After extending the scope of research caried out earlier (see previous abstract), the author discusses opinions collected in a survey. They concern the profitability of co-operatives, opportunities to obtain funds for development as well as the regionally oriented sale of goods and services.
The article presents the origin and essence of the co-operative economy and the most characteristic features that differentiate it from other forms of economic activity. The article includes also an outline of the birth and development of co-operatives on Polish land at the time of partition, later during the Second Republic and at the times of communist state run economy. The main part of the text characterises changes of the transition period that resulted in the reduced role of the co-operative activities in economy. The share of co-operatives in the important economic categories of national economy has fallen and especially the importance of co-operatives among all the enterprises forming private sector has collapsed. The presented calculations based on the statistic data show that Polish co-operatives are not fully capable of coping in the market economy environment.
The results of empirical research conducted among the managers of consumers co-operatives ('Spolem' PSS), co-operative creameries and the 'Samopomoc Chlopska' co-operatives, concerning economic situation of those entites are presented. From numerous important current problems the co-operatives, being the specific organizational-proprietary form of economic activity, have to deal with, the research concentrated only on empirical material obtained through a survey including opinions on the market situation of co-operatives and the level of their competitiveness as well as on the productive capacity of co-operatives and their production profile
The author presents the results of empirical research, which was conducted among managers of co-operative enterprises in Poland and concerned opinions about the ever more discussed and ever more up to date issue, namely the integration of Poland with the European Union. The empirical material includes opinions of the surveyed people on: (1) - issues connected with integration of Poland and the European Union; (2) -the opportunities to receive aid from different European Union funds by the co-operatives.
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