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Organizational Design and Control across Multiple Markets: The Case of Franchising in the Convenience Store Industry

Author

Listed:
  • Dennis Campbell

    (Harvard Business School, Accounting and Management Unit)

  • Srikant M. Datar

    (Harvard Business School, Accounting and Management Unit)

  • Tatiana Sandino

    (University of California, Marshall School of Business)

Abstract

Many companies operate units which are dispersed across different types of markets, and thus serve significantly diverging customer bases. Such market-type dispersion is likely to compromise the headquarters' ability to control its local managers' behavior and satisfy the divergent needs of different types of customers. In this paper we find evidence that market-type dispersion is an important determinant of delegation and the provision of incentives. Using a sample of convenience store chains, we show that market-type dispersion is related to the degree of franchising at the chain level as well as the probability of franchising a given store within a chain. Our results are robust to alternative definitions of market-type dispersion and to other determinants of franchising such as the stores' geographic distance from headquarters and geographic dispersion. Additional analyses also suggest that chains that do not franchise at all, may cope with market-type dispersion by decentralizing operations from headquarters to their stores, and, to a weaker extent, by providing higher variable pay to their store managers.

Suggested Citation

  • Dennis Campbell & Srikant M. Datar & Tatiana Sandino, 2008. "Organizational Design and Control across Multiple Markets: The Case of Franchising in the Convenience Store Industry," Harvard Business School Working Papers 08-091, Harvard Business School.
    • Handle: RePEc:hbs:wpaper:08-091
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesco PAOLONE, 2014. "Cost Structure Complexity And Stock Prices Volatility: An Analysis Of Possible Relationship Among Italian Listed Companies In The Period Of Crisis," Romanian Journal of Economics, Institute of National Economy, vol. 38(1(47)), pages 107-133, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Control; Market Dispersion; Decentralization; Incentives; Franchising; Retailing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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