Come into my office: would you swop this scenery for skyscrapers and a sea of concrete? Neither would Royal Bank of Scotland's Charlie Morton, who travels the length and breadth of Scotland to share his expertise.(Franchising In Scotland)

CHARLIE MORTON BELIEVES he has one of the best jobs in banking, He provides franchise advice to customers in Scotland for the Royal Bank of Scotland, and his job takes him daily through some of the most beautiful scenery in the United Kingdom. He goes to work each day with a spring in his step, because his job is as varied as the scenery through which he travels.

Charlie is one of seven franchise development managers that the Royal Bank of Scotland has put in place across the UK, providing specialist franchising assistance to companies and individuals. Charlie's territory covers all of Scotland except Edinburgh and the east coast, and be regularly drives through the mountains to meet clients in places like Invergordon, Elgin and Wick.

'It's a wonderful area to work in,' he says. 'I live just 20 minutes from Loch Lomond, and I can get to Aberdeen in three hours and to anywhere in my territory within four. I had an inquiry recently from a chap who is evaluating a Chipsaway franchise in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis, so who knows, I might yet have to travel to the western isles. That's no problem.'

Apart from the scenery, Charlie Morton's territory is fascinating for its variety. As well as the sparsely populated highlands, it embraces Glasgow, the third-largest city in the UK, and some of the most affluent areas of Britain.

'Many English franchise companies operate just in England,' Charlie says. Whey don't make a conscious decision to exclude Scotland, but they operate only in England by default. They're selling themselves short. Scotland is a huge market which is easily accessible, and Scottish people have a particular entrepreneurial streak and an affinity for franchising.

'Some English firms expect Scotland to be different somehow, but the differences are easily overstated. In the Highlands, they might have to amalgamate territories to make commercial sense, and of course there are subtle differences in commercial law. But the differences in banking law are minor, and franchising is otherwise identical.'

The Royal Bank of Scotland revamped its franchise operation last year. It previously had three franchise experts who provided information on franchise companies to local managers who dealt with would-be franchisees. These have been replaced by seven franchise development managers who take their franchise expertise direct to the customer.