Analysis of members’ satisfaction in marine fisheries cooperative societies in Maharashtra, India

The satisfaction of members of marine fisheries cooperative was studied in Maharashtra State, India. Out of the total 304 registered societies, only 266 (87.5%) were functional. The satisfaction of members was analysed based on a sample of 156 members selected from the functional societies. The variables studied for satisfaction of members were “conduct of Annual General Meetings (AGM); functioning of the Board of Management (BOM); activities undertaken by cooperatives and the overall performance of the cooperatives” from the perspective of members by using a five-point Likert scale. The reliability and validity of the scale was ascertained by Cronbach’s Alpha. Member’s satisfaction scores were analysed by using factor analysis to find out the factors contributing to satisfaction of members. The sampling adequacy was tested through Kaiser Mayer-Ohlin measure and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The study revealed that members were highly satisfied with AGM and BOM, moderately satisfied with activities by cooperatives and dissatisfied with overall performance of cooperatives. It is suggested that cooperatives need to undertake various mandated activities, and develop infrastructure facilities for the benefit of their members to enhance their satisfaction. Keywords: Annual General Meetings, Board of Management, Cronbach’s Alpha, Factor analysis, Five-point Likert scale, Kaiser Mayer-Ohlin measure