5.1.3 Open and frequent communication

Franchising is a business relationship that embodies a significant degree of mutual interdependence. This unique relationship requires continual and effective communication between franchisees and Globalplacement as a franchisor.

Effective communication requires openness, honesty and trust and is a fundamental component of a successful franchise system. Effective communication is an essential predicate for consensus and collaboration, the resolution of differences, progress and innovation.

Globalplacement thinks it is really important to have a good relationship with its franchisees. Globalplacement strives to nurture such relationship by visiting its franchisees and keeping regular contact by E-mail and telephone (VOIP).

5.1.4 Annual meeting

Each year, Globalplacement organizes a convention. During this convention franchisees can share their thoughts, problems and experiences. The purpose of this convention is to create a bond between the individual franchisees and extend their knowledge of the branch. This convention always takes place before a big fare like ICEF or NAFSA.

Some of the most important trainings given Globalplacement during the conventions consist of:

• Commercial Agency Sales

• How to recruit and manage a commercial sales force

• Strategic Sales

• Selling skills

• Updates of the website

• Latest developments within the branch

• E – commerce

• E – marketing

In addition to the trainings, the managers receive interactive workshops and symposia to fully inform them of all new items concerning franchising. During these sessions the managers are incited to express their thoughts and ideas.

During the evenings, there is plenty of time for relaxation. The sociable and informal get-togethers will increase the good relationship between the franchisees. You can think about a nice dinner with all your fellow franchisees and, if there is time, a nice party. Business contacts will become more personal and you will have a chance to interact with one another on a less formal basis. Moreover, new franchisees will have the chance to meet their more experienced colleagues to exchange ideas and experiences.

There are no costs attached to the trainings. All trainings are voluntary. However, it must be stressed that the first training on the CMS is very important, so that all franchisees understand the backbone of the website. The first training on the CMS and website, sales, etc. will be given in Amsterdam.

5.1.5 Obey the law

Full compliance with, and strong enforcement of, all applicable state franchise regulations are important. This commitment is fundamental to enhancing and safeguarding the business environment for franchising. The information provided during the presale disclosure process is the cornerstone of a positive business climate for franchising, and is the basis for successful and mutually beneficial franchise relationships.

Globalplacement stimulates a positive business climate by asking potential franchisees to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement. This agreement ensures that all information provided by Globalplacement will be kept confidential. Once a franchise agreement has been reached, both parties will sign the actual franchise contract. This contract is to contribute to a mutually beneficial relationship.

5.1.6 Conflict resolution

From time to time disputes can arise in franchise relationships. When conflicts arise, the franchisee and Globalplacement will first try to find a solution together. When a conflict is so severe that the franchisee and Globalplacement cannot come to an agreement, the ‘Dutch Arbitrage Institute’, an impartial association for conflict resolution, will be asked to intervene.

To avoid accusations of partiality, Globalplacement has chosen an arbitrage institute in advance. The Dutch Arbitrage Institute is an acknowledged arbitrage institute that abides a strict and formal set of regulations in its conflict resolution. This institute is a very useful resource to build up, re-establish and maintain a fruitful relationship between Globalplacement and the franchisee involved.

5.1.7 Training and internet

When several new franchisees (say 5-10) have expressed their interest, Globalplacement will organize a meeting for them in Amsterdam. This way, the potential franchisees are presented the opportunity to meet another and share their business experience. The meeting is a great chance for potential franchisees to get in contact with other interested parties and discuss how they are planning to exploit the Global Network within their country.

Once the franchise agreement has been signed, Globalplacement will start with its training. The training will contain information about Ad words, the keywords that must be used to obtain a higher ranking on the Google list. This training will help franchisees to appreciate the value of media exposure, and teach them how to capture the attention of the media.

Franchisees are expected to pass the information they have obtained during the training in Amsterdam on to their personnel; all persons involved in the Globalplacement franchise must be fully informed.

5.2 Internal information bulletin and information exchange

To enhance the communication between all parties involved, an intranet will be created and implemented in the near future. All documents posted by Globalplacement can be found on the intranet. The franchisor can maintain standards across all franchisees as documents are stored. This method allows updates to be implemented instantaneously across the organization by means of one centralized secure area. As a result, useful information on marketing literature, policies & procedures, pricing displays, and other can be consulted.

Moreover, the intranet also features a forum on which all parties concerned can post their problems and experiences on this forum. The forum allows franchisees to communicate with each other in a quick and easy way and offers advice if needed.

All participants in the Global Network can also communicate through Skype. Skype is a Voice over IP program for making telephone calls over the internet. Skype’s tariffs are very low and can be installed in any country in the world. Therefore, Globalplacement asks all franchisees to install Skype.

5.3 Franchise Council

When Globalplacement’s franchise contains more than 25 franchisees, a franchise association and franchise council will be called into existence. The association will consist of franchisees only. A delegation of the association, called the board of the association, participates in the franchise council with the franchisor and looks after the interests of the franchisees. The franchise council is an advising institute.

The tasks of the franchise council are :

• Globalplacement will advance communication, exchange of experiences and thoughts of the franchisees, and also between the franchisees. In this contact Globalplacement will aim at- as soon as the number of franchisees amounts to 25 or more- coming to the foundation of the Franchise Council, where Globalplacement and all franchisees are directly or indirectly involved, and will serve as participation institute for all occasions concerning the application of the franchise formula.

 

• In this meeting a valid regulation applies to the parties of the franchise council. The regulation arranges the way in the franchisees will be involved in executing Globalplacement’s franchise formula. which

The franchise council will enhance communication and the exchange of experiences by building an intranet and a forum as is explained in paragraph 5.2.

