The purpose of this research study is to assess the funding and governance models utilised in the operations of cooperatives, with specific reference to Magwa and Majola Tea Estates in the Eastern Cape. Luyt (2008) observes that poverty levels in South Africa remain high, and have not been greatly reduced since 1994. There is general agreement amongst Eastern Cape communities that more than two decades after apartheid has ended, nearly half of South Africa’s population continue to live in poverty. A common understanding, is that cooperatives are geared and established to address poverty, address both social and economic development, even though they also emphasise a social focus, they are expected to be operated on sound business principles.

Significant changes in market behavior arouse the need to adopt new processes and management tools in order to make organizations more competitive and sustainable. Tálamo and Carvalho (2004) to denote the creation of a new economic order based on the structuring of different ways regarding the management and organizational control. In this perspective Pinheiro and Silva (2010, p. 3) indicate that the cooperative has evolved and conquered their own space, defined by a new way of thinking man's labor and social development . Thus, the overall goal of this work is to identify and analyze the system management tools and internal control of a cooperative in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, proposing a theoretical model applicable to that type of organization . In order to provide the framework for knowledge needed to develop this work, we took the theoretical model of cooperative management proposed by Oliveira (2006). Associated with the management, we investigated the internal control procedures, defined by Crepaldi (2007). The methodological contribution this study was a qualitative study, based on field research procedures, descriptive and exploratory. The method was case study allowed investigation of deep theoretical and its practical applicability in the context of a cooperative. The techniques were adopted methodological collection, analysis and organization of data. To obtain answers regarding the issue were used interviews, questionnaires, document analysis and direct observation. Primarily for the analysis of the results were taken as some techniques: classification, categorization, tabulation, statistical quantitative percentage and essentially content analysis. Finally, based on this detailed account of the results, on the model of cooperative management and internal control tools practiced by Cooperative, concluded categorically that the methods, routines, procedures, activities, as well as all organizational assembly caters largely to the theoretical model proposed by Oliveira (2006) and, to a lesser degree, related to a medium degree, the model Crepaldi (2007) as being necessary and crucial for organizations embedded in dynamic and competitive markets, aiming at sustainability of its business in all fields. This all gave effective conditions so that one could propose a theoretical model applicable to cooperative that included the cooperative doctrine, organizational management and internal control. / As mudanças significativas no comportamento do mercado despertam a necessidade da adoção de novos processos e ferramentas de gestão de modo a tornar as organizações mais competitivas e sustentáveis. Tálamo e Carvalho (2004) denotam para a criação de uma nova ordem econômica, com base na estruturação de formas diferenciadas quanto à gestão e controle organizacional. Nessa perspectiva Pinheiro e Silva (2010, p. 3) assinalam que o cooperativismo evoluiu e conquistou um espaço próprio, definido por uma nova forma de pensar do homem, do trabalho e do desenvolvimento social . Dessa forma, o objetivo geral desse trabalho é identificar e analisar o sistema de gestão e as ferramentas de controle interno de uma cooperativa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, propondo um modelo teórico aplicável a esse tipo de organização . Com o intuito de oferecer o arcabouço de conhecimentos necessários para o desenvolvimento desse trabalho, tomou-se como referencial teórico o modelo de gestão de cooperativas proposto por Oliveira (2006). Associado à gestão foram investigados os procedimentos de controle interno, definidos por Crepaldi (2007). Em termos metodológicos esse trabalho teve como aporte uma pesquisa qualitativa, apoiada em procedimentos de pesquisa de campo, descritiva e exploratória. O método foi estudo de caso que permitiu a investigação profunda dos aspectos teóricos e sua aplicabilidade no contexto prático de uma cooperativa. As técnicas metodológicas adotadas foram coleta, análise e organização dos dados. Para obtenção das respostas relativas ao problema foram utilizadas entrevistas, questionários, análise documental e observação direta. Essencialmente para a análise dos resultados foram adotadas algumas técnicas como: classificação, categorização, tabulação, estatística quantitativa percentual e, essencialmente, análise de conteúdo. Por fim, com base nesse relato pormenorizado dos resultados, acerca do modelo de gestão da cooperativa e das ferramentas de controle interno praticadas pela Cooperativa, concluiu-se, categoricamente que as metodologias, as rotinas, os procedimentos, as atividades, bem como todo o conjunto organizacional atende em grande parte ao modelo teórico proposto por Oliveira (2006) e, em grau menor, ou seja, referente a um grau médio, ao modelo de Crepaldi (2007), como sendo necessários e de fundamental importância para as organizações inseridas em mercados dinâmicos e competitivos, com vistas à sustentabilidade de seus negócios em todos os campos de atuação. Isso tudo deu condições efetivas para que se pudesse propor um modelo teórico aplicável à cooperativa que contemplou a doutrina cooperativa, gestão organizacional e controle interno.