| The present model of business and career | | | | A better standard of living is a common |
| motivation, the one most closely associated with | | | | motivation and reward for people starting any |
| the “American Dream” which | | | | kind of business. Money - and what it can buy - is |
| emphases enterpreuneurship, individual | | | | the universally recognizable indicator of success |
| achievement, competition, and domination has | | | | that distributors use to motivate and establish |
| been around for at least the last 50 years . Up to | | | | credibility for their business. |
| the mid 20th century, the predominant prosperity | | | | Another important aspect of this success model |
| model was the Calvinist work ethic originally | | | | is that one has only one self’s to blame for |
| derived from the Puritan. The Calvinist work ethic | | | | one’s own success for failure. And yet |
| emphasized hard work, saving for the future, and | | | | given the low success rate in Amway, "...the data |
| foregoing vacations, paying bills in cash, and | | | | from one investigative report reveal that only |
| foregoing luxuries to save for a rainy day. On the | | | | 1,000 of over 200,000 distributors ever achieved |
| other, the motivation for moneymaking is no | | | | the rank of Direct Distributor or higher," it is also |
| longer saving for the future, but, what Thornstein | | | | quite clear that the company does not offer |
| Veblen, the famous 19th century economist | | | | success to anyone who enters the business |
| characterized as “conspicuous | | | | [Bromley, 1995:151]. How can all these |
| consumption.” Luxury homes, luxury cars, | | | | well-meaning people not succeed? |
| fancy electronic gadgets, and exotic vacations | | | | The only ideologically accepted explanation is that |
| create the illusion of wealth. The philosophy of the | | | | these well-meaning people had no commitment to |
| Amway Corporation, now known as Quixtel in the | | | | "the dream.” The product is irrelevant. It is |
| U. S. is a good illustration of the concepts involved. | | | | keeping the dream alive and resisting everything |
| Amway Corporation is a direct selling organization | | | | that could possibly rob one of The American |
| that produces and markets products using a | | | | Dream that counts. For "the dream" is |
| Multilevel Marketing system (or MLM for short). | | | | God’s blessing, the divine will, the American |
| Multilevel marketing is a form of direct selling in | | | | Way, family, morality, and the free-enterprise |
| which manufacturers authorize independent | | | | system. Hence, The American Dream becomes a |
| contractors to sell their products directly to | | | | cardinal article of faith, a foundation stone of |
| consumers, bypassing intermediaries and retail | | | | America’s civil religion. [Striker 1984: 128]As |
| stores. Using the garage or a spare bedroom as a | | | | Streiker describes it, the product lines in Amway |
| warehouse and a home office as a business hub, | | | | come to signify and reveal something central to |
| a distributor makes a profit by buying wholesale | | | | the growth of the company and the role of |
| from his or her company and selling to customers | | | | ideology. |
| at retail prices. MLM is also a recruiting business. A | | | | Amway is a performance-based business that |
| distributor is permitted to sign up other individuals | | | | rewards people in direct proportion to their effort. |
| to become part of his company’s | | | | The bigger the financial goal, the more time and |
| distribution force--and is paid a commission on the | | | | effort a distributor will need to put into his or her |
| wholesale product purchases made by recruits. | | | | business. With an Amway business, a distributor |
| Both methods then furnish consumers with new | | | | can work as much or little as he or she likes. The |
| options in acquiring consumer items they desire. | | | | rewards are based directly on the distributor's |
| The motivator for work and sole measure of | | | | accomplishments. |
| success measured is money and the goods that | | | | Recently, the American success model has been |
| money can buy: | | | | taken a battering. The competition for business |
| This is a business, and a main reason people work | | | | markets and jobs is stiff . The faith in business |
| at any business is to earn money that not only | | | | has been eroded by corporate fraud scandals, |
| will help them pay their bills, but also meet other | | | | massive layoffs, and outsourcing. However, at |
| goals. Those may be short- or long-term goals, | | | | least for now, it remains the predominant success |
| and they could be large (like buying a new house) | | | | model in today’s America. |
| or small (like saving for a vacation). | | | | |