Search

Starting point of our analysis is that independent privately owned farm organisations in transition countries like Hungary can not countervail the market power of their business partners; therefore closer coordination (integration) of agricultural producers seems an appropriate solution. Apart from some theoretical considerations on co-operative rationale (based on New Institutional Economics), the main aim of the paper is presenting 2 case studies on producer owned marketing organisations from Hungarian agribusiness, one from the fruit and vegetable sector and the other one from the dairy chain. Conclusions from case studies are the followings. Such producers’ organisations, like the Mórakert Co-operative and Alföldi Milk Selling and Supplying Ltd. can be a solution for farmers to cope with their problems arising from incomplete pricing mechanisms and to reduce transaction costs, at least at the regional level. They also are good examples for the vertical integration based on the horizontal coordination of farmers as initiators. Despite recent liquidity problems, they also proves that by cooperation there is an opportunity to significantly improve their countervailing power and to establish ownership for farmers in the upper part of the food chain if they can secure strict quality requirements, solid financing, loyalty and trust in their organisations.

Ateityje stiprėjant konkurencijai, intensyvėjant globalizacijos procesams kooperatyvai susidurs su dar didesniais iššūkiais. Kooperatyvai skatinami jau dabar ieškoti kuo įvairesnių plėtros krypčių. Siekiant pagerinti pieno gamintojų konkurencingumą, reali galimybė pieno gamintojų kooperatyvams yra tobulinti supirkimo tinklą – supirkti žaliavinį pieną iš savo narių ir tiekti jį perdirbimo įmonėms. Diegiant tokią sistemą, būtina pritaikyti logistinę pieno surinkimo ir tiekimo perdirbimo įmonėms koncepciją. Įgyvendinus ją būtų pasiekta: užtikrintas pieno surinkimas iš kooperatyvo narių jiems patogiausiomis sąlygomis, įgyta kooperatyvo derybinė galią rinkoje, todėl gaunama geriausia rinkos kainą už pateiktą pieną, stiprės narių įsitraukimas į kooperatyvų veiklą. Šiame straipsnyje išnagrinėti žaliavinio pieno surinkimo ir jo tiekimo perdirbimo įmonėms logistikos sistemos pieno gamintojų kooperatyvuose įgyvendinimo ypatumai. Pateikta veiksmų eiliškumą, prielaidos ir etapai, kuriuos turi įvertinti ir įgyvendinti pieno gamintojų kooperatyvai, siekdami praktikoje įsisavinti žaliavinio pieno surinkimo iš narių ir jo tiekimo perdirbimo įmonėms logistikos sistemą. Būtent tokios logistikos sistemos įgyvendinimas sudarys galimybę kooperatyvams ir kooperatyvų nariams (pieno gamintojams) stiprinti konkurencingumą. Straipsnis parengtas pagal 2008 m. LR ŽŪM užsakomojo taikomojo tyrimo ataskaitą. The main purpose of the paper is to present important aspects for logistics system establishment for cooperatives of raw milk supply and distribution to processing factories. By implementing a purpose there were resolved such tasks: accomplished SWOT analysis of Lithuanian dairy sector, established macro-micro economical factors, influenced raw milk production and realization, analyzed important aspects for preparation of logistics system establishment for cooperatives of raw milk supply and distribution to processing factories.

I describe cooperative pharmacies in his thesis, as a type of vertical cooperation. I chose the Cooperative pharmacies, because of the difficult market situation of independent pharmacies,and their association in the Co-operative pharmaciy offered them certain advantages.

The number of operating wineries in the United States has doubled during the past decade. Most of this growth has been due to a large number of entrepreneurial landowners developing their own small acreage vineyards and trying to branch into winemaking. However, wineries are capital-intensive enterprises which require high initial investment and experience lagged cash flow associated with the time between the purchase of grapes and initial wine sales. Additionally, the availability of local grape production often limits the production capabilities of an entrepreneur’s small winery. As a result, some vineyard owners consider establishing co-operative wineries. This paper describes a feasibility assessment tool developed to assist vineyard owners in examining the potential for a co-operative winery and provides an example of how this tool can be used to examine a number of co-operative operating scenarios.

National audience; L'industrie séculaire du pisco chilien est aujourd'hui à la croisée des chemins. L'objectif de ce travail est de dresser un premier bilan des principaux déterminants de l'évolution et des enjeux existants au sein de l'industrie. Ainsi, nous nous intéressons à l'étude du potentiel de production, aux stratégies des entreprises-leaders et aux logiques de restructuration industrielle. Pour ce faire, nous nous appuyons sur un ensemble d'entretiens exploratoires semi-structurés. En conclusion, nous identifions les principaux défis à relever par l'industrie.

