Cooperative Organisation: Meaning and Definition

COOPERATIVE ORGANISATION

Meaning and Definition

A cooperative is a private business organisation that is owned and controlled by the people who use its products, supplies or services. Although cooperatives vary in type and membership size, all were formed to meet the specific objectives of members, and are structured to adapt to member’s changing needs.

Cooperatives are formed by individuals who coordinate among themselves (horizontal coordination) to achieve vertical integration in their business activities.

Cooperatives were useful for promoting  the interests of the less powerful members of society. Farmers, producers, workers, and consumers found that they could accomplish more collectively than they could individually.

Although people have been working together for their mutual benefit throughout human history, the cooperative form of business organization began during the Industrial Revolution. At first, the cooperative movement was started by  Robert  Owen, in the year 1844. He formed a consumer’s cooperative society in England with 28 workers as members, called “Rochdale Societyof Equitable Pioneers”. Thisgradually led to world-wide movement of organising, cooperatives in various fields of economic activity such as credit, farming, marketing, processing, housing, transport, insurance, fisheries, poultry, dairying, etc., The main object of the cooperative  movement  was to bring solace and comfort to the needy persons by pursuing common economic interests through cooperative trading. Profit is not a main objective.

Definition

Cooperation is a form of organization in which persons voluntarily associate together as human beings on the basis of equality for the promotion of the economic interests of themselves.

- H.Calvert

Cooperation is “better farming, better business and better living”

- Sir Horace Plunkett

Examples of a Cooperative Society:

1.        Indian Coffee House

2.        Mother Dairy

3.        Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad

4.        Indian Farmers Fertilizers Cooperative Limited

5.        The Indian Airlines (Cargo) C.G.H.S.Ltd.