Evaluating the Performance of the Basirat Development Co-operative Company of Maraveh Tappeh County, Golestan Province, Using Stakeholder Analysis Model

This study aimed to assess performance of the Basirat Development Cooperative Company (BDCC) in Maraveh Tappeh County in Golestan Province.The descriptive-survey research was used. The target populations of the study consisted of 1100 members of BDCC. Using random sampling, 285 of them were selected as research samples. Data gathered through a questionnaire and its face validity was confirmed by experts of extension and cooperation. The reliability analysis was conducted with Cronbach’s alpha method and coefficient was 0.91. Data were analyzed using SPSSwin19 software. The results showed in the social field, Cooperative Company has had a more successful performance in better and stronger relationship between people and the government. In the economics fild, it has had a more successful performance in improving the quality of products in the region (agriculture, horticulture, livestock, etc.) and in the environmental fild; it has had a more successful performance in reducing the untapped use of resources (water, fuel, etc.). The results of the mean comparison showed that older members, who had more income and more agricultural experience and more livestock, assessed the overall performance of the cooperative more successfully. There was also a significant difference between the assessment of cooperative members about the extent to which social, economic and environmental objectives were achieved by the cooperative and they consider the most successful co-operative in the field of social goals and its least success in terms of environmental objectives

Analyzing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Rural Development Cooperatives in Golestan Province

The purpose of this study was to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of rural development cooperatives in Golestan Provinceusing SWOT analysis. Statistical population was all of board director’s members of 25 active cooperatives in Golestan province that 124 of them selected as the sample of the study using census method. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire that its face validity was confirmed by experts. Its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and was 0.83, 0.943, 0.702 and 0.911, respectively. The results showed thatbased on the final coefficients, increased participation and cooperation among members of cooperatives through public assemblies (0.389), optimal use of existing facilities at the village level for employment (0.379) and providing favorable conditions for paying out credit facilities (0.376), were the most important strengths. Low capital of cooperatives (0.242), their inability to supply the security of loan (0.236) and lack of physical and infrastructure facilities of the cooperative for playing a proper role (0.234), are the most important weaknesses. Exemption of cooperatives from the tax (0.393), the possibility of their investing and participating in agricultural, developmental and educational activities (0.376) and the possibility of using experts and graduates of the university to implement cooperative projects (0.365), were the most important opportunity. Problems with access to loans at the right price (0.286), weak support of banks and cooperative unions (0.280) and problems with timely access to financial resources (0.274), were the most important threat

Effectiveness of Extension Agronomic Techniques in the Peyvand Rural Production Cooperative in Golestan Province by the Use of Societal Experimentation Evaluation Model

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of extension agronomic techniques using the societal experimentation evaluation model in the Peyvand rural production cooperative in the Aqqala Township in the Golestan province. The population included N=345 of farmers who were members in the cooperative as well as N=1104 of farmers who were not members. The sampling method was multi-stage random sampling, in which n=220 of farmers’ member in cooperative and n=200 of farmers’ non-member in cooperative were selected as the sample of the study. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire whose face validity was confirmed by experts and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha for attitude and skill dimensions 0.92 and 0.84, respectively. The results showed that extension agronomic techniques improved the attitude of farmers’ member in land preparation and planting, growing and crop harvest and increased their knowledge and skills in this field. The results of the mean comparison showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups of farmers’ member and farmers’ non-member in cooperative in terms of knowledge, attitude and skill in land preparation and planting, growing and harvesting of agricultural products and in addition, extension agronomic techniques could improve farmers’ attitudes about land preparation and planting operations, and also could improve their knowledge and skills. The results of Friedman test showed that extension agronomic techniques had the most effect on knowledge and had the least impact on the field of land preparation and planting, growing and harvesting operations, on farmers’ member in cooperative

Explaining Cooperative-based Social Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas: A Case of Saffron Cultivation Development in Golestan Province

Using Grounded Theory methodology, this research was carried out with aim of explaining cooperative-based social entrepreneurship in the form of saffron cultivation chain in rural areas of Golestan province. In order to collect qualitative field data, a semi-structured deep interview was used. The research target group included those stakeholders involved in the development of saffron cultivation in the Tilabad watershed of Azadshahr County of Golestan province. Purposefully, to select the interviewees as key informants, the reputational sampling technique in the first stage and snowballing sampling in the second stage were used. The sample size and data collection process continued to the level of theoretical saturation or usefulness threshold of available information and 22 people were interviewed, totally. The process of data analysis consisted of a three-step chain of open, axial, and selective coding. Nvivo10 QSR software was used to extract the concept map of the codes. The research findings were summarized in the form of a paradigm model of cooperative-based social entrepreneurship. This model was formed from five components: causal conditions (demographic contexts, socio-economic constraints, agricultural-based livelihoods, and economic incentives towards income generation), contextual conditions (capacities and emerging challenges), intervening conditions (intervening agents, interventions, and intervention consequences), strategies (development of saffron value chain and serial entrepreneurship), and consequences (job and income diversification to achieve livelihood sustainability, the transformation of production arrangements based on the transition from independent family farming systems to the cooperative production system, increasing socio-economic resilience and in general, the realization of an entrepreneurial rural community)

