Journal of Co-operative Organization and Management最新文献

The efficiency of an agricultural system depends not only on how its agents work and solve problems individually but also on how they interact with each other and with their environment. In Brazil, dairy farmers have found it difficult to remain and grow in business. To overcome market and institutional challenges, agents of the dairy production chain have developed different forms of organization and coordination. This study aimed to determine whether dairy farmers who participate in horizontal organizations have greater competitiveness than those who do not. Primary data were collected from 347 dairy farms located in two important milk-producing states in Brazil, namely Paraná and São Paulo. Competitiveness indicators were developed using factor analysis. Fourteen variables were combined into four competitiveness indicators: productive capacity (PC), institutional knowledge (IK), perception of market transactions and incentives (PMTI), and quality of milk transportation. Dairy farmers who participated in horizontal organizations had higher PC, IK, and PMTI scores than non-participants. Efficient horizontal organizations can increase the competitiveness of dairy farms.

Purpose

This study investigates the effect of the board of directors on financial performance and company capital, either directly or indirectly with the risk management in Indonesia.

Design/methodology

This study presents an empirical investigation with samples of 31 nonfinancial companies out of a total population of 48 listed on the Indonesia stock exchange for the period from 2010 and 2016. The sampling method used was purposive sampling. Methods of data analysis in this study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

Findings

The results of the SEM model find that there is a significant positive effect of risk management and the tenure-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on financial performance and company capital. However, CEO duality has a significant negative effect on financial performance. The results also find that the effect of CEO duality and board size are significantly positive on financial performance through risk management.

Originality/value

This is the first-time paper to seek to influence the effect of the board of directors, financial performance, and company capital, either directly or indirectly on risk management in Indonesia.

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the technical efficiency of Saving and Credit Cooperatives (SACCOs) and the impact for SACCOs’ health using primary data obtained from a survey of 178 respondents of SACCOs in East Java, Indonesia. The three stages of the analysis used are Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), Tobit Regression and Logistic Regression. Based on the results of the analysis using the DEA method, it is concluded that the average performance that can be achieved by SACCOs with existing technology is 65 % of the maximum potential yield. There are 61.3 % of SACCOs which are declared technically inefficient. The factors that influence the level of technical efficiency of Saving and Credit Cooperatives are interest, loan term, manager's age, and type of business. Furthermore, the factors that affect the health of the cooperative based on logistics analysis are the variable frequency of management meetings, age of the cooperative, fixed deposits and average loan. This study supports the SACCOs in becoming more efficient and healthy with the influence of external policy (from government) and internal policy (from SACCOs).

This explorative research deals with the relationship between barriers to organizational learning (OL) and the adoption of sustainability-related strategies, focusing on the cooperative business model. A single case study involving a large Italian food retailing cooperative was conducted. Interviews with 12 managers and ten external stakeholders were recorded and analyzed with NVivo software. The results were coded based on the taxonomy of barriers proposed by Shilling and Kluge (2009). A total of 153 pieces of evidence emerged, subtending OL-related barriers to the integration of sustainability at business level. Most of these barriers prevented the sustainability-related initiatives from being fully integrated and/or institutionalized, operating at the level of groups or of the entire organization. To stimulate the effective integration and institutionalization of sustainability in the cooperative’s business strategy, the implementation of adequate organizational and managerial instruments emerges as strategic. Effective communication, measurement tools of sustainability performance, and improvement of staff skills represent opportunities to overcome the identified barriers. As links with customers and communities, cooperative members also play a key role in this perspective.

This paper analyzes the decision-making factors that influence the generational succession of young members or children of members of agricultural cooperatives in the grain, meat, and dairy segments in the southern region of Brazil. First, 25 factors that influence the process of generational succession, called decision-making factors, were identified through a literature review and dialogue with the cooperatives. Then, using the methodology adapted from Slack, Chambers and Johnston (2007), a sample of 308 young people between 18 and 30 years old evaluated the level of importance and performance of the decision-making factors indicated. In the respondents’ opinion, none of the 25 factors performed better than their importance, as all factors present the possibility of improvement. However, according to the evaluation methodology used in this paper, 20 factors (property size; access to technologies; access to media and information; labor availability; diversification of agricultural activities; income provided by agricultural activities; access to education; social interaction and number of people in the community; professional expectations; remuneration received by the youth; education; type of work performed; marriage; autonomy; family dialogue; encouragement and recognition; technical assistance; presence of the cooperative, union, and associations; and access to marketing) performed adequately and did not require improvements in any of the three cooperatives. On the other hand, five factors need improvement: leisure infrastructure; road infrastructure; social valorization; rural credit and public policies; and price, according to the grain cooperative; leisure infrastructure, road infrastructure, social valorization; and price, according to the dairy cooperative; and social valorization and price, according to meat cooperative. We concluded that a significant part of the factors (80 %) performed in an adequate way directly or indirectly in the three cooperatives. The youth of the three cooperatives indicated social valorization and price among the factors that need improvement. Thus, we highlight that agricultural cooperatives should seek to understand their role in the face of decision-making factors that need improvement and seek to improve them.

