- 254 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
About This Book
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.
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Table of Contents
- List of Illustrations
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- List of Abbreviations
- 1 Consumer Co-operatives: Theory and Practice
- 2 International Consumer Co-operative Movement Before 1993
- 3 Consumer Co-operatives in the US before 1993
- 4 The Origins and Early Years of the Berkeley Co-operative until 1947
- 5 Gaining a Foothold: 1947–1961
- 6 Politics and Expansion: 1962–1971
- 7 Instability and Final Expansion: 1972–1980
- 8 Chaos and Collapse: 1981–1993
- 9 Conclusion
- Index