"an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise"
This field involves the study of the legal framework that governs the formation and operation of cooperatives, including tax regulations and labor laws.
Cooperative Principles: The seven principles that guide the operations of a cooperative, including voluntary and open membership, democratic control, and concern for the community.
Formation of a Cooperative: The legal and procedural steps necessary to establish a cooperative, including drafting bylaws, registering with government agencies, and conducting an organizational meeting.
Financing a Cooperative: The different sources of funding available to cooperatives, including equity investments, debt financing, and grants.
Governance in Cooperatives: The roles and responsibilities of the board of directors, members, and management in decision-making, financial management, and governance within a cooperative.
Membership Agreements: The agreements that define the rights and obligations of individual members, including membership requirements, governance structure, and financial responsibilities.
Legal and Regulatory Framework: The legal and regulatory environment governing the formation, operation, and dissolution of cooperatives, including taxation, labor laws, and competition laws.
Cooperative Accounting: The best practices for financial management in a cooperative, including record-keeping, financial reporting, and tax compliance.
Dispute Resolution: The various mechanisms available to resolve disputes that may arise among members or between members and the cooperative, including mediation and arbitration.
Risk Management: The strategies and tools used by cooperatives to manage risks, including insurance policies, contingency plans, and disaster recovery plans.
Organizational Sustainability: The practices and strategies that cooperatives can adopt to ensure their long-term viability, including market analysis, strategic planning, and diversification of products and services.
Cooperative Success Stories: The examples of successful cooperatives that have grown and prospered over time, and the factors that have contributed to their success.
The Role of Cooperative Federations: How cooperative federations can support individual cooperatives by providing technical assistance, access to financing, and advocacy at the national and international levels.
Cooperative Social Responsibility: The values and practices that cooperatives adopt to ensure that their operations are socially responsible and environmentally sustainable.
Marketing and Communication Strategies: The key strategies and tools used by cooperatives to promote their products and services, and to communicate with their members and stakeholders.
Agriculture Cooperatives: Agriculture cooperatives are formed by farmers or agricultural workers in order to access markets and resources that would otherwise be unavailable to them as individuals. This type of cooperative involves pooling resources to purchase goods and services in bulk, as well as sharing knowledge, information, and technology to improve production.
Consumer Cooperatives: Consumer cooperatives are formed by individuals who want to purchase goods or services in bulk, at a discounted price. Examples of consumer cooperatives include food co-ops, utility cooperatives, and credit unions.
Worker Cooperatives: Worker cooperatives are businesses that are owned and operated by their employees. The workers make decisions democratically and share in the profits of the business. This type of cooperative is typically found in the manufacturing or service industries.
Housing Cooperatives: Housing cooperatives are formed by individuals who want to share the expenses and responsibilities of owning a home or apartment building. Members of a housing cooperative typically own shares in the cooperative, which entitle them to live in a specific unit.
Service Cooperatives: Service cooperatives are formed by individuals who want to pool their resources to provide a specific service, such as accounting or consulting.
Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives: Multi-stakeholder cooperatives are formed by individuals who represent different stakeholder groups, such as workers, consumers, and suppliers. This type of cooperative allows for a more diverse ownership structure and can help to promote a more equitable distribution of power and resources.
"Cooperatives are democratically controlled by their members, with each member having one vote in electing the board of directors."
"consumer cooperatives, producer cooperatives, worker cooperatives, purchasing cooperatives, multi-stakeholder cooperatives, second- and third-tier cooperatives, and platform cooperatives."
"in 2012 approximately one billion people in 96 countries had become members of at least one cooperative."
"The turnover of the largest three hundred cooperatives in the world reached $2.2 trillion."
"twice the number of co-operatives (80%) surviving their first five years compared with other business ownership models (41%)"
"the Mondragon Corporation ... has been in continuous operation since 1956."
"in 2013, retail co-operatives in the UK invested 6.9% of their pre-tax profits in the communities in which they trade"
"through the use of a .coop domain"
"the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) introduced the Cooperative Marque, meaning ICA cooperatives and WOCCU credit unions can also be identified through a coop ethical consumerism label."