the Ministry of Trade issued a new regulation to limit the expansion of international restaurant chains, such as McDonalds, KFC and others. The regulation stipulates that the number of outlets owned and managed by either a franchisor or franchisee cannot exceed 250. However, if the company already operates 250 outlets, and would like to add more outlets above the 250 limits, the new outlets have to be franchised by way of a joint venture with a small or midsized enterprises (SMEs)