Volumes

SUCCESS FACTORS OF COOPERATIVES IN MALAYSIA: AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION

Abstract

This paper explored the success factors of cooperatives in Malaysia as a study of this nature had not been attempted previously. Questionnaires were distributed using the purposive sampling method to obtain the perception of respondents from cooperatives. Responses from a sample of 203 respondents was then analysed using exploratory factor analysis. A total of fve factors were extracted using the principal component method with a varimax rotation. The fve factor rotated solution explained a total of 63.84 percent of the variance and all the factors had acceptable reliability. The fve factors were labelled as visionary leadership, managerial competency, stability, functional characteristics and operational effciency. Group mean scores were then calculated for the fve factors to determine their importance in determining the success of cooperatives. Based on the group mean scores, only four factors were found to be important and they are visionary leadership, managerial competency, functional characteristics and stability.

COOPERATIVE AS A MODEL OF POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY: STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVENESS IN UGANDA

Abstract

This paper presents fndings of a study whose objectives are to explore the history and current activities and challenges of the co-operative movement in Uganda as one of the development options for poverty alleviation; and to examine strategies for making it an effective model of poverty alleviation in this 21st Century. Poverty in Uganda is a reality, with Uganda now categorized among the least developed of the developing countries. This is an exploratory research using qualitative approaches to data collection and analysis. It is a desk review of existent literature and related documents and interviews of key persons in co-operative and fnance-related institutions in Uganda. The paper establishes that the co-operative movement, from colonial times to date, has undergone a lot of challenges, both emanating from the cooperatives themselves and those from its contexts. It also establishes that despite many interventions to alleviate poverty by government, especially in the last 20 years, poverty still bites a very signifcant proportion of the population, mainly due to inappropriate model of intervention. The paper agrees that Uganda government’s current promotion of co-operatives is an indication of how it believes in its importance as a complementary development model. The paper argues that for co-operatives to effectively fght poverty amidst the challenges and meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, policy innovations should include, frstly, action by the government to provide support and conducive legal environment for the operation of co-operatives and, secondly, reforms within the societies themselves to enable them overcome internal and external forces. The paper also concludes that though the role of government and cooperatives are signifcant in the fght against poverty, the Non-govermental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sectors should equally be engaged in this struggle if meaningful development is to be realized and poverty in particular, fought.

MANAGERIAL ROLES AND THE TRAINING OF MALAYSIAN CO-OPERATIVES’ MANAGERS

Abstract

Managers get things done through people effciently and effectively. Managerial roles explain the actual work that managers do. Mintzberg has documented ten (10) specifc managerial roles and classifed them into three areas: (a) interpersonal, (b) informational, and (c) decisional. Managers of conventional companies are governed,, among others, by the Companies Act 1965 under the Companies Commission of Malaysia, whereas co-operative organisations are administered by the Co-operative Act 1963 under the supervision of the Co-operative Commission of Malaysia. This paper investigates the perceptions of co-operatives’ senior managers toward managerial roles and their training within the co-operatives’ framework. The results showed that senior managers of co-operatives performed Mintzberg’s managerial roles and sought similar managerial training like their companies counterparts despite operating under different legal frameworks. However, the results were not conclusive considering constraints on sample size of the study (n=52). The study proposed that future research use case study method to understand the details of managerial work at cooperatives.

AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS ON STRESS AMONG THE EMPLOYEES OF CENTRAL COOPERATIVE BANK IN DINDIGUL DISTRICT, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Abstract

Cooperatives have a different kind of management and administration system. Though the members are the owners, the governing authority is the government (through the offcials) because of the initiation, sponsorship given by it to the cooperative movement in our country. There are reasons for stress in a cooperative enterprise such as workload, working conditions, and so on. This paper attempts to fnd out the reasons for and reactions to the stress among the employees of the Central Cooperative Bank (CCB) in Dindigul District in Tamilnadu, India; to identify the stress and disclose the factors responsible for the causes of stress; and identify stress management techniques followed by the employees; and to coin out strategies to manage and reduce stress. Since it is empirical in nature, survey method was adopted and Dindigul CCB was selected purposively. The employees at the strategic, tactic and operational level were selected by employing census method sampling procedure. A well-designed questionnaire consists of statements to be responded on fve point scale was administered among the respondents to elicit information in tune to the objectives of the study. The collected information was processed and analyzed, and major fndings were given. The result of the study shows that the operational level employees has more stress than other levels of employees of the bank. They are feeling stress by mental energy drains, physical energy drains and spiritual energy drains. Most of the respondents recently have been used to go for walk in the morning, yoga and go for games and recreational activities as stress management techniques to reduce the stress.

