| This dissertation asked whether cooperative home care agencies offer higher quality care than non-profit and for-profit organizations. Two consumer-centered measures of quality were used: a total satisfaction score comprised of 13 dimensions of satisfaction deemed important to home care clients, and a four-point overall quality score.;This research was conceptualized using expectancy disconfimation and contract failure theories. Survey data was collected from clients receiving services from multi-stakeholder cooperatives and non-profits in the province of Quebec, Canada, and from clients receiving services from non-profits and for-profits in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Survey data was also collected from home care agencies in both provinces.;The regression analyses demonstrated that while organizational status was not a significant predictor of either total satisfaction or overall quality, the percentage of workers on the board of directors was a positive determinant of total satisfaction while the percentage of consumers on the board was a positive determinant of overall quality.;In terms of control variables, receiving help with meal preparation was a positive predictor of total satisfaction. The variables that were consistently significant and positive predictors of overall quality included the skills of the home care worker, and that the home care worker worked independently with minimal supervision, did the tasks the client expected and was responsive to the client's care needs.;The characteristics of non-profit and cooperative home care agencies in Quebec were also compared. It was found that cooperatives uniformly featured workers on their boards of directors while non-profits did not, and that the two agency types did not differ in terms of retention rates or the average wages and annual training hours offered to home care workers. However, non-profits offered more benefits to their workers than cooperatives.;The comparison between cooperatives and for-profits showed no difference in consumer satisfaction ratings. Further, no differences were found between these two agency types in terms of human resource practices. |
