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University of Tokyo Co-op Mission

University of Tokyo Co-op Mission

Introduction

The University of Tokyo Co-op (originally called the Tokyo Imperial University Co-op; hereinafter referred to as the University of Tokyo Co-op) was established on June 7, 1946, and 70 years have already passed since then. In 1948, the Consumer Co-operative Law (hereafter referred to as the Consumer Co-operative Law) was enacted, and on February 23, 1949, an inaugural meeting was held to acquire corporate status under the law, and has continued to this day. I'm here. The purpose of the University of Tokyo Co-op Vision 2025 is to show how the University of Tokyo Co-op should be in the future based on its history.

The mission of the university is research and education. Contributing to society through these activities is also an essential role for universities. However, university members are also human beings, and without food, clothing and shelter, they cannot concentrate on their studies and research. The purpose of university co-ops is to improve the lives of these university members.

Co-operatives began in Rochdale, England in the 19th century, when workers voluntarily funded and organized the Rochdale Pioneers Co-operative. What was aimed at there was the provision of high-quality products, fair trade, and democratic management. The idea that was born here continues to live on in the current Japanese co-op law.

The University of Tokyo Co-op is an economic organization whose members are members of the University of Tokyo (students, faculty and staff, and other related parties) and invest in it, with the aim of improving the lives of the members themselves, both culturally and economically. is. The University of Tokyo declares in its university charter that it aims to "maintain and develop world-class education and research." It is an existence that will be achieved from

This mission will not change in the future, but it is also true that the environment surrounding the University of Tokyo Co-op is changing. The challenge for the University of Tokyo co-op is to adapt to the new environment, including the incorporation of the university, the reform of the governance of the University of Tokyo due to the revision of the School Education Law, and the revision of the Co-op Law. The University of Tokyo Co-op will continue to exist in an environment that is more competitive than ever before, while striving for self-inspection and self-innovation. I would like to try.

The ICA (International Co-operative Alliance) has established the following seven "Principles of Co-operatives". (1) Voluntary and open union membership. (2) Democratic management by union members. (3) Economic participation of union members. ④ Autonomy and independence. (5) education, training and publicity; (6) Inter-cooperative cooperation. (7) Involvement in the community.

1. So that union members can lead fulfilling lives at university

The University of Tokyo Co-op is composed mainly of members, mainly students, faculty members and staff of the University of Tokyo. It is an organization that has The mission of the University of Tokyo Co-op is to enrich the time that its members spend at university, and we work hard every day to achieve this goal.

However, with the diversification of society, the lifestyles desired by members of the university are also diversifying, making it increasingly difficult for the University of Tokyo Co-op to fulfill its mission. This difficulty is likely exacerbated by the fact that members are less aware that they are running the co-op, and that the relationship between the members and the co-op is weakening accordingly. As a result, I believe that the present situation of the University of Tokyo Co-op is that its management is becoming increasingly unstable. In fact, the cumulative deficit that we had aimed to eliminate by 2015 (which expanded to 260 million yen due to the commencement of operation of Komaba Communication Plaza in 2006 and capital investment in Kashiwa Campus stores) Although the investment was recovered through management efforts and the cumulative deficit was reduced to 60 million yen (as of the fiscal 2016 settlement), it has not yet been completely eliminated. The financial results for the single fiscal year are in the black, and we have secured the necessary funds to invest in the renovation of the central cafeteria in fiscal 2017. There is an urgent need to overcome the current situation in which union members and co-ops are separated.

The University of Tokyo Co-op is a non-profit entity, and its business and activities are not intended to distribute profits. Looking at each business and activity, there are many business entities that provide similar services. However, the University of Tokyo Co-op should be willing to provide the goods and services requested by its members, even if they do not expect much profit. With this awareness, we will listen to the needs of our members and actively respond to them, so that our members will feel that they are glad that there is a co-op, and we will use the co-op on more occasions. I think we need to make more efforts to get it.

In order for the University of Tokyo Co-op to fulfill its mission and enable its members to lead fulfilling lives at the university, this vision envisions a “co-op that sincerely responds to the needs of its diversifying members,” We aim to be a co-op where you can feel that you are a member, and a co-op that contributes to the realization of a fulfilling life in cooperation with the University of Tokyo.

