34
R. F. Barreiros et al.
(c) The first concern of cooperatives must be with the economic evolution of
their members. Social advancement depends on this economic advancement
of members. Besides, there are indirect effects on the community, such as job
creation, increased income for the general community, and tax collection, which
should result in better community services. Another significant indirect effect
is the cooperative’s role as a price regulator. Cooperatives do not regulate prices
only for their members. Non-associated producers also benefit indirectly as
other primary purchasers are pressured to raise their prices where there is a
strong cooperative with sufficient bargaining power to avoid price degradation
for farmers. In this respect, the cooperative movement stands as a counterpoint
to the concentrating tendency of capitalism. The cooperative organization, as an
alternative management model, is more focused on fairness in the distribution
of benefits generated by value addition, with better income distribution. By this
reasoning, the influence of the members’ economic advancement on the social
benefits generated by the cooperative is strong;
(d) Members realize the economic and social benefits generated by cooperatives.
Members are proud to participate as partners in an organization that has made
it possible to aggregate the value of primary production, the transformation of
grain into animal protein, for example, especially because this advancement
provides prospects for members and their families. This perception contributes
positively to the consolidation of appropriate organizational culture in the cooperative. However, there is a risk of diminishing this perception by the new
generations, who did not experience the reality before the emergence of the
cooperative and did not experience the initial difficulties of the cooperative.
Cooperative education has the responsibility to make new generations aware of
this issue;
(e) The main community of the cooperative is its membership. Therefore, its priority
objective must be related to the sustainable development of the member. The
cooperative may worry about social responsibility outside the cooperative if it
can afford it, but first, it has to do internal development work. Therefore, there
is a strong influence of the members’profits on the social benefits generated by
the cooperative.
6.2.2 Results of the Agraria Cooperative Study Case
From interviews with managers, it was possible to identify three main sources
of social benefits generated by the cooperative. Firstly, a clear and direct source,
consisting of the grants that the cooperative makes to the Imperatriz School, the
Semmelweis Hospital, the Swabian-Brazilian Cultural Foundation, among other
institutions. In this case, the cooperative deliberately assumes expenses, supported
by the decision of the cooperative members, who contribute with a discount of 0.5%
on the value of their products sold in the cooperative, to form the Health and Social
Support Fund—FASS. Other indirect sources of social benefits generation are the
taxes collected by the cooperative, which are passed on to the public authorities,
R. F. Barreiros et al.
(c) The first concern of cooperatives must be with the economic evolution of
their members. Social advancement depends on this economic advancement
of members. Besides, there are indirect effects on the community, such as job
creation, increased income for the general community, and tax collection, which
should result in better community services. Another significant indirect effect
is the cooperative’s role as a price regulator. Cooperatives do not regulate prices
only for their members. Non-associated producers also benefit indirectly as
other primary purchasers are pressured to raise their prices where there is a
strong cooperative with sufficient bargaining power to avoid price degradation
for farmers. In this respect, the cooperative movement stands as a counterpoint
to the concentrating tendency of capitalism. The cooperative organization, as an
alternative management model, is more focused on fairness in the distribution
of benefits generated by value addition, with better income distribution. By this
reasoning, the influence of the members’ economic advancement on the social
benefits generated by the cooperative is strong;
(d) Members realize the economic and social benefits generated by cooperatives.
Members are proud to participate as partners in an organization that has made
it possible to aggregate the value of primary production, the transformation of
grain into animal protein, for example, especially because this advancement
provides prospects for members and their families. This perception contributes
positively to the consolidation of appropriate organizational culture in the cooperative. However, there is a risk of diminishing this perception by the new
generations, who did not experience the reality before the emergence of the
cooperative and did not experience the initial difficulties of the cooperative.
Cooperative education has the responsibility to make new generations aware of
this issue;
(e) The main community of the cooperative is its membership. Therefore, its priority
objective must be related to the sustainable development of the member. The
cooperative may worry about social responsibility outside the cooperative if it
can afford it, but first, it has to do internal development work. Therefore, there
is a strong influence of the members’profits on the social benefits generated by
the cooperative.
6.2.2 Results of the Agraria Cooperative Study Case
From interviews with managers, it was possible to identify three main sources
of social benefits generated by the cooperative. Firstly, a clear and direct source,
consisting of the grants that the cooperative makes to the Imperatriz School, the
Semmelweis Hospital, the Swabian-Brazilian Cultural Foundation, among other
institutions. In this case, the cooperative deliberately assumes expenses, supported
by the decision of the cooperative members, who contribute with a discount of 0.5%
on the value of their products sold in the cooperative, to form the Health and Social
Support Fund—FASS. Other indirect sources of social benefits generation are the
taxes collected by the cooperative, which are passed on to the public authorities,