Management Quarterly

Includes appendix Boards of directors of rural electric cooperatives should devise a Board Performance Plan that will assist them in performing their responsibilities and aid them in answering inquiries of members and the public regarding their fees and expenses. This plan should indicate the level of fees and expenses that the cooperative must expend in order to entice qualified directors to serve on the board. It should also identify the training programs and other activities that board directors must attend...

Guidelines to help a board with the manager selection process.

Includes appendix The responsibility of the board of directors of rural electric cooperatives to choose the most qualified general managers becomes more important as far-reaching changes grip the electric distribution industry. To reach on informed decision, members must bestow total commitment, preparation and hard work. During the selection process, they should take into account such factors as location, size, growth rate, load distribution, competition, strengths, weaknesses and needs of the organization. T...

Overworked or overwhelmed?

Association executives perceive that they are being overworked as a result of the overwhelming barrage of stimuli and responsibilities competing for their attention. They feel that their leisure time is increasingly being eroded as a result of the growing complication and demands of the society and their individual lives. The five factors or 'mega-realities' that are leading to the perceptual and actual erosion of association executives, and generally the whole populace, are the population ex...

Staying off the 'troubled co-op list.' (rural electric cooperative)

Case studies of three rural electric cooperatives demonstrate what needs to be done in order to stay off the 'troubled co-op list.' The three co-ops were Colorado-Ute, Bossier Rural Electric Co-op and Eastern Maine Electric Co-op (EMEC). In all three cases, the co-ops were enmeshed in deep financial troubles, forcing Colorado-Ute and EMEC to file for bankruptcy. The assets of the three co-ops were all aggressively pursued by investor-owned utilities, whose offers were far less than the value ...

That 'just right' debt-to-equity ratio.

The debt-to-equity ratio of a rural electric cooperative should always be 'just right.' This means that the ratio should be high enough that its owners are able to receive an impressive return, yet should not be overly high that the cooperative is faced with a very high risk. A 'just right' debt-to-equity ratio will enable this cooperative to maintain a comfortable degree of both leverage and risk. A cooperative with a high enough level of leverage is best able to borrow money from others at ...

What's a co-op director worth?

Rural electric cooperative Directors of a rural electric cooperative decide what direction the utility will take through their management of its business and activities. In performing this duty, they are bound to attend all scheduled and special co-op meetings, conferences that are associated with the cooperative movement, and seminars on cooperative issues. Moreover, the members of a directorial board are responsible for making decisions regarding service expansion, funding, work plans for projects and repayment sched...