Sverige står inför en stor omställning inom energisektorn. Det finns mål om mycket mer förnybar energi som kräver mer kraftanläggningar de kommande åren. Men redan nu har många anläggningar för förnybar kraft kommit till. En del i det har varit de kooperativa energiföretagen som detta arbetet kommer fördjupa sig inom. Mer specifikt kommer det att undersökas vad medlemmar i kooperativen får ut ekonomiskt av sina medlemskap. Detta sker genom att primärt undersöka avkastningen på eget kapital. Mer forskning om kooperation är också efterfrågat av såväl företagsledare som akademin, som båda anser att kooperationen är negligerad inom forskningen. 39 ekonomiska föreningar inom energibranschen ingick i denna studien. Begränsning skedde till dem som är registrerade som arbetsgivare. Föreningarnas avkastning på eget kapital har tagits fram som helhet och vidare undersöks faktorer som påverkar avkastningen. Faktorerna har tagit fram med hjälp av resursbaserad teori och kan vara egenskaper hos företag eller vissa bolagstyper. En kvantitativ metod har använts där främst hypotesprövning har använts. Undersökningen kom fram till några faktorer som påverkar avkastningen och ett par faktorer som inte riktigt klarar kraven som våra metoder kräver, men som är nära att göra det. Medlemsengagemang som resurs ökar avkastningen på eget kapital och minskar personalkostnaderna. Engagemanget minskar dock desto större kooperativet blir. Vindkraftskooperativ är vidare mer lönsamma ju äldre kraftverk dem har. I övrigt kan noteras att signifikanta resultat är nära för att elhandelsföretag och fjärrvärmeproducenter är mer lönsamma än övriga kooperativa energiföretag med personal. / Sweden is approaching a major change within its energy sector. There are goals for renewable energy that requires the construction of more facilities Although, a lot of facilities for renewable energy have already been constructed. Which the cooperative energy companies have been a part of, which this paper will focus on. More specifically, this paper will examine their members' financial gains from their memberships. This has been conducted primarily by looking at return on equity. More studies about cooperatives is requested by both corporate leaders and academics who both agree that cooperatives are neglected in research. 39 cooperatives from the energy sector were included in this study. The study was limited to those who were registered as employers. The cooperative companies return on equity was calculated as a whole and thereafter the factors which had an effect on it were examined. The factors were picked with the help of a resource based view and could for example be a company's properties or type of company. A quantitative method has been used with hypothesis testing. This paper concludes that some factors affect the return on equity and two other factors were on the verge of affecting it, but did not pass the requirements that our methods demanded. The members' engagement as a resource increases both the return on equity and decreases personnel costs. However, the engagement becomes lower the larger the cooperative becomes. Moreover, the windpower cooperatives had higher returns the older their plants were. Also, we noticed that companies within electricity trading and district heating are close to receiving significant levels regarding their companies being more profitable than the other cooperative energy companies who were registered as employers.

This study incorporated a community based assessment with a focus on community based tourism in Kalache and Hulgol, India. Kalache and Hulgol are two agrarian based communities located in the environmentally significant region of the Western Ghats. Each of these communities has considered community based tourism as a means to reduce urban youth outmigration, to diversify economic resources, and to encourage the empowerment of women. The primary goals of this study were to understand the community issues and objectives, to determine the level of support for tourism development, to determine participant attitudes toward tourism, and to determine the obstacles to tourism development. The findings of this project address the complexity of operating in the tourism industry, the impacts of tourism, and the use of community based tourism models in support of sustainable tourism.

No description available.

