Cahier 97-03 – The Structural, Support and Ideological Factors that Encourage the Creation of Cooperative Enterprises
Cahier 97-03 – The Structural, Support and Ideological Factors that Encourage the Creation of Cooperative Enterprises
Auteur : Louis Jacques Filion
Presented at the 17th Annual Babson-Kaufman Entrepreneurship Research Conference, held at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, April 17-20, 1997.
Résumé :
In the last six to eight years, the number of cooperatives created in traditional sectors – for example, the financial and production sectors – has decreased in Quebec. However, the reverse is true of the new service sectors such as the home care sector for elderly people. This empirical research attempts to answer two questions: How are cooperative enterprises created in new sectors, especially service sectors, and why is the cooperative formula chosen? Ten cooperative enterprises created in sectors where cooperatives are not normally found were studied. Four were consumer cooperatives and six were worker cooperatives. A number of creation phases were identified in each group. For the consumer sectors the phases were: 1. Need identified; 2. Need clarified; 3. Structured solution; 4. Obstacles; 5. Creation; 6. Start-up. For the worker cooperatives they were: 1. Need/crisis; 2. Scenarios; 3. Creation; 4. Start-up. These various phases are described and explained. The important role played by the « champion » is noted, as is past exposure to the cooperative formula. The consumer cooperatives created in new service sectors occupy a section of the market that is often not profitable enough to attract private enterprise but too costly for the state to operate. These new forms of cooperative enable communities to provide the services they need at a much lower cost than would be possible for the public sector. The difficulties of creating a cooperative, together with the special features of their management, are discussed.
