Contributions of Entrepreneurship in Society

Entrepreneurs have much to give to society. Their contribution to the welfare of society is of high order. A business person apart from making money for him or herself also helps the society in many ways financially and socially.

Financially, of course the respective country benefits by the business carried out by entrepreneurs. At the same time many of the welfare activities of the businessman improve the living conditions of the people of that particular society.

How does an entrepreneur help the society?

Donations – A business person donates a lot of money for charity purposes. From his or her earnings, he or she would like to help the downtrodden and try to improve their living conditions.

Charitable institutions – A businessman or woman sets up various educational, medical and vocational training institutions to provide the less privileged with benefits which they normally cannot afford. The fees may be less or waived in the case of a meritorious student. Hospitals are also run by these charitable institutions.

Sponsorship – Many business people sponsor a candidate for higher education or fund a child in an orphanage. In fact, many orphanages are backed by these business people. Scholarships are provided to a poor student for him or her to avail of better educational opportunities.

Welfare programs – A businessman or woman financially contributes to various welfare programs, like helping the blind, orphans, widow etc. In times of crisis, they help by donating items such as blankets, clothes, medicines etc.

Advisors to respective government – Many successful business people participate in government activities in order to promote the well-being of the citizens. The government often seeks their advice on certain social and economic activities.

Business is essential for the progress of a nation. A successful businessman or woman is an asset to the society. He or she can contribute to the wellbeing of a society in several ways that improve the living conditions of the people.

Alternative tourism

Alternative tourism can be defined as ‘forms of tourism that set out to be consistent with natural, social and community values and which allow both hosts and guests to enjoy positive and worthwhile interaction and shared experiences’. It involves traveling to relatively remote, undisturbed natural areas with the objective of admiring, studying and enjoying the scenery and its wild plants and animals and cultural attributes. It also considers the conservation of the environment and sustenance and well-being of local people. Further, clients are expected to be individuals. Accommodations are locally owned and small-scale. In general, alternative tourism is an alternative to the mass standard tourism as philosophy and attitude. The main accent in these travels is the preserved natural environment, authentic atmosphere and cuisine, and local traditions. The alternative forms of tourism combine tourist products or separate tourist services, different from the mass tourism by means of supply, organization and the human resource involved. These are rural, ecotourism, adventure (biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, ski mountaineering, rafting, diving, caving, climbing), thematic tourism – connected with the cultural and historical heritage, the esoteric, religion, wine, traditional cuisine, ethnography and traditional music and handicrafts.

Features of Alternative Tourism

The attempted preservation, protection and enhancement of the quality of the resource base which is fundamental to tourism itself.

The fostering and active promotion of development, in relation to additional visitor attractions and infrastructure, with roots in the specific locale and developed in ways that complement local attributes.

The endorsement of infrastructure, hence economic growth, when and where it improves local conditions and not where it is destructive or exceeds the carrying capacity of the natural environment or the limits of the social environment whereby the quality of community life is adversely affected.

Tourism which attempts to minimize its impact upon the environment, is ecologically sound, and avoids the negative impacts of many large-scale tourism developments undertaken in areas that have not previously been developed.

An emphasis on not only ecological sustainability, but also cultural sustainability. That is, tourism which does not damage the culture of the host community, encouraging a respect for the cultural realities experienced by the tourists through education and organized 'encounters'.