This thesis deals with credit unions in the Czech Republic. The work describes historical development and current situation of the credit unions. Trend of recent years is compared with the situation in the bank sector. Two representatives of credit unions -- AKCENTA and Moravský peněžní ústav -- are analyzed closer. There is also a comparison of competitiveness in current and saving account between two mentioned credit unions and two banks -- Česká spořitelna and mBank.

O modelo de cooperativas de catadores de resíduos sólidos tem sido aquele utilizado pelo poder público, em suas políticas, no escopo de aliar coleta seletiva manejo sustentável dos resíduos sólidos urbanos com a inclusão social destes catadores. A análise da trajetória de cooperativas de catadores brasileiras aponta também para experiências bem sucedidas oriundas da ação dos próprios catadores unidos a outros atores da sociedade civil, que não aqueles ligados diretamente ao poder público. Face aos modelos formais impostos às cooperativas de catadores, especialmente dentro dos requisitos necessários à formalização de convênios com prefeituras municipais, resta pertinente a dúvida de que, em que medida, tal convênio tem trazido reais benesses aos cooperados conveniados e, àqueles que não firmaram tal convênio, quais benefícios são obtidos pela observância do modelo cooperativista, independente da atuação do poder público. Com o objetivo de verificar tal situação, foi traçado inicialmente um panorama histórico das experiências de catadores, passando por uma abordagem jurídicoinstitucional do modelo cooperativista. Após, mediante aplicação de indicadores que buscaram medir a capacidade inclusiva de duas cooperativas paulistas uma parceira da Prefeitura de São Paulo, a Cooperação, e a outra, a Cooperglicério, que não goza de tal convênio -, buscou -se inferir a realidade institucional e dos membros de cada uma das cooperativas, com enfoque nas diferenças proporcionadas pela existência do convênio formal com o poder público. Ao final, concluiu-se que a existência de convênio com o Poder Público garante aos cooperados conveniados melhorias efetivas que trazem em seu bojo a possibilidade real de inclusão social. No entanto, o pleno desenvolvimento cooperativista com a consequente inclusão social, factual, plena encontra grande óbice na ausência de capacitação dos cooperados em relação aos princípios e modelos cooperativistas, em face da disseminação da ideia de cooperativas de fachada, ou por problemas de capacitação na gestão do empreendimento cooperativista. Finalmente, conclui-se pela necessidade de novos estudos que possam aprofundar a questão abordada nesta dissertação, com o escopo de fornecer maiores subsídios à atuação estatal nas parcerias com as cooperativas / The model of solid-waste pickers co-operatives has been used by the government, through its policies, with the purpose of combining selective waste collection sustainable management of urban solid waste with social inclusion for those waste pickers. Analysis of the paths taken by these co-operatives in Brazil points to well-succeeded experiences sprung forth by the actions of those pickers in association with other players in society, which are not directly linked to the government. In spite of formal models imposed on pickers co-operatives, especially within the requirements to formalize partnerships with municipal governments, there remains a relevant question, concerning the extension of real benefits brought to the partnerships co-operative and its members; and how this cooperative model can also benefit those who have not partaken of such agreement, regardless of the government\'s actions. With the goal of assessing that reality, a historical overview was laid out on the pickers\' experience, through a legal-institutional approach of the cooperative model. By applying indicators that sought to measure the potential for inclusion of two co-operatives in the city of São Paulo one, the Cooperação, a partner of the Municipality of São Paulo, and the other, Cooperglicério, which does not have such an agreement an attempt was made at profiling each institution as well as its members, with an emphasis on the existence or absence of a formal agreement with the government. Then, the existence of a partnership with the government is argued for as yielding actual benefits to the endorsed co-operatives opportunities that bring about social inclusion. Nonetheless, full development of the co-operative model resulting in factual, indelible social inclusion finds in the lack of training in co-operative principles and models, by the working members, one of its greatest obstacles, due to the spreading of the idea of fake cooperatives, or to problems related to training in co-operative management within the organization. Finally, a concluding evaluation asks, on necessity, for further studies which may deepen in and branch out the subject addressed in this work, with a goal at providing better criteria and guidelines to government action in its partnerships with cooperatives

