Associations between Protestant work ethic and multilevel marketing participation and financial outcomes

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dc.contributor.authorHowie, Katharine
dc.contributor.authorMesler, Rhiannon M.
dc.contributor.authorTu, Ke (Christy)
dc.contributor.authorChernishenko, Jennifer
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-20T22:38:36Z
dc.date.available2024-08-20T22:38:36Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.descriptionPreprint article
dc.description.abstractMultilevel marketing (MLM) involvement can adversely affect consumer wellbeing. We examine how individual beliefs about work predict participation and financial losses in MLMs. As MLMs are presented to the marketplace as low-barrier opportunities to start one’s own business, we suggest that this may speak directly to people who strongly endorse Protestant work ethic (PWE), making them more inclined toward MLM participation, and financial outcomes associated with that participation. Using an MLM data set from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC; n=326,487), and a consumer survey (n=515), we find evidence that PWE is positively associated with participation in MLMs (studies 1 and 2), and that PWE predicts estimated financial losses (study 1) but not self-reported ones (study 2). Implications for research, marketing, and consumer advocacy are discussed.
dc.description.peer-reviewNo
dc.identifier.citationHowie, K., Mesler, R. M., Tu, K., & Chernishenko, J. (2024). Associations between Protestant work ethic and multilevel marketing participation and financial outcomes. https://hdl.handle.net/10133/6875
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6875
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisher.facultyManagement
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Southern Mississippi
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Kent
dc.publisher.urlhttps://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4691589
dc.subjectMultilevel marketing
dc.subjectIndividual differences
dc.subjectProtestant work ethic
dc.titleAssociations between Protestant work ethic and multilevel marketing participation and financial outcomes
dc.typePreprint
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