Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual model of behavior in the franchise network from the perspective of quality management. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the review of the literature, the development of a theoretical scale for measuring quality in franchise systems in the short term (i.e. transactional quality) and in the long term (i.e. relationship quality) is proposed. Findings – Two dimensions of transactional quality are identified from the franchisee perspective: contents and assistance. The dimensions of transactional quality from the franchisor's point of view refer to two aspects: formality and identify. The relationship quality identifies variables such as trust between cooperation partners, mutual commitment, and relationalism. Research limitations/implications – The proposed model is a theoretical model; an additional step is to validate empirically the dimensions of the model. Practical implications – The main practical implication is that the contract does not completely reflect the actual conduct of franchisor-franchisee relationships. It is necessary to harmonize the transactional or contractual perspective with the relationship view. Originality/value – The franchise system has assumed great importance as a pattern for the expansion of services and, just like any other organization, needs to preserve the quality of the business concept to achieve overall success. On that basis, this paper aims to contribute to quality management in franchise networks and proposes a dual model for measuring quality: transactional and relational quality.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual model for building successful franchise partnerships. The model examines the influence of communication and trust on satisfaction and performance in franchise partnerships, considering that franchises are based on franchisor-franchisee and franchisor-supplier relationships.Design/methodology/approach: The unit of analysis refers to the relationships that the franchisor maintains with the franchisees and the main supplier, from the franchisor’s perspective. A mail survey of 592 franchises was conducted by means of a structured, self-administered questionnaire for data collection. A total of 98 valid questionnaires were received and analyzed using structural equation modeling.Findings: Results indicate that communication between franchise partners is related to satisfaction through trust. In fact, communication is a major precursor of trust. Findings also show the direct influence of trust on satisfaction in both relationships. Finally, results evidence that developing satisfactory relationships between partners improves strategic and operational franchise outcomes.Research limitations/implications: The use of the questionnaire limits the approach to information gathering. In addition, the study focused on the franchisor’s perspective of the relationships and it would be interesting to include other partners’ opinions. Further, research should broaden the study scope to include other factors of franchise partnerships.Practical implications: This study provides franchisors with guidelines to develop satisfactory relationships. It recommends that franchisors design adequate programs to create, maintain, and enhance franchise partnerships, and also to improve a trust-based culture.Originality/value: The analysis is conducted taking into consideration the franchisor-franchisee relationship and the franchisor-supplier relationship. Measurement scales are developed and validated for both relationships.

RESUMEN El nuevo modelo formativo de enseñanza universitaria promueve dotar a los estudiantes de las competencias adecuadas. La competencia de comunicación oral es una de las más importantes para la empleabilidad de los titulados universitarios. Hay varios criterios para evaluar esta competencia, por lo que es importante unificarlos. Por tanto, es crucial desarrollar rúbricas validadas. Las rúbricas permiten valorar la calidad de las contribuciones de los estudiantes, así como orientarlos en su desempeño al especificar los factores que serán evaluados. Para alcanzar el objetivo principal de este trabajo se describe el proceso de elaboración de una rúbrica y se analiza su validez y fiabilidad mediante su implementación. Para ello se lleva a cabo una experiencia en la asignatura “organización industrial y administración de empresas” de la titulación de ingeniería industrial. Como consecuencia, los resultados revelan que la rúbrica diseñada es una herramienta válida y fiable para evaluar la competencia de comunicación oral.