Yhteisötalous ­ taloutta ihmiseltä ihmiselle HL Niina Immosen väitöskirja Yhteisötalous Suomessa ­ sisäpiirin slangia vai uutta yhteistyön taloutta nostaa esille yhteisötaloudeksi kutsutun taloudellisen toiminnan kentän suomalaisessa yhteiskunnassa. Väitöstutkimuksessa tutkittiin ensimmäistä kertaa, miten suomalainen yhteisötalous määrittyy suhteessa julkiseen-, yksityiseen- ja kolmanteen sektoriin ja mitä yhteisötaloudella ylipäätään voitaisiin suomalaisessa kontekstissa tarkoittaa. Tutkimuksessa jäsennettiin yhteisötalouden ilmiötä kartoittamalla sen rajoja suhteessa eurooppalaiseen keskusteluun esimerkiksi käsitteisiin third system, non-profit ja social enterprise. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa tutkittiin suomalaisen yhteisötalouden juridista määrittymistä sekä taloudellisia vaikutuksia. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin myös yhteisötalouden suomalaista käsittymistä eli sitä, miten yh-teisötalouden käsite ja sisältö mielletään. Yhteisötalouden toimijat Tutkimuksen tuloksena on muodostettu ensimmäisen suomalaista yhteisötaloutta määrittävä malli. Tutkimuksen mukaan suomalainen yhteisötalous jäsentyy kolmannen-, julkisen- ja yksityisen sektorin rajapinnoille ja muodostaa itsenäisesti mitattavissa olevan taloudellisen toiminnan alueen. Suomalaisessa yhteisötaloudessa toimii osuuskuntia, keskinäisiä yhtiöitä sekä yhdistyksiä ja säätiötä. Yhteisötalouteen kuuluvilla yhdistyksillä ja säätiöillä tulee olla selkeä liiketoiminnallinen ulottuvuus toiminnassaan. Lisäksi yhteisötaloudessa toimii sosiaalisia yrityksiä, silloin kuin niiden yhteisöoikeudellinen muoto on jokin edellä luetelluista. Yhteisötalous muodostaa haasteellisen kokonaisuuden, koska osa toimijoista kiinnittyy lähemmin kolmanteen sektoriin ja osa yksityiseen sektoriin. Taloudellinen vaikuttavuus Tutkimuksen mukaan suomalainen yhteisötalous työllistää noin 5%:a kaikista palkansaajista ja muodostaa myös 5%:a nettokansantulon palkkojen ja palkkioiden määrästä (v. 2003). Yhteisötalouden toimijoiden lukumäärä on kasvanut viimeisen kymmenen vuoden aikana, esim. osuuskuntien lukumäärä on kasvanut 86% (1994-2003), kun samaan aikaan uusien toiminimi- ja osakeyhtiöiden perustamismäärä on ollut laskusuunnassa. Yhteisötalous ­ talous ihmistä varten Tutkimuksen tuloksena muodostettujen käsittämisen eri luokkien perusteella voidaan todeta, että yhteisötalouden käsitteellistyminen on Suomessa vielä epäselvää ja hajanaista. Euroopan unionin yritysosaston (DG Enterprise) edistämä social economy (suomeksi yhteisötalous) on meillä talouden osa-alue, josta mikään yksittäinen poliittinen- tai viranomaistaho ei ota selkeää vastuuta ja jonka yhteiskunnallista merkitystä ei ole vielä tunnistettu. Yhteisötalous tarjoaa kuitenkin yhä useammalle inhimillisen tavan yrittää ja tulla toimeen. Yhteisötaloudessa toimitaan ääni/jäsen ­periaatteella eikä voiton tavoittelu ole toiminnan ensi sijainen ta-voite. Yhteisötalouteen yhdistyy ajatus jäsenen edusta ja vahva inhimillisyys, joka näkyy taloudelli-sen ja sosiaalisen hyvinvoinnin yhdistämisenä. Yhteisötalouden valinneiden henkilöiden maailmassa yhteistoiminnallisuus on arvo ja talous on ihmistä varten. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the manifestation of social economy in Finland and the definition of the notion of social economy and produce middle-range theory of social economy in Finland. The study began by charting theoretical discussion on the social economy and closely related concepts in literature. The method applied in this research for the assessment of social economy was devised on the basis of the theoretical discussion as well as the author s own experience and practical knowledge. The method was employed in outlining the focused interview used in the qualitative section of the paper. Focused interviews were conducted to study people s per-ceptions of the social economy. The research approach was phenomenogra-phy, used as a basis for analyzing the categorization of people s perceptions. The study also investigated the juridical form of organization of social economy operators and the presence of economic activity in their operation. Their economic activity was surveyed with the help of statistics ordered from Statistics Finland. In Finland, social economy can be defined both through juridical forms of Community law and by measuring its economic effectiveness. The study reveals that the Finnish social economy employs some five per cent of all wage and salary earners (2003) and accounts for about five per cent of the wages and salaries included in the net national income (2003). Over the last ten years, the position of all juridical forms of social economy has strengthened in our country, and the increase of economic activity carried on by associations, in particular, can be statistically verified. The study shows that there is a clearly identifiable sector of economic activity in Finland, which can be called social economy. In the Finnish context, social economy can be briefly defined as follows: Social economy is economic activity carried on by co-operatives, mutual societies, associations or foundations in an effort to enhance socially and financially sustainable welfare among their members and the surrounding society through democratic co-operation. However, the definition of social economy is not without problems, because the activities are clearly divided between business organizations (co-operatives, mutual societies, social economy enterprises) and other incorporations (associations and foundations). This division poses a challenge to the definition of social economy, because, on conceptual terms, associations are more closely linked to the third sector and co-operatives to the private sector. The position of a social enterprise, as defined in legislation from the begin-ning of 2004, is unclear in relation to the social economy and requires more experience from the application of the law. It can be said, however, that the social enterprises which operate in the juridical forms mentioned in the definition above are a component of the Finnish social economy. Based on the results of the phenomenographic focused interviews, the conceptualization of the social economy in Finland has been distributed among three circles - outsiders , uncertain , and insiders . With the help of this theoretical model is possible to get an overall view of the understanding of the social economy and its different levels in our country today. As a concept, social economy is still more or less unestablished and unknown to the public at large. Most Finns are categorized as outsiders - people who are unaware of the phenomenon and the established concept of social economy. The phenomenon has not even been officially recognized in our country, even if its importance has been growing, notably in the recent years. A sign of the growing importance is the formation of the category uncertain in this study. While the persons uncertain of the concept of so-cial economy have acquired some level of knowledge and some notions of the phenomenon, they have no comprehensive understanding of it. There is a small group of insiders , who have a clear understanding of the contents of social economy and who use the concept in their own communication. Insiders are able to identify social economy actors, describe the values and policies of social economy, and understand which social trends contribute to its popularity. So far, social economy in Finland is a phenomenon recognized mostly only by well-informed experts. But the phenomenon is real and affects many people in their daily life. It offers alternative ways of enterprise and employment. The social economy channels and generates real social and economic welfare and provides some counterweight to the globalizing market economy. In the world of people who have chosen the social economy, co-operation is a value and economy is for people. This dissertation shows that even in our country there is a field of economic activity that can be called the social economy. It forms an increasingly recognizable economic sector at the interface of the public, private and third sectors. This study produces a first model of understanding for the definition of the concept of Finnish social economy and initiates a debate on the subject. Discussion on the role and importance of various social economy operators should be continued, including an analysis of the impact and boundaries of the various sectors of economy in our society.