Thesis (MAgricAdmin )--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African wine industry has gone through a difficult period of having to undergo major changes, most markedly in respect of its economic structure and institutional framework over the last twelve years. The reintroduction of the wine industry to the world markets has brought wide-ranging opportunities, as reflected by the increase in the number of exports. However, such a reintroduction has also brought pressure to bear in terms of both local and international competitiveness. The increased pressure on the industry has resulted in serious effects on the wine producers concerned, both in terms of meeting the international standards and in terms of having to cope with sophisticated consumer needs. The current study assesses to what degree, if any, membership characteristics impact on wine cooperatives in South Africa. The central question to be addressed is whether the characteristics of members who are involved in the governance structures of wine cooperatives impact on the manner in which cooperative governance is pursued. To address the research question stated above, the study used a list of wine cooperatives obtained from Wines Cellars South Africa (WCSA), which captured the relevant data relating to all the existing wine cooperatives in 2006. From the list, 46 wine cooperatives were randomly selected. Representatives of some of the cooperatives were sent questionnaires by email, with the representatives of other cooperative being personally interviewed. A qualitative analysis, making use of the Likert Scale method, was performed. The analysis made use of 16 belief statements to determine the degree of belief held in such statements, in order to ascertain the general degree of understanding regarding those membership characteristics that could potentially influence wine cooperative governance. A quantitative analysis was performed, using Statistica Version 8 to ascertain the possible relations between certain factors (variables). Of the 16 variables which were selected for the analysis, only 8 variables showed positive and significant relations. The results obtained in the study showed a high degree of investment-related incentive problems (caused by conflicts of interest, due to the different returns acquired by the members and their diverse risk profiles), as well as a high degree of decision-related incentive problems (caused by the influence of education, occupation and experience on the decision-making process). The study also attempted to ascertain the general perception of collective action approach in the wine industry. The assessment revealed that sentiments relating to the collective action approach in the wine industry still exist. The results of the quantitative analysis showed the relations existing between eight different variables to be influential factors in relation to the decision-making process. Furthermore, the study used New Institutional Economics of property rights and agency theories to confirm the agency dilemmas existing within the wine cooperatives. Such theories, together with their possible effects on the pursuit of cooperative governance, are addressed towards the end of the study. Generally, the study shows that differences in membership characteristics can lead to different levels of member expectations, resulting in steering the organisation in different directions during the decision-making process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf het ’n moeilike tydperk van grootskaalse veranderinge oor die afgelope twaalf jaar beleef, soos waarneembaar uit die veranderinge in sy ekonomiese struktuur sowel as institusionele raamwerke. Die hertoetrede van die bedryf tot die wêreldmark het uitstekende geleenthede in terme van uitvoere gebring, maar dit het ook druk op die bedryf geplaas om meer mededingend te wees plaaslik en internasionaal. Die toenemende druk op die bedryf het ernstige gevolge vir wynprodusente beide in terme van die voldoening aan internasionale standaarde en om aan gesofistikeerde verbruikersbehoeftes te voorsien. Hierdie studie ondersoek die impak van ledeeienskappe van wynkoöperasies. Die vraag is of die eienskappe van die lede van die koöperasies se bestuurstruktuur ’n invloed het op die wyse waarop die koöperasie bestuur word. Om hierdie navorsingsvraag aan te spreek, het die studie ’n lys van wynkoöperasies van Wynkelders Suid Afrika (WKSA) gebruik, wat al die bestaande wynkoöperasies in 2006 gelys het. Ses en veertig wynkoöperasies is ewekansig gekies. Vraelyste is per epos gestuur en persoonlike onderhoude is met ander gevoer. ’n Kwalitatiewe analise is gevolg deur die gebruik van ’n Likertskaal metode wat bestaan het uit sestien stellings om te bepaal hoe sterk sekere opinies gehuldig word. Sodoende kon ’n algemene indruk verkry word van die lideienskappe wat potensieel die bestuur van die koöperasie kon beïnvloed. ’n Kwantitatiewe analise is ook