Proposal

In my portion of the paper I am going to examine the organization known as a co-op. Many people are unsure exactly how co-ops work so I will begin with a detailed description of what they are. Basically, a co-op is a type of corporation and the shareholders are those that purchase an equity share of the organization. I will use the Syracuse Real Food Co-op as an example and will show a few photos of it. I will also talk about the disadvantages associated with co-ops. The central challenge a co-op must face is bringing value to its members. Because of this they must offer their customers comparable or lower prices compared to other food stores. Most co-ops offer a selection of whoel foods and organic goods for purchase. My paper will be an overall analysis of co-ops and the challenges they must overcome to succeed in American society.

Annotated Bibliography

For my alternative research I read a publication from my local co-op at home that discussed the advantages and of this type of organiztion. To begin it descirbes how co-ops can bring a sense of community and that a co-op can only exist if it brings value to this community. The article also discussed the success of the watershed co-op anad how it was able to provide it's members with organic fruits anad vegetables at a reasonable price. The author of this article is obviously biased because they are a member of the co-op and only discussed the positive thigns associated with co-ops. This article did not discuss the challenges faced by co-ops and the fact that many of them fail. Overall this article was a one sided evaluation of co-ops.

According to sustainabletable.com, "food co-ops are voluntary organizations owned and controlled by members to provide low cost, healthy food primarily to members of the co-op, though some also sell to the public." Individuals purchase equity in the organization which gives them say in the decision making of the organization. Syracuse is home to its own co-op, the Syracuse Real Food co-op, which cana be joined for a single hundred dollar payement and a 5 dollar annual membership fee. It was started in 1974 and now has over 2400 members. The main problem faced by all co-ops is competition from big chain grocers. Becauase these companies sell such large quantities they are able to demand lower prices from their suppliers and it turn offer their customers lower prices. In order for a co-op to survive they need to provide value to their members and have strong community support.

Consumerism

Here is the link to youtube video on the origins of consumerism.

The image to the right is a chart that shows sustainibility as a long term strategic approach to balancing business opportunitites with social and economic responsibilities.

www.thewatershed.org

The link above is to the website for the watershed from my hometown that is a member supported non profit organiztion dedicated to improving the quality of the natural environment of 265 square mile region drained by the stony brook river, located in Mercer County, New Jersey. One aspect of this organization is a csa or co-op, where people buy or split shares and in return get a shre of the produce harvested. My fmily has been member for over 20 yers and remember countless trips to the "farm" as I reffered to it with my mom. We would arrive anad go to the small buidlign where the produce was kept. Each week the vegetable available varied depending what was harvested. The distribution was based on the honor system as you weighed out what you were entitled to depending on how many shares you had. Members could also choose to pick their own fresh strawberries and rasberries which were organically grown with no pesticides like all food grown at the watershed.