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GOVERNANCE OF NINE ONTARIO FOOD CO‐OPERATIVES
Author(s) -
BERGE Simon,
CALDWELL Wayne,
MOUNT Phil
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
annals of public and cooperative economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.526
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1467-8292
pISSN - 1370-4788
DOI - 10.1111/apce.12134
Subject(s) - corporate governance , business , accounting , on board , succession planning , public relations , political science , public administration , finance , geography , archaeology
Questions on the use of current theories of governance for co‐operative businesses are prevalent within the literature. This paper seeks to determine if the theory of cyclical board behavior can provide insight into the evolution of co‐operative boards within food co‐operatives in Ontario, Canada. To answer these questions managers from food co‐operatives participated in a one‐hour long, semi‐structured interview providing their understanding of the governance within their co‐operatives. Managers identified board member engagement, the changing role of the board and succession planning as issues of concern. Engagement level of board members varied from a lack of participation to overbearing participation, which caused tensions within the co‐operative. Current governance theories do not appear to adequately explain governance within a co‐operative structure. A single, universal governance framework does not address the complexities of a member owned firm. The cyclical board behavior, however, does provide insight into co‐operative board evolution.