Social and Solidarity Economy and Knowledge Management: Exploratory Study of Economic Intelligence Practices in Cooperatives - Case of Cooperatives in the Agadir city

Abstract

Law 112-12 on cooperatives states that cooperatives are capable of creating wealth for their environment. In accordance with the principles of this law, the objective of cooperatives is now to develop and improve their activities through effective management of their members. In this respect, economic intelligence (EI) intervenes through strategic intelligence to exploit information that allows a better understanding of the economic, social and territorial environment, among others, to better anticipate not only the opportunities but also the potential threats that surround it. Given that cooperatives are a type of organization linked to its territory, lobbying is a key weapon for them to perpetuate themselves thanks to a strong entanglement between the political, economic power of the managers and members and civil society, ultimately having an influence not only at local level, but also at national and international level.

Cooperatives are generally less structured than enterprises, especially in the Moroccan context. This article, based on an interpretative reasoning, is interested in discovering the different ways in which cooperatives practice economic intelligence and exploit information. To this end, a qualitative survey of 12 cooperatives in the Agadir region was conducted using a semi-directive interview guide. The content analysis revealed a distribution of categories of cooperatives in terms of use of EI mechanisms. The size, the intellectual level of the managers and the sector of activity were key factors in the practice of EI.

JEL Classification: M10

Type of paper: Empirical research