La función directiva en las cooperativas agrarias. Estudio empírico en las sociedades cooperativas cafetaleras de Costa Rica

In theory, the characteristics, values and principles of cooperative enterprises give them great potential in terms of their business and social development. However, in practice we actually find situations that stand in the way of their possibilities; for example, lack of involvement on the part of their members, or professional shortcomings in the running of cooperatives. This article focuses on the management role of coffee-growing agricultural cooperatives in Costa Rica, analysing their characteristics and defending the existence and professionalism of this management role as an essential requirement in dealing with the internal and external factors that essentially characterise the activity and running of this type of company, and in achieving the successful development of these companies. This analysis helps us to establish what we call an ideal profile of the cooperative agricultural manager, consisting of professional and personal features and forms of behaviour. The primary objective of this is to bring the economic criteria and purposes into line with the social and human criteria involved in the cooperativeÕs activity.