Modern Charismatic Authority: Critical Ethnography of Authoritarian/Instrumental Profit-based Persuasion Strategies in Network Marketing Companies

Rouhani, Ali; Hajiheidari, Soheyla

doi:10.22059/ijar.2019.71596

Modern Charismatic Authority: Critical Ethnography of Authoritarian/Instrumental Profit-based Persuasion Strategies in Network Marketing Companies

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Ali Rouhani ¹

Soheyla Hajiheidari ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.

² M.A. of Social Sciences Research, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran.

10.22059/ijar.2019.71596

Abstract

Nowadays, market and its profit-based logic has become an inevitable part of many people's live all over the world. This issue has been mixed with social, economic, political and cultural complexities and produces a new style of trade which brings its own cultural thoughts and economic behaviors. In the same way, the free market logic dominates all social spheres. In this paper social and cultural consequences of profit-based logic of this market in network marketing companies have been reviewed. Analysis is done with critical ethnography and five step Carspecken approach. Findings have extracted from both emic and etic approach with hidden participative observation (one year) and deep interview with sixteen canceled persons from network marketing companies. Extracted themes are: fence work, implement of leverage skills, repetitive restricted training, authoritarian training, public persuasion strategies, regular psychological session, promotional and personalized celebration, release of unusual emotions and charismatization of successful members. Results show that network marketing companies persuade people with authoritarian instrumental strategies and their ultimate goal is not profit making for members, but maximizing the profit of companies.

Keywords

Network Marketing Companies

Critical Ethnography

Modern Charismatic Authority

Maximization of Profit

Authoritarian Training