Franchising Can Be Defined As A System Based On A Close And Ongoing Co

"Franchising can be defined as a system based on a close and ongoing collaboration whereby a company, the franchisor, gets into partnership with one or several companies, the franchisee(s). Its prime aim is to develop a franchise concept designed in the first place by the franchisor." (Internet, 1) In order to better understand the concept of franchising I will first explain several commonly used terms in this concept. ? Franchise is a legal agreement that allows one organization with a product, idea, name or trademark to transmit some rights and information about a business to an independent business owner, which in return pays a fee and royalties to the owner. ? Franchisor is a company that owns a product, service, trademark or business format and provides this to a business owner in return for a fee. Franchisor often is the one that makes the conditions under which a business owner operates, however he doesn't control the business. ? Franchisee is a business owner who purchases a franchise from franchisor and operates a business using the name, product, business format and other items provided by the franchisor. ? Franchise fee is a one time paid fee by the franchisee to the franchisor, and is paid for rights to use trademark, management assistance and some other services. ? Royalty fee is a fee continuously paid by the franchisee to the franchisor- usually paid as a percent of gross revenue earned. ? Franchise trade rule is a law by the Federal Trade Commission that places several legal requirements on the franchisors ? Trademark is a distinctive name or/and symbol used to distinguish a particular product or service from all the others. In practice we have four types of franchising- Product Franchise, Manufacturing Franchises, Business Opportunity Ventures, and Business Format Franchising. In the case of Product Franchise, manufacturers use the product franchise to govern how a retailer distributes their product. The manufacturer grants an owner of the store the authority to distribute goods by the manufacturer and he is allowed to use the name and trademark of the manufacturer. In return the storeowner has to pay a fee or purchase some inventory of stock in return for the rights given. Manufacturing Franchises provide an organization with the right to manufacture a product and to sell it using the name and the trademark provided by franchisor. This type of franchising is usually seen in food and beverages industry. Business Opportunity Venture usually requires that a business owner purchases and distributes the products for one specific company, which must provide him with the customers. In return business owner has to pay a fee or some other type of compensation. Finally, the Business Format Franchising, the most popular type, is the approach where a company provides a business owner with a proven method for operating a business using the name and the trademark. The company has to provide assistance to the owner of the business at the beginning, and the business owner has to pay a fee in return. Usually people are asking what makes one company to offer a franchise, so it is important to understand the franchisor's perspective. First of all, franchising is an opportunity for more rapid expansion. Many companies may experience of lack of capital and skilled employees, so the franchisee can offer all of that. At the beginning the franchisor assists a franchisee with obtaining financing for a new business, however the franchisee is liable for repayment of the funds. Franchisor is selecting its franchisees by their experience and skills, and in that way he/she is minimizing its risks. Another reason for franchising is higher motivation. This is because when the company franchises its operations it acquires a group of new, motivated managers, which are more accountable for actions since as an owners they are completely responsible for business outcomes. Further more capital is another reason for getting involved in franchising. The company, by franchising, is raising the money wit hout selling an interest in the business, and the franchisor is using the franchisee money for further business expansion. This way the company is avoiding the risks, which may come out from issuing stock and taking the loans. The company's image and name are at certain risk when sold to other individual. So, a franchisor is

An Introduction to Anasazi Puebloan Societies

An Introduction to Anasazi Puebloan Societies Anasazi is the archaeological term used to describe prehistoric Puebloan peoples of the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. This term was used to distinguish their culture from other Southwestern groups like the Mogollon and Hohokam. A further distinction in Anasazi culture is made by archaeologists and historians between Western and Eastern Anasazi, using the Arizona/New Mexico border as a fairly arbitrary divide. The people who resided in Chaco Canyon are considered Eastern Anasazi. The term Anasazi is an English corruption of a Navajo word meaning Enemy Ancestors or Ancient Ones. Modern Puebloan people prefer to use the term Ancestral Puebloans. Current archaeological literature as well tends to use the phrase Ancestral Pueblo to describe the pre-contact people that lived in this region. Cultural Characteristics Ancestral Puebloan cultures reached their maximum presence between AD 900 and 1130. During this period, the landscape of the entire Southwest was dotted by large and small villages constructed in adobe and stone bricks, built along the canyon walls, the mesa top or hanging over the cliffs. Settlements: The most famous examples of Anasazi architecture are the famous Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde National Parks. These areas contain settlements constructed on the mesa top, at the bottom of the canyon, or along the cliffs. Cliff dwellings are typical of Mesa Verde, whereas Great Houses are typical of Chacoan Anasazi. Pithouses, underground rooms, were also typical dwellings of Ancestral Puebloan people in their earlier times.Architecture: Buildings were usually multistory and clustered near the canyon or cliff walls and were reached through wooden ladders. Anasazi constructed typical round or squared structures, called kivas, which were ceremonial rooms.Landscape: Ancient Puebloan people shaped their landscape in many ways. Ceremonial roads connected Chacoan villages among them and with important landmarks; staircases, like the famous Jackson Staircase, link the bottom of the canyon with the mesa top; irrigation systems provided water for farming and, finally, rock art, such as petroglyphs and pictographs, dots the rocky walls of many sites surrounding, testifying to the ideology and religious beliefs of these peoples. Pottery: Ancestral Puebloans crafted elegant vessels, in different shapes, such as bowls, cylindric vessels, and jars with distinct decorations typical of each Anasazi group. Motifs included both geometric elements as well as animals and humans usually portrayed in dark colors over a cream background, like the famous black-on-white ceramics.Craftwork: Other craft productions in which Ancestral Puebloan excelled were basketry, and turquoise inlay works. Social Organization For most of the Archaic period, people living in the Southwest were foragers. By the beginning of the Common Era, cultivation was widespread and maize became one of the main staples. This period marks the emergence of the typical traits of Puebloan culture. Ancient Puebloan village life was focused on farming  and both productive and ceremonial activities centered around agricultural cycles. Storage of maize and other resources lead to surplus formation, which was re-invested in trading activities and feasting celebrations. Authority was probably held by religious and prominent figures of the community, who had access to food surpluses and imported items. Anasazi Chronology The Anasazi prehistory is divided by archaeologists into two main time frames: Basketmaker (AD 200-750) and Pueblo (AD 750-1600/historic times). These periods span from the beginning of settled life until the Spanish takeover. See the detailed Anasazi timelineSee details on the Rise and Fall of Chaco Canyon Anasazi Archaeological Sites and Issues Penasco BlancoChetro KetlPueblo BonitoChaco CanyonKivaChaco Road System Sources: Cordell, Linda 1997, Archaeology of the Southwest. Second Edition. Academic Press Kantner, John, 2004, Ancient Puebloan Southwest, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. Vivian, R. Gwinn Vivian and Bruce Hilpert 2002, The Chaco Handbook. An Encyclopedic Guide, The University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City Edited by  K. Kris Hirst