The purpose of this study is to shed more light on whether the investment tax credit is effective in stimulating capital investment. The sample includes 104 local cooperatives. The majority of the data was collected from the files of the St. Paul, Minnesota, Bank for Cooperatives. The study has a single purpose of determining whether the changes to the Internal Revenue Code in the Revenue Tax Act of 1978 had an effect on the capital expenditure levels of farm supply cooperatives. In 1978 the investment tax credit became fully available to cooperatives. Previous abatement rules were abolished, and unused credit was then passed through in full to the cooperative membership. The research model employed is a pooled time-series and cross-sectional approach, and includes data for years 1975 through 1983. In addition to capital expenditure data, the company-specific variables are debt/asset ratio, local margin, and net margin. Economic variables are a net interest-inflation rate factor, cash receipts from farming, and loan volume of banks for cooperatives. Also included are dummy variables 0 and 1, trend variables 1-9, and interaction variables for all the main-effects variables.

Industries related to agricultural cooperatives record some of the highest injury rates in the U.S. Therefore, agricultural cooperatives are highly motivated to invest in occupational health and safety (OHS). This thesis examines the economic efficiency of OHS investments at agricultural cooperatives and identifies cooperative characteristics leading to greater economic efficiency of OHS investments. A multiple input-output data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to estimate technical efficiency. The effects of cooperative characteristics on the efficiency of OHS investments are estimated using ordinary least squares, censored regression, truncated regression, and the Simar and Wilson (2007) bootstrap procedure. Results show that the mean technical efficiency score was 0.833. Furthermore, a cooperative’s annual insurance premia has a significant, negative relationship with technical efficiency. In contrast, the experience levels of a cooperative’s top safety person and top managerial person and a location’s total workers employed have significant, positive relationships with efficiency in all estimated models. / North Dakota State University. Department of College of Agriculture, Food Systems and Natural Resources

Title: JZD Chelčice - an example of successful collective farm period of "normalization"? Author: Martin Kopeček Department: Department of History and History Didactics Supervisor: Prof. PhDr. Jiří Pokorný, CSc Abstract: The work deals with the Uniform agricultural cooperative in Chelčice in the normalization in Czechoslovakia. He tries to map its achievements and to answer the questions: what the nature of these accomplishments were (production, economy, presentation of achievements in contemporary media), on what is based (system and organization management, governing elites, economic concept, formal and informal relationships to the state and party authorities) and what were their historical context (esp. toward the village and the local agricultural production). Results are trying to contextualize contemporary, yet modest debate about the role of an agricultural cooperative in the normalization Key words: Chelčice - socialistist agriculture - United Agriculture Cooperative - collective farm - agriculture in socialist Czechoslovakia - affiliate production - khozraschyot - socialist entrepreneurship .

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 327-346). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 327-346). Also available on the Internet.

