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OverviewThe Cooperative Enterprise Program (CEP) operates within the Department of Applied Economics and Management in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. The mission of the program is to enhance the performance of existing cooperative businesses and facilitate the development of emerging cooperative enterprise through teaching, research, and outreach. Program initiatives are aimed primarily at senior management and boards of directors of cooperatives with an emphasis on finance, management, strategic planning, and marketing. The CEP has grown out of a long-standing outreach effort at Cornell to agricultural cooperative businesses since the turn of the century. The program supports training and research for cooperative business enterprises, and assists new, emerging cooperatives as well as groups of businesses forming networks in rural communities. The Cooperative Enterprise Program, in collaboration with the Cornell Cooperative Enterprise Program's and Cornell Cooperative Extension, explores ways to enhance rural economic development through cooperative businesses, intergovernmental cooperation, and manufacturing networks. The CEP has established a good working relation with the Northeast Cooperative Council (NECC). NECC is a regional, non-profit membership organization serving cooperatives in New York State and New England. Council members represent a variety of cooperative businesses, including rural utility, insurance, credit, service, supply, and marketing. Applied Research on CooperativesCurrent research projects focus on the following areas: • Decision making in cooperatives • Evaluating board of directors' performance • Attitudes of farmers towards cooperatives • Attitudes of members of successful marketing cooperatives • Strategic planning in cooperatives Recent Master's Theses"The Effectiveness of Strategic Planning and Performance Measurement Processes in Marketing Cooperatives: A Case Study," Jonathon B. Logan, 1995. "Security and Returns as Sources of Value in Open-Membership Cooperatives: The Case of Dairy Cooperatives," Emile Gonzali, 1993. "The Role, Performance and Potential of Marketing Cooperatives in the Northeast Dairy Industry," Thomas M. Wenger, 1990. "An Analysis of Cooperatives with Successful Marketing Strategies," Ann Gizelo Stern, 1986. Doctoral Dissertation"The Economic Role of Agricultural Cooperatives: Returns and Security Strategies," H. Christopher Peterson, 1991. |
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