夜雨聆风
How do you get rich in today’s America? Founding an artificial-intelligence startup may look tempting, but most fail. Getting an advanced degree and slogging it out as a corporate lawyer or financier was once a reliable path to wealth, but now looks threatened by ai. Perhaps you should look instead to the company that has plausibly created more millionaires than any other in history: McDonald’s. Most of its outlets are franchises, run by independent firms that pay royalties to the brand—and often make a fortune. If fast food isn’t your thing, do not fear: the franchising model can be found everywhere from hotels to Pilates studios.
如今在美国，怎样才能致富？
创办一家人工智能（AI）初创公司看起来很有吸引力，但绝大多数都会失败。获得高学历，然后在企业律师或金融行业辛苦打拼，曾经是一条可靠的财富之路，但如今也面临着AI带来的挑战。
也许你应该把目光投向一家可能创造了历史上最多百万富翁的公司——麦当劳。麦当劳的大部分门店采用特许经营模式，由独立企业运营，这些企业向品牌支付特许权使用费，而许多加盟商因此积累了可观财富。如果你对快餐行业不感兴趣，也不用担心，因为从酒店到普拉提工作室，特许经营模式几乎无处不在。
They may not have the social cachet of a Wall Street corner office, but franchises make many Americans wealthy. If reports are to be believed, the country has even recently minted its first billionaire franchisee. They also boost growth. More countries should try creating a franchise economy—and America should protect the one it has from overregulation.
虽然加盟商不像华尔街高级管理人员那样拥有显赫的社会地位，但特许经营确实让许多美国人实现了财富积累。如果相关报道属实，美国甚至最近诞生了第一位亿万富翁级加盟商。
此外，特许经营还能促进经济增长。因此，更多国家应该尝试建立自己的“特许经营经济”，而美国则应该避免通过过度监管来削弱这一体系。
Franchises have long been sneered at. As the model spread in the 1970s and 1980s it was derided by economists as little more than a cheap growth tactic in which franchisees stumped up the capital to open new outlets. Critics claim that franchisees are not “true” entrepreneurs, in the mould of Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, but merely glorified store managers obsessed with the illusion of being their own boss. Yet franchising has come to account for a steadily growing share of American business: there are almost 850,000 franchise outlets, run by a quarter of a million business-owners. One in eight businesses with at least one employee in America is a franchise—roughly double the share in its closest international rivals, such as Japan and Germany.
长期以来，特许经营模式一直受到不少人的轻视。
当这一模式在20世纪70年代和80年代迅速扩张时，许多经济学家认为它不过是一种低成本扩张策略，即由加盟商出资开设新门店，而品牌总部则借机快速增长。
批评者认为，加盟商并不是真正意义上的企业家。他们不像埃隆·马斯克或史蒂夫·乔布斯那样具有创新精神，而更像是被包装过的店铺经理，只是沉迷于“自己当老板”的幻想之中。
然而，特许经营在美国商业中的地位却持续提升。目前，美国约有85万个加盟网点，由25万名企业主经营。美国每八家拥有至少一名员工的企业中，就有一家属于特许经营企业，这一比例大约是日本和德国等主要经济体的两倍。
Franchising works because of the deep laws of economics: it productively aligns incentives and divides labour. It crops up when a business requires a lot of employees to be geographically dispersed; when monitoring staff would be hard or expensive; and when knowledge of how local markets work is important. In such conditions it makes sense to divide responsibility between a franchisor, who focuses on the brand and the product, and a franchisee, who adapts to local conditions.
特许经营之所以有效，是因为它符合经济学中的基本原理：既能合理配置激励机制，又能实现高效分工。
这种模式通常出现在以下情况：
企业需要大量员工分布在不同地区； 监督员工的成本过高或难度较大； 企业需要依赖当地市场知识开展业务。
在这种情况下，由品牌总部负责品牌建设和产品管理，而加盟商负责根据当地市场特点进行经营调整，是一种十分合理的分工方式。
The rest of the world can learn from the success of this model. Franchises thrive in part because of the strengths of American capitalism. Strong intellectual-property rights protect franchise brands, while deep capital markets make it easy for franchisees to borrow.
