Concepts and ideas
Co‑operatives have always believed in fair play.
Ever since people have come together to do business as a co‑operative they have been driven by political and ethical valuesValues
Groups, societies or cultures have values that are largely shared by their members. Co‑operative values identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that co‑operators consider important: that is valuable.. It is for this reason that co‑operatives are often described as values led businesses.
Co‑operative enterprise has been described as people centred sustainable development. Underlying this idea are some basic philosophical concepts:
- a fundamental respect for human beings and a belief in their capacity to improve themselves through mutual self help
- that democratic procedures applied to economic activities are feasable, desirable, and efficient
- that democratically controlled businesses make a contribution to the common good
The International Co‑operative Alliance, which serves the worldwide co‑operative movement, is the custodian of the Statement on Co‑operative Identity.
This statement provides a definition of a co‑operative, describes the values that drive