Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Role Of Cooperation And Prosocial Behavior In Food Buying Clubs: An Exploratory Study, Afton Hupper

Honors College

Buying clubs arise when a group of individuals convenes to use their collective purchasing power to obtain bulk quantities of items, in this case food, at per-unit prices lower than offered by traditional grocers, or specialty items that are difficult to find. As cooperatively-structured groups, it is hypothesized that they function on the core principles of cooperation, reciprocity and other prosocial behaviors which support the benefit of the group rather than individual benefit. This research aims to test this by observing, identifying and analyzing behaviors which are instrumental in the success or failure of buying clubs, and by measuring cooperation …