If consumers wholly or partially control a firm with market power they will charge less than the profit maximising price. Starting at the usual monopoly price, a small price reduction will have a second order effect on profits but a first order effect on consumer surplus. Despite this desirable static result, it has been argued that cooperatives are vulnerable to take-over by outsiders who will run them as for-profit businesses. This paper studies takeovers of cooperatives. We argue that cooperatives are in fact quite stable due to the Grossman-Hart problem of free riding during takeovers.

Vehicle Highway Automation has been studied for several years but a practical system has not been possible because of technology limitations. New advances in sensing and communication technology have now brought a realistic system within reach. This paper proposes a Co-Operative Vehicle Highway Automation System for automating traffic information gathering and decision making in a vehicle on a highway which is cost effective and near to real life implementation. Co-Operative Vehicle-Highway Automation System is the system which is implemented by technology on-board a vehicle and also on the intelligent infrastructure technology along a highway. Vehicle Automation, Collision Prevention and Avoidance, Route Guidance, Highway Information System, Vehicle tracking, and Traffic surveillance are some applications which can be implemented in the Co-Operative Vehicle-Highway Automation System. Implementing Vehicle Highway Automation System will provide an ameliorated level of road transportation. The possible benefits to society and individuals are many in terms of time, safety, comfort and overall travel quality.

Autor analizira zakone koji su regulirali osnutak, djelatnost i ustroj zadruga, poglavito poljoprivrednih na području Hrvatske. Analiza obuhvaća sve zakone, od prvoga što je donesen 1873. godine, Trgovačkoga zakona iz 1875., preko zakona Kraljevine Jugoslavije i zakona koji su bili doneseni u razdoblju od 1945. do 1990., do Zakona o zadrugama Republike Hrvatske iz 1995. s njegovim izmjenama i dopunama 2002. godine. Analiza je pokazala veliku sličnost zakona iz doba Austro-Ugarske Monarhije i Zakona o zadrugama Republike Hrvatske iz 1995., što proizlazi iz slične agrarne strukture u Europi, odnosno da glavni organizacijski oblik poljoprivredne proizvodnje nakon ukidanja kmetstva i pojave tržišne privrede u zapadnoj, srednjoj, južnoj i istočnoj Europi čini seljačko obiteljsko gospodarstvo u kojem se poljoprivredom, seljačkim obrtima i srodnim djelatnostima na vlastitom posjedu, u pravilu, bave članovi obitelji. Različiti su zakonodavci zadrugu definirali gotovo istovjetno, kao dobrovoljno društvo ili poduzeće u kojemu članovi prema načelu uzajamne pomoći razvijaju i promiču vlastito gospodarstvo. Čovjek i njegov interes su na prvome mjestu. Zadruga nije društvo kapitala, već društvo osoba koje na demokratskim načelima upravljaju zadružnim poslovima i imovinom. Analiza propisa iz socijalističkog razdoblja 1945.-1990. godine, pokazuje da je zadruga bila instrument u službi državnih interesa, a ne interesa svojih članova - zadrugara. To je razvidno iz normiranih ciljeva među kojima je glavni bio podržavljenje (isprva) odnosno podruštvljavanje poljoprivrede (nakon sloma koncepcije i kampanje kolektivizacije 1953.). Međutim, poslije 1974., i reforme, zadruge su postale važan gospodarski subjekt. S osobitom pozornošću autor je analizirao Zakon o zadrugama Republike Hrvatske koji je na snazi, te iznio prijedlog izmjena i dopuna u budućemu zadružnom zakononodavstvu. Cilj Zakona iz 1995. bio je očuvati zadruge. Iako je to uspjelo, vlasnici su zadruga uglavnom postali radnici zadruga, osim izuzetaka gdje su u većini seljaci. Kako bi zadruge u Hrvatskoj stekle konkurentsku sposobnost, novim zadružnim zakonodavstvom i drugim mjerama gospodarske politike valja kvalitetnije poticati zadružne organiziranje poljoprivrednika., The author analyzes the legislation regulating the registration, activities and structure of co-operatives, primarily the agricultural ones, in Croatia. The analysis includes all the laws concerning the matter, starting with the first law passed in 1873 to the 1875 Trade Law, and the Law passed during the period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, through all the laws passed in between 1945 and 1990, to the 1996 Law on co-operatives of the Republic of Croatia including its amendments dating from 2002. The analysis revealed a great similarity between the definition of co-operative in the Austro Hungarian Monarchy legislation and the Law on co-operatives of the independent Republic of Croatia passed in 1995. This is due to the fact that the agricultural structure in this part of Europe is analogous, i.e. that the main organizational form of agricultural production, following the abolition of serfdom and the development of the market economy in Western, Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, consists of peasant's family holdings involved in the farming, rural handicrafts and the related activities, on their own estates and basically with the family itself as the working force. Different legislators have defined the co-operative in an almost the same way, as a voluntary organization or enterprise, whose members, based on the principle of mutual assistance, are thriving to develop and advance their own holdings. Man and his interest are a priority. The co-operative is not an association of capital but an association of people, who manage the co-operative business and estate on the principles of democracy. The analysis of regulations from the socialist period between 1945-1990 shows that the co-operative was an instrument servicing the state interests and not the interests of its own members. This is obvious from the standardized goals among which the first one was the nationalization i.e. the socialization of the agriculture (following the breakdown of its concept and the campaign of collectivization in 1953). Nevertheless, after 1974 and the reform, the co-operatives became an important economy subject. In his article the author has given special attention to the current Law on co-operatives of the Republic of Croatia, as well as the recommendations for the amendments of the future legislation on co-operatives. The aim of the 1995 Law was to preserve the co-operatives. Although this goal was achieved, the co-operative owners have mainly become co-operative employees with many problems in the transformation of co-operatives. New legislation on co-operatives and other measures of economy policy should provide quality incentives for the co-operatives in Croatia in order for them to become more competitive.