2. Future vision of the University of Tokyo co-op

A co-op that sincerely responds to the needs of its diversifying members

In recent years, as a policy of the University of Tokyo, emphasis has been placed on female students and international students, who account for a small percentage of the university's membership and tend to be slow to respond to co-ops. Socially, there is also a strong demand for support for people with disabilities and those with diverse religious backgrounds. As the membership has become more diverse, the needs of the members have also become more diverse. In order to lead a fulfilling life at university, each and every member of the union will sincerely face each and every one of them and realize as many as possible. In particular, the majority of members of the University of Tokyo Co-op are undergraduate and graduate students, and the University of Tokyo, which ranks among the top universities in Japan, expects a high level of support for study and research. To meet this demand, the University of Tokyo Co-op is enthusiastically working on projects that support the learning and independence of undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition to listening to the voices of our members, we will actively publicize our activities more than ever so that as many members as possible will be aware of our business and use it.

A co-op where members can feel that they are members

In order for each member to have a fulfilling life at the university through the activities of the University of Tokyo Co-op, the power of the staff and executives of the University of Tokyo Co-op alone is not enough. We believe that it is only with the cooperation and participation of our members that we can improve the life of the members themselves and, by extension, the lives of other members. We aim to be a co-op that members want to actively cooperate with and want to participate in.

In addition, a one-to-one relationship between members and co-op stores is not enough to realize the kind of university life that members want. Through the co-op's business and activities, the ties between co-op members are strengthened, and together we search for ways to make each other's lives more fulfilling. I am confident that this will lead to a satisfying university life. We will play a role as a community that connects members to each other.

A co-op that contributes to the realization of a fulfilling life in cooperation with the University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo Co-op has been with the University of Tokyo for more than 70 years. We will continue to work closely with the University of Tokyo and do everything we can to help realize the University of Tokyo's ideals. In addition to simply cooperating with the University of Tokyo, as an organization that plays a part in the self-government of students, we will approach and seek cooperation from the University of Tokyo in order to realize the life at the university that our members want. In particular, there are still many inadequacies, inadequacies, and improvements to be made in welfare programs within the university.

3. Actions to enable union members to lead fulfilling lives at university

1) We will expand efforts to accurately understand the needs of union members and realize as many as possible [Future vision 1 and related]

In order to accurately grasp the needs of each union member, we will strengthen our efforts to use “word cards” and “member surveys.”
We will strengthen support for international students. In particular, we aim to translate all promotional materials and in-store notices into English.
We will continue to work on projects that support the study and research of students and graduate students.
We will strengthen opportunities to directly hear the opinions of union members, such as general representative meetings, and improve them so that the opinions of many union members can be gathered democratically.

2) Strengthen activities to make the co-op's business widely known [Related to future visions 1 and 2]

We will effectively utilize PR media such as store Twitter accounts, Coop News, and booklets issued by each organizing committee.
We will carry out publicity activities so that members can feel the merits of joining the co-op.
We will establish a system that can communicate how the co-op understands the needs of its members and how it is trying to realize them.

3) Strengthen cooperation among members through co-op business [related to future vision 2]

We will establish a system for cooperative members to convey information about their life at the university to co-op stores.
We will establish a mechanism for cooperative members to devise products and meal menus.
We will encourage cooperative members to actively participate in the management of the co-op and strengthen the provision of services from the member's perspective.
In the new semester project, we will strengthen exchanges between seniors and juniors and relieve the anxiety of as many new students as possible.

4) Enhancing welfare programs on campus [related to future visions 1 and 3]

We will communicate the opinions of our members to the university and work together with the university to improve the campus environment.
In order to provide better service, we will actively work on refurbishing the facilities of co-op stores.
Through the mutual aid business, we will expand activities to protect the health of union members.
We will improve the food environment on campus.
We will enhance welfare programs at the Komaba Campus so that new students can live their university life with peace of mind.

5, Aiming for sound management, we will make the necessary investments as appropriate [related to future visions 1, 2, and 3]

We will invest appropriately in necessary facilities such as the Central Cafeteria and Komaba Communication Plaza PFI business.
Regardless of whether they are regular or non-regular employees, we will review the working environment in order to achieve a work-life balance for all staff working at the University of Tokyo Co-op, and create a workplace where they can work with pride and purpose.
In order to provide better services, we will review the system of staff development and training.