A Qualitative Study: Military Veterans and Franchise Ownership

Authors

Martin J. McDermott 4384520, Purdue University GlobalFollow
Jason Jackson, Purdue University GlobalFollow

Abstract

This study focuses on the military experience and motivation to become a franchise business owner. Previous research indicated franchisees who were military veterans had a significantly higher level of job satisfaction in owning and operating a franchise compared to franchisees with no military background.This study attempts to provide answers to important research questions like how and why military experience influences satisfaction in owning a franchise.Seven franchise business owners who served in the military participated in this qualitative study using a process of surveying, coding, and thematizing to answer this research inquiry. The findings of this follow-on study indicated veterans had strong negative sentiment towards bureaucracy, however did value the positive aspects of systems within the franchise construct. In addition, the veterans valued their prior learning related to military experience and leadership and perceived it as a key strength towards successful franchise leadership and business ownership. One of the main aspects of business ownership and leadership that veterans valued more than other concepts was control, which connects to the traditional aspects of control within the business profession.

Keywords

Military Veterans, Franchise Ownership, Military Entrepreneurs, Motivation, Qualitative Study

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Martin J. McDermott is a full-time marketing professor and course leader in Purdue University Global’s School of Business and Information Technology. He also served as the faculty advisor to the University’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs for several years. Currently, McDermott teaches various undergraduate marketing courses. He is the course lead for five courses that focus on marketing, social media marketing, digital marketing, and marketing management. In 2009, he created a new career focus specialization in entrepreneurship. McDermott has presented at the Mason Entrepreneurship Research Conference at George Mason University, the International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of the District of Columbia, and the Allied Academies Conference on Entrepreneurship. He has been cited for his expertise in marketing and entrepreneurship in business publications and media such as the Los Angeles Times, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, CBS Radio, WVOX, and Small Business Trends. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: mmcdermott@purdueglobal.edu.

Dr. Jason Jackson is a full-time operations management professor in Purdue University Global’s School of Business and Information Technology, where he started as an adjunct professor in June 2006. Prior to joining the University, Dr. Jackson was a Major in the United States Air Force, serving honorably for 15 years as an aviator and acquisitions expert in 65 countries during both humanitarian and combat operations. He holds Level II Certification in Project Management from Defense Acquisition University. In 2010, Dr. Jackson was inducted as an inaugural member of the Purdue University “40 Under 40” recognizing their top 40 alumni under age 40. In 2006, Jason was selected as the Outstanding Representative of the Year for the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute. Dr. Jackson has extensive experience with certification of flight simulators, software engineering management, project management, change management, risk management, and strategic thinking. In 2013, Dr. Jackson developed an original theory, the grounded theory of information overload executive coping mechanisms. His research focuses on information overload as experienced by senior leaders. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to: jjackson@purdueglobal.edu.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the military veterans who participated in this study for their time and service. We would also like to show gratitude to the reviewers for their advice on the initial version of this paper.

Publication Date

3-21-2020

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2020.3287

Recommended APA Citation

McDermott, M. J., & Jackson, J. (2020). A Qualitative Study: Military Veterans and Franchise Ownership. The Qualitative Report, 25(3), 769-784. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.3287