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management Science (Peacebuilding), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Conflict amongst cooperative members in Vumengazi, KwaZulu-Natal, is a major cause of concern, growing to an extent that threatens their survival. Lack of management skills tends to create conflict in cooperatives: members vie for a management position in the business, however, they often have no clear commitment or understanding of the duties required in management positions, even enough to handle the day-to-day challenges. Some of the groups formed a cooperative not because they have a joint objective, but because they planned to use the cooperative as a platform to access available resources. In most cases, the groups who formed the basis for this study lacked cohesiveness and this led to internal conflicts and an inability to work together. In most of the cooperatives, there were no professional business plans and they lacked feasibility with identifiable and foreseeable market opportunities. There were no drafted documents constitutions to govern the directors. The researcher undertook this study to investigate the following: • What are the contributing factors to conflict within the cooperatives? • What is the role of the 2005 Co-operatives Act in resolving conflict within the cooperatives? • What are effective ways to resolve conflicts within the cooperatives? A case study design using qualitative methodology was used in this study. In-depth understanding was needed; qualitative methodology was appropriate for a study of this nature. A sample of four co-operatives out of 20 from Wards 84 and 100, eNgonyameni Tribal Area, Vumengazi, was selected to identify the nature, extent, causes and consequences of conflicts, to assess the effectiveness of existing provisions for conflict resolution and the way they are implemented, to plan and implement an intervention strategy aimed at resolving conflicts to provide a foundation to resolve future conflicts. I engaged five people in a participatory action research programme and a focus group to establish the findings. Findings include a low standard of education among members; some members are very old who do not respect the youth. Gossip among the members led to cooperative issues being discussed in the community, thereby exacerbating conflict. Some of the cooperative members have primary education and they are unable to read and write English, however, the Act is written in English. Members of the cooperatives do not deal with conflict nor resolve it; there is no plan in place for such resolution. Members therefore keep grudges and bring them to work and meetings. Mismanagement of funds was found to be problematic. Conflict occurred regularly, partially because of the inability to analyse conflict among members and inability to apply peaceful conflict resolution methods. Recommendations as a result of the study are that peace education, both formal and informal, must be a prerequisite for cooperatives, to help members deal with individual emotions and behaviours and to avoid more aggressive approaches in running a cooperative. Local Economic Development officials and Ward Councillors need to come closer to rural cooperatives because of their stated interest in alleviating poverty in the area through peaceful running of cooperatives. Conflict does not allow cooperatives to flourish. / M

South Africa is faced with much poverty, joblessness and an economy that is not sustainable. Unemployment is on the rise in South Africa with the Eastern Cape having the largest number of unemployed people. Co-operatives can be used as a tool to combat poverty and for job creation, but the problem is that co-operatives are still an unknown entity in South Africa. Co-operatives are only known by a few and those few are still sceptical and not willing to form co-operatives. The already established businesses are also not forthcoming nor showing any willingness to do businesses with co-operatives. The less they do business with them, the less the co-operatives flourish. The present study investigates to what extent co-operatives can be a solution to decrease poverty and unemployment. The primary objective of this study was to make a contribution to the development and success of co-operatives by investigating the performance of co-operatives in the in the important business functions of financial management, general management, human resources management, marketing management and operations management. The study also investigated which of these business functions were the most important determinants of business success in these co-operatives. A sample of 50 co-operatives in the East London area of the Eastern Cape was selected and three members per co-operative were requested to answer the questionnaire. The expected number of respondents was therefore 150. However, only 65 usable questionnaires (response rate of 43.3%) were returned. The SEDA Small Business Assessment Tool was used to measure the co-operatives’ performance in these business functions. The empirical results revealed that the strongest correlates of business success in these co-operatives were financial management (r = 0.57, p < 0.05) followed by human resources management (r = 0.49, p < 0.05) and operations management (r = 0.40, p < 0.05). The results also show that, while the co-operatives do have some form of financial management strategies in place, they do not address some of the major financial management concepts that are really essential in a sound financial management policy. The co-operatives generally do not follow any formal financial costing system at all. The results however indicated that the co-operatives expressed high confidence in their financial, general and human resource management practices and low confidence in their marketing and operations management practices.

