The Cooperative Business Model
Cooperatives are operated by members to serve
the needs and values of the community. This is in
contrast to regular corporations, which are often
operated by a distant and anonymous pool of shareholders
with the primary goal of extracting profits from the
community. There are many kinds of co-ops: food co-ops,
housing co-ops, credit unions, worker's co-ops,
agricultural co-ops, etc. They vary dramatically in size,
culture and longevity. Some are highly participative,
with many of the members/customers participating in the
work (e.g. Karma Food
Co-op in Toronto). Others are somewhat less
participative (e.g. Mountain
Equipment Co-op), but still are ultimately controlled
by the members. What is a co-op? What are the
advantages?
Wikipedia
Article | Wikipedia
Category | NASCO
(North American Students of Cooperation)
Listings of Cooperatives in Canada & USA:
NASCO Guide to Coops (mostly USA) www.nasco.coop/guide/
Canadian Cooperatives (listed in Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Canadian_cooperatives
American Cooperatives (listed
in Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_cooperatives
Cooperative Grocer Magazine (food co-ops, USA &
Canada) www.cooperativegrocer.coop
Canadian Co-op Network (housing cooperatives) www.canconet.com
Canadian Cooperative Association (larger cooperatives) www.coopscanada.coop
Google Directory directory.google.com/Top/Business/Food_and_Related_Products/Cooperatives/
Cooperative Housing Links www.planetfriendly.net/community.html#coophousing
Cooperatives in Canada Google
search (2)
USA: National Cooperative Business Association www.ncba.org
A few examples of consumer co-ops:
Ontario Natural Food Co-op www.onfc.ca
(a member co-op) (create
your own group)
Karma Food Co-op (Toronto) www.karmacoop.org (a
member co-op)
The Big Carrot (Toronto) www.thebigcarrot.ca
(a worker co-op)
Mountain Equipment Co-op (across Canada) www.mec.ca (a member co-op)
Co-op books, articles & resources:
Cooperation, Competition, and a "Sustainable
Economy" huppi.com/kangaroo/L-spectrumfive.htm
Cooperation Book Reviews www.4dcompanion.com/bookreviews/cooperation.html
Competition & Cooperation Links www.google.com/search?q=competition+cooperation+darwin
More links & resources: google
directory | google
search
The Creative Commons and other Open,
Cooperative & Sustainable Approaches
Creative Commons www.creativecommons.org
www.creativecommons.ca
(defined)
Open
Content, Open Source, Open Standards www.planetfriendly.net/opensource.html
Peer Production www.google.com/search?q=%22peer+production%22
Related pages at
Planetfriendly.net
Questioning
Business | Fair
Trade | What is
the commons? | Sustainable
Living Links | The
People & Planet Directory
People & Planet | Green Jobs | Planet Volunteer | EcoProperty.ca
bringing
people together over ideas that matter
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