has experienced explosive growth in the 1990s. The computer market from 1994 to 1995 alone increased 50% to approximately $1.3 billion. The lion's share, 73% of this market, came in the area of personal computer and computer accessory sales. The rest of the market sales came from purchases of software and services. Computer services and software totaled $355 million in 1995 (Miller, 1995).
The huge growth of printing and computer markets in 1995 alone make Thailand very attractive for Kinko's franchising. The expanding market for printing materials is uniquely suited to Kinko's ability to produce high volumes of black and white or color prints, color photographic copies, and other printed materials (from business cards to flyers and envelopes), quickly and cheaply. While the majority of the printing market is controlled by local Thai shops, these 4000 shops are struggling to upgrade their aging equipment in order to meet the demand for new, more efficient technologies (Phupoksakul, 1995). It is in this area that Kinko's has a marked advantage since we have the resources to introduce the latest equipment as well as perform quick upgrades for future innovations. Thus, Kinko's franchises would be well positioned to take advantage of local demands for more printed material as well as the projected increase in fra
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