In the spring, the second edition of postgraduate studies at the Warsaw School of Economics, Franchise Management, starts. These are the first post-graduate studies in Poland that educate franchise leaders.
At the beginning of D
ecember, the first edition of postgraduate studies ended. – The idea of elevating education in the field of franchise to the rank of university studies has worked very well, which can be seen from the reaction of the participants of the first edition – admits Dr. Marta Ziółkowska, originator and head of the Franchise Management study at the Warsaw School of Economics.
According to Monika Dąbrowska, president of the Polish Franchisor Organization, Franchise Management Studies is a program that will positively influence the awareness of market representatives about the importance of good practices in cooperation with franchisees and how important well-prepared franchise models are for the entire market.
– I was personally involved in the project as a lecturer, and together with the PFO board, we decided that the organization should become a partner of the studies. We hope to significantly raise standards and promote high business ethics among leaders who are developing the franchise market in Poland. Among them there are already graduates of the first edition – says Monika Dąbrowska, president of the Polish Franchisor Organization.
The audience of the first edition included directors of franchise networks, managers, owners of franchise companies, as well as employees of companies that are preparing for franchise development. – Kodano Optyk has been successfully opening its own outlets for years. Now the time has come for franchise development, so I wanted to gain the widest possible knowledge on this subject, in terms of the skilful application of good practices in franchising, to take care of our future franchisees and the profitability of their business within our network – admits Konrad Kuska from Kodano Optyk, participant first edition of postgraduate studies in Franchise Management.
The interest of franchisees and the promotion of education about franchising are the guiding principles of Paweł Tracz, president of the Polish Association of Micro-entrepreneurs and Franchisees. – Franchise is a good business idea that opens the way for many Polish entrepreneurs to start their own business. It needs to be nurtured, developed and built to the highest quality of cooperation between franchisees and franchisors. So we decided to become a partner of the studies – emphasizes Paweł Tracz.
The aim of the studies is primarily to improve business and strategic competences and to spread knowledge among people associated with the franchise and to raise awareness of the essence and importance of franchise in business scaling. It’s about mastering the versatile tools necessary for franchise leaders to build and expand their businesses. The studies offer a dynamic formula and also consist of a practical part in the form of workshops, and the knowledge provided includes analytical data updated on an ongoing basis and information on current market trends.
– I have been working in the food industry for over a dozen years, and for two years I have been managing the franchise department and I wanted to find a place that would allow me to gain theoretical knowledge, but also to meet practitioners who are close to the franchise, manage franchise chains, are its owners or are just entering franchise. These are the people you can meet at Franchise Management at the Warsaw School of Economics – admits Katarzyna Stadler, director of the Stokrotka franchise network.
As Marta Ziółkowska assures, the studies are also a suitable place for teams responsible for the development of the franchise network within one company. In her opinion, such groups, after graduation, will operate based on the same tools and methods, which is a key element in the development and scaling of the franchise and network model. – To my surprise, among the listeners there were also people not related to the franchise, but they provide services for franchise chains – admits Marta Ziółkowska.
One of them was Serhii Lebedyn, who is developing a start-up that produces autonomous food delivery robots. – I decided to study for three reasons. The first is joining the group of business people who successfully run large companies. The second reason was to get to know the franchise as an organizational unit. Our clients are franchise chains, so I wanted to know the specifics of the franchise, its essence and how it is managed. The third reason is the opportunity to acquire knowledge about entrepreneurship from people who have reached the nationwide level of development of their business. Interestingly, I found them among both lecturers and students, says Serhii Lebedyn.
The studies enable the acquisition of comprehensive knowledge, skills and competences that allow for effective and efficient use of franchise in the development of the enterprise. Their goal is to strengthen managerial skills that will translate into the effective development of existing chains, franchise units and own franchise.
Rafał Kościuk, the owner of the FitCake brand, admits that he started studying because he was looking for new inspirations to develop the company in an even more effective way. – I wanted to learn the secrets of knowledge, absolutely essential, technical, which would allow me to develop my business and make my franchise even better and even better suited to market needs and customer expectations – says Rafał Kościuk.
Lecturers in the studies are experienced scientists and business practitioners for years associated with the franchise market and the development of enterprises based on this formula. – The studies allowed me to systematize my knowledge and gave me a lot of value when it comes to running our network. A lot of things and solutions that I learned about during my studies, I later implemented at home. I think that thanks to this, our network will be better, and our franchisees will be more satisfied with the cooperation, which will also accelerate our growth – admits Sylwester Sałasiński, Vice President of the Orient Massage and Thai Organic chains.
The official completion of the first edition of studies and the awarding of diplomas of the Warsaw School of Economics will take place in January 2023. The guests of the ceremonial gala will be invited people, lecturers, authorities of the Warsaw School of Economics and representatives of partners.
The second edition of the Franchise Management studies will start on March 24, 2023 (you can sign up now). The studies will last 10 months and include 10 meetings, which translate into 160 hours of classes. At the end, participants receive a diploma and the title of a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics.
On April 14, 2023, the Franchise and Business course for people without higher education will be held for the first time. The course will include six meetings, i.e. a total of 96 hours.
Franchise Management studies are registered in the Development Services Database and you can apply for funding up to 80 percent. participation costs. The course will be submitted to BUR (Development Services Database) before the start of the first classes.
