Misplaced Pages

#344655

54-574: Konsum is a name used by several consumer cooperatives , including: Coop Konsum, part of Kooperativa Förbundet in Sweden Konsum , a state-controlled retailer in the former German Democratic Republic Konsum Österreich, a former retail co-operative and part-owner of BAWAG in Austria Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

108-438: A "decent minimum" for those unable to work. He used the word "civilization" in a pejorative sense; as such, "Fourier's contempt for the respectable thinkers and ideologies of his age was so intense that he always used the terms philosopher and civilization in a pejorative sense. In his lexicon civilization was a depraved order, a synonym for perfidy and constraint ... Fourier's attack on civilization had qualities not to be found in

162-466: A complete change in the social institutions: distribution of the social product according to need, assignment of functions according to individual faculties and inclinations, constant mutation of functions, short work periods, and so on. But the possibility of "attractive labor" ( travail attrayant ) derives above all from the release of libidinal forces . Fourier assumes the existence of an attraction industrielle which makes for pleasurable co-operation. It

216-444: A corps of fairies who would soon cure them of their lovesickness, and visitors could consult the card-index of personality types for suitable partners for casual sex. He also defended homosexuality as a personal preference for some people. Anarchist Hakim Bey describes Fourier's ideas as follows: In Fourier's system of Harmony all creative activity including industry, craft, agriculture, etc. will arise from liberated passion—this

270-769: A diverse array of revolutionary thinkers and writers. Fourier was born in Besançon , France, on 7 April 1772. The son of a small businessman, Fourier was more interested in architecture than in his father's trade. He wanted to become an engineer, but the local military engineering school accepted only sons of noblemen. Fourier later said he was grateful that he did not pursue engineering because it would have taken too much time away from his efforts to help humanity. When his father died in 1781, Fourier received two-fifths of his father's estate, valued at more than 200,000 francs . This enabled Fourier to travel throughout Europe at his leisure. In 1791 he moved from Besançon to Lyon , where he

324-634: A food cooperative directory. Seattle-based R.E.I. , which specializes in outdoor sporting equipment, is the largest consumer cooperative in the United States. Outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) in Canada was one of that country's major consumer cooperatives. In the Canadian Prairie provinces as well as British Columbia , gas stations, lumberyards, and grocery stores can be found under

378-432: A for-profit enterprise will treat the difference between cost (including labor etc.) and selling price as financial gain for investors, the consumer owned enterprise may retain this to accumulate capital in common ownership, distribute it to meet the consumer's social objectives, or refund this sum to the consumer/owner as an over-payment. (Accumulated capital may be held as reserves, or invested in growth as working capital or

432-593: A means to achieve social reform. They believed such a development would bring benefits such as economic democracy and justice , transparency , greater product purity, and financial benefits for consumers. One of the world's largest consumer co-operative federations operates in the UK as The Co-op , which operates over 5,500 branches of 'Co-op' branded business including Co-op Food (the UK's sixth largest supermarket chain), Co-op Funeralcare , Co-op Travel , Co-op Legal Services , and Co-op Electrical . The Co-operative Group

486-778: A mixture of co-operative philosophy and practical advice about running a shop using cooperative principles. The first successful co-operative was the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers , established in England in 1844. This became the basis for the development and growth of the modern cooperative movement. As the mechanization of the Industrial Revolution forced more skilled workers into poverty, these tradesmen decided to band together to open their own store selling food items they could not otherwise afford. With lessons from prior failed attempts at co-operation in mind, they designed

540-479: A vision that went far beyond the simple shop with which they began: That as soon as practicable, this society shall proceed to arrange the powers of production, distribution, education, and government, or in other words to establish a selfsupporting home-colony of united interests, or assist other societies in establishing such colonies. Cooperative Federalists , a term coined in the writings of Beatrice Webb , advocated forming federations of consumer cooperatives as

594-414: Is based on the attraction passionnée in the nature of man, which persists despite the opposition of reason, duty, prejudice. This attraction passionnée tends toward three principal objectives: the creation of "luxury, or the pleasure of the five senses"; the formation of libidinal groups (of friendship and love); and the establishment of a harmonious order, organizing these groups for work in accordance with

