When multinational companies were setting up expensive health care facilities across the world, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy resolved to do something for the poor. He set up the Aravind Eye Care Hospital at Madurai, which offers the best facilities at rock bottom prices. Since its inception, Aravind has given sight to more than one million people in India. Dr. Venkataswamy may not run a business, but it is important to note that Aravind,s surgeons are so productive that the hospital has a gross profit margin of 40%, despite the fact that 70% patients pay nothing or close to nothing, and that the hospital does not depend on donations.
Prof. Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh set up the Grameen Bank, which pioneered the concept of giving micro loans to the people below poverty line.
These micro loans have made a big impact in helping the poor people start their own business and uplift themselves from the clutches of poverty.Ela R. Bhatt established Self Employed Women's Association in Gujrat with the formation of women groupand cooperatives. Now SEWA has 8000 members and a SEWA Bank of which members and employees are women. Many other women social entrepreneurs have demonstrated their social activism through contribution in society.
Rajendra Singh of Tarun Bharat Sangh decided to work for the improvement in the drought prone area of Rajsthan. He undertook massive work on water related infrastructure development with the cooperation of local community. He was awarded with Roman Magsasay Award for his contributions in community work.
The social entrepreneurship inspires a person or group to work for the betterment of community. Social entrepreneurship can be successful if it had a mix of creativity and innovation. In the present paper an effort will be made by the researcher to study concept and meaning of entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, history and current practice of social entrepreneurship in India, benefits of working with social entrepreneurs.
Introduction
Nature of Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs are normally considered as agents of change in the socio-economic development of a country. They are also seen as innovators, risk-takers, decision- makers and people with a definite vision. They have different characteristics as compared to the people accepting jobs or wage employment and also managerial functions. Earlier it was believed that entrepreneurs are born and entrepreneurship is hereditary. But in the last couple of decades, it was confirmed that people could be identified, trained and developed as entrepreneurs. The misconception that entrepreneurship is a monopoly of some communities and restricted to certain regions prevailed for a long period of time. But now it is evident that entrepreneurship does not belong to a particular region, community, sex, education, age, income level or a specific stratum of community.
Entrepreneurship, generally speaking, refers to the overall course of action undertaken by an owner in starting and managing his enterprise for profit. However, the term entrepreneurship continues to be used in different ways. One usage relates entrepreneurship to the process leading to the creation and running of any new business regardless of its size, product, service, potential or form of ownership. Another viewpoint sees entrepreneurship as being essentially concerned with developing a new idea, based on which a risk-bearing unique product, service or method is marketed by means of setting up a new independent unit or by using an already existing unit. The latter notion views entrepreneurship as the complete process involving conceptualization of an idea of what a new thing should be and eventually starting and running a venture selling the unique product or providing a service never seen or known before. Both, usages, however, give prominence to the role of a devoted businessperson played by one who plans, owns, organizes and manages a concern and bears risks in expectation of good earnings.
Qualities of an Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurial personality is distinct from a common man. An entrepreneur possesses special qualities, values, skills, attitudes, capacities, capabilities and motivation. By learning these skills and inculcating the qualities, it is possible to transform the common man’s personality into an entrepreneurial personality. Systematic motivation and training accelerates the process of transformation. A trainer-motivator plays an important role in equipping people to learn these qualities and skills. Essential qualities of entrepreneurs are as follows:
1. Success and Achievement:
Entrepreneurs are determined to achieve high goals in business in bharati vidyapeeth. This achievement motive gives them the strength to surmount obstacles, surpass anxieties, overcome misfortune and desire expedients to run a successful business.
2. Risk Bearer:
Rather than gambling or avoiding risks, entrepreneurs take moderate strategic and financial risks.
3. Confidence
An entrepreneur is a confident person. Confidence develops an edge over the competitors. Confidence is always impressive and wins others. Entrepreneurial personality demands a high level of confidence.
4. Clear Perception:
Perception plays a very important role in our life. Perception has ‘a make or a break’ capacity. The making is associated with “Positive Perception”. The breaking is associated with “Negative Perception”. An entrepreneur cannot achieve a desired goal with a set of perception. He has to develop his perceptions about people (consumers), events, objects, relationships, etc. there are a number of products and services which are the outcome of the strong developed perceptions of the entrepreneurs. For example, emergency lamps, mobile phones, transistor radios, audio-visual cassettes and CD’s, computers, etc. are the perceptions of the changing technology. In such cases, the needs of the different customer groups are perceived by the entrepreneurs and products are designed with the new techniques and technologies. Perceptions have helped the entrepreneurs to offer convenience to the buyers.
5. Team-building Capacity
Team-building capacity is a key for entrepreneurial success. An entrepreneur requires a variety of services and help from a large number of people and institutions including suppliers of raw materials, machinery, workers, and utilities like electricity, fuel, water supply, transportation, financial organisations, government personnel, marketing people, advertisers and finally the consumers. All these people and institutions participating directly or indirectly in different capacities in the entrepreneurial venture facilitate the entrepreneur to achieve his ultimate goal, “Success in Business”. Therefore, an entrepreneur has to exhibit an excellent team-building ability.
Entrepreneurship in India
Entrepreneurship in India is on the rise. Here's our take on Indian entrepreneurs and how the landscape is changing for India and entrepreneurship. Indian entrepreneurship has been around for ages. Indian society has traditionally been divided into four castes of people: learned priests, warriors, traders, and people doing menial jobs.
The existence of a caste of traders is itself proof of many centuries worth of Indian entrepreneurship.