Unit -3 Entrepreneurship Development notes, SEC II, Subject Code 502S3A, M.A English, 2nd Year 3rd Semester, University of Madras

 2^nd M.A ENGLISH

3^rd SEMESTER

SEC II - ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT

UNIT	TOPICS
III	Entrepreneurship – health entrepreneurship -  tourism entrepreneurship – women entrepreneurship -  barriers to entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship

The concept of entrepreneurship encompasses a wide range of industries and can be molded by a variety of focus areas. Each of the three types of entrepreneurship — health entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurship, and women entrepreneurship—has its own unique difficulties and characteristics. In addition, young people who are interested in starting their own businesses must overcome a number of obstacles that are common to the entrepreneurial world.

Health Entrepreneurship 

The creation of businesses within the healthcare industry with the purpose of enhancing health services, products, and technologies is the primary focus of health entrepreneurship. There are a variety of entrepreneurs working in this sector, including those who are developing medical devices and innovative treatments, as well as those who are launching wellness services and platforms that are focused on health. In recent years, the industry has experienced significant growth, which can be attributed to a number of factors, including a growing awareness of health issues, technological advancements, and an increasing demand for personalised and preventative care. The fields of telemedicine, fitness technology, mental health services, and even healthcare consulting are all potential areas of enterprise for individuals interested in the health industry. Nevertheless, they are confronted with obstacles such as the fact that they must comply with regulations, the high costs of research and development, and the requirement to uphold ethical standards while simultaneously pursuing innovation. One of the things that sets this industry apart from others is the fact that it possesses both business savvy and the capacity to influence society by enhancing health outcomes.

Tourism Entrepreneurship 

Entrepreneurship in the tourism industry entails the establishment of businesses that are geared towards the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries. The establishment of travel agencies, tour operators, hotels, resorts, and even specialised experiences such as ecotourism and adventure tourism are all examples of this type of venture. Entrepreneurs in the tourism industry strive to attract tourists and provide services that are one of a kind in order to cater to the requirements of various market segments. A significant shift has occurred in the landscape as a result of the proliferation of online platforms such as Airbnb and TripAdvisor, which has resulted in the creation of new opportunities for entrepreneurs to enter the market. On the other hand, entrepreneurs in the tourism industry are required to deal with challenges such as seasonality, fluctuating demand, and global economic factors that influence travel patterns. When planning and providing services to tourists, they are also required to take into account the cultural, environmental, and sustainability concerns of the respective communities.

Women Entrepreneurship

Business ventures that are initiated and managed by women are referred to as women entrepreneurs. It has become increasingly apparent in recent years that there is a growing recognition of the necessity of providing support to female entrepreneurs, particularly in fields that have traditionally been dominated by men. In addition to making a significant contribution to the economy, female entrepreneurs bring distinctive perspectives and leadership styles to the entrepreneurial world. Entrepreneurial women can be found in every industry, from the fields of technology and finance to the fields of social enterprises and creative industries. Women entrepreneurs, on the other hand, face a unique set of obstacles, such as gender biases, restricted access to funding and networks, and societal expectations regarding the balance between work and family life. Women entrepreneurs frequently develop strong support networks and are increasingly gaining access to resources, mentorship programs, and funding initiatives that are aimed at promoting women in business. This is despite the fact that these barriers exist.

Barriers to Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship, despite the fact that it presents a vast array of opportunities, is not devoid of difficulties. Regardless of the industry in which they are involved, entrepreneurs constantly face a variety of obstacles that can make it more difficult for them to start a business or expand an existing one. The following are examples of common obstacles:

1.     Access to Capital: One of the most significant obstacles that businesses face when trying to start their own businesses is obtaining funding. A significant number of entrepreneurs face difficulties in gaining access to loans, investors, or venture capital, particularly in the beginning stages of their businesses. As a result of the fact that venture capitalists may be more interested in high-growth industries and financial institutions may be hesitant to lend money to startups that do not yet have a proven track record, entrepreneurs who are smaller or more niche may find themselves having a disadvantage.

 2.     One of the most common challenges that entrepreneurs face is a lack of knowledge and skills. This is especially true if they do not have any prior experience in the areas of business management, marketing, or financial planning. The development of a prosperous business calls for a diverse set of abilities, and the absence of expertise in essential areas can be detrimental to the company's growth and profitability.

 3.     Obstacles posed by regulations and the law: Navigating the regulatory landscape can be a difficult and overwhelming task. Entrepreneurs are required to comply with local, state, and national regulations, which may include licensing requirements, tax obligations, laws pertaining to intellectual property, and rules that are specific to their industry. This process can be time-consuming and expensive, especially for individuals who are not familiar with the requirements that are imposed by legally.

 4.     Competition in the Market Most of the time, entrepreneurs are up against fierce competition from both established businesses and other new businesses. When there is a lot of competition in a market, it can be challenging to differentiate oneself and gain market share. This holds especially true in industries such as technology, retail, and food services, where new entrants are required to provide something that is either innovative or differentiated in order to be successful.

