<p>This study gives a brief introductory account of cooperatives with regard to their <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">history and existence, particularly in South Africa. The research report focuses on <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">two case studies, where the organisational structures and business operations will <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">be examined and compared. Finally the report will draw lessons to indicate the <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">possible social and economic viability of these cooperatives and their place in rural development. Based on the findings and conclusions, a number of r<font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">ecommendations are made on cooperatives in the rural sector.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

This thesis consists of a summary and four papers. The first two papers address political economy and indus-trial organization aspects of agricultural policy, and the last two international aspects of environmental policy. Paper [I] explains Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies to farmers by the influence of farmer interest-groups with an EU-wide membership. The analysis is based on panel-data for fifteen commodities over the period 1986-2003. Because the CAP is set as an overall EU policy, effective lobbying presents a collective ac-tion problem to the farmers in the EU as a whole. Indicators of lobbying, which are based on this perception, are found to explain part of the variation in agricultural support. In Paper [II], the Bresnahan-Lau framework is used to analyze whether policy reforms, i.e. the two-price sys-tem (an input quota, 1986-1991) and a general deregulation of dairy policy (1991-1994) had any market power effects on the Swedish butter market. The results show that the null hypothesis of no market power cannot be rejected, for any of the specific policy reforms, at any reasonable significance level. Paper [III] concerns the welfare consequences of environmental policy cooperation. It is assumed that coun-tries finance their public expenditures by using distortionary taxes, and that they differ with respect to compe-tition in the labor market. It is shown how the welfare effect of an increase in the expenditures on abatement depends on changes in the environmental damage, employment and work hours. The welfare effect is also related to the strategic interaction among the countries in the prereform equilibrium. In Paper [IV] environmental policy in an economic federation, where each national government faces a mixed tax problem, is addressed. It is assumed that the federal government sets emission targets, which are imple-mented at the national level. It is also assumed that the economic federation is decentralized. The results high-light a strategic role of income and commodity taxation, i.e. each country uses its policy instruments, at least in part, to influence the emission target.

This master thesis analyses the housing cooperative´s capability to manageknowledge in order to improve its performances and create innovation. It is based on the analysis of elite interviews concerning the latest ten years of two Swedish housing cooperatives (bostadsrättsförenigar), which are Brf Grantorpand Brf Kullen that, because of their almost identical properties, made acomparison possible. Absorptive Capacity, which refers to the organization´s ability to identify, assimilate and apply knowledge in its specific context and Knowledge Management, which refers to the organization´s knowledge management activities, provided the basis for the theoretical framework. The empirical data show that, within the organizations, the main sources of knowledge are the Board members: when internal expertise knowledge is present then innovation takes place. Lack of policies in recruiting Board members means that innovation coming from within the organizations is always fortuitous, and depends on the individuals´ previous expertise knowledge. Even if the two years mandate constitutes a constrain in investing in knowledge development, it has been revealed that providing the Board members with a general knowledge in the housing cooperatives´ all-day activities constitutes a solid precondition to capture new opportunities: Brf Kullen acts in a more proactive way and actively identifies opportunities in the environment. Whilst Brf Grantorp does suffer the lack of basic knowledge and acts in a more passive way, waiting for someone else bringing in from the outside. However, both the organizations suffer the lack of explicit knowledge management policies. This is very noticeable when it comes to codification and storage: what is provided is essentially of tacit nature, and blanks out over and over again because it still remains in the members´ heads and it leaves when they leave the Board. Hence, both the organizations´ ability to exploit and transfer knowledge suffers lack of efficiency. Furthermore, even if they offer both formal and informal manners in order to share ideas between Board members, the activities are subject to each Board member´s commitment and time.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / he greatest challenge that the City of Tshwane is facing lies in achieving the target growth rate set by ASGISA (Accelerated Shared and Growth Initiative), the latter being a national initiative, by enabling communities to become active participants within the growing economy. One of the enablers that were identified by the Municipality was co-operatives. The successful implementation of the co-operative model within the City of Tshwane will depend on the correct guidance provided by the Municipality to the co-operatives as opposed to dictating the terms of business to the members. These findings will be based in best practice models as found world-wide. The primary objective of this dissertation is to research the legal impact of the Co-operatives Act of 2005 on the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality's Co-operative Strategy as a vehicle for local economic development.

