The study of retail and consumption geographies has become increasingly popular areas of research in the broader discipline of geography over the last decade. Research has covered many aspects of retailing structure and practice, including retailing formats, shopping patterns and consumer identities. However, consumer co-operatives and their members as of yet have not been studied in geography, which is interesting given their considerable presence in the retailing environment. The success of consumer co-operatives in the retailing landscape hinges on the loyalty and economic participation of their members. Their loyalty in the co-operative may in turn be influenced by their identification with the organization. This can pose both challenges and opportunities for co-operatives to succeed in the face of strong retailing competition. <p>This research is thus an attempt to examine the membership identities of co-operative members, and how this influences their consumer behaviour. To this end, self-administered questionnaires were distributed among members and non-members who patronized the Calgary Co-operative Association. They were asked about aspects of the consumer behaviour, shopping preferences, and identification with the co-operative. It was found that overall, members and non-members did not differ in their consumer behaviour. They traveled the same distances, showed the same levels of shopping loyalty at the Co-op, and had the same preferences for the ideal shopping environment. The greater difference however, lay within the membership. When members were disaggregated based on their levels of identification with the Co-op, it was found that members who more highly identified with the Co-op exhibited more loyal shopping behaviour with the Co-op, and those that had a lesser identification with the Co-op exhibited lower shopping loyalty to the Co-op. This has implications for further research on consumer identities with different retailing formats, co-operatives in other areas, and further adds to the growing body of research in geographies of retailing and consumption and co-operative studies.

The study of retail and consumption geographies has become increasingly popular areas of research in the broader discipline of geography over the last decade. Research has covered many aspects of retailing structure and practice, including retailing formats, shopping patterns and consumer identities. However, consumer co-operatives and their members as of yet have not been studied in geography, which is interesting given their considerable presence in the retailing environment. The success of consumer co-operatives in the retailing landscape hinges on the loyalty and economic participation of their members. Their loyalty in the co-operative may in turn be influenced by their identification with the organization. This can pose both challenges and opportunities for co-operatives to succeed in the face of strong retailing competition. <p>This research is thus an attempt to examine the membership identities of co-operative members, and how this influences their consumer behaviour. To this end, self-administered questionnaires were distributed among members and non-members who patronized the Calgary Co-operative Association. They were asked about aspects of the consumer behaviour, shopping preferences, and identification with the co-operative. It was found that overall, members and non-members did not differ in their consumer behaviour. They traveled the same distances, showed the same levels of shopping loyalty at the Co-op, and had the same preferences for the ideal shopping environment. The greater difference however, lay within the membership. When members were disaggregated based on their levels of identification with the Co-op, it was found that members who more highly identified with the Co-op exhibited more loyal shopping behaviour with the Co-op, and those that had a lesser identification with the Co-op exhibited lower shopping loyalty to the Co-op. This has implications for further research on consumer identities with different retailing formats, co-operatives in other areas, and further adds to the growing body of research in geographies of retailing and consumption and co-operative studies.

It is important that Queensland horticultural producers develop export capacity. Production is increasing and Australia has a relatively small domestic market. Export also provides a means to diversify as a risk management strategy and to arrest the income decline from existing markets. This research provides Queensland horticultural producers with a practical example of how the principles of supply chain management and relationship marketing may be applied to successfully access a new export market – the Japanese consumer co-operatives. The thesis examines the theories of relationship marketing and supply chain management and proposes that these constructs provide a suitable format for the development of trading relationships between Queensland producers and Japanese consumer co-operatives. Based on surveys of the co-operatives, the thesis outlines the specific philosophical and operational issues for the co-operatives which impact on their use of imported fruit and vegetables, and identifies direct supply from producers to consumers (sanchoku) as a potential strategy for gaining market entry. Key success factors are developed from the survey data and applied to a case study of a Queensland asparagus company and a mid-sized Japanese co-operative. The development of the business relationship and supply chain is chronicled for the case study firms. The dissertation concludes with observations from the case study and the co-operative survey, providing valuable insights into the strategies required by Queensland firms to build lasting relationships and profitable supply chains into Japanese consumer co-operatives.

From the Wold of Business to the World of Planned Distribution A Look into the Development of Czech Consumer Cooperatives: 1945 - 1956 (Ústí nad Labem Region) The dissertation deals with changes in the content, forms and roles of the Czech consumer co- operatives in the years 1945 - 1956. This issue is a theme in four surveyed areas (territorially - organizational structure, the role of co-operatives in the Czechoslovak economy, relations with the Communist Party, economic activity of co-operatives). These are prerequisites of the transformation of consumer cooperatives from autonomous business entities in the subordinate sections of the state-organized distribution. The dissertation analyzes this transformation in its various stages and puts it into a broader context of Sovietisation, creation of a system of centrally planned economy and the economic, social and political development of Czechoslovakia during the researched period. Keywords: economic history, co-operatives, consumer co-operatives, Sovietisation, centrally planned economy, 1945-1956