occur in people ages 16-30 years old. The leading causes of spinal cord injuries, in order of most common: motor vehicle accidents, followed by falls, violence, and sporting accidents.

TASA ID: 11532

The process of seeking and finding qualified franchisees is not only the first step to building a strong franchise network, but it lays the foundation for attracting future stockholders that tend to retain their stock during good times and bad.

The reverse is also true; franchisees that own stock in the franchisor-public company are less inclined to be “breakaway” franchisees or vociferous disenchanted franchisees that are receptive to joining class action suits against the franchisor.