MEDZINÁRODNÉ VEDECKÉ DNI 2008

Pareek Ashish and Pareek Anita

Are they concerned? - A study of the practices of small marble processing enterprise owners of India

Anotácia:

Abstract:
Over the last decade a new idea has emerged within scholarly discussion about entrepreneurial theory and practice which deals explicitly with sustainable entrepreneurship. Ecopreneurship is described as a catalyst for economic and social change with respect to the sustainable human society. Ecopreneurs in particular have been defined as entrepreneurs committed to realizing their ideas of changing the economy in order to make it more sustainable (Robert Isaak 1998, 2002). Sustainability stresses the need to balance three central objectives for the future development of humankind: society/ethics, economy and ecology (popularly known as "the triple-bottom-line: People-Profit-Planet"). We find two types of entrepreneurs on the basis of their behavioral pattern: traditional entrepreneur and an ecopreneur, who is concerned for the sustainable development. This study tries to analyze the practices of small marble processing enterprise owners and understand whether they are following traditional or short-term practices or are concerned for the long term sustenance of people-profit-planet. This study is based on the empirical study of the practices adopted by small marble processing enterprise owners in the marble cluster of Kishangarh in Rajasthan. The objectives of the study is to know what is the status of ecopreneurship in the marble industry in Rajasthan, which in itself, due to the nature of industry is detrimental to sustainable development and specifically to know the level of ecopreneurship of the small marble processing enterprise owners. The outcome of the research is that majority of the owners are less of ecopreneurs and more of traditional entrepreneurs. Majority of the owners were found to be more concerned with production and profit maximization even at the cost of environmental damages while a few of them showed their concern for the environment. The paper is expected to help the entrepreneurs to understand socio-economic benefits of being ecopreneur over the traditional entrepreneur.