STRATEGI PENTADBIRAN MENINGKATKAN PENCAPAIAN KOPERASI BERASASKAN STRUKTUR KOPERASI HIBRID: KAJIAN KES DI SATARA CO-OPERATIVE GROUP LIMITED, NEW ZEALAND

Abstract

This study shows the importance of an effective administrative management and high cooperative commitment in the case study of the Satara Group Limited from New Zealand whose primary business is in packing of kiwi fruits. Research data was collected through interviews and observations. The study showed that the cooperative administration displayed high level of professionalism, being governed by effective and committed board of directors and management team. Corporate administration is set as guidelines so that the cooperative administration is done accordingly since the cooperative obtain its fnancial resource from members and outside investors. However, the Hybrid Cooperative still maintain 60 percent of Cooperative members vote in its Annual General Meetings even though the investors have more investment capital than the Cooperative members.

Kajian ini memperlihatkan kepentingan pelaksanaan pengurusan koperasi yang cekap dan komitmen koperasi yang tinggi berdasarkan kajian kes yang dijalankan di Satara Co-operative Group Limited, New Zealand yang menjalankan fungsi utamanya dalam pembungkusan buah kiwi. Data kajian diperoleh dengan menggunakan teknik temu bual dan pemerhatian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pengurusan pentadbiran koperasi yang sangat profesional kerana ditadbir oleh Ahli Lembaga Pengarah dan pihak pengurusan yang cekap dan komited. Tadbir urus korporat dijadikan sebagai garis panduan agar pentadbiran koperasi mengikut landasan yang betul kerana koperasi memperoleh sumber kewangan dari anggota dan juga pelabur luar. Namun begitu, koperasi hibrid tetap mengekalkan 60 peratus kuasa anggota koperasi dalam Mesyuarat Agung Tahunannya walaupun pelabur mempunyai modal pelaburan melebihi modal anggota koperasi tersebut.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF COOPERATIVES IN DINDIGUL DISTRICT, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Abstract

It is often said that Cooperative is an industry where fne rational human beings are produced with the materials of honesty, unity, equality, etc. Moreover, social integration, education and training, community development, gender equality and protection against twin evils of rugged individualism and blatant totalitarianism are the ways in which cooperatives contribute for social development as well as for sustainable human development. Social contribution of cooperatives therefore, cannot be underestimated. The main objective of the study is to assess the social impact of cooperatives with particular reference to contribution of social benefts, contribution of democratic benefts and contribution of empowerment benefts. The study is based on empirical analysis. Hence feld survey method was adopted. As it covers both rural and urban area, multi-stage random sampling procedure has been employed to select the area as well as respondents. As the issues to be addressed in the study are of qualitative and quantitative nature, different tools and techniques of data collection have been used. Besides Personal Interview (PI) for administering the Structured Interview Schedule (SIS) among the respondents, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and a few Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques have been used. Findings reveal that members of cooperatives have high perception on the social, democratic and empowerment benefts of Cooperatives. They view cooperatives as social institutions where economic benefts can also be availed especially by those who are deprived of access to resources. Long years of membership in cooperatives, increased use of services of cooperatives and greater participation in the management of cooperatives have enabled to derive greater social benefts of Cooperatives. Hence, whatever be the lapses and ineffectiveness in the economic achievements of cooperatives, the social, democratic and empowerment benefts extended by cooperatives to individuals, and the society at large are very explicit and appear forefront. There are evidences that cooperative movement in the district has made sustainable social impact among people.