КООПЕРАТИВИ ПІДПРИЄМЦІВ ТА ЇХНІ БІЗНЕС-МОДЕЛІ

Abstract

The article reflects the functional features of entrepreneurs' cooperatives, classifies them by categories of participants (cooperative members), and also provides general information about the business models of such cooperatives. Emphasis is placed on the fact that this topic has not been comprehensively reflected in Ukrainian economic literature. In particular, the publications of Ukrainian scientists are mainly devoted to the problems of the development of service (service) cooperatives in the environment of small agribusiness, despite the wide spectrum of such cooperatives in the practice of foreign countries. A general definition of cooperatives of entrepreneurs is proposed, which interprets them as open to the participation of new participants, democratic in terms of the management of a special type of enterprise, owned on a share basis by entrepreneurs who pool resources to provide themselves with the necessary services at cost price. It is emphasized that along with specific features regarding organization and functioning, cooperatives of entrepreneurs can have typical business models, oriented to certain groups of clients from among individuals and legal entities. Thus, the business-to-business (B2B) group of cooperatives is focused on companies that sell their goods or services exclusively to other businesses, while the business-to-consumer (B2C) group includes those that sell their goods or services to consumers. At the same time, combinations are also possible - a B2B-B2C business model. Also, for a clear idea of all the possibilities of an individual cooperative of entrepreneurs (its potential), it is suggested to use the canvas of A. Osterwalder's business model when planning its activities. The latter can be the basis for building an effective strategy of the cooperative, which as a result should affect the profitability of the personal business of the participants (members) of the cooperative of entrepreneurs. A general conclusion was made that for a qualitatively new stage of the development of the cooperative movement in Ukraine, it is advisable to expand the range of existing cooperatives of entrepreneurs, and the management bodies of existing cooperatives need to move away from primitive planning of activities. For this, it is important to use foreign scientific and practical approaches that have proven effective in many countries of the world.