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Author Topic: Help Form a Global Cooperative  (Read 2658 times)

Captain Dave

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Help Form a Global Cooperative
« on: January 15, 2012, 03:33:21 am »
Are "thoughts" real? - Obviously as "real" as everything around us.

Every Great invention started first as a simple thought. How strongly we believe in a thought defines its very place in existence.

Can any one of us take a thought and turn it into reality? In many cases it would seem so, however the amount of time spent working by yourself means that it may take an entire life.

Working together as a team however would seem to be more logical. Spreading the work load out takes away the burdon from any one person. It also means that it will get done more efficiently. Where as something may take fifty years to develop for one person, it may only take one year to develop with  fifty people.

The Internet is still a relatively "new thing" and much like our societies is still disorganized. However this is a Great thing for our generation! We are riding a New wave into reality and we have the opportunity to help define it.

For so long our thoughts and ideas have been separated by distance and cooperation. Now like any other time in our recent history people have an oportunity to work together Worldwide.

What if the "average" person has a Great idea that would save the World from a disaster and we ignore them? What if an average person has an idea that would improve the lives of everyone alive and we ignore them?

Albert Einstein once said "Great Spirits throughout history have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

I add to that: and those minds lost to mediocrity hold some of the Greatest things that humankind will never see.

How can we stop new idea's from being lost to medocrity? How can we bring new ideas to light? How can we share the burdon and all benefit as well?

It would seem a Global Cooperation of some type would be the most logical.

WordIQ defines a Cooperative as:
A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) comprises a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members, with no passive shareholders. Unlike a union, a cooperative may assign different numbers of votes to different members; typically a cooperative is governed proportionally according to each member's level of economic interest in the cooperative. However, many cooperatives maintain a strict "one member, one vote" policy to avoid the concentration of control by an elite. Cooperatives may be generally classified as either consumer or producer cooperatives, depending on their function.

In the United States most cooperatives are corporations or limited liability companies (LLCs) but other legal entities may also be used. Cooperatives may be for-profit or non-profit.

http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Cooperative


We can help organize the Internet and provide jobs for millions.

Lets face facts, it is the people of this World who build things, not individuals. If every person in the World quit their job tomorrow - no business would function.

I originally started a thread about this topic on ATS, and while they were actually "for" the idea, their policy doesn't allow it.

During that same period of time, Zorgon mentioned TheLivingMoon.Com and suggested that it might fly here and I hope thats still true. I haven't spent a long time here, but in the time I have, I've seen informed and intelligent people so I see no reason not to try.

I have the original info gathered from ATS which I'll post here over the next day or so. I also have a list of people with varying skills that are interested in participating.

Can we design an online resource that will allow people Worldwide to share Idea's and also help bring them to fruition while all profiting as well?




« Last Edit: January 15, 2012, 03:53:12 am by Captain Dave »

Offline Pimander

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #1 on: January 15, 2012, 12:58:10 pm »
My forays into politics, suppressed science and conspiracies made it obvious that any "collective for the greater good enterprise" has have certain basic ingredients defined in its constitution.

I'll call this entity that would share characteristics with your co-op - "Ultimate Freedom"
  • To have clear, unambiguous, simple, objectives - namely, Ultimate Freedom.
  • To be legally protected from private ownership, permanently - without loop holes. 
  • To be legally defined as not for profit.
  • To promote information (power) and knowledge sharing wherever it furthers the interests of Ultimate Freedom.
  • To legally protect its information (power) from being stolen by private interests.
  • To be a platform for and encourage free though, creativity and expression.
  • To be run by its members in line with the objectives of Ultimate Freedom which are synonymous with their own interests.
  • Membership of Ultimate Freedom will depend on committing to the objectives of Ultimate Freedom
  • Ultimate Freedom will be run in the interests of its membership in line with its objectives
  • Members who act against the interests of Ultimate Freedom shall be banned subject to member vote.

Then it hit me one day.  There is a working model it, apart from the membership part.  The open source software community.  Look at Linux.  It is the most stable, secure, bug free operating system on Earth.  It has more programmers coding it and fixing its bugs than the big software companies put together.

If you contribute to Linux evolution you automatically legally commit to the open source legal principle.  Developers are free to innovate and go whatever way their genius dictates.  The organisational and intellectual liberty that legal protection from ownership or profit motives are its strength.  At the end of the day it is free to the user and the best at what it is designed to do - run a computer quickly, securely and stably.  Beat that Corporate America! (I know that paragraph is an over-simplification)

Linux has differences from the "Ultimate Freedom" project in that Ultimate freedom's aims have wider reaching implications.  Both depend on a platform for the rapid exchange and storage and sharing of information - the internet.

