Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, language: English, abstract: The success of any business undertaking lies greatly on an efficient management and addressing the challenges that emerge with its operations. This study entitled conducted to address the general objective "To assess the determinants of the management practices in Cooperatives". The research was conducted in Ethiopia, Oromia regional State, and west Shoa Zone. In the research process the purposive selection of Ambo Farmers' Cooperative Union was followed by the simple random sampling to select 48 primary member Cooperatives of the Cooperative Union and 96 member respondents. Both primary and secondary data were taken for this study. Descriptive statistics such frequencies, percentages, charts, cross-tabulations were used to analyze the institutional, legal and external determinant factors affecting the management practices of Ambo Framers' Cooperative Union. Primary data was collected from selected respondents by using semi-structured interview schedule from the members, FGD and KIIs. The secondary data was also collected to evaluate bylaw and internal bylaw of the Union and its capital strength. As a result of descriptive analysis they were leaders (BODs and a Manager) possessing the qualities of good leaders in the cooperative Union. The result of the data analysis illustrated that BODs of the Cooperative Union played their leadership roles poorly but the manager of the Cooperative Union played his leadership roles well. As a result managing the general and functional areas of the Cooperative Union found lay on the shoulder of the manager of the Cooperative Union. Binary Logistic regression model was employed to identify the Institutional and legal factors affecting the management practices of the Cooperative Union that was under the study.