摘要：For the past, present and future controversies on the position and the role of co-operatives and co-operative organizing in the structure of economy (especially in Croatia), this paper concisely outlines the fundamental principles of co-operative systems and their evolution, theoretical cognition on the tendency towards cooperation or individuality, motivation for business alliance between small agricultural holdings in the circumstances of globalisation, on the one hand and insufficient resources of small economic subjects, on the other hand. The authors, furthermore, point to conceptual differences of co-operative business power and its organisation in regard 10 business concept and expansion of the capital society. The process of concentration in agriculture as well as in other fields of fragmented economic structure (catering industry, tourism, manufacturing and service trades) is different today, and a large manufactured series can not be ensured by rapid physical increase of the production resources. Business power of the business entities can be accomplished by strong investment of owner into the resource, which is more common in business expansion in the capital society. Another method is organisational strengthening of business power through business organisation of a larger number of entities under the condition of restricted investment possibilities. Empirically, such process is common in co-operative concept of business expansion. This paper also examines how co-operatives perceive family farm holdings through some statements on the advantages of co-operatives and it attempts to rank their attitudes. The findings of the research show, that advantages of co-operatives as a stability and competitiveness factor of small agricultural holdings, are recognized as a distribution channel for farm products and in the fact that co-operatives do not limit the entrepreneurship freedoms of the estate itself or rather individual agricultural holding as a business member of the co-operative. Emphasising of co-operatives as a substitute channel for the distribution of the farm products still places the co-operative in to the context of »saviour« in the moments when sales of the family farm products becomes difficult. Despite of the individual initiative and effort. Smaller agricultural holdings from central Dalmatia are more inclined to such attitude then bigger ones from Slavonia.