O presente estudo teve por objetivo identificar quais foram as melhorias competitivas, originárias da formação da Nova Aliança Ltda. Cooperativa que foi fruto da união política de cinco Cooperativas tradicionais da região, materializada e formalizada através da incorporação de quatro delas por uma das Cooperativas, todas do mesmo território, tendo como direcionador três grandes pilares: tecnologia, valor agregado e essência cooperativa. Para viabilizar a pesquisa foi utilizado o estudo de caso, realizado por meio das técnicas de levantamento de dados: entrevistas e documentos, sendo aplicados nos setores de contabilidade, administrativo, produção (produto e matéria-prima), qualidade e societário. Dos dados analisados, pode-se constatar apesar do curto espaço de tempo da implementação desta reestruturação da Cooperativa, melhorias em diversas áreas da organização e a construção de uma nova realidade para o sistema cooperativista gaúcho, retomando os princípios cooperativistas por meio da reorganização societária; o respeito ao meio ambiente através da produção de matéria prima orgânica e a reestruturação da infraestrutura otimizando os recursos naturais, bem como ofertando ao mercado produtos sem conservantes; e tendo na inovação o indutor para as mudanças que se traduzem em melhorias. Sendo estas: nos processos societários, industriais, administrativos, produtivos e comerciais, nos produtos, processos e no aprendizado de toda a equipe com os erros e acertos deste grande projeto. Os resultados poderão induzir novos movimentos intracooperativos que levem a um crescimento do Cooperativismo e do setor vitivinícola. Esta retomada induzirá o desenvolvimento sustentável e a perpetuidade do Cooperativismo por conseqüência dos agricultores familiares da região, bem como de outros territórios, pois o modelo Cooperativista vitivinícola gaúcho, representa atualmente, aproximadamente 25% da produção total de uvas e derivados do estado. O Rio Grande do Sul, por sua vez é responsável por mais de 90% da produção de vinhos e sucos de uva do Brasil. Passaram-se mais de oitenta anos e o cooperativismo continua sendo um instrumento imprescindível para a pequena propriedade da serra gaúcha, em virtude destas, serem formadas efetivamente por pequenas propriedades rurais que precisam inexoravelmente organizar-se de forma competente para competir no mercado e permanecer na área rural com dignidade. / Submitted by Ana Guimarães Pereira (agpereir@ucs.br) on 2016-05-11T13:37:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Alceu Dalle Molle.pdf: 2968628 bytes, checksum: dbf68e8132155cbe13a57c748fb5df61 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-11T13:37:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Alceu Dalle Molle.pdf: 2968628 bytes, checksum: dbf68e8132155cbe13a57c748fb5df61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-11 / This study aimed to identify what were the improvements originating in formation of the Cooperativa Vinícola Nova Aliança Ltda., that was the consequence of political union of the five traditional cooperatives in the region, embodied and formalized by incorporating four Cooperatives of the same territory. To make the research case study, carried out by the techniques of data collection were used: interviews and documents, among others, being applied in accounting, administrative, output (product and raw materials), quality and corporate sectors. About the analyzed data, it can be verified, despite the short time of implementation of the restructuring of the Cooperative, improvements in several areas of the organization and building a new reality for the Gaucho cooperative system, retaking the cooperative principles through reorganization. Respecting nature through the production of organic raw material and restructuring of infrastructure, optimizing natural resources, as well as offering the market products without preservatives, having on innovation the propellant to changes, that result into improvements into administrative, productive, and commercial products and processes. The results may induce new movements that will lead to a growth of Cooperatives and the wine industry. This resumption will induce sustainable development and the perpetuity of Cooperative Movement, as a consequence of the farmers in the region, as well as other territories, because the Gaucho cooperativist wine model now represents about 25% of total production of grapes and derivatives of the state Rio Grande do Sul, on the other hand is responsible for more than 90% of wine production and grape juice from Brazil. It's been more than eighty years and cooperatives remains an essential tool for the small property of the Serra Gaúcha, because they are formed from small farms that need inexorably organize themselves in a competent manner to stay in a rural area with dignity.

The study was conducted to determine the effect of agricultural extension services on beneficiaries of the Nguni Cattle project in Ncera and Kwezana villages, both in Nkonkobe local Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province. The objectives of this study were to determine the quality of extension services offered to the beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project, relationship between extension officers and beneficiaries of the project, lastly was to determine communication strategies used by extension officers to communicate with the project beneficiaries. A total of 73 Nguni cattle project beneficiaries were interviewed. Semi- structured questionnaires were administered to the beneficiaries of the project who were willing to participate in the study. Xhosa speaking enumerators assisted in data collection. Focus group discussions were later carried out in both villages to determine effect of agricultural extension services on socio-economic status of the beneficiaries. The focus groups were divided into three groups of different ages and gender. The majority of the beneficiaries in the project were males (62.2 % Ncera and 75% Kwezana). There was an association between gender and extension services. Farmers depended on different sources of income. Old age pension and animal sales being the main contributing sources and also having a significant difference. The results of the study further revealed that the beneficiaries were faced with cattle production challenges, lack of extension support services being the main challenge. The results of the study indicated that the majority of beneficiaries had no access to extension services. Only 37.8% and 32.1 % at Ncera and Kwezana respectively reported that they had access to extension services. Although the latter is the case it was further explained by the beneficiaries that extension services offered to them were of poor quality due to poor communication strategies used to provide these services. Beneficiaries also reported the relationship between them and extension officers’ as poor. It was concluded that extension services had an effect on beneficiaries of the Nguni cattle project, largely based on the constraints they face on the project and limited access to extension services.

