Using training and development to affect job satisfaction within franchising

Purpose – A review of the literature on franchising has revealed a significant lack of academic research on employee training in franchise systems. Further, most research in this area tended to focus on training for franchises as part of the overall package. This study seeks to address the shortfall of research in this area by investigating the influence of training and development on an employee's job satisfaction at one of Australia's fastest growing franchises. Design/methodology/approach – This study collected data from 135 frontline staff at one of Australia's largest bakery retail franchises. The data were gathered by means of a structured questionnaire, 16 items of which were devoted to an evaluation of the organisation's training and development programmes and six items were dedicated to job satisfaction. Findings – There are several key findings for this study. First, the effectiveness and efficacy of a training program are dependent on evaluation of training quality, course design and learning experience. Next, employee satisfaction is found to be influenced by work environment, company values and job responsibilities. Practical implications – Findings from this study have important managerial implications for retail franchisers and individual franchisees on how to enhance the job satisfaction of employees by the provision of effective training and development programmes. Originality/value – This empirical study has made a major contribution in adding to the limited body of empirical knowledge on the influence of training and development on job satisfaction in retail franchising. It is hoped that this paper will encourage more academics to investigate the impact of training and development on job satisfaction and retention in franchising.