International audience; Recent trend towards globalization, integration of the supply chain and virtual enterprises creation lead people to change from "classic" collaborative work to "Distributed Design" where they implement new ways to communicate, across distance using Internet based technology. But in this "E-Design" paradigm, a lot of research is yet to be done. This paper describes our research aimed at distributed design, more specifically on the first phases where designers usually use sketches. We present several distributed design experiments that lead us to affirm that existing tools are far from providing the same efficiency as the old fashioned sheet of paper on the table method. Building on the lack of these existing tools, we then propose our views of a better sketcher for distributed design, which features: parametrized draft tool, an access to symbols libraries, and that put an emphasis on mutual awareness, etc.

National audience; Les stratégies des acteurs des filières agro-alimentaires qui visent à protéger un bassin de production s’orientent vers la spécification d’un produit en lien avec une origine géographique sur la base de critères techniques et de localisation. L’objectif de ce chapitre est d’analyser les stratégies des acteurs autour de la mise en place de l’Indication Géographique Protégée « Canard à Foie Gras du Sud-Ouest ». L’étude des dispositifs de signalisation de la qualité d’une part, et des mécanismes de construction des marchés d’autre part, permet d’apporter des éléments de réponse au problème de la valorisation de l’origine. Une valorisation insuffisante conduit à l’apparition de stratégies qui remettent en cause les consensus préalablement définis. Cela nécessite de s’interroger sur les processus d’interactions entre producteurs et consommateurs.

The "concept of the co-operative identity" (consisting from the definition, aims and functions of cooperatives and the so-termed co-operative principles) serves as a general theoretical background for the economic analysis of agricultural co-operation. The development of Dutch dairy co-operatives is used as a case study example, which suitably illustrates and represents the processes taking place in the European Union. Some suggestions for further research on the co-operative identity according to each country and different branches and sectors in order to see the substance of co-operation from different economic and non-economic aspects are proposed.

Autor analizira razvoj poljoprivrednog zadrugarstva u Hrvatskoj u sto četrdeset godišnjem kontinuitetu, od osnivanja prve zadruge u Korčuli 1864. godine. Na osnovi bogate povijesne građe može se sagledati društvene i gospodarske prilike u hrvatskim selima u pojedinim povijesnim razdobljima, ali i značaj odnosno ulogu zadruga u razvoju poljoprivrede, te u razvoju ruralnog prostora u širem smislu. Počevši od pojave i razvoja prvih zadruga kao izraza samoorganiziranja nakon prodora kapitalizma koji je prouzročio koncentraciju kapitala i stvaranje moćnih trgovačkih i bankarskih institucija na jednoj, te stalno sirornašenje, zaduživanje i proletarizaciju seljaka poslije ukidanja krnetsrva, na drugoj strani. Hrvatski seljaci sami stvaraju zadrugu kao sredstvo zaštite vlastitih interesa te opstanka i razvoja gospodarstva -kako bi osigurali financijski kapital nužan za otkup posjeda i poslovanje u robno-novčanoj privredi, osnivaju štedno-kreditne zadruge, kako bi izbjegli trgovačke visoke marže i profite, utemeljuju nabavno-prodajne zadruge, te kako bi izbjegli ucjenjivanje vlasnika prehrambene industrije niskim cijenama agrarnih sirovina, stvaraju proizvodne i prerađivačke poljoprivredne zadruge. Stanje u zadrugarstvu i zadružnom pokretu li Hrvatskoj prikazano je u četiri povijesna razdoblja: do početka Prvoga svjetskog rata, između dvaju svjetskih ratova, nakon Drugoga svjetskog rata do 1990. godine, te napokon od 1990. do 2004. Iako je u svima tim povijesnim razdobljima zadrugarstvo imalo svoje uspone i padove, 1945. ono gubi izvorna načela i sadržaje. Od slobodnog i dobrovoljnog udruženja, čiji je temeljni cilj unaprjeđenje i razvitak seljačkih gospodarstava učlanjen ih u za druge, zadruga se pretvara u instituciju državnoga, potom društvenog vlasništva, instrument nasilne proletarizacije seljaka, kojoj je osnovna svrha "podruštvljavanje" poljoprivredne proizvodnje na seljačkim gospodarstvima. Budući da tranzicijski proces u zadrugama i nakon osamostaljenja Hrvatske nije proveden, autor analizira aktualno stanje u hrvatskome poljoprivrednom zadrugarstvu te predlaže glavne strategijske odrednice budućeg razvoja poljoprivrednih zadruga. Odrednice slijede potvrđene prednosti seljačkih obiteljskih gospodarstava kao glavnih nositelja poljoprivredne proizvodnje te načela zadrugarstva kao što su uzajamnost, sloboda djelovanja, pravedna raspodjela što se uspješno ugrađuju u određene oblike poduzetničkih aktivnosti., L'auteur analyse le développement du coopératismne agricole en Croatie au cours de sa continuité de 140 ans, depuis la constitution de la prermiére coopérative à Korcula en 1864. Sur la base de riches matériaux historiques, il est possible de comprendre les circonstances sociales et économiques dans les villages croates à certaines époques de l'histoire, ainsi que le rôle et l'importance des coopératives dans le développement de l'agriculture, mais aussi dans le développement de l'espace rural dans un sens plus large. En cornrnencant par l'appantion et le développement des prerniéres coopératives en tant qu'expression de l'auto-organisation aprés la percée du capitalisme qui a provoqué la concentration des capitaux et la création de puissantes institutions commerciales et bancaires, d'une part, et l'appauvrissement continuel, l'endettement et la prolétarisation des paysans aprés l'abolition du servage, d'autre part. Les paysans croates constituent eux-mémes la coopérative en tant que moyen de protéger leurs propres intérêts, d'existence et de développement des exploitations agricoles: afin d'assurer le capital financier nécessaire à l'achat de l'exploitation et pour traiter des affaires dans l'économie monétaire et de marchandises, ils fondent des coopératives d'épargne et de crédit; et pour éviter les marges commerciales et les profits éléves, ils instaurent des coopératives d'achat et de vente; puis pour éviter la pression morale des propriétaires de l'industrie alimentaire en vue d'obtenir des prix bas des matières premières agricoles, les paysans forment leurs coopératives agricoles de production et de transformation. L'état des choses dans le coopératisme et dans le mouvement coopératif en Croatie est pràsenté à quatre époques de I'histoire: jusqu'au début de la Premiere Guerre mondiale, entre les deux Guerres mondiales, après la Seconde Guerre mondiale jusqu'en 1990, et, en particulier, de 1990 à 2004. Bien qu'à toutes ces époques de l'histoire le coopératisme ait eu des hauts et des bas, en 1945 il perd ses principes d'origine et ses activites, D'une association libre et de plein gré dont l'objectif de base était de promouvoir et de développer les exploitations agricoles membres d'une coopérative, la coopérative se transforme en une institution d'État, puis en une propriété sociale, en un instrument de la prolétarisation forcée des paysans dont l'objectif principal était la socialisation de la production agricole des exploitations agricoles. Étant donné que le processus de transition dans les coopératives n'a pas été réalisé ni après I'indépendance de la Croatie, l'auteur analyse l'état des choses actuel dans le coopératisme agricole croate, et il pro lO pose les principaux points d'orientation stratégiques du futur développement des coopératives QI agricoles. Ces points d'orientation suivent les avantages confirmés des exploitations agricoles familiales en tant que principaux représentants de la production agricole, et les principes du coo-pératisme tels que la réciprocité, la llberté d'action, la répartition équitable, lesquels s'introduisent avec succès dans les formes concrètes des activités des entrepreneurs., The author analyses the development of agricultural co-operatives in Croatia during an uninterrupted period of hundred and forty years, starting with the founding of the first co-operative in Korčula in 1864. Economical and social conditions in Croatian villages, during specific historical periods, as well as the impact and the role of co-operatives in agricultural development, and the development of the rural areas per se may be examined based on rich historical materials. Starting with the creation and the development of the first co-operatives as an expression of self organization following the appearance of capitalism which induced a concentration of capital and the establishment of powerful trade and bank institutions on one side and the constant impoverishment, indebtedness, and proletarisation of the farmers, after the abolition of serfdom on the other side. The Croatian peasants start co-operatives on their own as a mean of protection of their interests, the survival and the development of their holdings: in order to ensure the financial capital necessary for the purchase of holdings and the transactions in the merchant-monetary economy they establish mutual credit and saving co-operatives, and in order to evade high trade margins and profits, they create purchasing and consumer co-operatives. In order to avoid the blackmail of the food industry owners and their low prices for the agricultural raw goods, they form manufacturing and processing agricultural co-operatives. The situation in the co-operative movement in Croatia is demonstrated through four historical periods: up to the beginning of the First World War, in between the two World Wars, after the second World War to 1990, and from 1990. to 2004. Although during all of these historical periods co-operatives went through rises and falls, in 1945 they lost their original principles and content. The co-operative transforms from free and voluntary co-operation, based on the improvement and the development of farming estates united in a co-operatives, first to a state and later to a social institution, acting as an instrument for coerced proletarisation of the farmers, having as its main purpose "the socialization« of the agricultural production in the farming holdings. Since the transitional process in co-operatives has not been undertaken even after the independence of Croatia, the author is analyzing the current state of the Croatian agricultural co-operatives, and is proposing the main strategic guidelines for the future development of the agricultural co-operatives. The guidelines are based on the well known advantages of the family farming holdings as main actors in the agricultural production and the principles of co-operation such as reciprocity, freedom of action, fair distribution that are successfully integrated in concrete forms of entrepreneurial activities.

