MSCAGR / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / Agricultural cooperatives have been generally promoted as a vehicle for smallholder agricultural development in South Africa. As a result, agricultural co-operative registrations in South Africa are increasing. However, research suggests that South African co-operatives have generally not been effective, successful and functional. The study determined factors affecting proper functioning of smallholder agricultural cooperatives in Lepelle Nkumpi Municipality. Simple random sampling method was used to select a sample of 140 active cooperative members from 13 registered agricultural cooperatives. A list of agricultural cooperatives was obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Limpopo Province to facilitate the process. Primary data was collected using designed questionnaires and secondary data was collected from journal articles, internet and other recorded data. All questionnaires were handed out during face to face interviews held with participants. Discriminant analysis was used to analyse the data. The model was used to identify different factors which might have positive or negative effects on the functioning of agricultural cooperatives. The discriminant analysis results revealed that functional smallholder agricultural cooperatives were characterized by high level of training of members; interaction with other stakeholder and satisfaction with the training and assistance received. On the other hand Dysfunctional smallholder agricultural cooperative were characterized by high age group, low level of meeting attendance, large cooperative size, dissatisfaction of assistance and training received and high number of females. The weighting coefficients of the standardized canonical discriminant coefficients of the independent variables showed that variables that discriminated between functional and dysfunctional cooperatives were: cooperative size (-0.852), interaction vi    with stakeholders to improve the level of skill (0.579), satisfaction with assistance provided (0.516), number of females in cooperative (-0.455), years in existence of cooperative (0.452), members participation in decision making (0.407) and age group (0.446). The finding obtained in this study could be quite useful to policy makers. This study recommended that government should intensify effort on cooperative training, extension service and assistance to support functioning of agricultural cooperatives in the study area. Cooperative members should also participate in decision making and attend cooperative meetings to acquire more agricultural information

Over the past decade, concerns regarding food safety and access to and control over food have become widespread in South Korea and are often associated with concerns over the global agri-food system. Large consumer cooperatives that have memberships that can exceed 800,000 members have emerged as a popular and effective way of addressing these concerns. Yet, these important alternatives to the global agri-food system have received little attention by researchers and policymakers alike. This study investigated attitudes towards an ongoing agricultural and rural crisis and food concerns for consumers and farmers in South Korea. Further, the roles of consumer cooperatives in addressing this crisis and as an alternative to the global food system were documented. Surveys were conducted with 412 conventional consumers and 452 consumers that were members of consumer cooperatives as well as 166 conventional farmers, and 118 farmers that grow food for these cooperatives. In addition, 11 Korean food experts that reflect a wide diversity of stakeholder interests including government, NGO, universities and farmers were also interviewed. Korean consumers identified that freshness was the most important factor when they purchase foods, followed by food safety and price. It seemed that the global agri-food system is unlikely to address these consumer concerns. Public rallies that raised concerns about the import of beef from the US reflected widespread public resistance to agricultural globalization and the pursuit of economic liberalization by the Korean government. Participants perceived that government policies neglected domestic agriculture and were the primary cause of low rate of food self-sufficiency in Korea. Both conventional farmers and member farmers strongly opposed policies that promote industrial economic growth at the expense of local farmers and food systems. Farmers in this study were generally highly critical of the global agri-food system, especially those that were relatively young and well educated. Member farmers benefitted from their relationships with consumer cooperatives, and earned an 11-30% premium compared to farmers that sell their products to large retail markets. Korean consumer cooperatives represent an important frame for building alternative food systems and for promoting cooperation between consumers and farmers into the future. / February 2016

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research report is a case study of a rural agricultural cooperative bank, the People’s National Cooperative Bank (NPCB). The NPCB has its foundations in the early 1900s and today operates 37 branches across the island of Jamaica. Notwithstanding its history, the NPCB has continued to suffer from issues related to overall profitability and therefore has undergone various transformations and amalgamations of branches over the years. This study involves a comparative analysis of branch performance based on branch-specific financial data. Best and worst practice banks are identified along with their key characteristics in order to pinpoint areas of operations that may benefit from improvement. It is suggested that the variance in the level of efficiency with which resources are employed and incomes earned are factors which affect the level of performance of individual branches. The findings of the research indicate large variations in branch expenses, incomes and lending rates and suggest the need for further examination of branches on a case-by-case basis in order to better facilitate improvements in their respective levels of efficiency.