Offline Amaterasu

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #2 on: January 24, 2012, 11:08:17 am »
My thought on this is that while We still have the Interweb, spreading information and petitions is key.

To that end, I began a petition on Change.org for the release of electrogravitics from its hiding place.  I posted a link to it in the "Petitions" section here.  I invite everyOne to read, sign, and spread the information both that it exists and the ideas it contains.

Thank You for this.  I do not want ideas to die.
"If the universe is made of mostly Dark Energy...can We use it to run Our cars?"

"If You want peace, take the profit out of war."


Captain Dave

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #4 on: January 26, 2012, 04:38:40 am »
 :)
http://www.icmif.org/global-development-co-operative-fund-launched-to-support-new-cooperatives



Previously on ATS...

Quote
Capt. Kostr posted on 1-12-2011 @ 12:43 AM     
The World Wide Economic Melt Down is a problem for just about everyone. Can we help by creating a large company owned by "the people" instead of relying on our governments to solve everything? Let's find out.

Proposal:
To form an international company owned and operated by it's employee's who share in the responsibilities, profits, use of profits and direction of the company. To build a web based company that conceptualizes, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets and ships products worldwide. To create useful, environmentaly safe products and technologies from foot wear to space ware. To use the Internet as a means by which to allow collaboration of minds towards a financial gain and stable global economy.

We as individuals have many great skills. By combining our skills together we can change the world.

The intention here is the actual formation of the company. If this type of consortium sounds like something you would like to join, please help in it's formation by sharing your thoughts and idea's.

( I have skills in conceptualizing, designing, engineering, inventing, manufacturing, marketing and shipping products worldwide... and a couple more, but hey let's get the ball rolling... )

Quote
The company being developed here is owned and directed by it's employee's. One goal is to develop a structure within the company of equality where in the employee's (globally) control the direction of the company and it's assets. Profit sharing and ownership must also be divided so as not to allow any one person or sub group to control the company. I'm not suggesting "socialism" per se. This should hopefully be a new concept entirely, combining together the things that we do know work, and or creating idea's that will work.

I would suggest that we would need a corporate structure in many ways. I would think the employees would vote in their board of directors and other corporate officers; with the ability to remove them from office at any time for failure to perform..

The point of this thread is not for me to start a Global Cooperative, it is for Us All to start a Global Cooperative. I only want to be part of it, a fellow equal owner. This is not about being against the Governments or World Banks, this is about Balance and bringing needed balance to corrupt systems. I am hoping this company helps bring financial stabilization to our individual countries and ourselves. I hope we work with them, not against them. First we must work with each other.

Quote
spacedonk:
To my mind one way to ensure the business commences on a strong footing is to focus on one market sector/product and ensure all the ancillary requirements of day to day commerce: sales/marketing, logistics, company structure (charities pay no corporation tax in the UK for example) etc etc are in place and work. At this point it will be simple to streamline new products and services in.

A danger I can identify immediately is akin to the OWS movement that is occupying the area outside St Paul's Cathedral in London which has no identifiable leader, it would be a hideous mistake to have to make every small decision by committee. If the company comes to reality it MUST have a strong identifiable figurehead, if nothing else for the media to latch on to.

In terms of the corporation itself, as mentioned above charitable status has many benefits in this day and age, even registering as a religion in the states might sound crazy, but the Scientologists have successfully avoided taxation for years and seemingly all they do is sell books and pamphlets to vulnerable people to generate revenue (I know I am being glib!). I am certainly not advocating that we rip people off, more encouraging that we use the established systems readily available globally to set the business on the strongest footing possible. There is no reason a set of ideals could not translate into a 'set of beliefs' and be presented as a religious movement. It is an area that needs specific and comprehensive examination prior to commencement of the movement to maximise the final output in both dollars and the contribution of the individual. (another example is an Industrial and Provident Society where the members of the society have equal shares and voting rights, again this is a UK form of legal entity for corporations and may or may not have global equivalents.)

In terms of an altruistic project that has had mixed success I can give the example of myfootballclub 'The world's first web community owned football club'. They set out to smash through the modern day models for ownership of football/soccer teams in the UK and base the club on an international basis by recruiting members who pay a small annual fee ($50 approx.) to be a member and this in turn garners them full voting rights on every aspect of the community. I followed the project from its inception when many thousands worldwide signed up and have seen it go through various stages of development, there are definite lessons to be learned from them; predominantly that is how to balance the need for day to day management of a business entity with the altruistic and inclusive nature of one member one vote.

