CO-OPERATIVE CORE VALUE

3.1.                  The core value of a cooperative enterprise system is called, “coordinated cooperation," which enables human with equal rights and mutual respect for each other work together, for the welfare of the group. This differs from "subordinated cooperation," where people work individually or collectively but are under other people's supervision. Subordinated cooperation occurred in state socialist communities that were formed through forced collectivization. True coordinated cooperation does not exist as a prevailing value in any present economic system.

The cooperative system cannot function effectively in an environment of exploitation, corruption, and materialism, nor where they are forced to compete with themselves or with large corporations for marketing and supplies. For cooperatives to succeed, they must have morality among the working-members, strong management of the enterprise, and community support for the cooperative system. Furthermore, cooperatives need ready access to suppliers and markets for their goods and services. And the members of a cooperative must be able to work in a collective spirit and must share similar material aspirations.

For a cooperative Society to function properly, it requires decent people with cooperative values, people with similar material/economic needs. Most importantly, people with mutual respect for each other.  Having the sense of appropriate organizational and management structures; to function conveniently in this politically dominated society. Demonstrating neutrality can help to create an environment where the government and other interest groups will come in to support small and medium scale cooperative industry for the development of a local economy.

 In attempting to establish a viable cooperative economy, it must be considered whether cooperatives can develop in the absence of a sufficient moral base. In other words, strong moral values must first be prevalent among members, for the cooperatives to flourish, or rather; it will become the responsibility of the co-operative managers to create strong moral values in their members in order for the group to make progress.

This book therefore is designed to offers practical viewpoint for developing cooperatives. It will help to examine the co-operative principles, advantages, internal organizational structures, supportive infrastructure, and wider environmental factors necessary for their development. Finally It will address difficult questions of strategic priorities.