世界其他国家完全可以从这一成功模式中汲取经验。
特许经营在美国能够蓬勃发展，部分原因在于美国资本主义体系本身的优势。完善的知识产权保护制度保障了品牌价值，而成熟的资本市场则使加盟商更容易获得融资和贷款。
But franchises have also benefited from good regulation. A vast amount of public information exists about how franchise models work. That is because franchisors must disclose how they make money from franchisees, provide estimates of startup costs and ongoing fees, and reveal any legal issues they are facing. Many also disclose in detail the financial performance of existing franchisees. Franchising flourished after rules mandating transparent disclosure were introduced in 1979. Since 1986 the number of franchise outlets has almost tripled.
与此同时，良好的监管环境也促进了特许经营的发展。
美国社会拥有大量关于特许经营模式的公开信息。这是因为法律要求品牌方必须披露：
其如何从加盟商身上获利； 创业初期所需投资成本； 持续经营费用； 面临的法律纠纷和风险。
许多品牌甚至会详细公开现有加盟商的经营和财务表现。
1979年，美国引入了强制性信息披露制度。自那以后，特许经营行业迅速发展。自1986年以来，美国加盟店数量增长了近三倍。
More recent attempts to regulate franchising have been less wise. Critics say franchising exploits and evades America’s weak labour protections, for example by making it difficult for workers to unionise. Such critics would make franchisors joint employers of franchisee workers. That would expose franchisors to huge legal risk: they could, for example, be sued if a franchisee, who hires and pays staff, failed to pay overtime correctly. Such a shift would make franchising much riskier and, by centralising the system, undermine many of its advantages. It would ultimately be counterproductive for workers, who benefit from the many job opportunities franchises create, in industries mostly untouched by ai. Franchising may not be glamorous, but it is efficient. Best to keep it that way. ■
然而，近年来针对特许经营的新监管措施未必明智。批评者认为，特许经营利用了美国相对薄弱的劳动保护制度。例如，由于加盟门店彼此独立，员工组织工会变得更加困难。
因此，他们主张将品牌总部认定为加盟店员工的“共同雇主”。如果这样做，品牌总部将承担巨大的法律责任。例如，即使员工是由加盟商招聘和发放工资的，如果加盟商未正确支付加班费，品牌总部也可能被起诉。
这种改变会使特许经营模式面临更高风险。由于管理权被进一步集中到总部手中，特许经营原本拥有的许多优势也会被削弱。最终，这种做法甚至可能损害员工利益，因为特许经营体系创造了大量就业岗位，而这些岗位大多位于目前尚未受到人工智能严重冲击的行业。特许经营或许不像科技创业那样耀眼，也不像华尔街那样光鲜，但它是一种高效的商业模式。
因此，最好保持它目前的运作方式。
1. Franchise
Pronunciation: /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/
Meaning: A business that operates under the name and system of a larger company.
中文： 特许经营；加盟店
Example:
McDonald's has built a global empire through its franchise model.
（麦当劳通过特许经营模式建立了全球商业帝国。）
2. Royalty
Pronunciation: /ˈrɔɪ.əl.ti/
Meaning: A payment made to the owner of a brand, patent, or intellectual property.
中文： 特许权使用费；版税
Example:
Franchisees must pay royalties to the parent company.
（加盟商必须向总部支付特许权使用费。）
3. Entrepreneur
Pronunciation: /ˌɒn.trə.prəˈnɜː(r)/
Meaning: A person who starts and runs a business.
中文： 企业家；创业者
Example:
Successful entrepreneurs are often willing to take risks.
（成功的企业家通常愿意承担风险。）
4. Deride
Pronunciation: /dɪˈraɪd/
Meaning: To criticize or laugh at something in an insulting way.
中文： 嘲笑；讥讽
Example:
Many economists once derided franchising as a low-quality growth strategy.
（许多经济学家曾嘲笑特许经营是一种低质量的扩张方式。）
5. Incentive
Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsen.tɪv/
Meaning: Something that motivates people to act or work harder.
中文： 激励；诱因
Example:
Financial incentives can improve employee performance.
（经济激励能够提高员工表现。）
6. Dispersed
Pronunciation: /dɪˈspɜːst/
Meaning: Spread across a large area.