Tyrimo objektas: žemės ūkio kooperatyvai. Tyrimo dalykas: kooperacijos plėtros centras Darbo tikslas: išnagrinėjus žemės ūkio kooperaciją užsienio valstybėse ir atsižvelgus į Lietuvos žemės ūkio kooperacijos padėtį, pasiūlyti kooperacijos plėtros centro modelį. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. įvertinti žemės ūkio kooperacijos padėtį užsienio valstybėse; 2. atskleisti kooperacijos padėtį Lietuvoje; 3. pateikti galimą kooperacijos plėtros centro modelį Tyrimo metodai: mokslinės literatūros analizė, loginė analizė bei sintezė, anketinė apklausa, grafinio vaizdavimo, duomenų analizė (naudojant SPSS 8.0 for Windows programą). Išanalizuota žemės ūkio kooperacijos padėtis užsienio valstybėse. Įvertinta žemės ūkio kooperacijos priemoni���� sistema Lietuvoje. Pateikiamas kooperacijos plėtros centro modelis užtikrinantis kooperacijos plėtrą Lietuvoje. / Research object: agricultural cooperatives. Research subject: the center of cooperation development. Research purpose: to create model of cooperation development center after exploring cooperation abroad and valuing agricultural cooperation situation in Lithuania. Research tasks: 1. to explore cooperation situation in agriculture abroad. 2. to value situation of agricultural cooperation in Lithuania. 3. to create model of cooperation development center. Research methods: monographic, graphic, observation, analysis of literary sources, form interview, data analysis with SPSS 8.0 computer program. Was made the analysis of cooperation situation of agriculture abroad. Valuation of agricultural cooperation in Lithuania. Analysis of the agricultural cooperatives in Lithuania. The creation of cooperation development model.

<p>This study gives a brief introductory account of cooperatives with regard to their <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">history and existence, particularly in South Africa. The research report focuses on <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">two case studies, where the organisational structures and business operations will <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">be examined and compared. Finally the report will draw lessons to indicate the <font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">possible social and economic viability of these cooperatives and their place in rural development. Based on the findings and conclusions, a number of r<font size="3" face="Times New Roman"><font size="3" face="Times New Roman">ecommendations are made on cooperatives in the rural sector.</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p> <p>&nbsp / </p>

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.

Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced through recovery and recycling of resources from the municipal solid waste stream. In São Paulo, Brazil, recycling cooperatives play a crucial role in providing recycling services including collection, separation, cleaning, stocking and collective sale of recyclable resources. The present research attempts to measure the greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved by the Cooperpires recycling cooperative, as well as highlight its socio-economic benefits. Methods include participant observation, structured interview, a questionnaire, and greenhouse gas accounting of recycling using a Clean Development Mechanism methodology. The results afford an exploration of the opportunity for Cooperpires and other similar recycling cooperatives to participate in the carbon credit market. / Graduate

O presente trabalho se propôs a fazer uma análise do espaço físico e dos resultados obtidos de cinco unidades de triagem, localizadas em diferentes municípios da região metropolitana do Rio de Janeiro: a Coopcarmo, em Mesquita; a Recooperar São Gonçalo, em São Gonçalo; a Recooperar Itaboraí, em Itaboraí; a Usina de Triagem e Reciclagem, no Rio de Janeiro; e a Coleta Seletiva de São Francisco, em Niterói. Destas, somente a Coleta Seletiva de São Francisco não é cooperativa. Exceto a Usina de Triagem e Reciclagem, todas foram criadas antes da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos. Com base nas informações obtidas por cada unidade de triagem, foram estabelecidos quatro indicadores - produtividade por funcionário, produção por m2 de área útil, produção por m2 de área total de terreno e produtividade ao mês por número de funcionário por área útil com o objetivo de se fazer uma avaliação comparativa entre as unidades visitadas. Pelos indicadores apresentados, observou-se que a Usina de Triagem e Reciclagem apresentou a melhor produtividade por funcionário e a maior produção por m2 de área útil. Também se verificou que, apesar da Coleta Seletiva de São Francisco possuir a menor área e o menor número de funcionários, apresenta a maior produtividade por mês por número de funcionários por área útil, revelando que uma grande área de cooperativa e ou uma alta quantidade de funcionários não são fatores que contribuem para uma alta produtividade da unidade de triagem. A análise da logística de cada unidade de triagem indicou que há uma sequência de etapas nas atividades de produção das unidades de triagem e que a localização espacial de cada atividade deveria seguir a sequência das mesmas etapas. Elaboraram-se propostas para adaptação do espaço físico de cada uma, visando a um novo reordenamento, tendo como objetivo menor desgaste em deslocamentos e maior produtividade. / This work is proposed to make an analysis of the physical space and the results of five screening units located in different municipalities of the metropolitan region of Rio de Janeiro: the Coopcarmo in Mesquita, the Recooperar São Gonçalo, São Gonçalo, the Recooperar Itaboraí in Itaboraí, the Plant Screening and Recycling in Rio de Janeiro, and the Selective Collection of San Francisco, in Niterói. The only one of which is not cooperative. Except Plant Screening and Recycling, all of them were created before the National Policy on Solid Waste. Based on the information obtained by each triage unit four indicators were established - productivity per worker, output per m2 of floor area, output per m2of total area of land productivity and the number of months per employee per floor area - in order to make a comparative evaluation of the visited units. From the indicators presented, it was observed that the Plant Screening and Recycling presented the best productivity per employee and higher production per m2 of floor area. It was also observed that despite thesmallest area and the number of employees the Selective Collection of San Francisco has the highest productivity per month per number of employees per area, revealing that a large area of cooperative, or a high number of employees there are factors that contribute to high productivity of triage unit. The logistic analysis of each sorting unit indicated that there is a sequence of steps in production activities of sorting units and the spatial location of each activity should follow the same sequence of steps. Proposals were drawn up for adapting the physical space of each, with a view to a new reorganization, aimed at less wear offsets and greater productivity.