This thesis is based on an in-depth assessment of the three rural women co-operatives in the Tsojana village, within the Intsika Yethu Local Municipality, which is the largest and most rural municipality within the Chris Hani District Municipality. 95 percent of households in this municipality live in rural areas or villages (Integrated Development Plan (IDP), 2010-2011). Rural areas are characterised by high levels of poverty, deprivation, poor infrastructure, and poor linkages to markets. Rural women are the ones experiencing poverty at first hand due to the fact that they are less mobile; when food crisis hits, men tend to leave to look for work or income in towns/cities, while women stay behind to look after their families (Moyo-Mhlanga, 2001). In 1975, the World Bank addressed the question of how women can become effective in economic development, hence the establishment of Women in Development Projects to encourage them to be more involved in income-generating activities like rural projects, co-operatives (co-ops) and self-help groups. A co-operative is an autonomous association of people who join voluntarily to meet their socio-economic and cultural needs through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise (International Labour Organization (ILO), 2002). The United Nations (UN) recognized the contribution cooperatives can make to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through productive employment, eradicating poverty, enhancing social integration and promoting the advancement of women. This research study was motivated by the fact that- there are various women development projects/co-operatives in Tsojana Administrative Area (A/A) which aim to improve the lives of the rural people for the better, but most of these co-ops are not sustainable and financially viable. Rural women have realized that in order to sustain development they have to integrate themselves into village development structures, as in various co-operatives, informal rural entrepreneurs and agricultural and non-farm income-generating activities. The study proposes to investigate the reasons for the failure of these co-ops to create sustainable rural livelihoods. The study further attempts to explore development strategies that will assist to transform and advance the co-ops towards sustainable development for all. It also aims to explore strategies that will alleviate poverty, create jobs, and address all factors of underdevelopment and deprivation. The overall methodological approach in this study is qualitative in nature, as it is based on the understanding of the situation from the participant‟s point of view, or perspective. It seeks to describe, investigate and explore aspects of development projects, and to also understand the aspects of socio-economic life of rural women. It combines three traditions of enquiry, i.e. case study, phenomenology, and ethnography. A non-probability type of sampling, in particular purposive sampling, was used for the study because the researcher‟s samples are based on her judgement. Interpretive research paradigm was used to allow the researcher to study meaningful social action, not just the external or observable behaviour of people, and various research tools were used to collect data. These co-operatives have been identified as struggling for survival, and lacking training, and material and financial resources. The co-operatives require support for expansion and modernizing their operations.

Many countries that have achieved economic development have a dynamic co-operative sector which contributes substantially to the development of these economies. From a global perspective, co-operatives have been proven to be flexible in meeting a wide variety of social and economic human needs such as job creation, alleviation of poverty and building of communities. With the drive to decrease poverty in South Africa, there has been an increased interest to support co-operatives with the intention to provide employment, social development and building communities/ community care. It seems, however, that South Africa has not yet reached the same momentum in the co-operatives movement as elsewhere in the world and the economy is still characterized by a high unemployment rate and a low growth rate (Van der Walt, 2002). This study is an attempt to determine the factors for business success in co-operatives by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of co-operative businesses within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The study includes an extensive literature review on the nature and prevalence of co-operatives in South Africa where challenges faced by South African co-operatives and particularly those in the Eastern Cape Province, are indicated. It also highlights international best practice and reveals that for co-operative success, apart for functioning by the International Seven Cooperative Principles, knowledge and expertise in business management are absolutely necessary so that co-operatives can be profitable and sustainable. With this knowledge, an adapted form of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) Small Business Assessment Tool was used to formulate the questionnaire and to review business management literature. A survey conducted involved fifty-one co-operative members on the database of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business Unit. The opinions of the respondents were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature in the study in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these co-operatives, which then determine the critical success factors for business success in co-operatives. The empirical results show that the co-operative members understand co-operative principles and function through them. They have a fairly general knowledge of business management. The results also show significantly positive correlations between Marketing Management, Financial Management, Operations Management, Human Resources Management and General Management, on the one hand, and the business success of co-operatives, on the other hand. This indicates that these respondents recognize the importance of these business functions in the success of their businesses. However, failures and weaknesses experienced in these areas lead to the recommendations that they need to be mentored as they cannot put this knowledge into application, and secondly, they need financial assistance and support to sustain the co-operative businesses.

