Research on the Process and Mechanism of Expanding Influence through social Franchise Mode of Social Enterprises in China

Social enterprises have emerged to provide innovative solutions to ever-existing social problems onthe basis of the market, gradually introducing franchising as a way to strategically expand socialinfluence. However, in spite of its significance, sufficient review has yet been made on the practicemethods and concrete process of this, and few researches have been conducted on socialenterprises in China, whose scale and influence are limited. In order to review the mechanism onthe development process of social franchising in Chinese social enterprises, semi-structuredin-depth interviews were conducted on four representative social enterprises that applied socialfranchising methods in China, using embedded multi-case analysis method. Early education, welfarefor the elderly, and job-integrated social enterprises were closely examined for their social franchisedevelopment process, and as a result, they showed similar aspects to commercial franchises in theprocedures of partner selection, contract conclusion and management, etc., but differed greatly inthe practical content and use of the brand, management and compliance, and other considerationsincluding the ultimate goal. The results of this study contribute to relevant future research andacademic development on social franchise as a measure to expand the influence of socialenterprises, and also provide an important reference point from the practical perspective ofexpanding the effective influence of social enterprises.