| Title | Co-op Members’ Four Hats: A cross-case study comparison |
| Publication Type | Conference Paper |
| Year of Publication | 2015 |
| Authors | Limnios, EM, Mazzarol, T, Soutar, G |
| Conference Name | 29th Annual ANZAM Conference 2015 |
| Publisher | Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management |
| Conference Location | 2-4 December, Queenstown, New Zealand. |
| Keywords | Co-operatives, member committment, member heterogeneity, membership |
| Abstract |  Co-operatives and mutual enterprises are a special type of business characterised by a patronage relationship where the buyers or suppliers are also the owners as members. Challenges relating to member heterogeneity and commitment have been widely reported in the literature; however drivers of member commitment remain poorly understood. This paper advances a new conceptualisation of members as patrons, investors, owners, and community members. The Members’ Four Hats (MFH) model is used to conduct a cross-case study analysis of three leading Australian agricultural cooperatives, using empirical data collected as part of an ARC Linkage grant that studied the resilience of the co-operative enterprise. We illustrate the relationship between MFH and the delivery of an effective member value proposition. |
