이해관계자 관리를 통한 협동조합의 사회적 책임 실천:아이쿱생협의 필리핀 공정무역 사례

Today’s companies have to stand by the demand for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Those companies include not merely corporations, i.e. investor-owned firms, but also co-operatives, i.e. member-owned firms. Consumer co-operatives in Korea, which was born to form and expand the environmentally-friendly organic market through solidarity with domestic producers, started Fair Trade while reflecting the needs of consumers. Consumer co-operatives have practiced their social responsibility of developing the domestic organic market as a mission. Their participation in Fair Trade expanded their social responsibility to the global level. Based on the stakeholder theory, this study aims to analyze how Korean consumer co-operatives perform global social responsibility practices through the case of iCOOP KOREA, one of the largest consumer co-operatives in Korea. iCOOP Korea has maintained a long-term partnership with Muscovado producer organizations in the Philippines. To this end, literature reviews were conducted and the relevant persons were interviewed. The research findings show that iCOOP KOREA has implemented cooperative strategy, centered on producers and consumers as the critical stakeholders among those affected by the Fair Trade business, so as to be successful. This case study can also give practical implications for Korean companies doing CSR practices in South East Asian countries.