Text b basic cooperative values

Cooperative values reflect ideals of cooperative movement taken from the arsenal of humanistic ideas and common human standards of morality.

Cooperatives are based on the following values:

• self-help;

• self-responsibility;

• democracy;

• equality;

• equity;

• solidarity.

Self-help determines the relations between a cooperative (as a collective organization) and a member of a cooperative (an individual). Cooperatives are organizations of self-help, which help people-members of a cooperative to:

1. improve their material situation;

2. improve production activity of their members;

3. improve their housing conditions.

Mutual responsibility means the responsibility of a cooperative for the interests of its member and the responsibility of a member for common interests of a cooperative in accordance with the Statute of a cooperative.

Democracy in a cooperative organization is the power of the members of a cooperative, which they exercise through the ruling organs by making decisions on the most important social and economic questions of the activity of a cooperative.

Equality determines the attitude of a cooperative to its members on the basis of their equal participation in the activity of a cooperative. Each member of a cooperative has an equal right to participate in all activities of a cooperative, as well as equal right to obtain information.

Equity means fair distribution of surpluses and social benefits among the members and employees of a cooperative. The distribution of cooperative payments and benefits is done according to the participation of each member and each employee in the activity of a cooperative.

Solidarity comes out of the unity of interests of each cooperative and its members, of the unity of interests of cooperatives working at regional, national, and international levels. The value «solidarity» embraces such notions as social responsibility and care for others, mutual help and self-help. That is why solidarity is a universal cooperative value, which fully explains the philosophy of the cooperative movement.

In the tradition of their founders members of cooperatives adhere to the following ethic values:

• honesty;

• openness;

• social responsibility;

• care for other people.

Honesty is a major moral basis of the cooperative entrepreneurship, which ensures production of high quality goods with proper weight and proper volume; trust and openness in the relations between the persons who run the cooperative and its members.

Openness of cooperatives means that cooperatives should be open to all citizens of those settlements, in which cooperatives are operating. Openness of cooperatives doesn't allow any discrimination of citizens. All citizens can enter a cooperative and make use of the services of cooperative enterprises.

Social responsibility means striving of a cooperative for the improvement of living standards, improvement of services provided for its members and all those willing to use cooperative's services without harm to other members of a cooperative and the society.

Care for others is a value, which reflects care of a cooperative for the community. Commerce activity of a cooperative has a strongly expressed social orientation — care for those who are «outside» a cooperative and are in bad need for social protection and aid. Cooperatives distribute part of their surpluses from business activity among the needy.

Exercise 1. Answer the questions:

1. What ideals do cooperative values reflect?

2. What values are cooperatives based on?

3. What does the term “solidarity” mean?

4. Who can enter a cooperative?

5. What kind of organization are cooperatives?

6. Are cooperatives autonomous or state?

7. Is there any discrimination while entering a cooperative?

8. Who controls cooperative activities?

9. How many cooperative structures do you know?

10. What are they?

11. What cooperative principles are defined in the Statement on Cooperative Identity?

Exercise 2. Which Cooperative Values and Principles are absent?

Table 1

Basic values	Ethic values	Principles
. Mutual help Democracy Equality Solidarity	Honesty Openness Care for others	Democratic member control Autonomy and independence Cooperation between cooperatives

Exercise 3 Find English equivalents in the text:

1. Мужчины и женщины, работающие в качестве избранных представителей, подотчетны членам кооператива.

2. Члены кооператива распределяют полученную прибыль на следующие цели.

3. Поддержка других видов деятельности, одобренных членами кооператива.

4. Кооперативы – это автономные организации взаимопомощи, контролируемые своими членами.

5. Они информируют общественность, особенно молодежь.

6. Кооперативы укрепляют кооперативное движение, работая через местные, национальные, региональные и международные структуры.

7. Кооперативы также заботятся о развитии своего предприятия.

Exercise 4. Use proper prepositions: for/ to/ by/ in

to provide …

to contribute …

to pay attention …

to care …

to be controlled …

to participate ….

to be approved …

to be accountable …

Exercise 5. Make up sentences using Complex Objects. Translate them into Russian:

I want They want She wants	you me him them	to take care of the shareholders to improve his material situation to reflect ideals of cooperative movement in the report to remember about mutual responsibility to accept cooperative principles to vote at the meeting
We want They don't want Would you like We expect He ordered She noticed			the cooperative principles put into practice to care for others to organize a self - help the problem to be solved the facts to be proved the housing conditions to be improved the discrimination of shareholders to be allowed