SECTION 10

#1732851539345

648-611: Is by far the largest of these businesses, itself having over 4,500 outlets and operating the collective buying group . In Switzerland , the two largest supermarket chains Coop and Migros are both co-operatives and are among the country’s largest employers. In Ireland , the Dublin Food Coop has been in operation since 1983. In Scandinavia , the national cooperatives Norway , Sweden , and Denmark joined as Coop Norden in January 2002, but separated again in 2008. In Italy ,

702-408: Is one of the largest cooperatives in the world. In addition to retail co-ops there are medical, housing, and insurance co-ops alongside institutional (workplace based) co-ops, co-ops for school teachers, and university-based co-ops. Approximately one in five of all Japanese households belongs to a local retail co-op and 90% of all co-op members are women. Nearly six million households belong to one of

756-764: Is open to everybody. It has franchises under the brand Aliprox not owned by Eroski but sharing its product range. Its origin is in the Basque Country . In its process of expansion, it merged with the Valencia-based cooperative Consum , but the merger dissolved in 2005. It has expanded across Spain and entered France and Gibraltar. After the Spanish crisis of 2008 , Eroski sold several of its supermarkets and hypermarkets. The Co-op Bookshop sold textbooks both online and on university campuses. It also owned Australian Geographic . In 2020 its retail stores closed and its online store

810-491: Is the famous theory of "attractive labor." Fourier sexualizes work itself—the life of the Phalanstery is a continual orgy of intense feeling, intellection, & activity, a society of lovers & wild enthusiasts. Fourier supported women's rights . He believed that all important jobs should be open to women on the basis of skill and aptitude rather than closed on account of gender. He spoke of women as individuals, not as half

864-560: Is wholly owned by its customers, reported at 125,000 in 2012. Japan has a large and well-developed consumer cooperative movement with more than 14 million members. Retail co-ops alone had a combined turnover of 2.5 trillion Yen (21 billion U.S. Dollars) in April, 2003. Co-op Kobe (コープこうべ) in the Hyōgo Prefecture is the largest retail cooperative in Japan and, with more than 1.2 million members,

918-574: The Co-Op brand . All credit unions in the United States and Canada are financial cooperatives. Tim Worstall has called the Vanguard Group a customer owned cooperative, since the owners of Vanguard funds are the funds' investors. In Puerto Rico , several Supermercados Fam Coop operate. Charles Fourier François Marie Charles Fourier ( / ˈ f ʊr i eɪ , - i ər / ; French: [ʃaʁl fuʁje] ; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837)

972-545: The Coop Italia chain formed by many sub-cooperatives controlled 17.7% of the grocery market in 2005. In Finland , the S Group is owned by 22 regional cooperatives and 19 local cooperative stores, which in turn are owned by their customers. In 2005 the S Group overtook its nearest rival Kesko Oyj with a 36% share of retail grocery sales compared to Kesko's 28%. In France , Coop Atlantique owns 7 hypermarkets, 39 supermarkets, and about 200 convenience stores. In Germany ,

1026-690: The ReWe Group is a diversified holding company of consumer cooperatives that includes thousands of retail stores, discount stores, and tourism agencies. It ranks as the second largest supermarket chain in Germany and in the top ten cooperative groups in the world. In Spain, Eroski is a supermarket chain within Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa . As a worker-consumer hybrid , some of the personnel are hired workers and some are owner-workers. The owners include workers and mere consumers, but buying

1080-411: The bylaws or organizing document of the cooperative. Most consumer cooperatives hold regular membership meetings (often once a year). As mutually owned businesses, each member of a society has a shareholding equal to the sum they paid in when they joined. Large consumers' co-ops are run much like any other business and require workers, managers, clerks, products, and customers to keep the doors open and