Manufacturing has been identified by the Department of Trade and Industry as an important sector to drive economic growth in South Africa. The automotive manufacturing sector in particular has seen significant support from the DTI in the form of incentives to produce motor vehicles and components. South Africa is faced with a high unemployment rate and one of the strategies of the Government is to drive economic growth by supporting the automotive manufacturing sector. One of the spill-over targets is to increase employment creation in the industry. The automotive manufacturing sector consists of a diverse list of stakeholders representing motor vehicle manufacturers, component manufacturers, labour unions, government departments and industry associations. The Motor Industry Development Programme delivered significant progress in the number of vehicles produced in South Africa and the biggest growth was in the export of vehicles. Employment creation on the other hand did not see the same levels of growth as motor vehicle and component production. The purpose of this study was to identify and clarify what the variables are that influence employment creation and to develop a co-operation framework that would guide the automotive cluster stakeholders to work on employment creation initiatives as a collective. The survey questionnaire results representing the perception of managers showed that: - DTI Incentives schemes linked to employment creation; - Productivity, Technology and employment; - The role of competitiveness in the auto cluster; - Labour Union Collective bargaining; - Investment climate and infrastructure; - Education and skills development; does have an influence on employment creation in the automotive cluster.

A aprendizagem interorganizacional tem se destacado como um dos temas relevantes para o ambiente no qual as organizações encontram-se inseridas, a qual integram-se em um importante instrumento na formulação e no desenvolvimento de estratégias para as empresas que atuam na forma de redes de cooperação. Ao incorporar a aprendizagem na definição de seus propósitos corporativos, as organizações que atuam em rede passam a adicionar um conjunto de interesses que percorrem as questões meramente econômicas atendendo, assim, as necessidades e expectativas de seus diversos públicos. Para tanto, conhecer as dimensões que influenciam esse aprendizado, assim como, relacionamentos interorganizacionais e o processo de aprendizagem que ocorre de forma situada entre determinados indivíduos e grupos de diferentes organizações - o denominado “pessoal de fronteira” tornam-se, essenciais para esta área de estudo. O objetivo desta dissertação foi analisar as relações entre bases, processos e resultados de aprendizagem interorganizacional. Como metodologia, foi realizada uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, de caráter exploratório-descritivo. A estratégia foi o estudo de casos múltiplos, e como técnica de coleta de dados utilizou-se a entrevista em profundidade e observação direta. Dentre os agentes envolvidos, o campo de estudo foi composto por três redes de cooperação, sendo dos segmentos, educação infantil, farmacêutico e de fornecedores para a indústria moveleira, todas localizadas na Serra Gaúcha, as quais foram identificadas como Redes de Cooperação A, Rede de Cooperação B e Rede de Cooperação C. Os resultados do estudo indicaram que a aprendizagem interorganizacional pode ser identificada nas bases interorganizacionais, ao desenvolver nas empresas da Rede o fortalecimento de sua competitividade, diminuindo os custos e oportunizando a participação conjuntamente em eventos de qualificação profissional, visitas a feiras e viagens. Quanto aos processos, a aprendizagem formal e informal ocorre pela troca de experiências, embora haja compartilhamento do conhecimento, há casos específicos em que ele não ocorre. Como resultado, o que está sendo aprendido na rede, está sendo utilizado de forma independente. Quanto aos contextos, o temporal interage com o espacial, e no nível intraorganizacional foram apresentados as trajetórias e experiências de cada associado inseridos nas redes de cooperação. Já no nível interorganizacional foi apresentado o que está ocorrendo no presente, as expectativas e tendências quanto ao futuro. É possível responder à pergunta de pesquisa afirmando que as bases, processos e resultados da aprendizagem no contexto das redes de cooperação, se relacionam e a qualidade das interações é um fator importante, no qual se desenvolve a confiança e o comprometimento. / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, CAPES. / The inter-organizational learning has emerged as one of the relevant issues to the environment in which organizations are inserted, integrate an important tool in the formulation and development of strategies for companies that are operating in cooperation networks. By incorporating learning in their corporate purposes, organizations working in network start to add a set of interests that run purely economic issues, therefore, in view of the needs and expectations of its stakeholders. Therefore, know