Designing indicators for cooperative sustainability: the Malaysian perspective
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to design a set of sustainability indicators that is pertinent to cooperatives longevity. The primary goal of the cooperatives is towards meeting the economic progress of members while satisfying their socio-cultural interests and protecting the environment. As a sustainable and participatory form of business, cooperatives offer an alternative business model to social enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an extraction process analysis, this study examined and analyzed guidelines, indices, and framework on sustainability used by the public companies. The selected materials were analyzed using Atlas.ti software, whereby common indicators were divided into themes. The indicators were further scrutinized to suit the cooperatives identity and local regulations.
Findings
The results are presented as indicators for cooperatives sustainability that could serve as strategies and performance measurement. Promotion and expansion of cooperatives could be an important instrument for more than one billion people around the world involved in cooperatives either as members/customers, employees/participants, or both.
Originality/value
This work extends and complements the on-going efforts in uplifting the cooperatives sector as the third engine of economic growth in Malaysia. It contributes towards enriching the knowledge of the relationship between sustainable development and sustainability and its influence towards the cooperative sector. It may also provide the building blocks for future studies that could explore the usefulness of these indicators to other business setting having a similar objective like the cooperatives.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Ministry of Education, Malaysia (MOE) for funding this research project through Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) and the Research Management Centre (RMC) of University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) for the administrative support.
Citation
Abdul Aris, N., Madah Marzuki, M., Othman, R., Abdul Rahman, S. and Hj Ismail, N. (2018), "Designing indicators for cooperative sustainability: the Malaysian perspective", Social Responsibility Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 226-248. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-01-2017-0015
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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