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As a business model, franchising makes a major contribution to gross domestic product (GDP). A model that predicts franchisor success or failure is therefore necessary to ensure economic sustainability. In this study, such a model was developed by applying Lasso regression to a sample of franchises operating between 2002 and 2013. For franchises with the highest likelihood of survival, the franchise fees and the ratio of company-owned to franchised outlets were suited to the age of the franchise. Surviving franchises were those that opened franchised outlets at a sustainable pace, increased the franchise fee as intangible assets increased, and effectively managed profitability and efficiency.

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This study seeks to explain the intentions to use the Internet to make a hotel reservation by applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The model is extended with other variables, such as subjective norms, Web site trust, perceived risk, and quality signals. The results obtained using a sample of 795 Internet users demonstrate the influence on purchasing intention of perceived utility, subjective norms, Web site trust, and signalling mechanisms to diminish risk. Firms using e-commerce should consequently design their Web sites with market orientation in mind in order to obtain a competitive advantage that will enhance profit, brand image, and reputation.

There is abundant evidence that franchises boost the economies of developed and emerging market economies. In Mexico, for example, despite its limited growth, the franchise system is dynamic. Over the past three decades, the inconsistent continuity of the global franchise business format may also be noted. The aim here is to analyse the factors linked to franchise continuity in the Mexican hospitality sector by applying panel data methodology to a sample of 253 hospitality sector chains between 2002 and 2016. The results showed that franchised outlets, proven and improved know-how, and market factors, under conditions of endogeneity, maintained a positive effect on the continuity of the franchise business format.

PurposeThe gap between the self-declarations of buyers as responsible consumers and the purchase of sustainable products means that consumer knowledge needs to be examined in depth, to guide the initiatives of eco-entrepreneurs towards sectors and demands that will make them viable and to advance responsible production and consumption – Objective 12: Sustainable Development 2030. The purpose of this study is to analyse the profile of consumers in relation to the purchase of ecolabelled products and to establish relations between purchasing decisions with environmental, social and ethical factors.Design/methodology/approachMultiple correspondence analysis is applied to the results of a questionnaire administered to a sample of 407 consumers resident in Spain. Information is gathered on environmental, social and economic concerns and the importance consumers attach to certain product attributes such as ecolabels, price and quality.FindingsConsumers concerned over environmental, social and economic questions attached greater importance to information on ecolabels, principally within the textile, and drugstore sectors, followed by electrical and electronic appliances and the food sector. These consumers selected ecolabelled products with a good quality–price relationship.Originality/valueThe academic and business value of this research is its focus on the attributes of sustainable products so that eco-entrepreneurs may advance initiatives that are at once viable and sustainable, motivating consumers with concerns over environmental, social and economic issues.

Emotions have a social component that can be defined in terms of the experience of participation. This paper examines how Spanish citizens use Twitter to express their emotions by tweeting their opinions regarding pertinent political decisions. Content analysis was applied to the Twitter accounts of four political parties representing the Spanish electorate. Results show that when Spanish citizens tweeted their opinions about established Spanish political parties, negative emotions (indignation and shame) were more prevalent than positive emotions (hope, joy, and excitement). Furthermore, newer, less experienced political parties managed emotions more effectively than the established political parties did.