The BP online franchise information document (pdf) contains this statement on page three: “According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, 90 percent of franchised operations are still operating after ten years, whereas 82 percent of independent businesses fail. This statistic solidifies the fact that aligning with a recognized leader increases the probability of success.”

For those readers who don’t know, statements making claims like the above have been discredited.

BP, the fourth-largest company in the world at the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil platform blowup, has been taking a real image pounding. Not only was there an explosion on Deepwater Horizon, but BP's reputation suffered a huge setback after 60 Minutes' coverage of the disaster on May 16, when the public got a behind-the-scenes look at the company's "expert" handling of safety on the rig before 11 men lost their lives on April 20.