Unit 11. Cooperative movement

Text 1. Role and contribution of the cooperative movement in today’s world

Active vocabulary to remember

contribution entrepreneurial needs profit for the sake of satisfaction sustainability creation employment purchase beneficiaries daily necessities mutualisation family dwelling distribution establishment environment impressive percentage provision integrated relation identification consumer saving-and-credit cooperative stakeholder consumption ordinary comparable competitiveness to reinforce dimension capacity reinvests expansion precious to evaluate solidarity notably developing countries transition recent forthcoming approval strengthening attempt conscious value expertise

– вклад, значение – предпринимательский – нужды, потребности – выгода, доход, польза – ради чего-л. – удовлетворение – устойчивость; устойчивое развитие – создание – занятость – покупка, приобретение – лицо, в интересах которого осуществляется доверительная собственность; бенефициарий – предметы первой необходимости – мутуализация (выгодное сотрудничество) – место жительства отдельной семьи – распределение – учреждение, организация – окружение, окружающая среда – впечатляющий – процентное соотношение – обеспечение – интегрированный, включенный – отношение – определение, идентификация – потребитель – сберегательный и кредитный кооператив – заинтересованное лицо – потребление – обычный, простой – сравнимый – конкурентоспособность – укреплять; усиливать – размер; объём; – возможность, способность – реинвестировать – расширение, экспансия – ценный – оценивать – солидарность, единение, общность – заметно; особенно; а именно; то есть – развивающиеся страны – переходное состояние – недавний – грядущий – одобрение, поддержка – укрепление, усиление – попытка – осознанный – ценность – экспертиза, проверка

The main features of the contribution of co-operatives in the world are as follows:

a) We find in the world no other entrepreneurial system having attained such scales and such strong economic sustainability (e.g. almost 7% of Italy's GDP, far ahead of Italy's largest enterprises) while not being motivated by profit for the sake of profit, but invested and democratically participated by the human communities themselves for the satisfaction of their socio-economic needs.

b) This system deals with the most fundamental socio-economic needs of human communities (creation of local economic activities and therefore employment creation, purchase of inputs and marketing of agricultural produce, consumption of daily necessities, mutualisation of savings, construction of family dwellings, distribution of rural electricity, establishment of schools, launching of social and health services to families, disadvantaged groups and local communities, mutualisation of SMEs, promotion of the environment etc.).

c) It covers an impressive part of the world's human communities (750 million people and their families, i.e. around 40% of mankind).

d) It often covers an important percentage of the satisfaction of these communities' needs (e.g. more than 30% of French agriculture, one of the main players within the EU banking sector, the first place in the provision of social services in Italy, one of the first places in the creation of structures for environmental management in the EU, the most important integrated health system in Brazil, one of the main systems of electrical distribution in the US etc.).

e) This system associates its members (and their families) democratically, according to the type of functional relation between those members and the co-operative, thus increasing considerably the sustainability of the latter thanks to the identification of its actors with its objectives (for example, the consumers in consumers' co-operatives, the savers in saving-and-credit co-operatives, the workers in worker co-operatives, the inhabitants in housing co-operatives etc.). More and more multi-stakeholders' group integrate in their midst members of different types (e.g. workers and beneficiaries of social services in Italian or Swedish social co-operatives), opening an important potential of integration of the different co-operative actors.

f) Thanks to its integrated enterprise systems, it is the only economic system belonging to ordinary people that is able to provide them with business scales comparable to large enterprises and therefore to ensure a comparable degree of competitiveness and sustainability. Furthermore, these enterprise systems reinforce a "meso-level" dimension to socio-economic development, thus improving the enterprises' co-ordination capacity and the sharing of resources, information and knowledge (e.g. R&D, marketing, training, consulting, specialisation in production etc.).

g) The co-operative system reinvests continuously in its own expansion, i.e., in the expansion of the satisfaction of the basic socio-economic needs of human communities.

h) Owing to its democratic and participative system, its contribution to socio-economic needs and local development, its entrepreneurial sustainability, and the fact that profit for the sake of profits is not its engine, the co-operative movement plays an important role in the development of civil society and peace. In this sense, co-operation represents an important factor of peace in the world, a very precious contribution though impossible to evaluate with figures.

i) Through its promotion of solidarity, the co-operative system also contains an important component of international solidarity, notably towards developing countries and economies in transition, which has already begun to be put in practice over the last decades, through the launching of a series of international development projects.

j) Through its emphasis on trans-national co-operation (reinforced by recent ICA strategic statements, the forthcoming approval of the European Co-operative Society, the strengthening of co-operative regional organisations such as CECOP in Europe and the recent regionalisation of ICA structures), the co-operative movement, through its organisations, has become an active player on the international arena, within the various regional integration attempts (EU, Mercosur, etc.) as well as between continents. Always conscious of its values and role in society, the co-operative movement carries this work through its international actions and development programmes, sharing the co-operatives' expertise, models and best practice.

Practice:

1. Answer the questions:

1) What are the main objectives of co-operatives?

2) What are the main types of co-operatives?

3) What role do co-operativesplay in the development of civil society?

4) How does the co-operative system manage to ensure a comparable degree of competitiveness?

5) What important component does the co-operative system contain?

6) What is the role of co-operative system on the international arena?

2. Match the pairs:

1) entrepreneurial system 2) for the sake of profit 3) democratically participated 4) socio-economic needs 5) human communities 6) economic activities 7) employment creation 8) consumption of daily necessities 9) establishment of schools 10) launching of social and health services 11) economic system 12) ordinary people 13) large enterprises 14) socio-economic development 15) sharing of resources 16) civil society 17) development programmes 18) economies in transition 19) co-operative movement 20) developing countries

a) в поисках выгоды b) гражданское общество c) кооперативное движение d) крупные предприятия e) на основе демократического участия f) обмен ресурсами g) организация школ h) потребление товаров первой необходимости i) предоставление социальных услуг и услуг по здравоохранению j) программы развития k) простые люди l) развивающиеся страны m) система предпринимательства n) создание рабочих мест o) социально-экономические потребности p) социально-экономическое развитие q) человеческие сообщества r) экономики в переходном состоянии s) экономическая деятельность t) экономическая система

3. Read the sentences and tick (Ö) the statements which are true to the text. Correct the false statements.

1) Cooperatives are aimed at getting profits;

2) There is no need for the cooperative system to reinvest in its own expansion;

3) There must be greater co-operation between cooperatives of the various branches within each country and internationally:

4) Cooperation represents an important factor of peace in the world.

4. Choose one of the topics and prepare a report on it:

a) Setting up of the first cooperative in Russia.

b) Problems faced by the International Cooperative Alliance nowadays.

c) Collaboration of the International Cooperative Alliance and Russian cooperatives.

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