中文： 分散的；散布的
Example:
The company's workforce is geographically dispersed.
（公司的员工分布在不同地区。）
7. Thrive
Pronunciation: /θraɪv/
Meaning: To grow, develop, or become successful.
中文： 兴旺；繁荣发展
Example:
Small businesses can thrive under favorable economic conditions.
（在良好的经济环境下，小企业能够蓬勃发展。）
8. Disclosure
Pronunciation: /dɪˈskləʊ.ʒə(r)/
Meaning: The act of making information available to the public.
中文： 信息披露；公开
Example:
The law requires full disclosure of financial information.
（法律要求全面披露财务信息。）
9. Regulation
Pronunciation: /ˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
Meaning: An official rule designed to control an activity.
中文： 法规；监管
Example:
Government regulation is necessary to maintain market fairness.
（政府监管对于维护市场公平是必要的。）
10. Counterproductive
Pronunciation: /ˌkaʊn.tə.prəˈdʌk.tɪv/
Meaning: Producing the opposite effect to the one intended.
中文： 适得其反的
Example:
Excessive regulation may be counterproductive to business growth.
（过度监管可能对企业发展产生反效果。）
🌟 Bonus: Band 7-8 Vocabulary from This Article
11. Plausibly
Pronunciation: /ˈplɔː.zə.bli/
Meaning: In a way that seems reasonable or likely to be true.
中文： 合理地；貌似可信地
Example:
McDonald's has plausibly created more millionaires than any other company.
（麦当劳似乎比任何其他公司创造了更多百万富翁。）
12. Capital Market
Pronunciation: /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl ˈmɑː.kɪt/
Meaning: A financial market where long-term funds are raised.
中文： 资本市场
Example:
Deep capital markets make financing more accessible.
（成熟的资本市场使融资更加容易。）
13. Intellectual Property
Pronunciation: /ˌɪn.təˈlek.tʃu.əl ˈprɒp.ə.ti/
Meaning: Creations of the mind protected by law.
中文： 知识产权
Example:
Strong intellectual property protection encourages innovation.
（强有力的知识产权保护能够促进创新。）
14. Unionise
Pronunciation: /ˈjuː.ni.ə.naɪz/
Meaning: To form or join a labor union.
中文： 组织工会；加入工会
Example:
Workers often unionise to negotiate better working conditions.
（员工常通过组建工会争取更好的工作条件。）
15. Overregulation
Pronunciation: /ˌəʊ.vəˌreɡ.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
Meaning: Excessive government control through rules and regulations.
中文： 过度监管
Example:
Overregulation may discourage investment and entrepreneurship.
（过度监管可能抑制投资和创业活动。）
5 IELTS High-Level Phrases
1. Make a fortune
Pronunciation: /meɪk ə ˈfɔː.tʃuːn/
Meaning: To earn a large amount of money.
中文： 发大财；赚大钱
Example:
Many franchise owners have made a fortune through successful business operations.
（许多加盟商通过成功经营赚取了巨额财富。）
2. Slog it out
Pronunciation: /slɒɡ ɪt aʊt/
Meaning: To work very hard for a long time.
中文： 长期艰苦奋斗
Example:
Young professionals often slog it out for years in finance and law firms.
（年轻专业人士常常在金融和律师行业奋斗多年。）
3. Account for
Pronunciation: /əˈkaʊnt fɔː(r)/
Meaning: To form or constitute a part of something.
中文： 占据；构成
Example:
Franchises account for a significant share of the American economy.
（特许经营企业占美国经济的重要部分。）
4. Adapt to local conditions
Pronunciation: /əˈdæpt tə ˈləʊ.kəl kənˈdɪʃ.ənz/
Meaning: To adjust according to local circumstances.
中文： 适应当地环境
Example:
Successful franchisees know how to adapt to local conditions.
（成功的加盟商懂得如何适应当地市场环境。）
5. Benefit from
Pronunciation: /ˈben.ɪ.fɪt frəm/
Meaning: To gain an advantage from something.
中文： 从……中获益
Example:
Workers benefit from the employment opportunities created by franchises.
（员工从特许经营创造的就业机会中受益。
