Journal of Co-operative Studies Vol 52 No 3

Table of Contents

Editorial

Peer reviewed papers

The influence of collaboration capability on strategy execution in Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Co-operative Organisations in Kenya

Lucy N. Kiruthu, Juliana M. Namada and Peter N. Kiriri, pp. 5-19

ABSTRACT

Collaboration both internal and external is considered a dynamic capability that depicts how people work together to achieve desired results. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the influence of collaboration capability on strategy execution in Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Co-operative Organisations (DT-SACCOs) in Kenya. The study population was the 500 heads of departments in Kenya’s 164 DT-SACCOs fully licensed in 2017. From the 222 heads of departments sampled and surveyed through a questionnaire, 183 complete responses were received. The main analytical framework used for hypotheses testing was the structural equation modelling. The study found that collaboration capability both internal and external has a significant positive influence on strategy execution. This study adds to the existing body of knowledge on the influence of collaboration capability on strategy execution. Further, the study presents practitioners in strategic management, policy makers, and the leadership in co-operatives with recommendations to improve practice.

Keywords: credit unions; SACCO; strategy, Kenya

Short papers

Accounting for Sweat Equity

John Maddocks, pp. 20-25

ABSTRACT

Worker sweat equity plays a significant role in some worker and housing co-operatives, contributing to the resources available to a co-operative, whether in the short term at start up, or during economically difficult periods, or longer term in sustaining otherwise unviable services and goods. While there has been some discussion of sweat equity in co-operatives, little has been said regarding whether and how sweat equity might be accounted for. Drawing on research on different types of volunteering encountered in the third sector, this paper explores different types of sweat equity and ways in which they might usefully be accounted for and incorporated into annual co-operative accounting and reporting.

Keywords: accounting; accountability; sweat equity; annual reporting

The Active Co-operator: Member Participation

The Active Co-operator 

John Whitfield, pp. 26 -30

ABSTRACT

This and the following article (Rose) focus on aspects that continue to exercise researchers and co-operators internationally. They appeared in the Society for Co-operative Studies Bulletin in 1968 and 1970 and focus on local and general retail societies. The ‘Active Co-operator’ reports on research undertaken in Staffordshire, UK and looks at the reasons why individuals join a retail co-operative and their engagement with co-operative philosophy and principles. The active co‑operators referred to are “committee members, directors, delegates to regional and national bodies, and the leading enthusiasts of the auxiliaries” seen as key components of co-operative democracy. The second paper, “Guidelines of member participation” — brings in a wider consumer focus. Both are of their time but with contemporary resonance.

Keywords: co-operator; engagement; member participation, reprint

Guidelines on Member Participation and the Research Needed 

Brian J. Rose, pp 30-33

ABSTRACT

This and the previous article focus on aspects that continue to exercise researchers and cooperators internationally. They appeared in the Society for Co-operative Studies Bulletin in 1968 and 1970 and focus on local and general retail societies. The ‘Active Co-operator’ reports on research undertaken in Staffordshire, UK and looks at the reasons why individuals join a retail co-operative and their engagement with co-operative philosophy and principles. The active co-operators referred to are “committee members, directors, delegates to regional and national bodies, and the leading enthusiasts of the auxiliaries” seen as key components of co-operative democracy. The second paper, “Guidelines of member participation” — brings in a wider consumer focus. Both are of their time but with contemporary resonance.

Keywords: co-operator; engagement; member participation, reprint

Book reviews

The Road to Co-operation: Escaping the Bottom Line. By Gordon Pearson

Reviewed by John Maddocks, pp. 34-35

The Management of Consumer Co-operatives in Korea: Identity, Participation and Sustainability. Edited by Seungkwon Jang

Reviewed by Jan Myers, pp. 36-40

All works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, subject to a 6-month embargo from date of publication in the Journal.