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INTEREST CATEGORY: RETAIL AND PRICING
POSTING TYPE: Calls: Conferences

Posted by: Farhad Sadeh

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38^TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, MAY 21-24, 2025

FREDERICK UNIVERSITY, CYPRUS

Conference co-chairs:

Dr. Nina Gorovaia
School of Business and Law
Frederick University,
Cyprus

and

Dr. Farhad Sadeh
Lumpkin College of Business and Technology
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, USA

The 38^th Annual Conference of the International Society of Franchising will take place in the idyllic village of Tochni, one of Cyprus’ oldest villages, known for its picturesque stone houses, scenic views, and vibrant agrotourism. The village is renowned for its cultural heritage, and participants can enjoy a unique blend of tradition and modern hospitality amidst the conference sessions.

We invite scholars from a wide range of disciplines, including economics, management, strategy, marketing, and law, to submit their research on the study of franchise networks and franchise brands. We encourage submissions that explore franchising from multiple perspectives, examining both the commercial and social impacts of franchise systems. While we will consider all papers investigating franchising, we encourage a focus on the following emerging topics:

1. Artificial Intelligence: In line with technological advancements, this conference will focus on how AI is transforming franchise operations. Research on how franchisors are using AI to streamline marketing, optimize logistics, and personalize customer interactions is particularly welcome.
2. Omnichannel and Digitalization: As consumers demand seamless interactions across various platforms, franchisors must adopt omnichannel strategies to stay relevant. This includes mobile apps,Ìýcontactless payment systems, and e-commerce integrations. Research investigating how franchises can offer a unified customer experience both online and offline is welcome.
3. Franchisee-Franchisor Relationships and Governance: Exploring how relationships between franchisees and franchisors evolve, particularly as new technologies and market trends emerge, remains a critical area of study. Trust, transparency, and conflict resolution mechanisms are key factors influencing franchise success, especially in multi-unit franchises and international markets​.
4. The 2025 conference also places a special emphasis on emerging research methods. We invite contributions that utilize cutting-edge techniques such as natural language processing (NLP),Ìýmachine learning (ML) to study franchise networks. Whether analyzing franchisee-franchisor communications, customer reviews, or market trends, these methods offer new opportunities to gain deeper insights into the functioning of franchise systems.

We welcome submissions to the conference in a number of different formats. Research papers will be considered for Best Paper Award and Best Student Paper Award.

• Research papers –Manuscripts submitted should not exceed 9,000
• Teaching cases – Cases submitted should not exceed 9,000
• Extended abstracts – Extended abstracts of academic research for presentation at the conference should include title, key contributions to theory and practice, extended abstract (1,000 word-limit), table or figure (optional) and references (not included in the word count).

Please submit your papers by the deadline (February 15^th, 2025) on our conference website:

Registration fees

• USD 475 – on or before April 15^th,
• USD 525 – after April 15^th,

For PhD students – The Rajiv P. Dant Graduate Student Stipend covers the registration fees for doctoral students that submit and present a research paper at the conference, or at the Doctoral workshop. Only one doctoral student per paper will be awarded the stipend.

Important dates

• February 15^th, 2025: Deadline for submissions
• March 30^th, 2025: Decisions on submissions
• April 15^th, 2025: Deadline for final submissions and early bird registration deadline
• May 21-24, 2025: ISoF Conference