Lietuvoje (kaip ir visame pasaulyje) yra labai daug įvairių kooperatyvų tipų, kurie turi savo ypatumų, tačiau iki šio! nėra visuotinai pripažintos kooperatyvų klasifikacijos. Dažniausiai jie tik išvardijami, nepaisoma visos kooperatyvų sistemos. Straipsnyje apibūdinta kooperatyvų esme ir jų formos, išnagrinėti įvairūs šalies kooperatyvų veiklos ekonominiai aspektai ir pateikta autorių parengta šiuolaikinių žemės ūkio kooperatyvų klasifikacija, kurios svarbiausias požymis - įvairios paskirties kooperatyvų ir jo narių ekonominiai santykiai. Ši klasifikacija sudaro galimybę orientuotis įvairių kooperatyvų ir sąvokų sistemose, nustatyti ryšius ir dėsningumus, įvertinti kooperatyvų plėtrą, numatyti prioritetus, parengti plėtros strategiją, pasirinkti konkretaus kooperatyvo apskaitos ir atskaitomybės tvarkymo politiką. In Lithuania (as the world over) there are a lot of various types of co-operatives, which have some peculiarities and so the same principles of administration, rules of accounting and accountability can not be applied for them. However, till now there has not existed universally accepted classification of co-operatives. In most cases co-operatives one enumerated without indicating types and sub-types, the total system of co-operatives is ignored. In the paper the authors present the scientific classification of agricultural cooperatives. The main criterion of classification is economic relations between the various types of cooperatives and their members. This classification enables to orient in systems of various types of co-operatives and concepts, to define relations and consistent patterns, to evaluate development of co-operatives, to foresee priorities, to prepare the strategy of development, to choose the policy of accounting and accountability.

