Cooperative

[Sarah]

Operating jointly to the same end. Coöperative society, asociety established on the principle of a joint-stock association,for the production of commodities, or their purchase and distributionfor consumption, or for the borrowing and lending of capital amongits members.-- Coöperative store, a store established by a coöperative society,where the members make their purchases and share in the profits orlosses.

[Sarah]

A living arrangement where residents own an equal share of their home and work together to sustain their lifestyle. Cooperative Living arrangements stress people before profit, environmentally sustainable living, and the importance of community. Individuals who reside in a Cooperative are referred to as Coopers and come from all races, religions, socioeconomic statuses, and social groups. Many Cooperatives are students cooperatives, such as the MSU SCH and ICC of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

[Sarah]

A business model where hipster-doofii delude themselves into thinking that the Marxist Utopian fantasies they learned about in college from their hippie professors are capable of overriding economic realities. Since management of Co-Ops is typically run by individuals who are incapable of managing their own lives, they are usually doomed to failure.

[Julian]

A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise. Cooperatives are democratically controlled by their members, with each member having one vote in electing the board of directors.
Cooperatives may include:businesses owned and managed by the people who consume their goods and/or services
businesses where producers pool their output for their common benefit
businesses owned and managed by the people who work there
businesses where members pool their purchasing power
multi-stakeholder or hybrid cooperatives that share ownership between different stakeholder groups. For example, care cooperatives where ownership is shared between both care-givers and receivers. Stakeholders might also include non-profits or investors.
second- and third-tier cooperatives whose members are other cooperatives
platform cooperatives that use a cooperatively owned and governed website, mobile app or a protocol to facilitate the sale of goods and services.