Management of Consumer Co-Operatives

Since times immemorial consumers have been exploited by the middlemen. It is the consumer that ultimately bears all the burden of exorbitant charge and unreasonable profit margins of the various middlemen engaged in the distributive channels of trade. These middlemen are also known to be adulteration a variety of malpractices such as underweightment, adulteration etc. A search has been made for an alternative distribution system and ultimately it was found that the consumer co-operatives are the best alternative to avoid middlemen to effect reduction in prices and prevent adulteration and under weighment. It is true that in terms of numbers, the consumer co-operatives in India have achieved laudable progress. But if we view their performance qualitatively they present a very sad state of affairs. In spite of all this tremendous growth of the consumer co-operative movement in India, it is accepted almost universally that most of the consumer co-operatives in India barring a few exceptions have been plagued with the multitude of problem. This is a comprehensive treatise on the subject of consumer co-operatives. The object of the study is to diagnose the genesis of the problems of consumer co-operatives particularly in sales management, purchase management, financial management, personnel management and other issues related to it and to suggest feasible ways and means to overcome all these problems, and place the consumer co-operatives on economically viable footing. The author is quite confident that as and when the various suggestions discussed are implemented, the consumer co-operatives in India will definitely be enabled to improve their functioning augment their profits and also improve their economic viability. Further the author feels that the suggestions given in the book will be invaluable help and guidance to all the officials and non-officials connected with the consumer co-operatives in India. Moreover, the teachers, researchers and the students would find the book useful to them as it sets out a novel way of study in their field.