One tip: California, Wisconsin and Minnesota have free national databases online that contain franchise disclosure documents for many, though not all, franchisesystems.
The risk to Microsoft lies in seeing its enterprise franchise undermined by mobile, as other operating systems are dominant in this one sphere where people and companies are buying more.
They included increased competition for consumer dollars, the fragmentation of an industry run by independent small-business owners (which I expect franchise executives can understand), inconsistency in the brand experience and outdated systems.
Traditional military contractors like General Dynamics and BAE Systems tend to dabble in the truck business rather than regarding it as a core franchise, so they can afford to walk away if terms look too onerous.