gedoen deur die gebruik van Statistica 8 om die moontlike verhoudings tussen sekere faktore of veranderlikes te bepaal. Sestien veranderlikes is gekies vir hierdie analise en slegs agt veranderlikes het positiewe en betekenisvolle verhoudings getoon. Resultate toon baie beleggingsverwante motiveringsprobleme (wat veroorsaak word deur konflikterende belange as gevolg van verskillende opbrengste verkry deur lede en hul diverse risikoprofiele) en besluitnemingsverwante motiveringsprobleme (veroorsaak deur die invloed van opleiding, betrekking en ervaring in die besluitnemingsproses). Die studie het ook probeer om die algemene persepsie van die koöperatiewe benadering in die wynbedryf te bepaal. Die assessering wys dat sentiment oor die koöperatiewe benadering die wynindustrie steeds bestaan. Die resultate van die kwantitatiewe analise het verhoudings getoon tussen agt veranderlikes as invloedryke veranderlikes tot die besluitnemingsproses Verder het die studie die ‘New Institutional Economics’ van eiendomsreg gebruik en agentskap teorieë om die dilemmas van agentskappe binne die wynkoöperasies te bevestig. Hierdie dilemmas word aan die einde van die studie aangespreek tesame met hul moontlike effek op die uitoefening van koöperatiewe bestuur. Oor die algemeen wys die studie dat verskille in lede eienskappe kan lei tot verskillende vlakke van lede verwagtings en daarom, die stuur van die organisasie in ’n ander rigting gedurende die besluitnemingsproses.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis sets out to explore housing co-operatives as an alternative housing delivery mechanism in South Africa. This is done by critically examining the housing policy post 1994, as well as the various mechanisms government implemented in an attempt to manage the service delivery within the housing sector. The thesis also explores the role that co-operatives played in South Africa’s history and draws some historical comparisons in relation to the establishment of housing co-operatives internationally and locally. In exploring the various types of housing co-operatives, insights emerge about their structure, potential and limitations. The thesis examines the themes of public service delivery and explores possible alternatives to the failing traditional model of public service delivery. The thesis focuses on the experiences and perceptions that South Africans have with regards to local government process in housing service delivery. The thesis concludes that local government should play an active role in creating more collaborative partnerships; one that focuses on training and facilitating the efforts of civil society to establish entities such as housing cooperatives. This requires a fundamental shift in the manner in which local government approaches service delivery in the housing sector. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis het ten doel behuisings kooperatiewe te verken as ’n alternatiewe behuisingsmeganisme in Suid-Afrika. Dit is gedoen deur n kritiese ondersoek van die behuisingsbeleid na 1994, sowel as die verskeie meganismes wat die regering probeer implementeer het in ’n poging om die dienslewering binne die behuisingsektor te beheer. Die tesis ondersoek die rol wat koöperatiewe gespeel het in Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis en het ’n historiese vergelyking gemaak met betrekking tot die stigting van behuisingskoöperatiewe op internasionale sowel as op plaaslike vlak. In die tesis van die verskillende tiepe behuising koöperasies het sekere ideas na vore gekom ten opsigte van hul struktuur, potensiaal en beperkinge. Die tesis ondersoek die temas van publieke dienslewering en het ook na die alternatiewe gekyk ten opsigte van publieke dienslewering. Die tesis fokus op die ervarings en persepsies van Suid- Afrikaners met betrekking tot die plaaslike regering se proses van behuisings dienslewering. Die tesis word afgesluit met voorstelle waarin plaaslike regering 'n aktiewe rol speel in die skepping van meer samewerkende vennootskappe, een wat fokus op die opleiding en die fasilitering waarin pogings van die burgerlike samelewing entiteite tot stand bring soos byvoorbeeld behuising koöperasies. Dit vereis ’n fundamentele verandering in die wyse waarop plaaslike regering dienslewering benader in die behuisingsektor.