O modelo de cooperativas de catadores de resíduos sólidos tem sido aquele utilizado pelo poder público, em suas políticas, no escopo de aliar coleta seletiva manejo sustentável dos resíduos sólidos urbanos com a inclusão social destes catadores. A análise da trajetória de cooperativas de catadores brasileiras aponta também para experiências bem sucedidas oriundas da ação dos próprios catadores unidos a outros atores da sociedade civil, que não aqueles ligados diretamente ao poder público. Face aos modelos formais impostos às cooperativas de catadores, especialmente dentro dos requisitos necessários à formalização de convênios com prefeituras municipais, resta pertinente a dúvida de que, em que medida, tal convênio tem trazido reais benesses aos cooperados conveniados e, àqueles que não firmaram tal convênio, quais benefícios são obtidos pela observância do modelo cooperativista, independente da atuação do poder público. Com o objetivo de verificar tal situação, foi traçado inicialmente um panorama histórico das experiências de catadores, passando por uma abordagem jurídicoinstitucional do modelo cooperativista. Após, mediante aplicação de indicadores que buscaram medir a capacidade inclusiva de duas cooperativas paulistas uma parceira da Prefeitura de São Paulo, a Cooperação, e a outra, a Cooperglicério, que não goza de tal convênio -, buscou -se inferir a realidade institucional e dos membros de cada uma das cooperativas, com enfoque nas diferenças proporcionadas pela existência do convênio formal com o poder público. Ao final, concluiu-se que a existência de convênio com o Poder Público garante aos cooperados conveniados melhorias efetivas que trazem em seu bojo a possibilidade real de inclusão social. No entanto, o pleno desenvolvimento cooperativista com a consequente inclusão social, factual, plena encontra grande óbice na ausência de capacitação dos cooperados em relação aos princípios e modelos cooperativistas, em face da disseminação da ideia de cooperativas de fachada, ou por problemas de capacitação na gestão do empreendimento cooperativista. Finalmente, conclui-se pela necessidade de novos estudos que possam aprofundar a questão abordada nesta dissertação, com o escopo de fornecer maiores subsídios à atuação estatal nas parcerias com as cooperativas / The model of solid-waste pickers co-operatives has been used by the government, through its policies, with the purpose of combining selective waste collection sustainable management of urban solid waste with social inclusion for those waste pickers. Analysis of the paths taken by these co-operatives in Brazil points to well-succeeded experiences sprung forth by the actions of those pickers in association with other players in society, which are not directly linked to the government. In spite of formal models imposed on pickers co-operatives, especially within the requirements to formalize partnerships with municipal governments, there remains a relevant question, concerning the extension of real benefits brought to the partnerships co-operative and its members; and how this cooperative model can also benefit those who have not partaken of such agreement, regardless of the government\'s actions. With the goal of assessing that reality, a historical overview was laid out on the pickers\' experience, through a legal-institutional approach of the cooperative model. By applying indicators that sought to measure the potential for inclusion of two co-operatives in the city of São Paulo one, the Cooperação, a partner of the Municipality of São Paulo, and the other, Cooperglicério, which does not have such an agreement an attempt was made at profiling each institution as well as its members, with an emphasis on the existence or absence of a formal agreement with the government. Then, the existence of a partnership with the government is argued for as yielding actual benefits to the endorsed co-operatives opportunities that bring about social inclusion. Nonetheless, full development of the co-operative model resulting in factual, indelible social inclusion finds in the lack of training in co-operative principles and models, by the working members, one of its greatest obstacles, due to the spreading of the idea of fake cooperatives, or to problems related to training in co-operative management within the organization. Finally, a concluding evaluation asks, on necessity, for further studies which may deepen in and branch out the subject addressed in this work, with a goal at providing better criteria and guidelines to government action in its partnerships with cooperatives

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of the North, 2004 / Refer to document

Medlemsägda företag utgör en betydande del av svenskt och internationellt näringsliv. Många av dessa företag genomgår i dessa dagar djupgående strategiska förändringar, som fusioner, bolagiseringar och alliansbyggande. Denna avhandling analyserar hur denna typ av omdaningsprocesser hanteras av ägare och företagsledningar. För att effektivt kunna organisera förändringsarbetet krävs ökad kunskap om företagsformens särdrag. Det unika består bland annat i en månghövdad krets av ägare som har både ekonomiska och idébaserade mål för sitt engagemang. Boken bygger på två fallstudier av kooperativa livsmedelsföretag: samgåendet mellan mejeriföreningarna i Dalarna, Hälsingland och Värmland samt fusioner och allianser inom Lantmännen. Ingående analyseras tre huvudmodeller för förändringsarbete: ägarmonolog, VD-monolog samt dialog. I detta sammanhang klargörs behovet av att utveckla ett brobygge mellan nyttjarintressen och affärslogik. Därigenom kan förhållandet mellan ägare och ledning organiseras i en tydlig form – en infrastruktur. Avhandlingen avslutas med en diskussion om hur företagsformens särart påverkar utfallet av de strategiska förändringsprocesserna. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 1994