There have been times when they have got so bogged down with the minutiae of banal detail (what colour socks the team should wear!) that decisions just simply could not be made. Also because of the reality of being involved in daily decisions and the fact that this simply is not good fun a LOT of original members quickly left the project. A risk here would be that many thousands of people initially get involved and become disenchanted and leave, reducing our ability to function at a preferred level and in some areas potentially devastating certain products, innovations or even something as crucial as legal representation....

There are certainly lessons to be learned and to my mind this whole essence of structure is the most crucial of all.

On a lighter note, a potential product to trial could be a 'skills exchange' ?!? It would allow people to tender their time and abilities either pro bono or for a fee to allow us to firm up the structure and company model with a live product - I know, I know, structure again! I seem to have been bending your ears about this for my whole wall of text 

If it is your intention to create profits for the benefits of each individual then a co-op is certainly a strong contender, a good resource for more info is: set up a co op http://www.uk.coop/set-co-operativeand in particular there is a guide herehttp://www.uk.coop/resources/documents/starting-co-operative.

EDIT: Forgot to say this is a UK guide but the principles must be the same throughout the world - hopefully 


and from wikipedia PopTech:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poptech

PopTech (also known as Pop!Tech) is a nonprofit open innovation laboratory and network of thought leaders who are dedicated to finding, incubating and accelerating ideas, people and projects that change the world. PopTech consists of a global community of cutting-edge leaders, thinkers, and doers from many different disciplines, who come together to explore the social impact of new technologies, the forces of change shaping the future, and new approaches to solving the world’s most significant challenges.

they are a cooperative and have a global outlook, more interesting reading.

Hey Cap, take the Social Enterprise questionnaire here:
http://www.venturenavigator.co.uk/socialenterprise
I did.

In doing so I make the first structure proposal based upon the following definition:
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.


This fits the bill and I believe it can be the only legal structure entered into on the basis that the intended corporation and its resulting profits are for the benefit of the employees. But....... we all know George Orwell, if this sort of enterprise is created, traditionally some animals are more equal than others. It would have to be discussed whether dividends are truly equal shares of the financial pot or like John Lewis a retailer in the UK a percentage of salary is paid as a dividend. This means all parties benefit and do so in line with their pay grade, John Lewis traditionally pays its staff their 'dividend' in March and it has ranged from 8 to 22% of annual salary. I like this scenario for financial reward as it means everybody benefits and you would not have people who worked a low paid job receiving an out of proportion bonus (to their salary) and leaving the company.

The issue I have with the model in the company above is that there is no true one share one vote, all 'lower level' meetings and decisions are claimed by an ex employee to be senior management paying 'lipservice' to the grunts. All topics of discussion are SMT defined and any true innovation is not allowed to foster support by the mere fact it cant actually be discussed.

I mentioned earlier the other extreme of this type of mutual with myfootballclub.co.uk where every decision is/was belaboured and results in crushing slowness to act. There must be a middle ground and it is quite possible to achieve it with like minded souls trying to achieve the same goals. I think therefore:

1. A CO-OP must be established
2. A constitution must be established by the 'founding fathers' that irrevocably sets the principles of the CO-OP and is next to impossible to alter for future generations. This must contain all definitions of areas of responsibility for the CEO in particular when and where he must take only advice from the members votes, when and where he must adhere to the specific results of a members vote etc etc
3. A charitable wing of the CO-OP to be established with 5% of annual profits to be dispersed to charities that members nominate with actual financial distribution based upon exact and precise Proportional Representation of votes by employees. Also to run at zero charge to the charity.
4. Set schedule for quantity and frequency of dividend to employees and whether this is as an exact 'one share one equal dividend share' or rather as a percentage of annual salary.
5. Define precisely any membership costs.
6. Define termination of 'employee' status, define commencement of such status e.g 3 month trial needed etc etc

Ok, agree or disagree, but add, alter or review as you see fit . Lets start the conversation.


Quote
King Atlas:
Nice start. Good general guidelines for now.

I will work on some idea of products, just generally so we can get an Idea.
There are areas that this type of movement could move into more easily than others.

The internet gives it a good advantage, as being established on.

I am under the idea it will be more of an umbrella, covering different areas.

Software and technology seems natural, but there are complications.
Also to consider is a content business. Alot of the skills necissary would seem to be more available.

As for a product business, distribution channels might be a problem, but they can be worked with.

