McDonalds (MCD), t he franchise food chain, is planning to buyback about 10% of its shares outstanding in a strategy to stabilize MCD shares at a time of flat profits and slowing fast-food revenues in soft economies round the globe.

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By lowering the bar for who can own a franchise unit, a chain might recruit undercapitalized, struggling franchisees who end up having to close their units.

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Bailian Group of Shanghai, whose domestically well-known businesses include the Shanghai Friendship Group and Lianhua Supermarket, led a list of top chain stores in China published by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association earlier this month.

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Starbucks, a coffee-shop chain, is expected to open soon as a similar franchise.

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In Houston three state district court cases accuse ice-cream chain Marble Slab Creamery of misrepresenting its results in its franchise offering documents.

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The point I am trying to make is that Apple has to sell a TV, obviously to grow the top and bottom line and increase the footprint of iOS devices, but also (and probably more importantly) to gain more leverage over the display supply chain to protect the competiveness of the iPhone and iPad franchise.

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"It hit me like a bolt out of the blue, " he recalls: A franchise system would be a way to maintain standards and improve the supply chain.

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