1134-401: The labour movement . As employment moved to industrial areas and job sectors declined, workers began organizing and controlling businesses for themselves. Workers cooperatives were originally sparked by "critical reaction to industrial capitalism and the excesses of the industrial revolution." The formation of some workers cooperatives was meant to "cope with the evils of unbridled capitalism and

SECTION 20

#1732851539345

1188-591: The "Network Movement" ("Tokyo Seikatsusha (it means "Living Persons") Network", "Kanagawa Network Movement", and so on). They depend on consumers movement, feminism, regionalism, and prefer to anti-nuclear. These parties keep small but steady sections in prefecture and municipal assemblies. In the United States, the PCC (Puget Consumers Cooperative) Natural Markets in Seattle is the largest consumer-owned food cooperative . The National Cooperative Grocers Association maintains

1242-610: The 1,788,000 Han groups . These consist of a group of five to ten members in a neighbourhood who place a combined weekly order which is then delivered by truck the following week. A strength of Japanese consumer co-ops in recent years has been the growth of community supported agriculture in which fresh produce is sent direct to consumers from producers without going through the market. Some of co-op organisations, for example, in Tokyo metropolis and Kanagawa prefecture , manage their local political parties from 1970's; generally names itself as

1296-521: The French nationalists). Fourier was one of the writers to argue that Jews were disloyal and would not make good French citizens. Like others, he placed great significance on the religious restrictions prohibiting Jews from eating at the same table as non-Jews: he confined himself to sitting down at table and drinking; he refused to eat any of the dishes, because they were prepared by Christians. Christians have to be very patient to tolerate such impertinence. In

1350-568: The Jewish religion it denotes a system of defiance and aversion for other sects. Now, does a sect which wishes to carry its hatred as far as the table of its protectors, deserve to be protected? The influence of Fourier's ideas in French politics carried forward into the 1848 Revolution and the Paris Commune by followers such as Victor Considerant . "When, as a consequence of human improvement", said I, "the globe shall arrive at its final perfection,

1404-462: The Mediterranean in a future phase of Perfect Harmony. Fourier said Jews were "the leprosy and the ruin of the body politic". He criticized the government for being weak and "prostrate" when confronted with what he called a "secret and indissoluble league" of Jews. Post-Medieval antisemitic rhetoric often accused Jews of being unable to assimilate into a unitary national culture (highly valued by

1458-693: The Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Society (1973) and the South Suburban Co-operative Society (1984). Consumer cooperatives utilize the cooperative principle of democratic member control , or one member/one vote. Most consumer cooperatives have a board of directors elected by and from the membership. The board is usually responsible for hiring management and ensuring that the cooperative meets its goals, both financial and otherwise. Democratic functions, such as petitioning or recall of board members, may be codified in

1512-790: The United States were the community of Utopia, Ohio ; La Reunion near present-day Dallas, Texas ; Lake Zurich, Illinois ; the North American Phalanx in Red Bank, New Jersey ; Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts ; the Community Place and Sodus Bay Phalanx in New York State; Silkville, Kansas , and several others. In Guise , France, he influenced the Familistery of Guise  [ fr ; de ; pt ] . Fourier later inspired

1566-489: The business running. In smaller businesses the consumer/owners are often workers as well. Consumers' cooperatives can differ greatly in start up and also in how the co-op is run but to be true to the consumers' cooperative form of business the enterprise should follow the Rochdale Principles . The customers or consumers of the goods and/or services the cooperative provides are often also the individuals who have provided

1620-494: The capital required to launch or purchase that enterprise. The major difference between consumers' cooperatives and other forms of business is that the purpose of a consumers' cooperative association is to provide quality goods and services at the lowest cost to the consumer/owners rather than to sell goods and services at the highest price above cost that the consumer is willing to pay. In practice consumers' cooperatives price goods and services at competitive market rates. Where

1674-515: The cooperative as would appear in any other company. This is one critique of consumer cooperatives in favor of worker cooperatives . Many advocates of the formation of consumer cooperatives—from a variety of political perspectives—have seen them as integral to the achievement of wider social goals. For example, the founding document of the Rochdale Pioneers , who established one of the earliest consumer cooperatives in England in 1844, expressed