Service business seems to be the least viable for this type of group. It can almost be ruled out, because of the global nature.

I think when there are more people the areas of strongest start-up can be assest.

It is very important to start strong. I cannot stress that enough.
It is understood that alot of companies lose money in the first year(s), but it important to get the capital flowing, when it starts.


Creating a strong core will make the rest easier. Just some thoughts to consider.


Kostr, you are heading this, it's your baby.
Considering this, I am going to give a list of things i think need to be done before this can get off the ground.

First, the general idea and tone has to be created, so far this is a global co-operative.

But that has to be further defined. Is the structure a complete co-operative, or will it be structered to provide greater divident to those with the most involvement or skills.

What area of business does the co-op intend to involve itself with. This obviously has to be considered based on the skills of those who are joining, but a general idea, that can be changed later, would help to garner positive attention from those with skills.

Is the co-op going to be completly based on the internet. This has to be adressed also. Even if so, there still has to be considered that legally there has to be a declaration of business in a country of origin for tax purposes. Of course that is getting a little ahead, but has to be considered.

There has been mention of a mission statement, and basic concept of how the co-op will run within itself. This also has to be defined further. Are those mentioned going to be the actual regulations, or are there to be ammendments to those. For legal purposes it is important to state clearly these things before anyone donates or invests any money.

Most of these can be adressed in the business plan. Once there is some decision the generalities of the endeavor then it can more ahead more quickly. I would stress that you not take any donations or investments until these things have been adressed, for the potential success and future of your idea.


Quote
Capt. Kostr:
I created this thread yes, but it is not "mine". The whole idea is supposed to be that this is a company in the making that belongs to everyone. I was simply the one who created a title and basic statement. It's my understanding that others have tried something like this here on ATS previously. Why it didn't work then I don't know? Perhaps it's because in todays world so many give up and become disheartened. Perhaps because it is such a large undertaking and seems overwhelming?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. All we have to do is take one step at a time and we'll be there before you know it!

Think about this: Thomas Edison tried and Failed over 2000 times to create the light bulb. Imagine if people like him gave up because it didn't work the first Thousand times! Creating something worth while is never easy, that does not mean it is impossible. I suppose it really depends on whether you consider it is worth your time. I suppose it is whether you really believe in it or not. Think about your own resolve the next time you flip on that light switch.

I'm the kind of guy who likes to fix broken things. That's just me, always has been. When something breaks, the first thing I do is identify the problem. Once I identify the problem I try to repair or replace what's broken. Well, if something keeps breaking, it's time to start looking at why? Once I identify why it keeps breaking I redesign the thing that keeps breaking and fix the problem for good.

I've worked for more than one company that doesn't like to fix things. They will keep using a half broken piece of equipment until it falls apart. I have a friend who uses a tractor with no brakes over at a local marina. They drive it right up to the edge of deep water to perform daily tasks. The owner has the money to fix the problem, but it's cheaper and easier to just keep using it "as is". The ones who drive the tractor hate it. The owner doesn't drive the tractor, his employee's do. He's not in danger, so because it's not affecting him things stay the same. Now for the employee who has to drive it? Well thier LIFE is in danger just to fill in a hole next to a bulkhead! If someone dies, they'll probably buy a new tractor. Sorry, but to me that doesn't make any sense. Should it take someones Death to fix something we already knew was a problem. Something simple that should have been fixed before it created a bigger problem? To me that IS the problem, people will avoid fixing something until it creates a major problem.

Well it seems to me the World is like that broken tractor. It's still running and being used "as is" even though there's quite a bit wrong with it. Would people be protesting World Wide if everything was just fine? So what is the problem? How do we fix it? Should something be added or redesigned to fix whats wrong? Well, I would say of course!

In my many years of fixing things, I've learned a few things...

1. First of all you have to even realize there is a problem.
2. Identify the problem. ( What's broken? )
3. Analyze the problem. ( How do we fix what's broken? )
4. Fix the problem. ( Take action! )

Basic common sense right? Great well then lets use it! 

Right now on the planet Earth there are sooooooo many problems. Does that mean that we can't fix them? I know 100% that we can fix these problems. I say we will fix these problems - if we try and don't give up! At times in life there is so much going on that it seems overwhelming! No one person can do it, but together we can! We each have 365 days in a year. If you do just one thing a day you will have done 365 things in just one year. If each of us did just one thing a day towards fixing these problems, we will have fixed ALOT of problems in just one year!. 

