marketer of pesticides should be the least concerned about which of the following? shortages of raw materials increased pollution increased government intervention persistence of cultural values chemical pollutants in the food supply Brad Case 7B Brad, born and raised in Ottawa, made his first trip out West, two years ago. When in Vancouver, he was totally impressed by the Big Bubble Tea Shop in the Gas Town district. The delightful atmosphere was enhanced by the colourful decor and the attractive design. The music always seemed just right and Brad quickly became addicted to the delicious bubble tea Even though he was only in Vancouver for two weeks, by the end of that time, Brad was recognized by the tea shop co-owners as a regular. They confided in him their plans to sell franchises right across Canada and when Brad expressed interest in buying one himself, they agreed to start up a correspondence to keep him informed. On returning home, Brad sent the Big Bubble folks a couple of emails but got no reply until about 6 months later when he got a message that the franchise system had been put in place and that the franchises were selling quickly. Unfortunately, the entire Ottawa area had already been sold as a single territory, but Hull, the part of the city in Quebec was still available. If Brad was interested, the franchise fee was $50,000 in cash and an additional $40,000 in start-up cash was required; the rest could be financed. The message told Brad that if he was interested he should scout out available sites in Hull that would have to be approved by the franchisors. He was told to email pictures and lease information as soon as possible. Brad did know of a site for lease that he thought might be suitable and he quickly sent off the information. About two weeks later, he got a call saying that Big Bubble's researcher had approved the site and that the owners of the firm would be in Toronto later that month. Brad could make an appointment with them to review the franchise contract and finalize the deal. He was told to bring his lawyer and his chequebook and to be prepared for two days of tough work. Now, six months later, Brad is out about $100,000 and his franchise is still not up and running. The Franchisor has provided no training, although he was told he could go and work for two weeks at a Halifax franchise that should be open soon". Brad gets no response to his repeated questions about how translation work is going so that he will be able to conform to Quebec language requirements. None of the promised equipment or supplies has arrived yet and Brad has just heard that two Western franchisees are suing Big Bubble for lack of support. 1. Why might Brad have been overly impressed by the Big Bubble Tea Shop 2. What detailed steps should he have taken to protect his investment? 3. What should Brad do now? What are his chances for a successful outcome? Why