Paul Thompson

A word cloud of the responses to our 2019 Top Co-op Issues survey
Each year, the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives surveys co-operative leaders from across Canada on the top issues their organizations face. In this post, we discuss the top six responses from our 2019 survey.
For more information on the Top Co-op Issues 2019, and surveys from previous years, visit our website.
#1. Public Awareness
Respondents continue to say that public awareness is the sector’s biggest challenge. This issue encompasses knowing how co-operative models work in different sectors, understanding and highlighting contemporary uses of the model, lack of teaching about co-operatives in schools, and a need to work together to highlight the depth of the sector so that the public has a good awareness of co-operatives. Based on our analysis of the responses, there appears to be an underlying assumption that (a) increased awareness will lead to great use of co-operatives over other business models; and (b) people will be motivated to use the co-operative model to start new businesses. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “Awareness and understanding of the cooperative business model. This includes misguided perception, confusion with the Cooperative brand, and unfamiliarity with different types of cooperatives.”
- “Sector identity – Cooperatives tend over time to become siloed, missing out on the opportunity to tell Canadians what cooperative enterprise is all about”
- “While proud of our history, co-operatives need to showcase contemporary successes of the model at work and differential relations with members (and non-members).”
- “Ignorance of the cooperative model leads the public to confuse co-operative difference, social responsibility and government accountability.”
#2. Governance
Respondents expressed concerns about general governance issues, but also ones specific to co-operatives. This issue encompasses ideas like recognizing the uniqueness of co-operative governance, the time that governance in co-operatives takes and the tension that may exist between elected officials and employees, and the governance overlaps and need for coordination between individual co-operatives, federal and provincial associations, federations, and international associations. For the first time since we began the survey, some respondents expressed concerns that increasing political cynicism means that engaging people in democratic organizations may be becoming more difficult. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “Competitors can copy everything cooperatives do except their governance. Cooperatives need to show how behaviours rooted in their governance are the basis of their value proposition and their strategy.”
- “Nimbleness of the governance functions. It is often easier for management to move quick enough as they are immersed in the business all the time, whereas the governance individuals are performing their roles on an occasional basis. The challenge is to keep all on the same page and move as quickly as possible to stay competitive.”
- “Wear of democracy – political cynicism.”
#3. The relevance of Co-operatives to Contemporary Needs
Over the last three years, survey respondents have told us that co-operatives face a major challenge in making sure people understand the relevance of the model given technological change and shifting demographics. People expect different things from their co-operatives than they used to. Respondents told us there is a sense that co-operatives have traditionally been slow to adapt to these changes because of their governance structures. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “Reinventing and re-purposing cooperatives, ensuring older cooperatives continue to innovate and service their members’ needs.”
- “Ensuring cooperatives remain relevant in the various markets they operate in.”
- “How can we effectively serve the rapidly changing needs of members?”
#4. General Business Economy/Globalization/Sharing Economy
Co-operatives feel the stresses of the larger economy, the larger social economy, and the impacts of globalization. From this perspective, respondents told us they have difficulty finding and retaining qualified employees, face increasing competition from online shopping and international competitors, need to make investments in technology to stay current, and face general financial challenges. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “Attracting talented leadership and management to the sector.”
- “The economic environment – including the local economy and competitive environment”
- “Remaining relevant in an increasingly globalized economy.”
- “How to manage the cooperative business models successfully in an increasingly volatile and challenging external marketplace.”
#5. Differentiation/Co-operative Difference
While co-operatives have long expressed concern about the importance of differentiating themselves from other models, this year some of our respondents worried that the uniqueness of the co-op model might be getting lost amidst the growing interest in the broader social economy. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “The appropriation of and distortion of cooperative values by the corporate sector. Promoting the co-operative difference remains a key priority.”
- “Setting ourselves apart from other forms of business, specifically with respect to our co-operative purpose.”
- “The social enterprise sector is overtaking the cooperative sector and if the cooperative business model isn’t placed front and centre of this emerging social economy, it will get lost as new business models evolve.”