Temeljem više izvora, a posebice studije Nizozemskog instituta za zadružno poduzetništvo (The Netherlands Institute for Co-operative Enterpreneurship) »Poljoprivredne zadruge u Europskoj Uniji« (Agricultural Co-operatiues on the European Union) i podataka Općeg udruženja poljoprivrednih zadruga u Europskoj Uniji (COGECA = General Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives in the European Union -Confederation. Generale des Cooperatives Agricoles de l'Union Europeenne) te stajališta Europske komisije (Commission of the European Communities), autori su izradili pregled poljoprivrednih zadruga u 15 zemalja Europske Unije: Austriji, Belgiji, Danskoj, Njemačkoj, Grčkoj, Finskoj, Francuskoj, Irskoj, Italiji, Luksemburgu, Nizozemskoj, Portugalu, Španjolskoj, Švedskoj i Velikoj Britaniji. Prvi dio pregleda čini pregled zadružnih načela i zajedničkih standarda zemalja članica EU (slobodno osnivanje i neovisnost o državi; zajednička skrb članova o zadruzi, ravnopravnost u upravljanju i raspodjeli odgovornosti; svrha zadruge je poticanje i razvoj gospodarstva vlastitih članova; zadruga je demokratska organizacija). Najveći dio pregleda čine podaci o broju zadruga, zadrugara i zaposlenih, a prije svega o udjelu zadruga na tržištu pojedinih zemalja te ekonomski i financijski pokazatelji o najvećim zadrugama s temeljnim značajkama zadruga i zadrugarstva po zemljama. Iz pokazatelja je razvidno da se broj zadruga smanjuje, ali njihova ekonomska moć raste. To napose vrijedi za najrazvijenije zemlje Europske Unije. Na otvorenom i globaliziranom tržištu zadruge uspijevaju održati konkurentsku sposobnost primjenjujući strategiju koncentracije i specijalizacije na državnoj, pa i međudržavnoj razini. Može se zaključiti da su europske zadruge u tijeku dovršavanja procesa preobrazbe kako bi se prilagodile brzim promjenama tržišta i politike zaštite okoliša. Međutim, jačanje kompetitivnosti otvorilo je probleme sudjelovanja članova u odlučivanju o poslovanju i drugim pitanjima upravljanja zadruga: neposredno demokratsko odlučivanje članova zamjenjuje posredno (predstavnici). Naposljetku, autori su slijedom vitalnosti i ključne uloge poljoprivrednih zadruga u nacionalnim gospodarstvima i razvoju obiteljskih gospodarstava osobito istaknuli važnost uloge Europske komisije u promicanju i potpori zadrugama i zadružnom poduzetništvu kao svojevrsnoga kišobrana nad nacionalnim poticajnim instrumentarijem., Based on several sources, and especially on data published in the study Agricultural Cooperatives in the European Union published by the Netherlands Institute for Co-operative Entrepreneurship and the one provided by the General Confederation of Agricultural Co-operatives in the European Union (COGECA -Confederation Generale des Cooperatives Agricoles de l'Union Europeenne) as well as the viewpoint of the European Commission, the authors have completed an overview of agricultural co-operatives in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Great Britain. The first part relates to the co-operative principles and common standards of the EU member countries (voluntary founding and independence from the state; members' shared care for the co-operative, equality in management and shared responsibilities; the purpose of the co-operative is the stimulation and the development of members' farms, the co-operative is a democratic organization). The major part of the overview is data on the number of co-operatives, co-operative members and employees and above all to the co-operative share in the market of different countries as well as the economical and financial indicators pertaining to the fundamental characteristics of co-operatives and co-operative system in different countries. It is obvious from the indicators that the number of co-operatives is diminishing, while their economical power is growing. This mainly true for the most developed European Union member countries. In the open and the global market the co-operatives manage to remain competitive by applying the strategy of concentration and specialization at the state and even the international level. Thus it might be concluded that the European co-operative´s are in the final stage of their transformation process with the aim of adjusting to the rapid market changes and the environment protection policy. However, the competition growth has raised the issues regarding decision making and management of co-operatives: the direct democratic decision making by the members has been replaced by the indirect decision making through representatives. Finally, the authors taking into consideration the vitality and the key role of agricultural co-operatives in national economies and especially in the development of family farms specifically point out the importance of the European Commission in the promotion and the support of co-operatives and co-operative entrepreneurship, as an umbrella institution to the national incentive instruments.

La necesidad por parte de las cooperativas agrarias de disponer de estructuras viables que les permitan incrementar su poder de negociación y competitividad las ha conducido a abordar con decisión múltiples procesos de integración, y entre ellos el de fusión. Este proceso plantea serias dificultades en la determinación de una relación de proporcionalidad entre los patrimonios aportados, derivadas de su régimen económico-jurídico, y muy especialmente del carácter irrepartible de gran parte de sus reservas. Descrita la problemática de estas sociedades ante una fusión, en este trabajo se plantea un modelo que permite ejecutar estos procesos con fiabilidad, y en virtud del cual se establecen las valoraciones patrimoniales procedentes y las cuotas o aportaciones a realizar por las cooperativas participantes en una fusión, de forma que quede garantizado un reconocimiento patrimonial justo y acorde con la realidad para las mismas y para sus socios...The agricultural co-operatives need of building viable structures, in order to increase their power of negociation and their competitiveness, has led them to undertake integration processes, and specially, mergers. Their economic and juridical regime, and particularly the impossibility of distributing their reserves, implies several difficulties to merger processes, such as the statement of a proportional ratio between their patrimonies. In this paper, we formulate a model to carry out these processes in a reliable way. The model sets the necessary patrimony valuations and the economic contributions that the co-operatives involved in a merger need to take in order to guarantee a fair valuation for them and for their partners.

The thesis explores the formation and development of agricultural production co-operativesin the context of market socialist transition. It examines how changes in the organisation ofproduction and reproduction affected gender relations. At the same time, it explores the waysin which the prevailing relationships between men and women provided incentives andcreated patterns for economic development. State socialist emancipatory rhetoric aimed atdeveloping a 'humanised' society. Humanisation was to come about through participation insocialist wage labour, while the functions of the family household were to shrink and giveway to the all-pervasive expansion of the state. These two principles were common in thestate socialist projects of agricultural collectivisation and of women's emancipation. However, the proletarianisation of the peasantry could not be accomplished due to the stubbornresistance of the peasantry. They kept alive the institution of household-based production.,Meanwhile, the state placed dual demands on women's creative forces: they were to reachparity with men in the labour force while, at the same time, they were also to nurture thecoming generations. The economy's demands for more workers mobilised the female labourreserves, but women's integration presupposed a reduction of women's reproductive responsibilities. However, rather than balancing out the burdens between men and women, reproductive rights were constructed as women's rights. Consequently, women were integrated as a 'deviant' labour force. The evolving gender segregation of labour in the collective and household sphere was explained by the changing constructions of 'masculinities' and 'femininities'. The evolving economic differentiation served as the basis for the materialisation of gender relations yet could not by itself determine the gender specific outcome of the changes in economic cycles.

