The association's criteria demand that all our members, full and associate, meet the following four general objectives. Most will have done so at their own risk through at least one managed pilot franchise operation. The BFA has joined with its sister bodies in Europe to devise a new and expanded code of ethics which all members commit themselves to abide by. The code requires standards of conduct in advertising for franchisees and in recruiting and selecting them, and sets minimum conditions for the terms of franchise agreements. Those terms are both critical and complex.
Members submit their offer documents to the association as part of the accreditation procedure.
With these checks in place on viability, franchisability, ethical and disclosed conduct, franchisors can be admitted to associate membership of the association, providing also that they commit themselves to abide by the Advertising Standards Authority's code of practice and also to the association's own complaints and disciplinary, appeals and re-accreditation rules. To become full members, franchisors must meet one more objective. New entrants and Provisional Listing Just because a franchise proposition is new it does not mean that it is necessarily bad - though it may be. The association, therefore, introduced in 1991 a provisional list for the companies new to franchising, who could nevertheless demonstrate that they were taking all reasonable measures to make sure that their business is properly developed and tested for the franchise method. The BFA's membership criteria have been the subject of consultation with the professional advisers affiliated to the BFA, who provide legal, accountancy banking and other services.