While the movement for fair trading practices in the world market dates back to the 1940s, the labeling and certification initiative “Fairtrade” has existed for about 25 years. My thesis is based on independent research I conducted in November 2013 in La Convención Valley, Peru. Through in-depth interviews with fifteen small farmers and several cooperative officials at La Central de Cooperativas Agrarias Cafetaleras (COCLA), I examine the discrepancies between what Fairtrade’s claims and what farmers themselves perceive to be the benefits and failures of the certification system. I argue that while in theory farmers receive a competitive price for their Fairtrade coffee, in reality this price is subject to many deductions at the cooperative level such that many certified farmers express little understanding of their role in Fairtrade. Additionally, claims of corruption within the cooperative point to deeply entrenched local hierarchies of power. Comparing La Convencion’s history of exploitative feudal systems to present-day complaints of farmers – that the majority of money remains in the hands of cooperative officials, who limit farmers’ access to important market information and flaunt a higher quality of life – suggests that Fairtrade is actually reproducing harmful conditions of the past. I conclude that Fairtrade certification fails to empower farmers to escape local hierarchies of power and the exploitative conditions of the capitalist neoliberal world market. Making global trade truly fair requires an emphasis on an alternative international economic world order that holds consumers more accountable and places more value on the lives and experiences of producers.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze legislative regulation of the transfers of the ownership of the cooperative apartments. The reason for my research is, because I consider this topic to be hot, relevant and still developing, moreover with new Czech private law legislation, which is coming into force on 1st January 2014. This thesis composes of four chapters, each of them dealing with different aspects of transfers of ownerships of cooperative apartments. Chapter one is introductory and defines basic terminology important for understanding this thesis. It is subdivided into for subsections. First subsection introduce cooperative company, it`s principles and more. Second subsection investigates housing cooperatives as special type of cooperatives, it`s legal base and special forms. Third subsection deals with definition of apartment and the last subsection with cooperative apartments. Second chapter in this thesis is addresses issue of comparison of ownership, rent or cooperative rent, deals with every regime and finds out cons and pros of each one of them. Third chapter is the main one, which illustrates types of transfers of the ownership of the cooperative apartments, which are possible in Czech law. It also deals with procedure of transfer itself and introduces special conditions in certain...

This thesis is focused on mergers. Includes modulation concepts mergers, acquisitions and business combinations, breakdown of the mergers and possible motives for the merger. It also deals with legislation which are enshrined in the law on transformation of companies and cooperatives. A significant part is given the accounting and tax issues in connection with the merger. The crux of the work is carried out analysis of the merger in 2010.

