Generally it is big corporations like McDonald's that are associated with having a global market, but an increasing number of smaller franchise companies are expanding beyond the U.S. Improved technology has made the challenges of going global easier to manage and faced with strong domestic competition, international markets become more attractive. However companies can face several problems such as cultural differences, economic instability and legal pitfalls.
See "It's Not Only the Giants With Franchises Abroad", Eve Tahmincioglu, The New York Times, February 11, 2004