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africans earning less than Rl 440 per month (18 million adults) and less than R2 880 per month (29 million adults) are regarded as poor and relatively poor respectively. Of the relatively poor, 78% are unbanked, i.e. do not have access to a formal bank account, while 86% of the poor are unbanked. These figures show clearly that commercial banks do not meet the financial needs of many people, especially the poor for savings, credit, transmission and insurance services. Therefore the importance of those institutions that do not form part of the formal financial sector and provide micro savings and micro credit services, generally referred to as micro finance, to the poor at the local level on a sustainable basis. The objective of this research is twofold. Firstly, a review of the literature on micro finance in general to establish the financial needs of the poor, the constraints formal financial institutions face in providing micro financial services and to identify best practice regarding the provision of financial services to the poor in order to be in the position to form an opinion on institutional success. Secondly, to analyse a specific South African micro finance initiative, Financial Services Cooperatives (FSCs), to identify how FSCs relate to the international best practice and to establish whether they are successful in addressing the financial needs of the poor. A FSC is a financial institution through which micro finance services (savings, credit, transmission and insurance) are extended to unbanked households in a rural village. It utilises a community's rules, customs, relationships, knowledge, solidarity and resources combined with formal financial methods and concepts. The FSC is initiated, owned, financed and managed by the villagers themselves. FSCs are registered cooperatives under the Cooperative Act of 1981 and may accept deposits from their members in terms of an exemption from the Bank Act of 1990. Currently, FSCs experience problems in providing credit, transmission and insurance services, preventing them from intermediating between borrowers and savers. After reviewing the above-mentioned international best practice the conclusion reached with regard to FSCs includes the following: FSCs only provide savings services and therefore do not intermediate between borrowers and savers as required for a financial institution. This in tum prevents them from being sustainable. FSCs' failure can be ascribed to the restrictive legislation, unsuccessful regulation and supervision. New legislation is currently under review that will change the landscape for micro finance and specifically for FSCs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrikaners wat minder as Rl 440 per maand (18 miljoen volwassenes) en minder as R2 880 per maand verdien (29 miljoen volwassenes) word onderskeidelik as arm and relatief arm bestempel. Agt-en-sewentig persent van dié wat relatief arm is, het nie toegang tot 'n formele bankrekening nie, terwyl 86% van dié wat arm is, geen toegang het nie. Hierdie syfers toon duidelik dat kommersiële banke nie aan die finansiële behoeftes, met betrekking tot spaar-, krediet-, transmissie- en versekeringsdienste van baie mense voldoen nie, veral nie die armes nie. Daarom dat instellings wat nie deel vorm van die formele finansiële sektor nie en mikrobesparings en mikro-krediet, algemeen bekend as mikro-finansies, in 'n plaaslike gebied en op 'n volhoubare basis verleen, belangrik is. Die doel van hierdie navorsing is tweeledig: Eerstens, bied dit 'n oorsig oor die mikro-finansiering literatuur ten einde die finansiële behoeftes van die armes te ondersoek en die beperkings wat formele finansiële instellings ondervind om mikro-finansiële dienste te verskaf, aan te stip. Beste praktyk rakende die voorsiening van finansiële dienste aan die armes word geïdentifiseer, om sodoende in 'n posisie te wees om 'n opinie te kan vorm oor institusionele suksesfaktore. Tweedens, om a spesifieke Suid-Afrikaanse mikro-finansiële inisiatief, Finanical Services Cooperatives (FSCs) te ondersoek, ten einde vas te stel hoe hierdie inisiatief vergelyk met internasionale beste praktyk en hoe suksesvol dit is in die voorsiening van finansiële dienste aan die armes. 'n FSC is 'n finansiële instelling waardeur mikro-finansiële dienste (spaar-, krediet-, transmissie- en versekeringsdienste) verskaf word aan diegene in 'n plattelandse nedersetting wat nie toegang tot formele bankdienste het me. FSCs maak gebruik van 'n gemeenskap se reëls, gebruike, verhoudings, kennis, solidariteit en hulpbronne en kombineer dit met formele finansiële metodes en konsepte. Dit is 'n inisiatief van die gemeenskap en word deur die inwoners van die nedersetting besit, finansier en bestuur. FSCs is geregistreerde koëperasies in terme van die Ko-operatiewe Wet van 1981, en mag ook deposito's van hulle lede aanvaar op grand van 'n vrystelling van die Bankwet van 1990. Tans ondervind FSCs probleme in die verskaffing van krediet-, transmissieen versekeringsdienste wat hulle verhoed om as tussenganger tussen leners en spaarders op te tree. Na die oorweging van die internasionale beste-praktyk, kan die volgende gevolgtrekking rakende FSCs gemaak word: FSCs tree nie op as tussenganger tussen leners en spaarders nie, soos vereis word van 'n finansiële instelling nie. Dit beperk gevolglik volhoubaarheid. Die mislukking kan toegeskryf word aan beperkte wetgewing, onsuksesvolle regulering en supervisie. Nuwe wetgewing is tans onder oorweging wat die landskap vir mikro finansiering en veral vir FSCs sal verander.