Konsum - Misplaced Pages Continue

1728-441: The cooperative movement stemmed from such socialist writers as Robert Owen and Charles Fourier . Robert Owen , considered by many as the father of the cooperative movement, made his fortune in the cotton trade, but believed in putting his workers in a good environment with access to education for themselves and their children. These ideas were put into effect successfully in the cotton mills of New Lanark , Scotland , where

1782-468: The course of events. He saw a world full of strife, chaos, and disorder. Fourier is best remembered for his writings on a new world order based on unity of action and harmonious collaboration. He is also known for certain utopian pronouncements, such as that the seas would lose their salinity and turn to lemonade , and a coincidental view of climate change , that the North Pole would be milder than

1836-443: The development of the individual "passions" (internal and external "play" of faculties). Fourier believed that there were 12 common passions, which resulted in 810 types of character, so the ideal phalanx would have 1,620 people. One day there would be six million of these, loosely ruled by a world " omniarch ", or (later) a World Congress of Phalanxes . He had a concern for the sexually rejected; jilted suitors would be led away by

1890-421: The early 19th century and by 1830 there were several hundred co-operatives. William King made Owen's ideas more workable and practical. He believed in starting small, and realized that the working classes would need to set up co-operatives for themselves, so he saw his role as one of instruction. He founded a monthly periodical called The Co-operator , the first edition of which appeared on 1 May 1828. It gave

1944-503: The end of his life, Fourier advocated the return of Jews to Palestine with the assistance of the Rothschilds . John K. Roth and Richard L. Rubenstein see Fourier as motivated by economic and religious antisemitism rather than the racial antisemitism that emerged later in the century. Fourier characterized poverty (not inequality) as the principal cause of disorder in society, and proposed to eradicate it by sufficiently high wages and

1998-619: The first co-operative store was opened. Spurred on by this success, Owen had the idea of forming "villages of co-operation" where workers would drag themselves out of poverty by growing their own food, making their own clothes, and ultimately becoming self-governing. He tried to form such communities in Orbiston, Scotland and in New Harmony, Indiana in the United States of America , but both communities failed. Similar early experiments were made in

2052-407: The form of cooperative wholesale societies , through which consumers' cooperatives collectively purchase goods at wholesale prices and, in some cases, own factories. Alternatively, they may be members of cooperative unions . Consumer cooperation has been a focus of study in the field of cooperative economics . Consumer cooperatives rose to prominence during the industrial revolution as part of

2106-588: The form of retail outlets owned and operated by their consumers, such as food co-ops . However, there are many types of consumers' cooperatives, operating in areas such as health care, insurance, housing , utilities and personal finance (including credit unions ). In some countries, consumers' cooperatives are known as cooperative retail societies or retail co-ops , though they should not be confused with retailers' cooperatives , whose members are retailers rather than consumers. Consumers' cooperatives may, in turn, form cooperative federations . These may come in

2160-554: The human couple. Fourier saw that "traditional" marriage could potentially hurt woman's rights as human beings and thus never married. Writing before the advent of the term "homosexuality", he held that both men and women have a wide range of sexual needs and preferences, which may change throughout their lives, including same-sex attraction and androgénité . He argued that all sexual expressions should be enjoyed as long as people are not abused, and that "affirming one's difference" can actually enhance social integration. Fourier's concern

2214-628: The insecurities of wage labor." The first documented consumer cooperative was founded in 1769, in a barely-furnished cottage in Fenwick, East Ayrshire , when local weavers manhandled a sack of oatmeal into John Walker's whitewashed front room and began selling the contents at a discount, forming the Fenwick Weavers' Society . In the decades that followed, several cooperatives or cooperative societies formed including Lennoxtown Friendly Victualling Society, founded in 1812. The philosophy that underpinned

Konsum - Misplaced Pages Continue

2268-400: The keys to social success. He believed that a society that cooperated would see an immense improvement in its productivity. Workers would be recompensed for their labor according to their contribution. Fourier saw such cooperation occurring in communities he called "phalanxes", based upon structures called Phalanstères or "grand hotels". These buildings were four-level apartment complexes where

