Survey of Franchising happening now – can you help?

As many franchisors as possible have been emailed the 2021 Survey of Franchising, and a lot of online responses have already been received. But more are needed – if you’ve received the survey but haven’t yet completed it, please do so before 27 October. If you are a franchisor or master franchisee and haven’t received your email, here’s a link: go to Massey University Official NZ Franchising Survey 2021 and click on NEXT at the bottom of the page.

Here's an article about why it matters so much that you complete the Survey. If you're not sure, below are the answers to some FAQ’s from Massey University, which is conducting the confidential survey.

Why is the research being conducted? 

The last survey of the New Zealand franchise sector was conducted in 2017. It is important to have up-to-date information concerning the size, growth and characteristics of the sector – this 2021 survey will provide current data to enable interested parties to make informed decisions about the sector’s future. Experienced researchers from Massey will conduct the research. 

Who will be participating? 

All franchisor organisations operating in New Zealand, including those operating under master franchising arrangements, are invited to participate. All our past surveys have drawn comparisons with the franchise industry in Australia, and we aim to mirror other data sources on business activities in NZ. The categories are necessarily broad to capture a wide range of business activities, using ANZSIC categories for consistency across research and comparability, especially with NZ Statistics and ABS data.

The expected benefits of the research 

Greater knowledge about franchising practices in NZ will benefit those involved in the sector, including franchisors, franchisees, franchise consultants, service providers, educational institutions, and government. As there is no registration mechanism for franchise organisations, this survey will provide relevant information about the industries and organisations involved in franchising. 

Feedback to you 

The findings of the research will be made available to participants, if desired. If you are interested, at the end of the survey you will be directed to a separate page where your contact details can be recorded, thus preserving your anonymity. A web link to the full report will be emailed to those participants at completion of the research.  

Risks to you 

There are no risks associated with participating in this research. All responses to this survey are confidential. The data supplied by you will be coded and identifying codes will be stored separately. Only aggregated data will appear in the report and no participant organisations will be able to be identified.

If you chose to enter the prize draw or receive a link to the study when it is completed, your contact can be entered on a separate page, so you remain anonymous. 

Your participation is voluntary 

Your participation in this survey is completely voluntary. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without comment or penalty. You do not need to answer every question in the survey. 

Mechanism for distribution and return

Data for this survey is being collected via a web-based questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is completed the respondent submits the data and it is stored in a secure server. Access to this data file is restricted to those people who are allocated a username and password – system administrator, and the researchers. The server is protected by security configurations (e.g. firewall). Data stored on the server is backed up once a day so if the server fails or data is corrupted, a backup file is created. 

Multi-brand operations

If you are a multi-brand franchise operation (ie, a franchisor that owns and franchises different brand names and models), we ask that you please complete a separate survey for each different brand. In the event that time prevents you from doing this, then please select your most dominant brand and focus your responses on that brand. If you are a multi-brand operation, and have questions or are confused, please don’t hesitate to email Jonathan Elms.

Questions / further information 

If you have any queries about this research, or if you require additional information, please contact:

Professor Jonathan Elms (Massey University) J.R.Elms@massey.ac.nz  
Simon Moore (Massey University) s.moore2@massey.ac.nz
Massey University Auckland Campus Telephone: 09 414 0800 (extension 43323) 

The ethical conduct of this research

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Massey University Human Ethics Committee: Northern, Application NOR 4000025038. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research, please contact Professor Craig Johnson, Director (Research Ethics), email humanethics@massey.ac.nz. 

Who is funding this research?  

The 2021 survey has been initiated and funded by the Franchise Association of New Zealand with the support of Westpac, Nexia New Zealand, Franchize Consultants, The Franchise Coach, Franchise New Zealand Media, Stewart Germann Law and Iridium Partners. It is being conducted independently by Massey University. The funding bodies have no input into the conduct of the survey, data collection, analysis, or preparation of the report.

Franchisors please help

To start the survey, click the link below and go to NEXT at the bottom of the page. There is no limit to how many times a respondent can use this link (ideal for multi-brands), and respondents will still be able to save their progress, close their window, and return to that same computer at a later date.

Massey University Official NZ Franchising Survey 2021

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