<p>The co-operative as an economic and social institution has long been recognized for its contribution to economic development as well as its positive effect on local communities. However, over the last decade or so substantial structural changes in the agricultural sector have undermined some of the most prominent North American co-operatives. In some cases, co-ops asked for bankruptcy protection, others ceased operations while some were transformed to for-profit firms. The present study offers three essays that explore the challenges that co-operatives are facing in terms of their relationship with their members in local markets, the decision-making process of their leaders and the co-ops' role in the modern economy.</p> <p>These first two essays are linked by the fact that they both develop models that are about cognitions. Examining cognition offers some new insights to understanding the process behind the decline of agricultural co-ops. In the first essay the model examines consumers' cognitions, while the model in the second essay examines management's cognitions. The essays differ on the agent's ability to change the perceptions that result from those cognitions. Essay One assumes that consumers' perceptions are partially flexible and thus can change over time with some cost; on the other hand, essay Two assumes that beliefs are inflexible due to the high cost of changing them.</p> <p>Essay One examines the relationship between a co-operative and its membership in a local market using an economic psychological approach. More specifically, the essay presents a modified rational-choice model to investigate how cognitive dissonance can influence members' loyalty. The effect of cognitive dissonance is analyzed in a case where a local co-operative operates alongside with an investor-owned firm (IOF) in a market. The model illustrates how cognitive dissonance can give rise to switching costs for those consumers who wish to switch to the IOF. Analytical results demonstrate the effect of these switching costs on equilibrium market shares and discuss how a drop in the dissonance cost because of managerial decisions by the co-op can result in dramatic drops in its market share.</p> <p>Essay Two illustrates how management's mental frame can be incorporated into an economic model and develops a theoretical underpinning for the link between a strong mental frame and the financial difficulties that a firm might experience. The case of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool with its Project Horizon plan is proposed as an example of a situation where the established mental frame gave rise to a belief regarding future member support that had a significant influence on the decision-making process of the co-op's CEO. The analysis includes a game theoretic model of a duopoly between a co-operative and an IOF, where mental framing is explicitly incorporated into the primitives of the model. Analytical results illustrate how the CEO's belief regarding member commitment can influence decision-making and therefore affect the market share and profits of the firm.</p> <p>Essay Three uses non-parametric econometric techniques to examine the stock price effect of a co-op's acquisition by a publicly-traded IOF. The potential for this study emerged as a result of the takeover of Dairyworld, a dairy co-op, by Saputo, a publicly-traded private corporation. The study uses the prediction-error approach to estimate Saputo's returns after the acquisition as a deviation from its expected returns. A non-parametric bootstrap technique simulates Saputo's stock returns and examines its behavior around the acquisition date. The empirical results are consistent with a number of hypotheses, including the pro-competitive role that co-operatives are believed to have in the economy. The essay also includes a comprehensive discussion regarding the greater financial value that co-ops have for IOFs.</p>

<p>The co-operative as an economic and social institution has long been recognized for its contribution to economic development as well as its positive effect on local communities. However, over the last decade or so substantial structural changes in the agricultural sector have undermined some of the most prominent North American co-operatives. In some cases, co-ops asked for bankruptcy protection, others ceased operations while some were transformed to for-profit firms. The present study offers three essays that explore the challenges that co-operatives are facing in terms of their relationship with their members in local markets, the decision-making process of their leaders and the co-ops' role in the modern economy.</p> <p>These first two essays are linked by the fact that they both develop models that are about cognitions. Examining cognition offers some new insights to understanding the process behind the decline of agricultural co-ops. In the first essay the model examines consumers' cognitions, while the model in the second essay examines management's cognitions. The essays differ on the agent's ability to change the perceptions that result from those cognitions. Essay One assumes that consumers' perceptions are partially flexible and thus can change over time with some cost; on the other hand, essay Two assumes that beliefs are inflexible due to the high cost of changing them.</p> <p>Essay One examines the relationship between a co-operative and its membership in a local market using an economic psychological approach. More specifically, the essay presents a modified rational-choice model to investigate how cognitive dissonance can influence members' loyalty. The effect of cognitive dissonance is analyzed in a case where a local co-operative operates alongside with an investor-owned firm (IOF) in a market. The model illustrates how cognitive dissonance can give rise to switching costs for those consumers who wish to switch to the IOF. Analytical results demonstrate the effect of these switching costs on equilibrium market shares and discuss how a drop in the dissonance cost because of managerial decisions by the co-op can result in dramatic drops in its market share.</p> <p>Essay Two illustrates how management's mental frame can be incorporated into an economic model and develops a theoretical underpinning for the link between a strong mental frame and the financial difficulties that a firm might experience. The case of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool with its Project Horizon plan is proposed as an example of a situation where the established mental frame gave rise to a belief regarding future member support that had a significant influence on the decision-making process of the co-op's CEO. The analysis includes a game theoretic model of a duopoly between a co-operative and an IOF, where mental framing is explicitly incorporated into the primitives of the model. Analytical results illustrate how the CEO's belief regarding member commitment can influence decision-making and therefore affect the market share and profits of the firm.</p> <p>Essay Three uses non-parametric econometric techniques to examine the stock price effect of a co-op's acquisition by a publicly-traded IOF. The potential for this study emerged as a result of the takeover of Dairyworld, a dairy co-op, by Saputo, a publicly-traded private corporation. The study uses the prediction-error approach to estimate Saputo's returns after the acquisition as a deviation from its expected returns. A non-parametric bootstrap technique simulates Saputo's stock returns and examines its behavior around the acquisition date. The empirical results are consistent with a number of hypotheses, including the pro-competitive role that co-operatives are believed to have in the economy. The essay also includes a comprehensive discussion regarding the greater financial value that co-ops have for IOFs.</p>