Problemdiskussion: Bostadsrättsföreningars höga skuldsättning har diskuterats frekvent i diverse medier senaste åren och en räntehöjning kan påverka föreningens medlemmar avsevärt. Köparnas kunskapsbrist och oförmåga att avläsa en årsredovisning på ett korrekt sätt kan innebära problem för föreningens samtliga intressenter. Bankerna är den intressent som utför professionella ekonomiska analyser av bostadsrättsföreningarna och bör således ha mest kunskap kring ämnet.   Problemformulering: Hur analyserar banker bostadsrättsföreningar och dess årsredovisning i samband med kreditförfrågan och finns det några problem med årsredovisningens nuvarande utformning?  Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och öka förståelsen om hur bostadsrättsföreningar och dess årsredovisning analyseras av banker vid kreditförfrågan. Studien avser att undersöka, jämföra och utvärdera teori med empiri för att hitta eventuella mönster, likheter och skillnader mellan bankernas tillvägagångssätt.  Metod: Att med syftet som utgångspunkt och genom användandet av en kvalitativ metod uppnå en djupare förståelse inom ämnet. En fallstudie har valts som forskningsstrategi för att undersöka olika bankers arbetssätt.  Slutsatser: Bankerna anser att det finns problem med utformningen av årsredovisningen för bostadsrättsföreningar, där det största problemet rör föreningens avskrivningar. Att bostadsrättsföreningarna presenterar väldigt varierande underhållsplaner är också problematiskt. Fortsättningsvis fastslås att revisorn inte har någon stor roll i kreditprocessen och att val av K-regelverk inte spelar någon roll för bankens arbete. Endast två av fem banker anser att föreningens representant kan påverka kreditbeslutet. Nyckeltalet soliditet fastslås som icke användbart samtidigt som belåningsgrad pekas ut som dess ersättare, och är tillsammans med räntetålighet de viktigaste nyckeltalen. / Problem Description: The high level of indebtedness of housing cooperatives has been discussed frequently in various media in recent years and an interest rate increase can significantly affect the cooperatives members. The buyers' lack of knowledge and the inability to correctly evaluate an annual report can lead to problems for the housing cooperatives all stakeholders. The banks are the only stakeholder who performs professional economic analyzes of the housing cooperatives and should therefore have the most knowledge about the subject. Research Question: How do banks analyze housing cooperatives and its annual report in connection with the credit inquiry and are there any problems with the current format of the annual report? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe and increase the understanding of how housing cooperatives and its annual report are analyzed by banks when requesting credit. The study intends to investigate, compare and evaluate theory with empirical evidence to find possible patterns, similarities and differences between banks' approaches. Methodology: To achieve a deeper understanding of the subject a qualitative method was used. A case study has been chosen as a research strategy to investigate the way different banks work with Housing Cooperatives. Conclusions:The banks consider that there are problems with the design of the annual report for housing cooperatives, where the biggest problem concerns the depreciation. The fact that the cooperative housing present very varied maintenance plans is also problematic. Further on, it is stated that the auditor has no major role in the credit process and that the choice of “K-regelverk” does not play a role in the bank's work. Only two out of five banks believe that the housing cooperative’s representative can influence the credit decision. The key ratio solvency is determined as not useful, while the loan-to-value ratio is pointed out as its replacement, and together with interest-rate tolerance they are the most important key figures.

Cette thèse porte sur le travail dans les Société Coopératives et Participatives (SCOP). A travers l’étude de ce modèle, est proposée une analyse approfondie des inégalités au travail dans les entreprises par le biais de la structure salariale et de la répartition des coûts d’ajustement de l’activité. La thèse est divisée en quatre chapitres. Le premier chapitre compare la distribution des salaires dans les SCOP et dans les entreprises classiques (EC), en estimant des équations de salaires à partir de la base de données DADS. Le deuxième chapitre vient compléter le premier en proposant une analyse détaillée du discours des agents (à l’aide de 53 entretiens réalisés dans 38 SCOP de la région Rhône-Alpes) permettant d’identifier les principes de justice à l’œuvre dans la détermination des structures salariales mises en évidence dans le premier chapitre. Le troisième chapitre propose une analyse économétrique de l’adaptation différenciée des SCOP et des EC aux chocs de demande, par les ajustements de l’emploi, des salaires et des heures travaillées. Le quatrième chapitre explore la possibilité d’une diversité importante parmi les SCOP, notamment dans l’accès au sociétariat, qui pourrait avoir un impact sur les ajustements de l’emploi. La contribution de cette thèse