Franchising in America: The Development of a Business Method, 1840-1980 »

Using a series of case studies, Franchising in America details a system that combines large and small firms into a single administrative unit and, according to Dicke, has strengthened both in the process. By studying major companies within the sewing machine, from equipment, automobile, petroleum, and franchise industries, Dicke shows that the franchise was one answer to distribution obstacles posed by high-volume production and the emergence of a national sales market.