Co-Operative Enterprise as a Coalition of Small Firms

Abstract

Co-operative enterprises represent some of the largest and most durable business entities in the world. They are found in all countries and across a wide range of industries. Co-ops are member owned businesses that can be formed by small business owners, farmers and the wider community. They have a unique business model that is part economic and part social in its focus. The purpose of co-ops is to provide benefits to their members. They have been likened to a strategic network in that they are owned and managed democratically by their members. Drawing on case study data from Australia and France the paper examines how the conceptual small firm alliancing framework developed by Street and Cameron (2007) can apply to co-operative enterprises. The role of member identity with the co-op as an alliance is highlighted.

Keywords: Co-operatives, small firms, strategic alliances and networks