Abstract
The literature on franchising is growing. However, the customer perceptions regarding franchising have rarely been explored, and the few existing studies deal with developed markets, e.g., the UK and the USA. The aim of this research is to assess how customers perceive franchising in the education sector in Pakistan. More specifically, our research questions are the following: (1) According to the customers, what are the differences between franchised schools and public schools? (2) What are the customer perceptions regarding the main characteristics of franchising in the education sector? (3) What are the customer perceptions regarding social achievements of these franchised schools and chains? (4) According to the customers, what are the opportunities and challenges associated with franchising in the education sector? We adopt a qualitative approach with 17 face-to-face interviews conducted with customers of franchised schools in Pakistan, including parents and students.
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Notes
- 1.
The constitution of Brazil, Article 206, defines that every child holds a right to access free primary and secondary education in Brazil. http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/brazil.php
- 2.
The constitution of Pakistan, Article 25-A, recognizes free education access for every primary and secondary student. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229718E.pdf
- 3.
The legislative and executive power under article GG, art. 7 allows children to access free primary and secondary education. http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/germany.php
- 4.
School students are recognized as those students who are studying in primary to higher secondary education.
- 5.
Preprimary age group, 3–5 years; primary age group, 6–10 years; middle school age group, 11–13 years; secondary education, 14–15 years; higher secondary education, 16–17 years; and higher education, 18 years and above (Malik 2011)
- 6.
These figures are estimated by the authors based on their review of franchised chain websites.
- 7.
The province of Punjab has a leading literacy rate of 62%, followed by the province of Sindh (60%), the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (52%), and the province of Balochistan (44%). Fifty-six percent of Pakistan’s total population resides in the Punjab Province.
- 8.
Sixty-three percent of the population in Pakistan lives in rural areas (Malik et al. 2014).
- 9.
Urdu is the official language in the Punjab Province.
- 10.
Franchising in the education sector was launched in 2002. The literacy rate in the year 2000 was 42.7%, whereas in the year 2014, it was 59.90% for adults and young people aged 15Â years or over by UNESCO.
- 11.
Some chains offer 100% scholarships for students who achieve 90% marks.
- 12.
Some chains give brand new cars to the top three students.
- 13.
Some chains offer financial rewards of up to Rs. 300,000 for top students along with fee reductions.
- 14.
If parents apply for a fee waiver because of poverty, some chains allow it if appropriate.
- 15.
Sixty-two percent of the population lives in rural areas in Pakistan according to a 2014 World Bank report.
- 16.
These figures are estimated by the authors based on their review of franchised chain websites.
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Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank the Science of Man, Organizations, and Society Doctoral School (SHOS), University of Rennes 1, for having contributed to the funding of the data collection in Pakistan as well as the French National Research Agency (references: FRANBLE—ANR-12-BSH1-0011-01) and the Center in Franchising, Retail & Service Chains for their significant support.
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Warraich, M.A., Perrigot, R. (2017). Franchising in the Education Sector: How Do Pakistani Customers Perceive This New Phenomenon?. In: Hendrikse, G., Cliquet, G., Ehrmann, T., Windsperger, J. (eds) Management and Governance of Networks . Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57276-5_6
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