Quel rôle les entreprises doivent-elles jouer dans la société ? Dans le premier chapitre, nous critiquons l’idée selon laquelle les entreprises ont des responsabilités sociales au-delà de la loi : elles n’ont ni les capacités ni la légitimité démocratique d’agir au nom du bien commun. Elles doivent se contenter d’assumer leur rôle économique en respectant la loi. Cependant, celui-ci inclut la distribution des richesses. Le deuxième chapitre présente trois intuitions issues de la pensée économique classique. Celles-ci permettent de justifier une distribution égalitaire des revenus du travail. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous montrons que les entreprises ont un rôle important dans la coordination des activités économiques et doivent être des institutions clés dans l’instauration d’une distribution plus égalitaire des revenus. Pour promouvoir cet objectif distributif, il faut repenser la propriété, la régulation et le design institutionnel des entreprises. Il faut par exemple favoriser les coopératives et la démocratie d’entreprise. / What role should firms play in modern economies ? In the first chapter, I criticize the idea that firms have broad social responsibilities beyond the law : they have neither the capacity nor the democratic legitimacy to act on behalf of the common good. They must therefore stick to their economic role. However, when defining this economic role, one should include distributive considerations. The second chapter exposes three intuitions of classical economists. These provide the basis to justify an equal distribution of labour income. In the third chapter, I show that firms play an important role in coordinating economic activities, and should be key institutions in establishing a fairer distribution of labour income. In order to promote this distributive goal, one must rethink the ownership and institutional design of firms. For example, the regulation should promote cooperative ownership and workplace democracy.

1 Abstract The subject of this work is to monitor a certain section changes the rule of law, regulating the organization and functioning of agriculture in the transition from one mode to another mode and period of stabilization. The work deals with the normative regulation of the Czechoslovak and Czech agriculture in the period of collectivized application form and the second part of the transition period in Czechoslovak and Czech agriculture on the market form. Collectivization and the actual development of the Czechoslovak socialized agriculture is defined as the years 1949-1990, transformation, or rather de- collectivization and the further development of the market, first Czechoslovak and later Czech agriculture, is dated from 1990 almost until today, and this work deals with the investigation of the legislation referred to by 2004, until the accession of the Czech Republic into the European Union. Since 2004 legislation has already ceased to be exclusively a matter of the state and must be adapted to European Union law, as well as the functioning of the market economic conditions of agriculture are modified implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. Collectivization and de-collectivization in this work is conceived in terms of cooperative forms, the specific issue of state...

A presente pesquisa de mestrado teve o objetivo de analisar o modelo socialista de agricultura coletiva proposto pelo Movimento dos Sem-Terras (MST) por meio das cooperativas de produção agropecuárias (CPAs) e suas contradições. A idéia era compreender em que medida a coletivização do trabalho agrícola fortalece a luta pela resistência na terra. Com essa finalidade a pesquisa foi proposta aos cooperados da Copava (Cooperativa de Produção Agropecuária Vó Aparecida), fundada em 20 de novembro de 1993, na agrovila III do assentamento Pirituba, situada no município de Itaberá, sudoeste do Estado de São Paulo. Nas CPAs a terra, o trabalho e a renda são administrados coletivamente pelos próprios cooperados. Apesar de a CPA ser um empreendimento de tipo empresarial, é radicalmente diferente de uma empresa capitalista, pois não há extração de mais-valia. A divisão da renda é feita conforme o número de horas trabalhadas de cada um após serem pagas ou amortizadas as dívidas com a produção e gastos em investimentos para ampliação da estrutura da cooperativa. A Copava foi fundada por 27 famílias, totalizando 46 sócios, e ocupando uma área de 189 alqueires de terra. A corrente teórico-metodológica marxista-leninista é a que fundamenta esse modelo de CPA, sendo que as contradições encontradas decorrem da oposição entre a visão socialista e a visão camponesa de uso da terra. Através da CPA, a Copava tem conseguido garantir ao longo do ano o abastecimento de pão, leite, arroz e feijão para todos os cooperados. Porém, uma contradição fundamental desse modelo é que o aumento da produtividade possibilitado pela CPA, não reflete necessariamente a um aumento da renda em dinheiro para o cooperado, devido aos altos custos de manutenção e ampliação da infra-estrutura da cooperativa, a dificuldade de comercialização dos produtos, e a falta de crédito e