Co-ops and Universities: Seeking the Elusive Partnership

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Part 1: The Case for Partnership

Brett Fairbairn, with Nora Russell

Co-operatives are community-based associations and enterprises accountable to their members and typically competing in markets for goods and services. Based on self-help, autonomy, and ages-old ways of working together, they improve the well-being of their members, foster values such as equity and inclusion, and strengthen communities.

Universities are among the oldest institutions in society, operating under deeply entrenched norms of self-governance and autonomy. They create knowledge for society, foster critical thinking and citizenship, and reproduce leadership and professions from generation to generation.

If a good partnership is one where the partners bring different strengths and characteristics to a common project, then universities and co-operatives have the makings of a great partnership. But partners have to find the right ways of working with each other, and this is more complicated than it might appear. Continue reading →

The State of Co-ops in Western Canada

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Murray Fulton

Murray Fulton

An American colleague recently asked me and a number of other academics and co-op leaders if we could provide a quick snapshot of large-scale co-operative activity in our geographical regions — consolidations, mergers, the nature of supply chains, and whatever else we felt was important. Here is my response. Continue reading →

Organizational Listening: A Framework for Revitalizing Co-operative Engagement?

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Amanda Sampson

“Communication is a two-way street” is often touted as a guiding principle of success. Public and private organizations, including co-operatives, invest large sums in public engagement and rely on social media to allow stakeholders to “have their say.” Yet, do organizations actually embody this two-way street by responding to what their stakeholders are saying? As participation-based organizations, co-operatives should be aware of recent research that argues industry communication standards are perpetuating a “crisis of listening” that undermines key stakeholder relationships. Continue reading →

Governance Changes at MEC: Should Other Co-ops Take Note?

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Aasa Marshall

MEC — a large Canadian retail co-operative that specializes in outdoor activity equipment — implemented a number of controversial changes three years ago to strengthen the knowledge and skill sets at its board table and to ensure its governance structure could continue to guide the growing company.

Formerly known as Mountain Equipment Co-op, MEC was started by a small group of friends from the University of British Colombia who found they couldn’t buy good quality climbing gear in Canada. Since its inception in 1971, it has grown to twenty stores across the country, with 4.5 million members and $366 million in annual sales. With this growth and the expectation of further growth, the co-op felt it needed a more experienced board to navigate not only its scope, but also the increasingly competitive market for the goods it sells. Continue reading →

Check Out Our Curated Content

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Danielle Potter

We have recently added a “Recommended” section to our blog that contains links to material on co-operatives and credit unions that we believe will be of interest to readers. This menu item features a collection of curated content in three general subcategories: Reading, Viewing, and Listening. On each of these pages, you will discover links to books and articles, videos, blog posts, and podcasts. We have provided titles, authors and speakers where appropriate, and brief descriptions. Continue reading →

The Hope for a Federal Co-op Development Strategy

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Danielle Potter

Much attention is focused this week on Motion M-100, which asks Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) to establish a national co-operative development strategy in Canada. The motion passed unanimously in the House of Commons on 5 April 2017, sending a clear message to the Government of Canada. Continue reading →

The Need for Childcare Services: Are Co-ops the Solution?

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Yawen Luo

The co-operative model has long been used to provide childcare services in Canada and other countries and may offer a solution to the long waiting lists and the high cost of childcare that have frustrated parents with young children and deterred them from returning to work. Continue reading →

Banking on the Upsell: Lessons for Credit Unions

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Dionne Pohler

Image credit below

Across Canada and the United States, major banks are facing public scrutiny after media reports that employees feel intense pressure to mislead customers in order to meet unrealistic sales targets and avoid losing their jobs. Is this an opportunity for credit unions to show that they treat their members — their customers — differently? Continue reading →

Power Struggle: Rural Electrification in Alberta

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Danielle Potter

Source: Website of the Rocky Rural Electrification Association (http://www.rockyrea.com/about/history)

 

 

In his Fredeen Scholarship seminar, Eric Neudorf outlined how Alberta’s private power companies in the 1940s were able to change the regulatory landscape in a way that profoundly disadvantaged the rural electrical associations, with the result that today they are having difficulty surviving. How did this happen? Continue reading →