Industries and Organisations Thriving on Superstitious and New Age Beliefs

This chapter considers those organisations where the prime function is to make profit through the sale of products and servicesSelling superstitious products and services based on superstitious beliefs as they are variously defined in the literature. The chapter suggests some of the reasons for the rise of interest in New AgeismNew Ageism over the last century and considers the financial, organisational, social and psychological impact of New AgeNew Age products and services. A number of contexts are brought to illustrate arguments about the New AgeNew Age industry, including that of the Romany business modelRomany/Romany business. The commodificationCommodificationsuperstitious commodification ofSpiritual/superstitious commodification superstitious beliefsColour and spiritual/superstitious beliefs is facilitated by ever-changing forms of technologyTechnology and has implications forDisciplines and professionsmarketing marketingMarketing, salesSales/selling, managementManagement andDisciplines and professionsmanagement consumer decision makingConsumerismconsumer decision making. The chapter concludes with a brief consideration of potential ethical issuesEthics/ethical that could arise from the industry.