This study investigated the impact of government support on growth, survival and performance of agricultural cooperatives in selected areas of Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The objectives of this empirical study were to examine (1) the impact of government support on growth of cooperatives, (2) assess the impact of government support on the performance of cooperatives, (3) reviewing the impact of government support on survival of cooperatives. A total sample of 157 agricultural cooperatives which consisted of poultry, maize, goat, nursery, sheep and vegetable coops was used. Stratified random sampling technique was used and a self-administered questionnaire used to gather primary data. The primary data of the study was gathered from the cooperatives managers only as they were the targeted respondents. Gathered data went through factor analysis, anova test and correlation analysis for the statistical analysis purposefully to arrive in study findings and conclusion. The findings of the study drawn from the 66% response rate concluded that government support has a statistical significant impact on growth of cooperatives. The study also indicated that government support has a significant impact on the survival of cooperatives. It is also reported that the performance of cooperatives is significantly impacted positively by government support. The findings of the study also indicated that agricultural cooperatives are not satisfied with the present government support.

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the perspectives of current members of the cooperative regarding the role of social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative on the Suid Bokkeveld in the Northern Cape, South Africa (SA). This cooperative has been cited by several researchers as being successful for various reasons, including the existence of a marketable resource, a steady increase in production, and certification through Fairtrade, resulting in an export market. Social capital, as a contributing factor to the success of the cooperative, has not however previously been investigated in depth. In light of the unique success of this cooperative, it is important to obtain an in-depth understanding of the role of social capital, if any, in its success, particularly in the formation and day-to-day operation of the cooperative. With a particular focus on the members’ perspectives of the cooperative, this qualitative research adopted a case study approach to explore and to gain multiple and subjective understanding of the role played by social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative. This may assist the organisation under study, as well as similar initiatives, in strategically harnessing the benefits of social capital as a resource in future. This report has three interrelated sections. The first part is an academic paper, which includes a condensed literature review, research methods, results and discussions. The second part is an expanded literature review, while the third section details the research methods. It is vital to note that these sections are separate, but interrelated. Convenience sampling was used to identify current members of the cooperative who participated in this exploratory qualitative study. Four heterogeneous focus group discussions, with a total of 44 members of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Suid Bokkeveld, were conducted. The focus groups were heterogeneous, as they included ordinary members, founding members and committee members. A guideline with questions based on the theory of social capital was developed, and used to initiate or stimulate discussion among the members of the cooperative in order to address the key research question, namely: What was the role of social capital, if any, in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Northern Cape as perceived by current cooperative members? The primary source of data was collected through focus group discussions, while secondary data was obtained from documents in a form of internal reports and papers written for the Heiveld Cooperative. Data was analysed using open coding and constant comparison techniques in order to induce emerging themes from the data. Findings of this study revealed that social capital played a major and influential role during the inception and also in the successful operation of the Heiveld Cooperative, by bonding and bridging not just between individual members, but also between communities, trading partners and other collaborators. Another key finding of this study is that social capital was also critical in enhancing supportive knowledge sharing, and the promotion of pride and shared identity, which the study identifies as aspects of cognitive social capital. Interestingly, the cognitive dimension of social capital in the Heiveld Cooperative has contributed to the weakening of social capital, as evident in claims related to lack of transparency and procedural injustice. Last, but not least, leveraging the sense of community has also been useful in promoting collective efficacy, strengthening familial togetherness, and enhanced democratisation of decision-making. Diminished trust, based on perceived oligarchy and nepotism is gradually weakening relational social capital. Findings in this study are illuminated using the social capital theory described by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) to depict the social, cognitive and relational aspect of social capital that are at work at Heiveld Cooperative. Additionally, the social network theory by Hoppe and Reinelt (2010) is used to highlight the systemic view of social capital, which embraces the structural, relational and cognitive nature not only internal to but also between networks of the cooperative. Recommendations are provided to ensure social capital is harnessed, rather than undermined. These include the need to promote the processes of learning, monitoring and discussion that have been implemented; harnessing the benefits of bonding and bridging social capital; leveraging the sense of community and applying a more systemic view of social capital; and addressing perverse aspects of social capital such as nepotism and oligarchy that have been identified.

No description available.