Co-operatives and housing co-operatives as main consideration of the dissertation are historically and philosophically developed institutions. Co-operative culture, although emerged in Britain during early phases of the industrial revolution, has been adapted by other countries within socialist, social democratic and even communist systems. In the contemporary era, housing co-operatives are still in existence and contribute housing production all over the world in every economic and political system. Institutional development of housing co-operatives in Turkey can be regarded as a process of adapting a Western institution and it shows how contextual differences result in changes in terms of ideology and implementation. In this respect, the thesis aims to evaluate Turkish housing co-operatives by putting forward their contextual differences. Housing co-operatives are non-governmental organizations and produce considerable amount of housing in Turkey. The dissertation regards housing co-operatives as a kind of collective action and discusses underlying factors of success of them with respect to collective action theories. Free riding, group size, critical mass, heterogeneity, network density and selective incentives are the factors obtained from the Theory of Free Rider and the Theory of Critical Mass and discussed regarding the Turkish co-operative development case to be tested via &ldquo / The Housing Co-operatives Interview Survey&rdquo / in istanbul and Ankara. The thesis&rsquo / findings provide that despite there might be expected effects of factors on success of housing co-operatives, these factors might be different due to the fact that they depends on desires of the critical mass / whether to act in favor of collective or individual benefits.

Stobbe, Mark Jacob, M.A. University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, February 2014. Public-Private Partnerships in Saskatchewan: A Tale of two Upgraders. Most of the literature dealing with public-private partnerships (P3s) examines the impact of private sector involvement in the provision of infrastructure or services normally provided by the public sector. This thesis uses the two case studies of the NewGrade Heavy Oil Upgrader and the Bi-Provincial Heavy Oil upgrader to examine the dynamics of P3s entered into by government in a market-driven, commercial sector for the purposes of promoting economic development. In the 1980’s, there was a political consensus in the Saskatchewan legislature that the province needed upgrading capacity to convert heavy crude oil into more marketable and valuable light synthetic crude and that the upgraders should be built through P3s. The result was the creation of the NewGrade and Bi-Provincial Upgraders. In the 1990’s, financial losses at both upgraders caused the Saskatchewan government to demand renegotiation of these partnerships. The thesis examines these partnerships in their initial negotiation, construction/operation and renegotiation in order to determine what environmental factors and internal dynamics contributed to the success or failure of the partnerships and the relations between the partners. The thesis argues that the upgraders successfully achieved their public policy objectives and gained the benefits of synergies arising from the differences between the public and private sector. However, the partnerships came under severe stress arising from a prolonged downturn in oil markets and the price of crude oil. The resulting financial losses caused the Saskatchewan government to seek a renegotiation of the terms of partnership. Despite this common cause of stress in the partnerships, the renegotiations of the agreements varied greatly. It is demonstrated that these differences arose from the financial structure of each partnership, the nature of the private sector partners and the number of partners involved in the project. The thesis provides some observations of potential value for governments and corporations considering entering partnerships for economic development projects. The differences between partners that can create synergistic benefits can also be the basis for the erosion of trust between the partners. The different financial tools used by government to participate in P3s can have significant impacts on both project viability and relationships between the partners.

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.