- “Find a place within the ‘social enterprise’ and ‘social purpose business’ plaudits – cooperatives should be front and centre, not second fiddle to these ‘new’ forms.”
#6. Maintaining the Co-operative Identity or Mission
In order to differentiate itself from other sectors of the economy, the co-operative sector must, of course, maintain the co-operative identity. Whether it is the local control associated with co-operatives, or making sure that co-operatives are doing more than talking about their identity and are living their values, our respondents told us that they want to stay true to their co-operative roots. Some of the verbatim comments in this category of concerns include:
- “Balancing the need for scale economics and local control.”
- “Protecting and promoting the co-operative identity and difference.”
- “Less internal focus and more focus on presence and contributions to society to create a buzz.”
- “Instead of focusing rhetoric on the co-operative difference, live, demonstrate, report on that difference in visible was – governance, treatment of employees, respect for the environment, relations with members and so on.”

Darcy Overland, Research Manager, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
Pingback: Connecting Co-operators | Contemplating Co-ops
are erectile dysfunction not curable
best erectile dysfunction pills
erectile recovery after prostatectomy
erectile recovery after prostatectomy
is erectile dysfunction a chronic disease
erectile implants side effects
Pingback: need help writing essay
Pingback: best custom essay website
Pingback: dissertation titles
Pingback: essay homework help online
Pingback: best mba essay editing service
Pingback: who can write my paper for me
Pingback: research paper introduction help
Pingback: thesis writing service uk
Pingback: nursing thesis
Добрый день, напоминаем о Вашем счастливом билете Лoтo! Забepитe свои средства: http://tinyurl.com/Prixence THRT3457734TUJE
cost for fosamax
cash today
tadalafil daily uk
purchase levitra canada
Pingback: pharmacy online
Pingback: cialis dosage
fidelity life insurance company
free sex cams
Pingback: cialis for sale
Pingback: how long for cialis to work
decreasing term life insurance
buy cialis online cheap
Pingback: viagra price comparison
Pingback: how to use viagra for best results
Pingback: does viagra lower blood pressure
321 sexchat
multiple car insurance quotes
best loans for bad credit
Pingback: viagra online
buy generic provigil
best place to get a loan
loan assumption
buy levitra online
lamisil cream over the counter
sildenafil tabs 20mg
tadalafil 20 mg online india
older mobile home insurance
online paydayloans
mobile home insurance companies in florida
auto home insurance
cheap viagra in united states
best home insurance
cialis 20 mg tablet cost
generic cialis 5mg canada
small loans for people with bad credit
american financial loans
how to get viagra in canada
Pingback: canadian pharcharmy onlinecanadian online pharmacy
direct lender
Pingback: best online canadian pharmacy
buy lasix 40 mg online
Pingback: canadian pharmacies online prescriptions
Читать далее: гидра онион
Pingback: Cialis Soft Flavored
get money fast
real viagra without prescription
state farm home insurance quote
Pingback: herbals
unifund insurance
viagra 100 cost
personal loans poor credit
home owner
insurance house
sildenafil 1.5
cost of viagra 100mg in canada
Pingback: viagra
dexamethasone 0.5
express scripts com pharmacies
generic floxin
lenders network
payday loans in kansas city mo
Taxi moto line
128 Rue la Boétie
75008 Paris
+33 6 51 612 712
Taxi moto paris
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems
as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your
weblog when you could be giving us something enlightening
to read?