Skills?
Every one of us have different skills. Are some peoples skills more valuable than others? Hmmm... Do you think that a CEO can do anything without the workers who build the products? Without each persons skills combined together to form a company a CEO's skills are worth almost nothing. Granted, the leadership and management skills of any company are needed, but without the skills of the people designing, building, shipping ect the other fails.

I personally believe wages should be equalized. I don't think the people at the "top" should make any more than the people at the "bottom". Does this mean the management team should make low wages? NO! I think we should All make Great wages! As the company makes more money, everyones wages should go up up up! Should there be a probationary period where as someone new to the company and in training makes less money? Yes I believe so. However if someone comes in with prior training there should be exceptions shouldn't there?

If every person in the world quit thier job tomorrow, every company in the world would be out of business. The skills of each individual are where the true value is. If a manager and a production operator are both making Great wages, who's unhappy? If you are in management and your wages are growing rapidly and the company is now hiring more skilled workers to meet demand, would you be upset because they came on board at the same wage as you? Why not be happy you're making great wages and be happy that they came on board. Because they work here, now the company will make more money and your wages will go up again!

Perhaps I've handled things incorrectly here in this thread. I suppose that is part of the problem, I am one mind. More minds are needed to make this work correctly. Here's a basic list of my skills so that you can get an idea of what I can do.

Owner/Operated a computer outlet
Owner/Operated software distribution company
Computer Engineer Microsoft certified MCSE + I and A++
AOL Technician
Aircraft mechanic - Jets
Pilot
Importer/Exporter
Production Design Manager for a fortune 500 company - ACAD 3D
CNC Production Operator
CNC Machinist
Inventor - invented the all-in-one printer/scanner/photocopier
Shipping/Receiving for several large companies
Sales/Marketing fortune 500 company and several smaller ones
Have acquired large funding for various self created projects ( the most being one billion dollar letter of credit )
Contract negotiation
Contract writing
Grant writing ( Helped secure four million dollars for one city.)

I have a few more skills, but hopefully you will get the idea that I have generally usefull skills. Right now, I'm self retired but operate a few small side businesses.

So back to the Global Co-operative. In my opinion wages should be equalized top to bottom for the reasons stated previously. Anyone who agree's or disagrees, please share your thoughts.


Spacedonk, everything you say is beautifully thought out!  We must create: A Constitution for the Global Co-Operative.


IHMO This is where the Co-Operatives future success live or dies. To those participating, please please please get involved in this phase. Even if you think this whole thing will fail and you are just watching, please throw in any idea's you have. I will be researching and adding as well.


Global Cooperative Constitution

Article I – ORGANIZATION
This organization shall be called Global Cooperative and referred to as “GCO” “Global” or the “Global Co-op.”

Article II – PURPOSE
We hold these simple truths to be self-evident; that all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Freedom and the pursuit of Prosperity. To secure these rights, people organize their skills and cooperate together; Business organizations are established to provide prosperity deriving their powers from the skills of their employee’s and the benefit of their cooperative efforts. The purpose of this Global Cooperative is to provide a governing structure; for the members of GCO, by the members of GCO for all GCO endeavors world wide; to support professional level administration and organization of members and assets in all forms as pertain to our Cooperative; and to share ideas; create innovative working projects; hone individual and group skills in all areas in which we endeavor; to provide financial safeguards and prosperity for our future as both individuals and as a group worldwide.

This is a rough draft for the first part of the constitution. Please criticize - add/remove where needed.
We still also need:
Article III – MEMBERSHIP
Article IV – LEADERSHIP
Article V – MEETINGS
Article VI – RESPONSIBILITIES
Article VII – AMENDMENTS

To those who are concerned whether their skills will match up with the Cooperatives previously stated goal of manufacturing goods: Manufacturing will be one of the many areas we conduct business within. The plan is to be very diverse. Manufacturing was slated in as business "A" so to speak for the purposes of designing the foundation of our business model. There will be other businesses - "B" "C" "D" and so forth.

The main concern here is to first define our Cooperatives foundation so as to provide an umbrella for all other business areas that we enter into.

The ideal goal is to build a foundation that allows equality, accountability and prosperity for all members. When we're done defining things there should be no "top" or "bottom" or we've done something wrong.

Article III – MEMBERSHIP

Section I – Individual membership shall be open to anyone. All who are considered active members of the Global Cooperative will be considered individual members of the Global Cooperative.

Section II – All GCO members may serve in advisory, ex officio and support roles, as needed.

Section III – The membership of GCO shall be based on application to the Global Cooperative and will follow the processes and procedures outlined for GCO membership applications. The Global Cooperative Constitution will serve as the formal constitution submitted by and approved by the founding Global Cooperative members.