The main objectives of this paper are: (i) to establish whether Irish dairy marketing cooperatives behaved "as if" they were profit maximisers over the period 1961 to 1987 and (ii) to determine the response of the sector to the imposition of the milk production quota in 1984. The theory of the cooperative managed firm (CMF) is first recast in a duality framework. The CMF differs from the profit maximising firm (PMF) in (a) having as its objective the aximisation of the price paid to its members for the raw material they supply and (b) being obliged to process all the raw material supplied by its members. A formal test as to whether the Irish dairy-processing sector could be characterised as "virtual" profit maximisers was implemented and could not be rejected. This finding was reinforced by our finding that the elasticity of milk price with respect to the volume of milk processed was zero. Milk price was found to be driven mainly by exogenous changes in the price of processed output. The impact of the quota was to obviously reduce the level of processed output but not proportionately. Our results suggest that every 10% fall in the amount of milk processed reduces processed output of the sector by 6%. We also found a negative relationship between the amount of the milk raw material processed and the demand for labour implying that the introduction of the quota would not of itself have adversely affect employment in the sector.

The fundamental objective of this research was to gain an understanding of the relationships between information, information technology and the co-operative as an instrument for development. Specifically, the research focussed on the examination of factors that affected the acceptance of information technology among the Philippine co-operatives. Using survey data from 79 primary co-operatives, this study investigated the effects of attitude, contextual factors and information infrastructures on information systems use. A descriptive analysis was conducted, followed by a bivariate analysis and a recursive path analysis using a Revised Technology Acceptance Model (RTAM). As much as 62 per cent of the variances in information systems use (computer system use) were explained in RTAM. The finding suggested that affordability was the single most important factor that influenced computer use among the co-operatives. Information infrastructures also played a significant role in determining the degree of computer use and acceptance. Attitude of the co-operatives, however, did not manifest a notable impact on the extent to which the computers were used by the co-operatives. The implication of this study suggested the need to strengthen existing information infrastructures, as well as to find alternative ways for the co-operatives to experience the benefits of information systems use.

The major contribution made in the organization is that social groups and popular organizations should operate as co-operatives were possible. These co-operatives can be used to (i) achieve increased domestic production of food, industrial raw materials and manufactured products; (ii) contribute to the process of making decisions which affect the lives of the masses; (iii) assist in instilling discipline and professional ethnics in the members of the different organizations and the community.

This issue highlights the contributions of the college to the breeding of livestock and grain and the advantage of formal agricultural education. Editorial Agricultural News Method of Ascertaining the weight of live cattle Co-operative Experiments Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union principles feeding of Corn Ensilage Farmers sons OAC Guelph Correspondence and Contributed Farmer's Institute Personal Local News Among our exchanges

This issue has guest articles regarding agricultural transportation, Canadian literature, and agricultural education in the public schools. Agricultural articles pertain to foreign markets for Canadian produce, the quality of grain seed, and the food science of the quality of western wheat. Horticultural articles address the cultivation of Primulas and the farm garden. The Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union article reports the 1905 co-operative experiments in agriculture. Campus articles report the activities of the Literary Society, Y. M. C. A., and athletics department. The Macdonald Notes provides an update on the practical training of housekeepers and the Macdonald Literary Society. Alumni news is available in the Our Alumni column. The farmer and the railway Canadian fiction The O. A. C. Review and the public school Canada and her markets Good seed Concerning wheat-grading Co-operative experiments in agriculture 1905 Primulas Farm garden Editorial Our Alumni Book reviews College life The Train Dogs A cozy corner in Macdonald Institute The end of the hockey season Locals Gee Whizz I'm Gettin Sleepy advertising

This issue's articles address agricultural colleges and their contribution to rural education, occupations in forestry, the disposition of horses in the urban environment, developing Alfalfa Clover in Canada, and an overview of horticultural education. The editorial advocates for a rink on campus and comments on the legislation of amusements at agricultural fairs. Campus news reports on the Y. M. C. A., the Union Literary Society, a successful Conversazione, the Poultry Institute, and the O. A. C.'s involvement in the Inter-Collegiate Hockey League. The Macdonald Institute column features an article on Adelaide Hoodless and domestic science. Alumni news is available in the Our Alumni column. The agricultural college and rural life Discouragement What does a forester do? Pavements Agriculture Horse courage Experimental Lucerne or Alfalfa Clover Co-operative experiments in agriculture for 1907 New bulletins Horticulture Horticultural education Editorial College Life Y. M. C. A. The Poultry Institute A Rainy Day Athletics Inter-Collegiate Hockey League Our Alumni Macdonald The growth of domestic science Locals

The agricultural articles in this issue pertain to banana production in Jamaica and Danish co-operation. Included are reports from the students who qualified for the Danforth Fellowship agricultural trip and the O. A. C. meat judging team. College life provides student humour. Campus news includes an update on the college band, campus election results, and the Fourth Year party. The Literary column contains news on the campus debates and the co-op concert. The Macdonald Institute column interviews students on their reasons for attending Mac and provides a summary on the Home Training Centres in Ontario. The athletic column reports on the results for the soccer, football, hockey, basketball, and swimming teams. Alumni news includes a profile of the Class of 1902 and alumni updates. The Macdonald alumnae column urges alumnae not to break the chain letters, and provides alumnae updates. Numerous changes to the graduate list are contained at the end of the issue. Editorial Bananas versus corn and cabbages Some Third Year Man will get it! O. A. C. Meat Team ranks high at Chicago Glencaledon Farms College life Literary section Macdonald alumnae O. A. C. sportsfolio Optional analysis Alumni news Macdonald news general index 1937 Department of English bulletin Changes in graduate list advertising

This issue begins with an article by Professor Unwin on oratory. The agricultural articles in this issue pertain to the marketing of rutabagas, the objectives of the Ontario Honey Producers Co-operative, propagating tomatoes and roses, and the breeding of Guernsey cattle. Other articles provide a summary of the work of the Ontario Agricultural and Experimental Union, and a translation of a German article regarding Canada and immigration. Printed in this issue is the prize winning essay on comparing horsepower to tractor power in farming. The editorial addresses the development of Canadian literature and the theatre production of "The Gypsy Rover". Campus news reports on the visit by Canadian poet Charles G. D. Roberts, the success of the annual Conversat, the I. O. D. E. dance, and the C. O. T. C. banquet. The athletic column contains updates on the basketball, hockey, and assault-at-arms teams. The Alumni column provides an update of alumni activities. The Macdonald Institute column highlights the trials and tribulations of second year demonstration work, and alumnae updates. Our College Songs Ye good old English speech Canada as a land for immigration Experimental Union report When a turnip puts on airs The Ontario Honey Producers Co-operative Limited Staked tomatoes Horse power versus tractor power on the Eastern Ontario farm Where the Guernsey cow is queen Roses Editorial College life Macdonald Athletics Alumni Locals advertising