au débat économique peut être résumée en trois points. Premièrement il s’agit de la première grande analyse quantitative comparative des SCOP et EC concernant l’emploi et ses caractéristiques. Deuxièmement l’enquête qualitative sur laquelle nous nous appuyons, réalisée en collaboration avec des collègues de l’Université de Grenoble est également unique puisque c’est la première enquête qualitative de cette ampleur. Son exploitation permet donc une analyse du discours des membres des SCOP qui n’avait pas été réalisé auparavant. Enfin, notre positionnement se veut également original, mobilisant des approches habituellement mises en opposition en les faisant réellement discuter autour d’un objet dont la compréhension s’en trouve enrichie. / This thesis focuses on French Cooperative and Participative firms (SCOP). Through the observation of this model, it offers an extensive analysis of inequality at work within firms, concentrating on wage inequality and sharing of adjustment costs.The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter compares wage distribution in SCOPs and conventional firms (CFs) by estimating wage equations based on the DADS dataset. The second chapter offers a detailed analysis of 53 workers’ interviews, conducted in 38 SCOPs in the Rhône-Alpes region. The principles of justice at work in the determination of the wage structures described in chapter one are identified. The third chapter is an econometric comparison of adjustments to demand shocks in SCOPs and CFs, involving employment flexibility as well as hour and wage flexibility. The fourth chapter explores the diversity among SCOPs, especially in access to membership and its consequences on employment adjustments.The contribution of this thesis to the debate in economics can be summarised with three points. Firstly it is the first large comparative quantitative analysis of SCOPs and CFs regarding employment and its characteristics. Secondly, the qualitative survey we use, produced with colleagues from Grenoble University, is also unique in terms of size and content. Its exploitation makes the analysis of workers’ rhetoric on equality possible. Finally, our method is original: we adopt approaches that are usually opposed and use them in unison to enrich the understanding of our subject.

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi identificar os principais indicadores econômico-financeiros que devem ser considerados no acompanhamento do desempenho das cooperativas agropecuárias. Para tanto, foram analisados 172 demonstrativos financeiros de cooperativas agropecuárias paulistas, dos quais 22 não dispunham de todos os dados necessários, sendo portanto, excluídas, restando 150 observações. As cooperativas apresentam dupla dimensão: a social e a econômica. Estudos comprovaram que, em cooperativas agropecuárias, o desempenho social é uma conseqüência do desempenho econômico. Diante disso, optou-se por avaliar o desempenho dessas entidades utilizando-se de indicadores econômico-financeiros. Para tanto, foi empregada a ferramenta estatística Análise Fatorial, o que permitiu verificar o nível de correlação entre os diversos indicadores, bem como a possibilidade de agrupá-los em fatores. Como pré-requisitos à aplicação desta ferramenta foram utilizados os testes de esfericidade de Bartlett e o teste KMO. Por meio dos testes, comprovou-se adequado uso da ferramenta, porém objetivando melhorar o nível de significância do modelo foram retiradas da análise as variáveis que individualmente apresentavam um baixo nível de relacionamento com as demais, verificando-se melhor nível de adequação do uso da ferramenta. A partir do resultado obtido conclui-se pela existência de quatro fatores centrais formados por nove principais indicadores. Finalmente, por meio das cargas fatoriais obtidas para cada uma das observações, foi possível analisar individualmente três cooperativas e comparar a metodologia empregada neste estudo com a metodologia tradicional, verificando haver coerência entre ambas. Conclui-se que o uso da Análise Fatorial, em relação às cooperativas agropecuárias, proporciona uma maior objetividade na escolha dos principais indicadores, o estabelecimento de um número menor de índices, a avaliação simultânea de vários indicadores, a criação de novos índices que englobam o conteúdo informacional dos indicadores tradicionalmente empregados e a classificação e comparação do desempenho das cooperativas agropecuárias de forma objetiva. / The purpose of this study was to identify the main economic and financial indicators which should be considered to monitor the agricultural cooperatives\' management. It has been analyzed 172 financial statements of agricultural cooperatives from São Paulo state. 