Innovative Consumer Co-operatives: The Rise and Fall of Berkeley - Rilegato

Patmore, Greg

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1138614106 ISBN 13: 9781138614109

Casa editrice: Routledge, 2020

Riassunto

Consumer co-operatives provide a different approach to organizing business through their ideals of member ownership and democratic practice. Every co-operative member has an equal vote regardless of his or her own personal capital investment. The co-operative movement can also be an important force in promoting development and self-sufficiency in poorer areas, particularly in non-industrialised countries.

This book explores in depth the fortunes of the Berkeley Consumer Co-operative, which became the largest consumer co-operative in the United States with 116,000 members in 1984 and viewed nationally as a leader in innovative retail practices and a champion of consumer rights. The Berkeley Consumer Co-operative is promoted by both supporters and opponents of the co-operative business model as a significant example of what can go wrong with the co-operatives.

This book will provide the first in depth analysis of the history of the Berkeley Co-operative using its substantial but little used archives and oral histories to explore what the Berkeley experience means for the co-operative business model. The specific chapters relating to Berkeley will be organised around particular themes to highlight the issues relating to the co-operative business model and the local context of Berkeley. The themes relate to developments in Berkeley and the Bay Area in terms of the economy, politics and the retail environment; the management of the Berkeley co-operative, looking at governance, financial management and strategic decisions; relationship of management with members and employees; and finally, the relationship of the Berkeley Co-operative with the community.

The core message of the book is that it is not inevitable that consumer co-operatives fail, but that the story of Berkeley story can provide insights that can strengthen the co-operative business model and minimise failures on the scale of Berkeley occurring in the future.

Su questo libro

Informazioni sull'autore

Greg Patmore is Emeritus Professor of Business and Labour History at the University of Sydney Business School, Australia. ORCID: 0000-0001-7151-4381

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: Routledge
• Data di pubblicazione: 2020
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1138614106
• ISBN 13: 9781138614109
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero edizione: 1
• Numero di pagine: 254
• Contatto del produttore: Taylor and Francis, GPSR Taylor and Francis; gpsr@taylorandfrancis.com; ; Taylor & Francis Verlag GmbH, Kaufingerstraße 24; München; 80331; Germania