Please add/revise where needed...


Quote
King Atlas:

article III

Section IV- Membership Type,

Paragraph I

First time applicant for membership, will have a trial period, to be determined by the board of GOC.

Paragraph II

Trial period members will have no access to funds, servers, and accounting records.
If they are required to acces one of these areas to perform their task, then a senior member
must vouche for them.

Paragraph III

Beginner membership will be a period of membership following trial membership.
The Beginner membership will last for a set amount of time to be determined by the board of GOC.

Paragraph IV

Beginner members will have limited access to funds, servers, and accounting records.
Beginner members may be exempted from these limitations if their tasks require access,
senior members must be made aware before access is granted.

Paragraph V

Novice Membership will follow the beginner membership, once the time period has passed.
Novice Membership is the first level of full membership.
There is no time limitation on novice membership.

Paragraph VI

Novice members will not be limited in access to any area outside their own field.
Novice members may present ideas to the board at the monthly member seminar, which will be
adressed lated.
Novice members may be called on to represent beginner and trail members at board meetings.
Novice members will also be tasked with a trail member to support and answer questions.
The failure of a trail member, that a Novice member has been tasked with, to achieive membership,
shall in no way reflect on the Novice member negatively, unless there was inproper conduct.

Paragraph VII

Adept membership will follow novice membership.
Adept membership has no time limitation.
Adept members will be adept in their field and will so be recognised by this title.
Members of this level are expected to act with high regard to the rules and original purpose
of the organisation.

Paragraph VIII

Adept members will be reponsible to notify senior members of any problems that are occuring.
Adept members will also be responsible to inform beginner and trail members of any infractions.
Infractions, unless they endanger themselves or other members, will be given warnings.
When there has been a significant amount of warning to a trial or beginner member,
Adept members are to infor Senior or Board members.
Adept members are also expected to advise Novice members who are tasked with trial members.
Adept members will be granted further priviledges to be determined by the board.

Paragraph IIX

Experienced membership will follow Adept membership.
Experienced membership has no time limitation.
Experienced member have adept knowledge of their field, but are also experience in the
organisation and are to be recognised with this title.
Members of this level are expecte to act with high regard to the rules and original purpose
of this organisation.

Paragraph IX

Experienced members are responsible for notifying the senior members or board of any problems.
Experienced members should try to aid all other members, when possible.
Because of their experience they may be called upon to represent all sub members in board
meetings.
Experienced members will be granted further priviledges and responsibilities to be
determined by the board.

Paragraph X

Responsible membership will follow Experienced membership.
Responsible membership is the first level of Senior membership.
Responsible members have show extensive knowledge and experience in their field and
in the organisation, and have been shown to be responsible member acting in accordance with the
original intent of the organisation and will be recognised with this title.

Paragraph XI

Responsible members are to ensure all sub members are acting within the original intent of the
original intentent of the organisation.
Responsible members are also eligible to serve on the board.
Responsible members are to make sure all problems of the sub levels are heard and any concerns are
dealt with.
Responsible members are to hold member seminars, in a way determined by each field, that will
give a voice to members.
Responsible members are also responsible for assigning which trial member will be tasked to
which Novice member.
Responsible members will be granted further priviledges and responsibilities to be determined by the board.

Paragraph XII

Reknown membership will follow responsible membership.
Reknown mebership has no time limitation.
Reknown members have proven themselves extensivly experienced in their field and in the organisation,
have are reknowned for following the original intent of the organisation and will be recognised with this title.

Paragraph XIII

Reknown members are eligible for the board.
Reknown members are responsible for delegating the resonsibilities of the sub members.
Reknown members first responsibility is making sure the original intent is followed,
in this way they are the safety net from the organisation deviating from the original intent.
Reknown members are to make sure the organisation is followig the original intent, and if they have
any concerns about this they are to bring it up to the board, and if the board dismisses it,
and there are still concerns on the part of the Reknowned member, then they are to talk to a
Responsible member and have a member seminar on the subject, it may then be allowed to vote on
over ruling the board decision, by gaining a majority of the members of the organisation's support.
Reknown members will be granted further priviledges and responsibilities to be determined by the board.

Paragraph XIV

Board members are to be elected by vote of all full and senior members.

Paragraph XV

Board members are representative of all sectors of the organisation, and its membership should
reflect this.
Board membership will have a time limitation to be determined at a later time, by majority vote.
Board members responsibilities will be determined at a later date.
Board member must act in accordance with all rules and original intent of the organisation.
Board members will be granted further priviledges and responsibilities to be voted on by the majority of the
members.