how much is viagra 100mg
entocort price in india
need money now please help
4 dexamethasone
candian viagra using paypal credit
pbm pharmacy viagra
allegra d 24 hour buy Peern gooni
omnicef for bronchitis
norvasc medicine
monthly installment loans
instant payday loans for bad credit
buy cialis 10mg
cialis 20mg uk online
rx cialis
guaranteed acceptance payday loans
zocor 40 mg
money fast online
payday loans arizona
zoloft lowest price
nov https://vgr24w.com/ pgf
khd nmr
cialis daily cheap
spr https://vgr24w.com/ yis
ztx crc
credit loans guaranteed approval
tizanidine 2mg cost
personal loans
cost of 10mg cialis
cost of ivermectin
viagra 100mg price http://viagrastm.com/ best place to buy viagra online
online pharmacy birth control pills
viagra pill price in mexico
personal loan interest rate
cialis canada
canadian pharmacy generic viagra http://viagrastm.online/ viagra discount
consolidation loans for bad credit
loan site
cialis discount card http://cialisirt.online/ cialis headaches afterwards
where to purchase over the counter viagra
cialis uk
canadian viagra cialis http://cialisirt.online/ generic cialis without prescription
short term loans bad credit
where can i get generic viagra online
sildenafil 25 mg
warnings for cialis http://cialisirt.com/ cialis tolerance
female viagra pill for sale
personal loans bad credit
loans unsecured
advance america cash advance
tenormin price
southern pharmacy
male dysfunction https://canadianpharmacyvikky.com natural herbs for ed
how to order viagra pills
where can you buy viagra in bangkok
where can i buy affordable cialis
can i buy cialis over the counter uk Peern gooni
viagra without a prescription https://canadianpharmacyvikky.com men ed
loan servicing primelending
yasmin 25 seriya smotret online
viagra dosage recommended
generico do viagra r$ Peern gooni
cialis canadian pharmacy online
dexamethasone 60 mg
order tamoxifen online
bad credit personal loan
viagra generika osterreich kaufen
viagra liquid
cialis 20mg soft tabs Peern gooni
online payday loan no credit check
loans with low interest
online generic viagra india
no credit check loans
how much is viagra over the counter
lopressor 150 mg
genuine cialis http://cealis1.com/
cash loans no credit check
pharmacy rx one canadian pharmacy reviews save on pharmacy
order viagra online in usa
best drugstore face wash http://pharmacy-onlineasxs.com/ on line pharmacy
generic viagra 100mg online
viagra online generic canada
cash advances
Good information
canadian pharmacies online erectile dysfunction causes canadian pharmacy online
ivermectin 0.08 oral solution
buy real viagra online no prescription
homepage https://canadarx24.com/ best canadian online pharmacy
cafergot
cialis best buy
texas state board of pharmacy drugstore beetle drug store near me
Hello there! india online pharmacy great website.
prednisone pharmacy prices
Perfect update of captcha solution software “XRumer 19.0 + XEvil”:
Captcha recognition of Google (ReCaptcha-2 and ReCaptcha-3), Facebook, BitFinex, Bing, MailRu, SolveMedia, Steam,
and more than 12000 another subtypes of captchas,
with highest precision (80..100%) and highest speed (100 img per second).
You can use XEvil 5.0 with any most popular SEO/SMM software: iMacros, XRumer, SERP Parser, GSA SER, RankerX, ZennoPoster, Scrapebox, Senuke, FaucetCollector and more than 100 of other programms.
Interested? You can find a lot of introducing videos about XEvil in YouTube.
FREE DEMO AVAILABLE!
Good luck!
P.S. A Huge Discount -30% for XEvil full version until 15 Jan is AVAILABLE! 🙂
XEvil Net
doxycycline 100mg cost australia
Hi! purchase erectile dysfunction medications canadian pharmacies excellent web site.
payday loans guaranteed
Howdy! xanax online pharmacy beneficial site.
where can i buy sildenafil
cheap pet meds without vet prescription https://canadarx24.com/ pump for ed
buy single viagra pill uk
viagra price at cvs
best online to buy cialis Peern gooni
Howdy! usa pharmacy online great website.
payday loans online direct lender
ivermectin generic name
Howdy! online pharmacies reviews excellent web page.
payday loans vancouver
cheap cialis daily
Hello! walgreens online pharmacy great site.