financiamento governamental que acaba obrigando a cooperativa a fechar contratos com empresas capitalistas, que se apropriam da renda gerada pelos cooperados. / This masters research aimed to analyze the model of socialist agriculture conference proposed by the Movement of Landless Peasants (MST) by means of agricultural production cooperatives (CPAs) and its contradictions. The idea was to understand the extent to which the collectivization of the agricultural work strengthens the fight for land resistance. With this purpose the research was proposed to the Copava cooperative (Cooperative Agricultural Production Vó Aparecida), founded on November 20, 1993, in the settlement Pirituba, agrovila III, located in Itaberá, southwest of São Paulo. CPAs in the land, work and income are managed collectively by the cooperative members themselves. Although the CPA is a venture-type business, is radically different from a venture capitalist, because there is no extraction of surplus value. The division of income is made according to the number of hours worked each after being paid or written off debts with the production and investment spending to expand the cooperative structure. The Copava was founded by 27 families, totaling 46 members, covering an area of 189 acres of land. The current theoretical and methodological Marxist-Leninist ideology that underlies this is the CPA model, and found the contradictions arising from the contrast between the socialist vision and the vision of peasant land use. Through the CPA, Copava has managed to ensure year round supply of bread, milk, rice and beans for all members. However, a fundamental contradiction of this model is that the increased productivity made possible by the CPA, does not necessarily reflect an increase in cash income for the cooperative because of the high costs of maintaining and expanding the infrastructure of the cooperative, the difficulty of marketing products, and lack of credit and government funding that ends up requiring the cooperative to close contracts with capitalist enterprises that take on much of the income generated by the associates.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral descrever o tipo de trabalho oferecido por duas Cooperativas de Trabalho Associado à luz do conceito de Trabalho Decente postulado pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho. Com este intuito, se buscou descrever o conceito de flexibilidade na produção, as modalidades que esta apresenta, bem como a precarização das condições no trabalho que gera. Posteriormente, se apresenta o cooperativismo, e em especial as Cooperativas de Trabalho Associado CTAs- como alternativa para contrabalancear a flexibilização do mercado de trabalho. Na seqüência, se expõe o conceito de Trabalho Decente como ferramenta que permite identificar a existência de precariedade no trabalho, e seu instrumento para a análise do nível micro. Os dados desta pesquisa foram coletados e sistematizados sob a ótica do Trabalho Decente, cuja diretriz se fundamenta nos sete tipos de segurança indicados pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho. A investigação teve como eixo principal o estudo de caso de duas cooperativas de Trabalho Associado nas cidades de Medellín Colômbia- e São Paulo Brasil. Foi uma investigação de tipo descritiva, com dados coletados por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica e aplicação da Pesquisa de Segurança das Pessoas ESP. Com relação ao tipo de trabalho exercido em ambas as cooperativas analisadas, dada a heterogeneidade dos resultados, conclui-se pela impossibilidade de se afirmar de maneira categórica de tratar-se de Trabalho Decente ou Precário, sendo necessária uma conclusão específica para cada um dos tipos de segurança. / The general objective of this research is to describe the sort of work offered by two associated work cooperatives under the concept of Decent Labor proposed by the International Labor Organization. With this intention, we want to describe de concept of flexibility in production and the existing modalities to the cooperativism, especially the Associated Labor Cooperatives -ALC- as an alternative for balancing the flexibilization of the labor market. Therefore, the concept of labor is presented as a tool that helps us to identify the existence of precariousness in the work and as an instrument for analysis at the micro level. The collected data was processed and presented under the perspective of decent labor, whose guideline is based on the seven types of safety identified by the International Labor Organization. The core of this research was the study case of two Associated Work Cooperatives in the cities of Medellin, Colombia, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a descriptive investigation with data collected through Bibliographic research and application of the People\'s Security Survey -PSS-. Regarding type of labor in both of the analyzed cooperatives, and given the heterogeneity of the results, we conclude the impossibility to affirm categorically whether it is a decent or precarious work, since is necessary a specific conclusion for each kind of security.