Paragraph XVI

Consulting members are mebers who have previously served on the board.
Consulting members have a long history with the organisation, and will be recognised with this title.

Paragraph XVII

When the Board members are determining the futur of the organisation, they should, but are not required to,
ask for the advice of Consulting members.
Consulting members eligibility for the board will be determind at a later date by the voting members.
Consulting members are to hold member seminars for the Expert, Responsible and Reknowned members.
Consulting members are to hold regular meeting to discuss the organisation, its fiscal and economic
success and failure, and the organisations following of the original intent.
Consulting members are to have regular meeting with the Board members to advise them on their findings
in the meetings and seminars.
Consulting members wil be given further priviedges and responsibilites to be determined by the majority
of the voting membership.

Well I hope you consider it, make some changes if you guys think they should be made.

I did put some time into this, so I hope some of it is kept

Well adjust as necissary.

I think the tiered mebership is the best way to make the organisation run. Because each area is responsible for different things as well as their own field.

Also it is built right in so that board members can be overruled by the majority of members if they are not acting in accoradance with the original intent of the organisation.
That should help keep any mis-actions by the Board members under control.

Well tell me what you think.

I also wanted to add, one of the reasons why the mebership should be tiered in a manner such as the one i described is that the pay will be equalized.

My reasoning is that since the pay is equalized, then the responsibilities would be more based on willingness.
If someone has no desire to have mroe responsibilities, then there would be the possibility of remaining a Novice member for their entire membership lifespan.

This is also why I made some of the memberships with no set time limit. Not to punish, but to provide the option for members to find a level of responsibility that they are comfortable with.


Quote
Capt. Kostr:
That's excellent! 

If we all keep voicing our idea's then eventually we can rewrite everything into one cohesive document that brings together all of our idea's. 

Because this organization's home base will be on the Internet, I believe we'll also need to design an online voting system so as to provide all members instant voting abilities on all issues and promote 100% voter turn out.

This is of course getting ahead of what we're currently doing *establishing our founding business model* but wanted to throw it out there as food for thought...


Quote
King Atlas:

Article IV
Leadership roles, purpose, and design
Section I
Leadership roles
Paragraph I
Senior Members, including Responsible, Renown, and Consulting members.

Paragraph II
All Senior members are required to vote on establishing the guidelines for the GOC.
Senior members are expected to make decisions based on the best interest and
original intent of GOC.
Senior members may be required to represent sub members in meetings, and represent their
voice and opinion.
Senior members are to work closely with Board members to establish fair and viable solutions
for the success of GOC.
Senior members will expected to lead sub members in the guidelines and original intent
of GOC.
Senior members are expected to implement and establish the directives of the
Board members, unless those directives contradict the original intent of GOC.
Senior members are responsible for the membership, it’s continued success,
And to make sure all members are acting within the original intent of GOC.
Senior members will be granted more privileges and responsibilities to be voted on by the
Members.

Paragraph III
Board members, their roles in the company, and the number of Board members

Paragraph IV
Board members are to be voted in by the members, all members who are eligible must be
nominated by another member to serve on the Board.
Serving on the Board is not mandatory.
Eligibility for the Board will include all senior members, and Experienced members.
The term of a Board member will be established at a further date.
A Board member may serve for an extended term if the members of GOC vote for this result.

Paragraph V
The role of the Board in GOC will be to decide and run the operations of GOC.
The Board will also be responsible for reviewing the success and/or failures of GOC,
and dealing with those situations as required.
The Board will be responsible for steering GOC in a business manner within the
original intent of GOC.
The Board will establish directives for GOC, to create a successful environment for the growth of
GOC, and the growth of its membership.
The Board will vote on which directives to pass, and vote on which direction to take GOC in the
Future.

Paragraph VI
In the event of a tie in the votes, (a tie will be established as within 2 votes), 5 members from
Outside the Board will be brought in, 2 from accounting, 2 from sales, and 1 from labour.
Each of the groups of two non-Board members will consist of 1 senior member and one full
member, in this way it will continue with the original intent of GOC.
The members will be chosen based on skills or length of time with GOC.
If the vote is still a tie, it will be Brought to a general vote of all members of GOC.
These steps may be circumvented if time is a factor, and the future of GOC is in question.

Paragraph VII
The number of Board member will be established at a future date, by vote of the membership.
For immediate purposes there will be a minimum of 11 Board members and a maximum of 25.
These limitations are for expediency in operations, and may be changed.