Entrepreneurial Supply Chain Management in the Rural Production Cooperative and Joint-stock Farming Companies in North Khorasan Province: A Comparative Case Study

The aim of this research was to compare the management of entrepreneurial supply chain in rural production cooperatives and joint-stock farming companies of North Khorasan province. The statistical population of the research included 4500 shareholders and members of 14 active companies. Sampling was performed in a multi-stage conducted and the sample size was determined using Cochran's formula (n=356). To collect the data, a researcher-made questionnaire was used. The content and formal validity of the questionnaire were established by an expert panel and its reliability confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient for different components (0.702 to 0.851). According to Friedmann's test results, the components of social network management, financial and investment management have the highest rank, and marketing and sales management, innovation, and technology acquisition management components have the lowest rank in the entrepreneurial supply chain of cooperatives and joint-stock companies, respectively. The correlation test showed that there is a significant positive relationship between all components of the entrepreneurial supply chain of the companies. Among them, the highest correlation was attained between the components of financial management and investment and sales and marketing management (0.679**) in cooperative companies and between the components of distribution management and production management (0.344**) in joint-stock companies. The results of the mean comparison test showed that production cooperatives performed better than joint-stock companies in conducting the components of input management, production management and marketing and sales management

Influencing Factors on Collective Entrepreneurial Marketing in Agricultural Production Cooperatives in Kurdistan Province

The purpose of this research was to investigate collective entrepreneurial marketing in agricultural production cooperatives. This applied research was carried out using survey research method. The statistical population of this research were consisted of the all members (shareholders) of the 13 agricultural production cooperatives in the Kurdistan province (N=3500), of which 346 were selected using cluster sampling technique. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The validity of the questionnaire was determined based on expert's view and reliability was confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient for different scales (from 0.853 to 0.932). The results showed that 48.3% and 30.9% of respondents have moderate and high tendency to collective entrepreneurial marketing, respectively. According to the correlation matrix, there is a positive and significant relationship between collective entrepreneurial marketing and collective branding variables (r=0.500 and sig=0.000); tendency to collective innovation (r= 0.114 and sig=0.034); and Social capital (r= 0.112 and sig=0.037). The path analysis showed that collective branding directly (0.475), tendency to collective innovation (0.129) and social capital (0.090) indirectly have a positive effect on the collective entrepreneurial marketing

Determinants of Saffron Growers' Tendency to Establish an Agricultural Co-operative in Farouj county: Collective Action Approach

The purpose of this research was to investigate the determinants of the tendency of saffron farmers in Farooj county to form an agricultural cooperative from the perspective of collective action. This research was conducted through the survey approach and a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect information. The statistical population included all saffron farmers in the research area (N = 3900). The sample size was estimated using Cochran's formula (n=150) and the respondents were selected by random sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as correlation coefficient test, multiple regression analysis, and path analysis were used to analyze the data. All statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS22. To investigate the relationship between the dependent variable, the tendency to form a cooperative with independent variables: possible collective actions, the perceived positive impacts of cooperative formation, and the perceived negative impacts of cooperative formation, a correlation matrix was formed. Based on the findings, it can be seen that there was a direct and significant relationship between the tendency to form cooperative and possible collective actions and the perceived positive impacts of cooperative formation at the level of 99% confidence. In contrast, the relationship between the tendency to form cooperative, possible collective actions, the perceived positive impacts of cooperative formation on the one hand, and the perceived negative impacts of cooperative formation, on the other hand, has become negative and significant

The Impact of Environmental Values, Attitudes and Ethics on the Environmental Behaviors of Ranchers’Members of Rangeland Cooperatives in Gonbad Kavous County

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of environmental values, attitudes and ethics with environmental behaviors among ranchers’ members of rangeland cooperatives in Gonbad Kavous. The statistical population was 644 operators who were members of rangeland cooperatives in 17 conventional systems, of which 240 were selected by stratified random sampling using Krejcie and Morgan table. A questionnaire was used to collect information. The content and appearance validity of the questionnaire were confirmed by experts, and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha method. Data were analyzed using mean comparison, correlation and regression tests. The results of the mean comparison test showed that there is a significant difference between different groups of respondents according to the level of education regarding the component of environmental ethics, based on the history of animal husbandry, regarding the component of environmental value, based on the second job, regarding the components of attitude, ethics and environmental behavior, and based on the frequency of participation in training courses on value components and environmental behavior. The results of correlation test showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the variables of attitude, and environmental ethics, and the environmental behavior of the respondents. The results of regression analysis showed that having ethics and environmental attitude has a positive effect on environmental behavior, and ethics has a greater effect. This study recommended increasing the use of cooperative capacity of ranchers by creating and supporting environmental organizations of ranchers to protect the environment