To be a genuinely FOURTH Generation business system, a network marketing opportunity (as distinct from a network marketing company) has to meet three strict criteria...

• A compensation plan that complies with Fourth Generation principles and practices (see White Paper for guidelines and checklist.)
   
• A distributor agreement that complies with Fourth Generation principles and practices, including any Code of Conduct, Code of Ethics, Rules, Terms and Conditions or other documentation that forms a part of that distributor agreement. (See guidelines from the Distributor Rights Association.)
   
• The practical reality of its day-to-day operations and its relations with distributors complies with Fourth Generation principles and practices.

The bottom line: a network marketing company (as distinct from a network marketing opportunity) will rarely be a genuine Fourth Generation business system because it employs people to run its internal operations – and that kind of master-servant relationship automatically limits the company to being a FIRST Generation business system.

It's not the COMPANY that qualifies as a genuine FOURTH Generation opportunity. It's THE RELATIONSHIP between the company and its distributor network that can make it a FOURTH Generation business system.

WARNING: This will be seriously affected by the mindsets, attitudes and actions of company managements – if they view and treat distributor networks as anything less than totally independent, it's almost certain that they'll try to impose control over those networks. That automatically limits it to being a FIRST Generation business system – and, therefore, a COUNTERFEIT of REAL network marketing!