the dimensions that influence this learning, as well as inter-organizational relationships and the learning process that occurs between certain individuals and groups of different organizations - the so-called "border people" become essential for the area of study. This project has the objective to analyze the relationships between bases, processes and results of interorganizational learning. The methodology to be used will be a qualitative research, with exploratory and descriptive character. The strategy will be the study of multiple cases, and as a data collection technique will be used in-depth interviews and direct observation. Among the agents involved, the field of study consists of three cooperation networks, being from segment of childhood education, pharmaceutical and suppliers from furniture industry, all located in Serra Gaúcha, which will be identified as Cooperation Networks A, Cooperation Network B and Cooperation Network C. The results of the study indicated that the interorganizational learning can be identified on interorganizational bases, by developing on the company’s network the strengthening of its competitiveness, reducing costs and providing opportunities to participate jointly on professional training events, fairs and trips. In the process, the formal and informal, occur through the exchange of experiences and learning, although there is sharing of knowledge, there are specific cases where it does not occur. As a result, what is being learned in the network, is being used independently. As for the contexts, temporal interacts with spatial, and at intraorganizational level were presented trajectories and experiences of each member associated in the cooperation networks. In the interorganizational level was presented what is happening in the present, the expectations and trends for the future. It is possible to answer to the research question stating that the bases, processes and outcomes of learning in the context of cooperation networks are related and the quality of interactions is an important factor, in which develops confidence and commitment.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017. / Cooperatives play a significant role in the country’s economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction. Hence, the number of registered cooperatives in South Africa has been growing very fast. However, the main challenge is that the majority of these cooperatives are underperforming. The apartheid legacy has caused many of these cooperatives to be poorly developed or unsustainable. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges of lack of sustainability of art and craft cooperatives in Muyexe village of Mopani district in Limpopo Province. For this purpose, eight art and craft cooperatives were used as a survey. The study used mixed research methods to collect both qualitative and quantitave data. Data was gathered from eight (8) art and craft cooperatives in Muyexe village. The cooperatives where data was collected are Progress, Tsakane, Rirhandzu, Hitekani, Vutivi, Tiyimeleni, Vuyeriwani and Pfuka Muyexe art and craft cooperatives. . Data collection was done through structured questionnaires and interviews. Secondary data was gathered through extensive literature review. The population of the study is eight art and craft cooperatives comprised of 88 members. 60 respondents represented all the eight cooperatives. Two groups of respondents participated in this study. The first group was composed of cooperatives members (n=50) and the second group of respondents were the cooperatives board of directors (n=10). The findings revealed some of the factors that cause unsustainability of cooperatives in the area of the study. These factors are lack of good corporate governance practices, inadequate developmental programmes, lack of experience in managing cooperatives, lack of coflict management, lack of ownership and others. To enhance the sustainability of cooperatives the research recommends that the policy makers and agencies should be encouraged to develop enough developmental programmes that will enhance the sustainability of cooperatives in the area of the study.

The study of Chinese economic and social problems requires that certain fundamental Chinese conditions be kept constantly in mind by the Western student, lest he attempt to analyze from the contemporary economic and social viewpoints of his own country. Accomplishments and plans must both be considered in relation to what has gone before and what is within the realm of possibility under given conditions, rather than by comparison with accomplishments and plans in other countries where the basic situation is entirely different. The object of this paper is to place cooperatives in relation to the to the reconstruction as a whole, and to estimate the extent to which cooperatives are an effective instrument of economic reconstruction. As the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party has been the governing power in China since 1928, this study of necessity a description of cooperatives as a phase of reconstruction under the Kuomintang.