5.4 Franchise Coach

Coaching is ideally suited for the franchising industry because a quality franchise relationship requires belief between people of shared values and similar needs working toward a common result^iv. The franchise coach will be appointed by Globalplacement and will be active in assisting the franchisees in the following areas:

• E-marketing training, like Ad words. In order to attract more clients, the Coach will support franchisees in making their website more popular and achieving a higher ranking on Google.

• The franchisees will receive assistance with contriving campaigns, like marketing campaigns.

• Franchisees will be taught how to interlink with interesting companies and educational institutions. Interlinking entails that the franchisee (powered by Globalplacement) contacts other organizations with the same interests to place a link to the franchisee’s website on their own website, and vice versa. The more links the company and thus also Globalplacement have established, the easier they will be accessible for potential clients.

• By means of a forum (which will be created on a later stage) and Skype, online meetings will take place in which the Coach will answer all questions and help franchisees with their difficulties.

• As mentioned before, the franchisees will receive training and workshops in the E-marketing field, entrepreneurship and also in handling complaints.

• The coach supports the franchisee in familiarizing himself the website.

6 Marketing Information

6.1 Corporate identity

6.1.1 The product

Globalplacement’s product is a worldwide digital marketplace where students and companies meet each other. This is the core business of Globalplacement. Franchisees will have access to this digital marketplace by means of an implementation of Globalplacement in their website.

In addition, Globalplacement is active in the field of personal mediation. The personal mediation consists of helping students with arranging visa, accommodation, telephone cards, etc. All of Globalplacement’s partners are active in personal mediation. This way, Globalplacement can guarantee personal mediation in all of the countries in which it is situated.

6.1.2 Code of conduct for manager and employees

Globalplacement prefers an informal working atmosphere; employees and the manager address and respect one another as equals. In addition, students, companies and educational institutions are always approached in a friendly manner. Globalplacement tries to help its client in the best possible way by providing them good and friendly service.

6.1.3 Contact moments

Contact moments with companies and students are standardized and take place in accordance with the schedule (see appendix).

6.1.4 Company building and offices

Since Globalplacement’s business takes place on the internet, the identity of its offices is less of a priority. Therefore, Globalplacement does not compel its franchisees to decorate their office in a particular way. However, when a franchisee regularly receives students in his office, it should be kept proper.

6.1.5 Basic elements

As a quality provider of international work placements, Globalplacement must ensure that its corporate design is highly recognisable and not to be confused or misunderstood. Therefore, Globalplacement has created a unique design, which is simple but clear.

The following elements represent the basis of Globalplacement’s design and image:

 

• Logo

• Colours

• Font

• Layout

6.1.6 Corporate communication

As briefly mentioned before, corporate communication basically revolves around the way in which an organization, in this case Globalplacement, presents itself to its target groups using both visual and non-visual means.

In this part, only visual means will be presented:

• Stationary (envelopes)

• Publications (brochures)

6.1.6.3 Internet

Website

You will receive an implementation of our website with the integrated database. This implementation will be adjusted to the look and feel of your website. If you prefer not to use your own look and feel, it is also possible to adapt your format to that of Globalplacement’s website. The franchisee has to create an internal link on his current website referring to the implementation. For example, “international internships” or “Find your own Internship”.

To illustrate, consider the following visual example of one of Globalplacement’s partners.

There are two options:

1. If the franchisee has his own look and feel, this format will be taken over.

2. If the franchisee does not have his or her own website, he or she can use Globalplacement’s website. The website will be in the colours of Globalplacement. Below the website is displayed what will be an example of the website of a franchisee who does not posses an own website.

Office

There are no strict guidelines for the franchisee to abide. Your office has to be kept proper and presentable at all times, in order to make a professional impression on the managers and students that visit you. Your office at least has to feature a computer (the amount of computers differs for each individual franchisee) an internet connection, a telephone connection and telephones, a fax machine and headsets to enable communication through Skype.

6.1.6.4 PowerPoint templates

Two variations of PowerPoint templates are presented here. Both have footer with a Globalplacement logo, as well as Leonardo da Vinci logo, with a light blue background. When a franchisee wants to promote Globalplacement to companies or students, they can use these PowerPoint templates.

When you use a PowerPoint presentation for your external communication, you can add the following Line/Logo to show that the topic you are discussing is part of the Global Network system. However, to make sure you boost the brand awareness of your company, you must primarily focus the attention to your company name.

6.2 Internal and external communication

Exploitation

The franchisee has to exploit his company in the best possible way. The expectations of his clients have to be met. When the franchisee has divulged his opening hours, he or she must stick to these hours. In addition, these opening hours have to be mentioned on the website. When the franchisee changes his opening hours to better suit the working schedule in his country, the manager is expected to inform the franchisor about this change.

To continually exploit the franchise formula in the best possible way, Globalplacement will carry out updates in the implementation website of its franchisees. It is necessary that the franchisee’s website is flexible enough for updates to be carried out without difficulties. This also has to be the case when the franchisee updates his own website. Globalplacement will always first notify its franchisees before an update takes place. 99,9% of all updates are free of charge. However, in very rare cases the franchisee might need to contribute a small fee for an update. The update will first be presented to the franchisee and only be carried out after his approval. The franchisee can always choose not to carry out the update. In this case, the system will keep on running without the update. However, you have to keep in mind that, in this case, the website will miss out on some important new features. If the franchisee decides to change his own website in such a way that the total look and feel of his website will be altered, the extra costs brought about by this change will be for the expense of the franchisee. The reason for this is that Globalplacement will have to change the total setting of the implementation as well.

All franchisees are expected to use an up to date system, which is suitable for these updates to be carried out without difficulty.

The prices charged by Globalplacement will be communicated to all franchisees and displayed on all websites. In addition, all prices can be claimed at Globalplacement. When these prices change, franchisees will be informed. The franchisee has to stick to these prices.