dentity. The development of a corporate identity, and in turn the development of a corporate image, requires that a firm addresses the difficult issue of what exactly the firm wants to be. Over time, an organization becomes characterized by certain modes of behavior that is perceived as the corporate image of the organization. A corporate image becomes a part of the value system of the organization. Members of an organization (employees within an organizational subunit, or franchisees within a franchise network) becomes conscious of the organizational value system which then guides both their actions and their expectations.
A franchise, as the term is used in this study, is a right granted by a corporation to either another firm or to an individual to conduct a specific type of business activity. With respect to an hotel organization, a corporate franchisor grants a right to another firm or to an individual to operate a lodging business as a franchisee under the corporate name of the franchisor.
Preview of the Remainder of the Study
A review of the literature relevant to the problem investigated is presented in the following chapter. The methodology followed in the conduct of the research performed is described and explained in the third chapter. The findings of the research performed are presented in the fourth chapter, while the conclusions drawn from these findings are stated in the final chapter.
Literature relevant to the development and maintenance of corporate image in franchise organizations is reviewed in this chapter. Many franchise organizations have achieved spectacular success in these endeavors through the application of the mechanistic model of organizational structure to their networks. Mechanistic organizational structures, however, hold disadvantages for some types of franchise organizations. Therefore, literature relevant to organizational theory and structure is reviewed in this chapter.
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