2322-555: The merger of many independent retail societies, and their wholesale societies and federations. In 1863, twenty years after the Rochdale Pioneers opened their co-operative, the North of England Co-operative Society was launched by 300 individual co-ops across Yorkshire and Lancashire . By 1872, it had become known as the Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS). Through the 20th century, smaller societies merged with CWS, such as

2376-506: The now-famous Rochdale Principles , and over a period of four months they struggled to pool one pound sterling per person for a total of 28 pounds of capital. On December 21, 1844, they opened their store with a very meagre selection of butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal and a few candles. Within three months, they expanded their selection to include tea and tobacco, and they were soon known for providing high quality, unadulterated goods. The Co-operative Group formed gradually over 140 years from

2430-411: The purchase of capital assets such as plant and buildings.) While some claim that surplus payment returns to consumer/owner patrons should be taxed the same as dividends paid to corporate stock holders, others argue that consumer cooperatives do not return a profit by traditional definition, and similar tax standards do not apply. Since consumer cooperatives are run democratically, they are subject to

2484-419: The richest had the uppermost apartments and the poorest had ground-floor residences. Wealth was determined by one's job; jobs were assigned based on interest and desire. There were incentives: jobs people might not enjoy doing would receive higher pay. Fourier considered trade , which he associated with Jews, the "source of all evil", and advocated that Jews be forced to perform farm work in the phalansteries. By

2538-406: The same problems typical of democratic government. Such difficulties can be mitigated by frequently providing member/owners with reliable educational materials regarding current business conditions. In addition, because a consumer cooperative is owned by the users of a good or service as opposed to the producers of that good or service, the same sorts of labor issues may arise between the workers and

2592-500: The stupefaction of "deceitful and degrading duties." He began writing. His first book was published in 1808 but sold few copies. After six years, it fell into the hands of Monsieur Just Muiron, who eventually became Fourier's patron. Fourier produced most of his writings between 1816 and 1821. In 1822, he tried to sell his books again but with no success. Fourier died in Paris in 1837. Fourier declared that concern and cooperation are

2646-486: The title Konsum . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Konsum&oldid=1220860732 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Consumer cooperative Consumers' cooperatives often take

2700-473: The writing of any other social critic of his time." For Herbert Marcuse "The idea of libidinal work relations in a developed industrial society finds little support in the tradition of thought, and where such support is forthcoming it seems of a dangerous nature. The transformation of labor into pleasure is the central idea in Fourier's giant socialist utopia." Fourier insists that this transformation requires

2754-412: Was a French philosopher , an influential early socialist thinker, and one of the founders of utopian socialism . Some of his views, held to be radical in his lifetime, have become mainstream in modern society. For instance, Fourier is credited with having originated the word feminism in 1837. Fourier's social views and proposals inspired a whole movement of intentional communities . Among them in

SECTION 50

#1732851539345

2808-455: Was employed by the merchant M. Bousquet. Fourier's travels also brought him to Paris, where he worked as the head of the Office of Statistics for a few months. From 1791 to 1816 Fourier was employed in Paris, Rouen , Lyon, Marseille , and Bordeaux . As a traveling salesman and correspondence clerk, his research and thought was time-limited: he complained of "serving the knavery of merchants" and

2862-547: Was sold to Booktopia . The Wine Society (Australian Wine Consumers’ Co-operative Society Limited), established in 1946, now has more than 58,000 members. It sources and sells premium wines under the Society label, runs comprehensive wine education courses, and recognises excellence from young winemakers. Bank Australia was formed in 2011 as the Members and Education Credit Union. It changed its name to Bank Australia in 2015. The bank

2916-411: Was to liberate every human being, in two senses: through education and by liberating human passion. Fourier felt that "civilized" parents and teachers saw children as little idlers. But he himself believed that children as early as age two and three were very industrious. He listed children's dominant tastes as including: Fourier was deeply disturbed by the disorder of his time and wanted to stabilize

#344655