The 38th 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, includingeconomics, 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, contactless 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), machine 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 words.

• Teaching cases – Cases submitted should not exceed 9,000 words.

• 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).