Section II
The Purpose of the leadership in GOC, is to expedite and facilitate the running of operations of GOC.
Leadership is expected to act in accordance with the original intent of GOC.
Leadership is to represent the members of GOC.
Leadership shall not overrule the membership if a majority of members have voted to achieve a result.
Leadership is purposed with the success and future of GOC, and its fiscal goals.

Article V
Meetings
Section I
Member seminars are to occur on a regular basis to discuss the future of GOC.
Member seminars will be designed and headed by Responsible members, and are
the main way for members to voice their opinions and concerns.
Member seminars are meant to endow knowledge of the operations of GOC, and it’s products
and future goals.
Member seminars will be further developed by the membership.

Section II
Senior Member seminars are to be held on a regular basis to discuss the future and current
Concerns and events of GOC.

Senior member seminars will be designed and headed by Consulting members, and will be a vehicle
For all information concerning GOC and it’s membership.
Senior member seminars are designed to problem solve, and think tank current and future problems
Or concerns.
Consulting members will discuss with the Board anything relevant to GOC.
Senior member seminars will be further developed by the membership.

Section III
Board meeting are to occur on a daily basis if possible.
A mandatory weekly Board meeting of all Board members will be held to discuss the operations of GOC.
Board meeting can be called at any time, if the situation requires it.
Content of Board meeting will be, but not limited to, operations of GOC, fiscal concerns, financial liabilities, future goals, new areas of development, possible investments for GOC, marketing of GOC,
Global economic concerns, and insurance and related concerns.

Article VI
Responsibilities of GOC.
Section I
The main responsibility of GOC will be to its membership and the original intent of GOC.
GOC also has a responsibility to its members to be fiscally sound and profitable business.

Section II
GOC also has a responsibility to the environment, and when financially viable, will move to progressively
More environmentally friendly based business practices.

Section III
GOC also has responsibilities to its investors who have invested in GOC though money and time, to become successful and profitable.

Alright so, we got a skeleton to work with now.

I will leave the ammendments part for now, wait till we have more input to decide how to handle ammendments.


I also think we will have to add a Preamble to establish the original intent of GOC clearly and so it can be referenced


Well everything is just rough, so feel free to add and adjust.


Quote
Capt. Kostr:
For those of you just tuning in, here's a question for you - What type of Company would you like to work for? By this I mean what things would cause you to wish you worked for a particular company? Medical Care? Dental Care? Hours? Wages? Overtime? Please give us examples of what You want! What? What? What?

And thats where we left off on ATS... I have some other materials here on the PC I'm rewriting and will upload those later... Meanwhile Please Join In! ;D

Offline Somamech

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2012, 09:26:39 am »
Quote
Proposal:
To form an international company owned and operated by it's employee's who share in the responsibilities, profits, use of profits and direction of the company. To build a web based company that conceptualizes, designs, engineers, manufactures, markets and ships products worldwide. To create useful, environmentaly safe products and technologies from foot wear to space ware. To use the Internet as a means by which to allow collaboration of minds towards a financial gain and stable global economy.

Love the idea Captain !

No doubt with you well laid out thought you are aware of this

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Global_Village_Construction_Set

I check up on them from time to time and I do admire their values in what they are trying to achieve

Offline Amaterasu

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2012, 09:02:25 am »
Linux is a prime example of stigmergistic creation.  ( http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0605/03-elliott.php ) It is foundational to an abundance paradigm (Free energy, egalitarian...see My Ethical Planetarian Party Platform:  http://www.thelivingmoon.com/forum/index.php?topic=604.0 )

It is this form of problem-solving that I envision once We free electrogravitics from black ops.  (See my mention of a petition to do just that, if You haven't yet, in My previous post to this thread.)
"If the universe is made of mostly Dark Energy...can We use it to run Our cars?"

"If You want peace, take the profit out of war."

Offline thorfourwinds

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Re: Help Form a Global Cooperative
« Reply #7 on: April 04, 2012, 03:19:29 pm »
Greetings:

We figured the cream of the crop from ATS would be here.

Sorry to be late to the party, but real life beckoned, as we are volunteer firemen/first responders and the ## tornadoes got in the way of hooking up with zorgon here.

We think you, for sure, will appreciate this:

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread692775/pg11#pid13826691

Peace Love Light
tfw
Liberty & Equality or Revolution
« Last Edit: April 04, 2012, 03:57:23 pm by thorfourwinds »
EARTH AID is dedicated to the creation of an interactive multimedia worldwide event to raise awareness about the challenges and solutions of nuclear energy.

 


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