Professor Anu Puusa from the University of Eastern Finland’s Business School was featured in the TED Talk series, in which distinguished experts give speeches of no more than 18 minutes. She explained how cooperatives can make money and have a positive impact on the environment and local communities.
“There is clearly a demand for cooperatives and their value-based thinking, since the maximisation of profit as the only and primary task of companies is being increasingly questioned, and greater social responsibility is called for”, she said.
In her TED Talk, The case for co-ops, the invisible giant of the economy, Prof Puusa explored the specificity of the cooperative business model and its impact nationally and globally. She refers to Finland’s experience and her own involvement in the movement. In addition to being a distinguished cooperative scholar, Prof Puusa is a Board Member of Cooperatives Europe, and also of Pellervo, an apex for all Finnish cooperatives, and Northern Karelia Cooperative Society (PKO). She is also a member of the Executive Board of the Advisory Board for Cooperatives and Kooperatiivi ry.
“In Finland, our cooperatives are jointly owned anchor assets, and their foundations should be better understood,” she said. “This lack of awareness is not limited to Finland alone, and that is why I am particularly pleased to be able to speak about this important issue on a prominent and impactful forum.”
Prof Puusa’s TED Talk, which was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG, has already had 528,567 views.
Watch her TED Talk here!
