What obligation do #platformcoops have to operate at the same scale as or even outperform their venture capital funded corporate counterparts? If a #platformcoop does not succeed in having a similar reach as major corporations with comparable features, should it be considered "low quality" or are there other standards of success worth considering?
When I was assembling my last book (Corporations: A research agenda), I became quite interested in Mondragon in Spain as an alternative way of organising businesses (and featured them in the book).
Somehow I missed this recent profile on the Spanish Cooperative conglomerate. It make for an interesting read when we are told there is no other way of running firms in capitalism.... because clearly there is!
Excellent and hard hitting Episode of the Common Weal Policy Podcast on profit extraction from Scotland. Yet another example of the fact that globalised #Capitalism benefits no one but the ultra rich.
The Common Weal Policy Podcast: Episode #209 - Profit and Politics
@thecommongreen Would one of your #Basque contacts be able to help you with an episode on it? What is the impact of Mondragon (and other workers' co-ops) on the Basque economy, and how do they compare for economic impact to #Capitalist enterprises of similar size? I cannot help but believe that #Cooperatives must benefit their home economy more, because more profit is retained locally.
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We'll be connecting on Zoom at 7:30 pm EST on Wednesday, May 1st. This month's call will be hosted by our artist liaison. Come with your questions about using Mirlo and engaging in our community. Register at the link below.
:TwinPines: "People do not know about cooperatives because of two things. First, a lack of information concerning cooperation, and second, the fact that its principles are opposed to privilege. Cooperatives have two things working against them; ignorance and selfishness." ~James Peter Warbasse (quoted by Cathy Statz). #cooperatives#coops
Tolerance + #Cooperation = Peace
“It feels like mine,” she says. “We work hard, but it’s a totally different feeling from working for someone else.”
That sentiment is echoed by Mondragón’s 70,000 other workers. Made up of 81 autonomous #cooperatives the corporation has grown since its creation in 1956 to become a leading force in the Basque economy.
More than its economic success, though, Mondragón has become a beacon for the co-operative model, as a more humane and egalitarian way of doing business that puts “people over capital”. Every worker has a stake in the company’s fortunes and a say in how it is run, and receives a share of the profits. But the goal is more about creating “rich societies, not rich people”. That means looking after workers during not only the good times but the tough times, too." https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/apr/24/in-the-us-they-think-were-communists-the-70000-workers-showing-the-world-another-way-to-earn-a-living?CMP=share_btn_url
I enjoy writing a lot. Mostly that is non-fiction blog post style stuff but I also dabble with fiction. Once I even finished NaNoWriMo with a novel I will humbly describe as a steaming pile of shit. But I wrote did write it! After finishing Asimov's "I Robot" I have decided to try to get into shorter fiction writing. As luck would have it the Novlr platform has a sale on their lifetime Pro membership and becoming a coop owner-member for a one time fee of $399. Even if I end up never doing more than dabbling I love the idea of helping fund a cooperatively owned enterprise that can help create a solid product for fiction writers. #writing#novlr#Cooperatives#WritersOfMastodon#art Novlr: A writing workspace owned by our writers.
"Internal growth is not an absolute and universal imperative for entities in the SSE. There is an appropriate size for every market and every business model. Internal upsizing may sometimes be needed, as is the case with many small worker cooperatives or large supply cooperatives (energy, telecommunications, credit, etc.), while in other instances it is merely an option, and an often dangerous one at that."
ATELIER COOP ET ÉCONOMIE CIRCULAIRE: L’IICADD en collaboration avec la Coop HEC, organise un atelier autour d’un business model canevas créé spécifiquement pour les coopératives qui souhaitent intégrer des stratégies d’économie circulaire. Le but de cet atelier de réflexion en groupe est d’identifier comment la coop HEC pourrait circulariser ses activités des cafétérias. L’atelier à lieu le jeudi 28 mars à 14:00 plus d'info: https://institutcoop.hec.ca/evenements/atelier-ccrabe-avec-la-coop-hec/#cooperatives#iicadd#CircularEconomy#coop
"But by 1994, NSFNET was collapsing under its own weight. Traffic was up more than 1,000-fold, and the invention of the first web browser was about to make things worse. In the Clintonian fervor for privatization, the government decided to address the problem by transferring control of the internet to a handful of telecom companies."
"[Ben] Tarnoff believes that the best way to fix ISPs and tech companies is for them to be publicly or cooperatively owned. This model already works for ISPs — municipally owned broadband networks tend to offer faster, cheaper and more equitable internet access than their corporate alternatives because they don’t need to earn a profit."
On the eve of #FairtradeMusic Friday, I present puppet jealousy and scandal for those who may have been too afraid to watch before (💥 📞 ), plus some of my online homes.
The programme for the international congress "Commoning: Common Resources, Associationism and Networks of Reciprocity throughout History" is now available on our website.
The shamrock ornaments that are created at Stella NC Works are custom made in her shape from their own cookie cutter pattern. You can't get them anywhere else on earth. What a great way to decorate for St. Patrick's Day with a one of a kind handmade clay shamrock ornament in several different color options.
Four Leaf Clovers are not just for St. Patrick's Day! You will dazzle all year long with this cheery green polymer clay charm on an adjustable chain bracelet.
Shop for this festive bracelet by Emaloe's Thingys on Artisans Cooperative Marketplace: https://buff.ly/4bu8W9O
February is Black History Month! If you are looking for a special gift to celebrate, this stunning royal blue Zulu African Beaded Necklace will turn heads at your next event!
You can shop for this gorgeous piece created by TribalTess on Artisans Cooperative Marketplace: https://buff.ly/4947xFf
I'm far too fascinated with far too many topics. I've compiled an exhaustive list of hashtags for some of those interests; I'll try to do better about keeping it current and updated.
"The Zero Marginal Cost Society - The internet of things, the collaborative commons, and the eclipse of capitalism" by Jeremy Rifkin.
A well articulated explanation about why our potential way out of the terrible mess in which we have gotten ourselves into -both socially and environmentally- could be in the leverage of our most profound instincts of empathy and collaboration in the Commons, and the extension of our conscience to the whole of the biosphere of Earth, of which we and all the other creatures are part of.
Rifkin, while optimistic in his views and predictions, he is not naive and acknowledges the huge challenges, potential pitfalls and the gigantic work ahead of us for at least the next 3 generations.
I came a bit late to read this book -first published in 2014- but it is still extremely relevant today.