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Written by Ahsan Ali Thakur, 2019-02-06 11:03:48
Every established organization has one
of the pillars vested in the values and principles. They are necessary to
maintain a sustainable working environment and diligent services to provide the
user and/or customer.
Why
Do We Need Values and Principles?
According to John Heenan, “The word
value, in terms of moral beliefs and attitudes, has two distinctive meanings;
personal preferences and objective principles. Preferences and principles are
opposites. Preferences are subjective while principles are objective. Values,
that are preferences, are something "to have," but values that are
principles, are something "to be."”
Values define the manner the way we want
to achieve our goals and principle is more related to the day to day decision
making guidelines.
International Co-operative Alliance
(ICA) and the General Values and Principle of Co-operative:
Globally, the values and principals were
adopted by using the International Co-operative Alliance ICA recommended
standard, developed in 1995 which is stated as mentioned below:-
Values:
Cooperatives are based on the values of
self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In
the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical
values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.
Principles:
The cooperative principles are
guidelines by which cooperatives put their values into practice.
1st
Principle: Voluntary and Open Membership
Cooperatives are voluntary
organizations; open to all persons able to use their services and willing to
accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial,
political, or religious discrimination.
2nd
Principle: Democratic member Control
Cooperatives are democratic
organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting
their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected
representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives
members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at
other levels are organized in a democratic manner.
3rd
Principle: Member Economic Participation
Members contribute equitably to, and
democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that
capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. They usually receive
limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of
membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following
purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of
which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their
transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by
the membership.
4th
Principle: Autonomy and Independence
Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help
organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with
other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external
sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members
and maintain their cooperative autonomy.
5th
Principle: Education, Training and Information
Cooperatives provide education and
training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so
they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They
inform the public - particularly young people and opinion leaders - about the
nature and benefits of cooperation.
6th
Principle: Cooperation among Cooperatives
Cooperatives serve their members most
effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through
local, national, regional, and international structures.
7th
Principle: Concern for Community
While focusing on member needs,
cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through
policies accepted by their members.
These principles are applicable almost
everywhere. Namely; USA, France, China, United Kingdom, Japan, India, Thailand,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina etc. These principles represent the basic
guidelines in a co-operative industry.
Article by:
Ahsan Ali Thakur