CAPES / As consequências advindas do modelo de modernização econômica geraram desequilíbrios socioambientais, tendo como resultado a exclusão e o isolamento social, reflexos percebidos no setor agrícola. Ao se estudar as organizações sociais, tende-se a ver como elas mantêm seus processos de cooperação frente a toda uma sociedade constituída pela valorização do individualismo e da competição. O objetivo geral para esta pesquisa foi, analisar a dinâmica organizacional do Grupo Agroecológico Herança Viva do município de Chapecó, Santa Catarina, a fim de identificar as fortalezas e ameaças e colaborar, desta forma, para elaboração de estratégias de ação para a sua sustentabilidade. O grupo escolhido baseia-se nos princípios da agroecologia para condução dos seus sistemas de produção agrícola, evitando o uso de agroquímicos, comprovada através da utilização da certificação participativa do selo da Rede Ecovida, sendo os produtos comercializados principalmente nas feiras-livres do município de Chapecó. Para cumprir tal proposta foram consultadas as atas das reuniões e aplicação de questionários com os produtores, para avaliar as dinâmicas de cooperação entre seus membros, através do entendimento do seu capital social e da análise redes sociais (ARS). Para ampliar o estudo sobre o grupo e de seus integrantes foi adotada a opção metodológica da Pesquisa-ação, onde foram desenvolvidas atividades para identificar pontos fortes e fracos e colaborar com a sua reestruturação organizativa, tendo como resultado a construção, realizada pelos agricultores familiares, dos princípios norteadores do Grupo Herança Viva que vão colaborar para as tomadas de decisão e o fortalecimento da sua identidade. A pesquisa também trouxe como o grupo está inserido na Transição Social Agroecológica, pois, a mudança do paradigma atual não está inserida apenas no modelo alternativo de produção, porém na forma de organização dos atores sociais e seu protagonismo no processo de comercialização dos seus produtos, na discussão do cenário das cadeias produtivas alimentares. / The consequences resulting from economic modernization model generated social and environmental imbalances, resulting in the exclusion and social isolation, perceived consequences in the agricultural sector. When studying social organizations, tends to see how they keep their forward cooperation processes all a company incorporated by the appreciation of individualism and competition. The overall objective for this research was to analyze the organizational dynamics of Agroecology Group Heritage Viva Chapecó, Santa Catarina, in order to identify the strengths and threats and collaborate in this way for preparation of action strategies for sustainability. The selected group is based on the principles of agroecology for the conduct of their agricultural production systems, avoiding the use of agrochemicals, proven through the use of participatory certification seal Ecovida Network, and the products sold mainly in street fairs in the city of chapecó. To fulfill such a proposal were consulted the minutes of meetings and questionnaires with farmers to assess the dynamics of cooperation among its members, through the understanding of their social capital and social network analysis (SNA). To extend the study of the group and its members was adopted methodological approach of action research where activities were developed to identify strengths and weaknesses and contribute to its organizational restructuring, resulting in the construction, carried out by farmers, the guiding principles of the Living Heritage Group will contribute to the decision-making and strengthen their identity. The survey also brought the group is inserted in the Social Transition Agroecology therefore change the current paradigm is not inserted only in the alternative model of production, but in the form of organization of social actors and their role in the marketing process of their products, in discussing the scenario of food supply chains.