Business View Magazine | March 2018

30 including suppliers and vendors,asmost other associa- tions do,”he continues.“Affiliatedwith all of those com- panies,there are probablyabout five or sixthousand employees; and in addition to them,we have over 20 million peoplewho are individual direct sellers.And while they’re not dues payingmembers of theAssoci- ation,under our bylaws,theyare consideredmembers. Our primaryand exclusive relationshipwith them is through themember companies.In addition to the domestic activities of theAssociation,we have about 62 other associations,world-wide,in other countries that are brought together under our world federation umbrella organization.So,we are an industryof global scope,even though our focus in the U.S.DSAis here in the United States.” According toMariano,the DSAhas three coremis- sions: “Policing,Promoting,and Protecting.”Regarding its policing function,he says,“One of the things we engage in is significant self-regulatoryactivity.At least one person on staff is assigned to compliance,ethics, and self-regulatoryefforts.In addition,we have two to four attorneys who are also involved in the ethics/ self-regulatoryagenda.” Adolfo Franco,DSA’s ExecutiveVice President & Chief OperatingOfficer,explains the importance of theAssociation’s policing function:“We are guests in people’s homes or in their offices andwe areworking with people in a verydifferent way than the retailer or where a customer goes to awebsite,”he states.“So,we have an extra obligation,a code of ethics,and a set of THE DIRECT SELLING ASSOCIATION