sildenafil australia paypal
canadian medicine viagra dapoxetine
generic sublingual viagra 50mg
over counter female viagra Peern gooni
erection pills that work http://canadarx24.online/ comfortis for dogs without vet prescription qyuqmzby
retin a cream for sale uk
cash advance inc
quick loan
buy viagra over the counter uk
levitra there generic
tadalafil citrate for women
viagra online kaufen erfahrungen 2017 Peern gooni
samples of cialis pfyqydms http://edcheapgeneric.online/ buy cialis online canadian
buy azithromycin online without prescription
chloroquine tablets buy
do cialis pills expire
cialis from india online pharmacy
cialis super active odgcier wqgsgs Peern gooni
instant loan no credit check
viagra 1998
hmwp cost of viagra http://dietkannur.org hlwk rnog
prix cialis pharmacie belgique
online pharmacy cialis 20 mg
viagra herbal pills Peern gooni
Refrigeration Repair Near Me, Fixing, Installation, Maintenance & Service in dubai. free standing and built in fix my fridge.
Home Security Services Provided by R24ss Company. Professional Home Secrity Servics Company In Los Angeles.
We are promoting the standard of the best practice in Phlebotomy through our Training Courses in London!
Maxis Healthcare a unique phlebotomy training course certificate program focused on teaching the fundamentals of venepuncture In since 2008.Get Free E Lesson and Extra Training in one day intensive phlebotomy training London course to get the Certificate.
What was H.P Lovecraft’s cat name? The H.P Lovecraft cat name was “Nigger Man”. H.P Lovecraft was an American writer author and poet who lived from 1890 to 1937.
Pingback: cialis and dapoxetine tabs in usa
personal loans secured
what is a payday loan
I was in reality itching to tails of some wager some change on some sports matches that are episode auspicious now. I wanted to allow in you guys identify that I did understand what I weigh to be the kindest orientation in the USA.
If you poverty to pull down in on the engagement, scrutinize it out-moded: playing blackjack online for money
wxux viagra without prescription http://dietkannur.org fpzk kflp
buy cialis online cheap
buy amoxicillin without a prescription from mexico
Pingback: cialis online
propecia 1mg online
original viagra online kaufen
tadalafil tablets india online
prescribing information for viagra Peern gooni
lyrica 325 mg
online payday loans reviews
Доставка алкоголя якутск
ivermectin 1% cream generic
what is cialis cialis canada xwxfpvtd does cialis make you bigger
average cost of synthroid
viagra online compare prices
pay for viagra with paypal
tetracycline antibiotics buy Peern gooni
Pingback: cialis on line
Hi! online pharmacy reviews great site.
where can i get zyban
Hi there! drugs without a prescription to canada good site.
doxycycline 50 mg cost
trazodone 50 mg medication
Howdy! trusted online pharmacy good web site.
payday loans canada
can you buy real viagra canada
is it illegal to buy viagra online
viagra 100 mg dosage Peern gooni
christmas payday loans
Hello there! viagra online pharmacy excellent web site.
Hello! canadian pharmacy canadianedrugstoreusa com very good website.
prescription viagra online without doctor viagra Without a Doctor Prescription
buy vardenafil 40 mg
Hi there! costco pharmacy online very good web site.
buy cheap prescription viagra online buy medication without an rx
Hi there! tramadol online pharmacy great web site.
Pingback: cialis generic shopping
Hello there! canadian drugs online beneficial web site.
order tetracycline
best cash loans
Hello there! online pharmacy oxycontin good web page.
how to buy viagra in uk
zyban online uk
auto loans guaranteed approval
unsecured loans
trazodone canada
cheap generic cialis from india
pioneer loans
how to get finasteride
Hi, this is Jenny. I am sending you my intimate photos as I promised. https://tinyurl.com/yy3mkl4t
Hi, this is Jenny. I am sending you my intimate photos as I promised. https://tinyurl.com/y6lwv37x
cash advance
can you buy cialis otc in canada
zyloprim cost
tadalafil tablets in india: tadalafil price – tadalafil 5mg tablets price
generic viagra usa
acyclovir brand name
cialis samples online cialis 5 mg generico online
discount generic cialis cialis originale dosaggio
can you buy sildenafil: sildenafil 20 – where to buy sildenafil over the counter
Hi there! houston payday loans great site.
can you buy cialis over the counter in south africa