The paper assesses the ability of French wineries to prevail over the crisis of French wine in the years 2000. Corporations are distinguished from co-operatives: Over the 2000-2006 period in spite of sales fluctuations, French wineries did not increase their financial debt level substantially. Such result supports the traditional static trade-off theory (TOT). Co-operatives were able to absorb part of the impact of the wine crisis at the expense of their members, in increasing account payables to member. Corporations have not increased trade account payables to vine growers. In the mid-2000s, the French wine crisis has not been strong enough to shake the financial structure of co-operatives and corporations. But co-operatives look more affected. However, sales of French wines dropped a lot more in 2009 and financial data are not yet available to observe the consequences., International Journal on Food System Dynamics, Vol 3, No 2 (2012)

L’objet de cet article est de faire le point sur le concept de coopérative multisociétaire, donc des coopératives comptant plus d’une catégorie de membres, qui ont notamment la capacité d’oeuvrer dans de nouveaux secteurs d’activités et de joindre de nouveaux acteurs. La méthode retenue est de présenter, caractériser et analyser l’évolution du phénomène au Québec selon des données couvrant la période 1997-2008 telles la création de coopératives et leur distribution par secteur d’activités et identifier quelques défis que cette formule pose sur le plan de la gestion dont essentiellement concilier des intérêts d’acteurs qui, a priori, peuvent s’opposer, par exemple, entre des membres consommateurs et des membres travailleurs. Les cas italiens et français de coopératives multisociétaires sont cités occasionnellement pour mieux illustrer ou faire ressortir la spécificité du cas québécois. Devant l’importance croissante de ces organisations dans le panorama coopératif, il y a lieu de les étudier davantage que ce soit sous l’angle de l’impact de ces organisations sur les enjeux socio-économiques ou de leur cohabitation avec des coopératives unisociétaires dans certains secteurs d’activités., The purpose of this paper is to offer an updated view of multistakeholder co-operatives (MSC) which are co-operatives with more than one members group. Theses co-ops can operate in new activities sectors and have the capacity to gather new socio-economic actors. The suggested method adopted by the author is to present, characterize and analyse the trends of MSC development in Québec base on data covering the period of 1997-2008, for instance, the annual set up of co-op and the sector of economic activity. This analysis indicates some key challenges for the management of these MSC’s especially the capacity to find compromise between diverse interests, for instance those of users and worker members. The Italian and French MSC cases have been occasionally used to delineate the Québec experience with MSC’s. Given the growing place taken by MSC’s in the co-op family, it would be pertinent over the next years to push forward new studies on their socio-economic impacts and the way they manage their place with single member co-ops in specific activity sector.

21世紀の経済社会は,生態系持続の農・工・商複合化産業への転換が人類の基本的課題である。本論文は,その一環として食料政策の転換についてフードシステム論を重視して論考し,さらにNPO(広義)セクターの重要な一翼を占める協同組合の役割を「協同組合のアイデンティティに関するICA声明」を重視して総論的に考察している。食料政策は,政府が「市場に過度に任せる」施策を推進する場合は強者に有利で,弱者に不利に働き,社会的・経済的な公正さを歪め,そのしわ寄せは本格的に育成・支援すべき認定農業者等の先導的な担い手の意欲の後退や次世代づくりの弱体化,自然環境の劣化,さらに水田農業(用水の集落的・集団的管理による稲作農業)の育んできた日本文化のアイデンティティの衰退につながりかねない点を明らかにしている。すなわち,21世紀のフードシステムと持続型政策は,「市場メカニズムの進化」とともに「非市場的諸要素」である「地球規模での人間と自然のあり方,公正さ,生活価値,食農教育価値,健康増進価値」とバランスをとりながら,フードシステムのグローバル化と技術・経営革新の本来的進化を支援できる「行政改革と有機的・循環的評価システムの導入」が大きな課題である点を明らかにしている。, The economy and society in the 21st Century is encountering a basic human challenge in the change toward organic complex of agriculture, and industry and commerce for ecological sustainability. This paper examines the change of food policy based on food system theory and the function of the co-operative as an NPO based on the ICA Statement on the Co-operative Identity. This paper contends that the food system and ecological sustainable policy of the 21st Century is important not only in the evolution of market mechanisms but also non market factors which include equity, living values, agro-food educational values and the values for the improvement of health. In addition,the introduction of the assessment system of government reform and organic circulation system is important in globalization and innovation of technique and management.

わが国の協同組合は,経済的・社会的に非常に大きな役割を果たしている。しかし,法制度面から協同組合制度をみた場合には,いくつかの問題を内包している。本稿では,協同組合における法制度上の重要な問題の1つとして組合員有限責任制度を取り上げ,債権者保護の視点からこれを論じた。協同組合では株式会社と同じように組合員有限責任制度が法定されているが,株式会社に比べて債権者保護の点で十分とはいえない。債権者保護制度は有限責任制度を担保する重要な要素であるので,協同組合において組合員有限責任制度を維持するのであれば,債権者保護の充実を図る必要がある。, Co-operatives are very important as economic and social entities in Japan. However, they have a number problems in aspects of law and the legal side. In this study the author has taken up the limited liability system of co-partners in co-operatives as one major problem, and has descried it in relation to the protection of co-operative's creditors. The Co-operatives Laws have provided a limited liability system which is the same as the Commercial Code of Japan. However, the Co-operatives Laws can not adequately protect the co-operative's creditors in comparison with the Commercial Code of Japan. The protection system of the co-operative's creditors is very important to maintain the limited liability system. If we approve the limited liability system in the co-operatives, we require a more comprehensive protection system of creditors to the co-operatives than the present system.