협동조합의 회복력 강화 전략: 인증, 네트워크, 참여

This study analyzes strategies for building resilience of co-operatives coping against unexpected negative events. Korean consumer co-operatives have experienced food incidents caused by primary or secondary producers supplying eco-friendly food. This article analyses the process of resolving a number of food adulteration incidents in the early 2000s. Firstly, the cooperative introduced a distribution certification system that managed the entire supply chain. Secondly, the business network was reorganized by creating agricultural industrial zones in two regions and moving the production plants to these zones. Thirdly, the co-operative actively involved its members in the process of resolving the accident to gain their support and participation. This research aims to contribute to resilience research by analyzing the process by which co-operatives strengthen their resilience. In particular, it focuses on the process of resolving accidents in a consumer cooperative, which discloses those incidents to its members rather than letting management solve the problem alone. They established committees with members to find solutions together. Members developed a common understanding and contributed economic participation. Co-operative A’s response to the food contamination incident was a resilience-building process based on member participation while creating new institutions.