The Network Form of the Cooperative Organization.

Cooperative organizations may develop networks, in order to reduce transaction costs, to facilitate knowledge transfer and exchange of resources, and be competitive. The pork industry in Denmark evolved along a path of cooperation and networking. The evolution is path-dependent with roots in the Grundtvig and the folkehøjskolen movement in the late 1800s. Today, the Danish pork industry is characterized by three levels of networks, beyond the family farm: the primary cooperative, the federated structure and the policy network. All four levels are interlinked via a nexus of director interlocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]