22 of them did not present all requested data, remaining 150 observations for the assessment. The cooperatives have two dimensions: the social and economic. Studies have shown that, in agricultural cooperatives, the social performance is a consequence of the economic performance. Therefore, it was chosen to evaluate the performance of these entities by using economic and financial indicators. Applying the Factor Analysis statistical technique it was possible to find out the level of correlation among several indicators, as well as to group them into factors. As a prerequisite for its implementation it was used Bartlett\'s tests and KMO test, proving that the use of the technique was appropriated. However, in order to improve the significance level of the model, some variables which had shown a weak correlation to the other variables were removed, resulting in better outcomes after the application of the technique. It has been found four main factors by combining nine indicators. Finally, through the factorial loadings obtained for each observation, three cooperatives were analysed, and the methodology employed here is compared to the traditional methodology, looking for the existence of some coherence. It follows that the use of the factorial analysis, for agricultural cooperatives, allows less subjectivity in the choice of the key indicators, establishment of a smaller number of indexes, evaluation of multiple indicators, creation of new indexes to cover the informational content of traditional indicators and thus classification and comparison of the agricultural cooperatives´ performance.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar a relação entre a riqueza criada e o desempenho econômico-financeiro das cooperativas agropecuárias no Brasil. As cooperativas são organizações econômicas intermediárias, que prestam serviços aos associados, satisfazendo suas necessidades econômicas particulares. O fato é que além das sobras, que pode ser uma estratégia das cooperativas a partir dos interesses dos associados, as cooperativas também prestam serviços, como assistência técnica, orientação, compra de insumos/produtos, comercialização, agregando valor e gerando riqueza aos associados. Assim, avaliar os resultados de uma cooperativa e o seu desempenho da mesma forma com que uma empresa, cuja finalidade é a maximização do lucro, é avaliada pode não ser o mais adequado. Identificou-se, então, a necessidade de buscar outra maneira que possa contribuir na mensuração dos resultados das cooperativas. A riqueza criada é uma maneira de avaliar o desempenho econômico e social de uma organização e, é evidenciada na Demonstração do Valor Adicionado. Para tanto, identificou-se a relação entre o valor adicionado produzido pela cooperativa e os índices econômico-financeiros relevantes na avaliação de desempenho das cooperativas agropecuárias, por meio do método estatístico de regressão de dados em painel, considerando 34 cooperativas agropecuárias brasileiras durante 5 anos consecutivos e, realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma cooperativa agropecuária da amostra a fim de identificar qual é o valor agregado produzido pela cooperativa e qual a sua estratégia de distribuição do valor adicionado ao produtor rural associado. Os resultados evidenciam que há variáveis de tamanho, rentabilidade e network inseridas no modelo que contribuem para explicar a riqueza gerada pelas cooperativas da amostra. A variável venda líquida, utilizada como proxy para tamanho, a margem de vendas, utilizada como proxy para rentabilidade e o fato da cooperativa participar de uma cooperativa central, proxy para network são significativas e estão relacionadas positivamente com a riqueza criada. / This research aims to identify the relationship between the value added and the financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in Brazil. Cooperatives are economic intermediary organizations that provide services to members, satisfying their particular economic needs. The fact is that besides the leftovers, which can be a strategy of cooperatives based on the interests of the members, the cooperatives also provide services such as technical assistance, guidance, purchase of inputs/products, marketing, adding value and generating value to members. Thus, evaluating the results of a cooperative and its performance in the same way that a company whose purpose is profit maximization, is valued may not be the most appropriate. Then, we identified the need to find another way to contribute to the measurement of the results of cooperatives. The value added is a way to evaluate the economic and social performance of an organization and is shown in the Value Added Statement. For this, we identified the relationship between the added value produced by the cooperative and the relevant economic and financial indicators in assessing the performance of agricultural cooperatives, using the statistical method of panel data regression considering 34 Brazilian agricultural cooperatives during five years consecutive and performed a case study in an agricultural cooperative of the sample in order to identify what is the value added produced by the cooperative and what is its distribution strategy of value added to the associated farmers. The results show that there are varying size, profitability and inserted into the network model that can contribute to the value added by the cooperatives of the sample. Net sales variable, used as a proxy for size, sales margin, used as a proxy for profitability and the fact that the cooperative part of a central cooperative proxy for network are significant and are positively related to value added.