Robb on Cooperation
About Alan Robb
Alan Robb is an independent consultant and commentator on financial accounting, cooperatives, corporate governance and business ethics.
An Associate Member of the Cooperatives Association, he can be contacted by email or on 021 061 6867, and his some more of his writing can be found at www.alanrobb.coop.
Mutuo and funding the future
Mutuo is a British not-for-profit society. Its website at www.mutuo.co.uk provides an interesting introduction to its origin and activities:
Discretionary mutuals
Earlier this month I was a keynote speaker in Canberra at the Unimutual 20th anniversary conference. Unimutual is a not-for-profit discretionary mutual that was formed to offer higher education and research institutions a commercially feasible alternative to insurance.
Commitment, or involvement?
Silver Fern Farms reported over 75% support for its plan which involves opening the cooperative to outside capital. It has been hailed by the chief executive as “a clear signal for change”. With all due respect to Silver Fern Farms, I cannot agree that the members of the cooperative have shown great support for the plan or for their cooperative.
Budget day thoughts
I am writing this prior to the presentation in parliament of the 2009 budget. I am not expecting to hear the word “cooperatives” mentioned, but I am hoping that one day New Zealand politicians will support cooperatives in the way in which they are supported in Canada.
Towards relevant financial reporting
I was greatly heartened by the 17 March 2009 email from the International Cooperative Alliance’s international accounting standards working group secretariat, which our Executive Director circulated.
The global financial crisis – and education
In a previous column I wrote: “The global financial crisis provides an opportunity for all co-ops and mutuals to promote the benefits of transacting locally with people you know and can trust.”
Benchmarking your performance
Showing the world how well cooperatives are doing is one of the most important things that can be done. To do this, the cooperative movement needs data.
The global financial crisis and mutuality
The rapidly escalating crisis in world financial markets comes as no surprise, but that is because Economic History was a compulsory part of my commerce studies, and for the last five years I’ve been teaching a course on understanding financial statements and seeing through creative accounting.
Fair value shares
Traditionally it has been the practice for cooperative capital to be contributed and redeemed on the basis of ‘a dollar in – a dollar out.’ Increasingly though, New Zealand cooperators are considering membership in terms of fair value shares.
Could cooperatives do better in New Zealand?
As I reflect on cooperative activities around the world I get an uneasy feeling that New Zealand cooperatives and their members could really be more committed to cooperative principles and values.