Although embedded in a regulatory framework, studies suggest the important role of informal (relational) mechanisms in agricultural cooperatives, mostly viewed as complements to formal mechanisms. However, the interaction between these two mechanisms remains unclear. To improve our understanding of this interaction, we investigate governance mechanisms in agricultural machinery cooperatives, especially the “Coopératives d′Utilisation de Matériel Agricole” (CUMA). Machinery cooperatives allow producers to share machinery within a legally defined structure, but the traits of these cooperatives cause to rely heavily on informal mechanisms. This paper analyses how the interaction between formal and informal mechanisms minimizes coordination and motivation problems. Based on a multiple case study approach, the paper shows that the use of informal mechanisms results from the failure of formal mechanisms to minimize opportunism among members. As a result, CUMA members will primarily resort to informal mechanisms, using formal mechanisms as a complement when needed.

For agricultural products, cooperative systems are an alternative to independent business arrangements that can be used to solve the simultaneous need to coordinate supply from disaggregated producers and improve efficiencies. This study analyses how a hybrid cooperative business model can solve horizontal and vertical coordination challenges, drawing on an analysis of a pineapple cooperative business, Tropical Pines, in Queensland. Semi-structured interviews with a cross section of key stakeholders and thematic content analysis are used to identify key factors. Leadership, information sharing, trust, market forecasting, risk sharing, accountability, and provision of agronomic and other support to growers are identified as key factors that distinguish this cooperative hybrid model from more standard business models. Achieving both horizontal and vertical integration maximises resource utilisation and returns to growers, as well as reducing market uncertainty and maximizing product consistency. However, there are also higher costs involved with hybrid models, particularly the focus on communication and engagement required to maintain the trust of growers. These costs increase with the size and complexity of the cooperative, which creates a tension because size and scale are often required to generate the efficiencies and market power necessary to deliver benefits.

Little attention is given to cooperatives’ role in producer risk management. We review literature and theory in development of a hypothesized positive relationship between producers’ risk aversion and usage of cooperatives. We test the hypothesis using a sample of crop and hog producers and find evidence that cooperative membership and the percentage of commodity sold through cooperatives are positively related to producers’ risk aversion. These relationships are relevant for decision makers who determine internal cooperative member policies, debt providers to cooperative members, and lenders to cooperatives, in addition to state and national farm policy regulators, legislators, staffers, and advisors.

Given the aging population of Irish dairy farmers, the future success of dairy cooperatives cannot be guaranteed without meaningful youth membership or share ownership. This study aimed to determine the factors that influenced the decision to own shares, the willingness of young people to purchase shares, and to join boards in Irish dairy cooperatives. The sample size consisted of 255 randomly selected young people below 40 years from Ireland. The binary logit regression model was used to run three regressions. The findings revealed that the majority of the young people were willing to join the cooperative and its board. The young people perceived cooperatives as adding value to farmers’ livelihoods and considered farmer control, fair price on products, and good governance as the key cooperative attributes. Factors such as age and involvement in cooperatives had a positive impact or were more likely to influence current share ownership. Involvement or exposure to cooperative operations and having parents in cooperatives increased the likelihood of young people’s willingness to buy shares in the future. The perceived openness of agricultural boards, being a graduate, and interest in attending board information sessions, increased the likelihood of young people’s willingness to join the board.

Natural capital is becoming an important topic for global biodiversity and sovereign risk of nations for their food supply chains which can be linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 12–15. In this paper we explored the literature to develop a conceptual framework to determine how primary industry co-operatives (such as in agriculture and aquaculture) can play a role in managing natural capital. The conceptual framework developed shows that members of co-operatives have roles to act within their organisation that utilise natural capital. Acting out these roles may see the co-operative become pro-active in governing its natural capital based on economic and social goals which are guided by the co-operative principles and values. Working with the financial services sector, co-operatives would be able to engage with their members to educate and share knowledge on strategies to manage and/or mitigate the risk of natural capital depletion. This can be managed through farm management techniques and financial instruments such as credit and insurance.