Article: Member equality important to co-op business approach.(farmer cooperatives)

Farmer cooperatives have a strong democratic culture. The farmer cooperative philosophy has a lot of emotional appeal: "Let's own and operate a business for every member's benefit."

While many believe in that philosophy, some co-op members interpret it to mean that everyone should be treated equally. In this article, the "equality doctrine" is challenged because it is dangerous to a co-ops' long-term financial survival. It is an issue most co-op's boards of directors must grapple with.

Several years ago, The Hale Group was asked to assist top management of a co-op that was experiencing a controversy among its members. The co-op had a thriving business ...

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