Page "Cooperative" Paragraph 28

Cooperatives are dedicated to the values of openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Such legal entities have a range of social characteristics.

Membership is open, meaning that anyone who satisfies certain non-discriminatory conditions may join.

Economic benefits are distributed proportionally to each member's level of participation in the cooperative, for instance, by a dividend on sales or purchases, rather than according to capital invested.

Cooperatives may be classified as either worker, consumer, producer, purchasing or housing cooperatives.

They are distinguished from other forms of incorporation in that profit-making or economic stability are balanced by the interests of the community.

Co-ops can sometimes be identified on the Internet through the use of the. coop suffix of internet addresses.

Organizations using. coop domain names must adhere to the basic co-op values.