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Abstract
In this paper an estimate is made concerning the correlation between the prosperity and viability of food
enterprises and the volume of fixed assets. The amount of investment in fixed assets refers to the volume
of the food cooperative activities. Hence, it can be considered as a comprehensive indicator which shows
the size and use orientation of enterprises. The financial activity results and efficiency of the cooperatives
depend, in many respects, on investments in the floating funds and fixed assets, the size of investment in
monetary units and materials and the optimum ratio between them. This paper provides a financial
assessment and comparative analysis of the food marketing cooperatives, against the amount of the fixed
assets they have.
The main purpose of this research is to estimate the viability of food marketing cooperatives under
competitive conditions in the agricultural sector and to evaluate the financial aspects of their activities in
terms of the size of fixed assets. The research provides a brief overview of the European Union
experience from the financial side of cooperative activities. But due to the huge size of the EU and the
significant differences between the various countries, it is difficult to estimate the issue on a union scale.
Instead, some general features are mentioned briefly with reference to Greek cooperation, with more
specific and detailed data and analyses provided for several cooperatives located in Crete.
Crete was chosen for this research because it is one of the largest food producing regions in Greece. The
comparative analysis was carried out based on the data for four consecutive years (from 2003 to 2006).
For the purpose of this study, cooperatives functioning in Crete were chosen. The aim of the current
research was to determine the interdependence between the size of the fixed assets and the welfare of the
cooperatives and to underline the optimum amount of assets for marketing cooperatives, based on the
ranking of the enterprises.
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