 5.     Economic and Market Conditions: Changes in the economy, such as recessions or global crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, can present entrepreneurs with challenges that come from the outside world. The spending habits of consumers are impacted by economic downturns, which can result in a decrease in the demand for goods and services. When the economy is in a difficult state, entrepreneurs may also face challenges such as disruptions in supply chains, rising costs, and decreased access to capital.

6.     Sociocultural Factors: Social and cultural norms have the potential to act as barriers, particularly for women, members of minority groups, and other groups that are marginalised. There are certain societal expectations that, in certain cultures, may discourage individuals from engaging in entrepreneurial activity or prevent certain individuals from having access to the same opportunities as certain others. There is a possibility that women entrepreneurs are subject to discrimination, stereotypes, and biases based on their gender, which can hinder their ability to obtain funding, locate mentors, or expand relationships.

 7.     Striking a Balance Between Work and Life The demands of running a business frequently make it difficult to strike a balance between one's personal and professional lives. Long working hours, stress, and the pressure to maintain consistent performance are all things that entrepreneurs may find difficult to deal with. In order to scale a business, it can be challenging to devote the necessary amount of time and energy due to the presence of personal and family obligations.

Health entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurship, and women entrepreneurship each present their own distinct set of opportunities and challenges, which are shaped by the sector in which they operate and the demographics of their target audiences. One of the most common obstacles that entrepreneurs face is a lack of access to capital, a lack of skills or knowledge, market competition, regulatory hurdles, and socio-cultural challenges. These obstacles frequently prevent entrepreneurs from achieving their goals. To be successful in overcoming these obstacles, you will need to demonstrate resiliency, creativity, and support from external resources, networks, and policy reforms that are designed to encourage entrepreneurial activity.

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Literary Studies In An Age Of Environmental Crisis By Cheryll Glotfelty Summary, Unit 2, Literature and Environment, 3rd Yr 5th Semester, B.A English Literature, Green Studies

 B.A ENGLISH LITERATURE

3RD YEAR - SEMESTER V

LITERATURE AND ENVIRONMENT

UNIT - 2

LITERARY STUDIES IN AN AGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS 

by Cheryll Glotfelty

About the Author:

Cheryll Glotfelty is a professor of literature and the environment at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is the editor of Literary Nevada: Writings from the Silver State and a coeditor of The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place. She is a founding officer of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment. In 1996, she and Harold Fromm co-edited The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology, a critical anthology that helped green the field of literary studies. She is co-founder and past president of the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment.

Glotfelty has offered graduate seminars on ecocriticism and theory; regionalism and bioregionalism; literature of the wild; representing the other--animals in literature; environmental justice literature and theory; and ecofeminism. Falling instantly in love with the Great Basin, and influenced by theories of bioregionalism and reinhabitation, Glotfelty has dedicated herself in recent years to “digging in” and “giving back” to the region. Her edited collection, Literary Nevada: Writings from the Silver State is the first comprehensive anthology of Nevada literature. Its goal is to showcase the state’s rich literary heritage and to cultivate a love of place among residents. Her most recent book, co-edited with Tom Lynch and Karla Armbruster, is The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place (2012), which aims to think about place and planet from an ecological perspective.

Introduction:

Literary studies has been with a constant change due to the changes in the field. There is no proper ecological approach to literature although research says that it has responded to prevailing or contemporary pressures, but it has ignored the environmental crisis. The modern education has been limiting itself to race, class, and gender which were the hot topics of the twentieth century. Many never knew the earth at all unless and until one heard about oil spills, toxic waste contamination, extinction of species, battles over public land use, growing hole in the ozone layer.

In spite of all this, the literary research beside all these environmental issues was lagging scope when others fields like history, philosophy, law and religion were making some progress. Various studies also appeared under headings such as regionalism, pastoralism, human ecology, science and literature, nature in literature etc. There was a disunity when this was created where the critics rarely cited one another’s work. Each critic was developing his own environmental approach. As a consequence eco-criticism did not become a presence in the major institutions of power in the profession. 

Birth of Environmental Literary Studies:

In the mid-eighties, scholars began to undertake collaborative projects in the field of environmental literary studies. In 1985 Frederick. O. Wagge edited Teaching Environmental Literature: Materials, Methods, Resources which included outputs from nineteen different scholars. In 1989 Alicia Nitecki founded The American Nature Writing Newsletter. At the same time American Universities began to include literature courses in their environmental studies curricula, and some English departments began to offer a minor in environmental literature.

In 1991 MLA organized a special session entitled "Ecocriticism: The Greening of Literary Studies". In 1992 a new Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) was formed. Its mission was "to promote the exchange of ideas and information pertaining to literature that considers the relationship between human beings and the natural world" and to encourage "new nature writing, traditional and innovative scholarly approaches to environmental literature, and interdisciplinary environmental research". ASLE's membership topped 750 by 1995 and the group held its first conference, in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1993, Patrick Murphy established a new journal, ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. Thus by 1993, ecological literary study had emerged as a recognizable critical school. The formerly disconnected scholars joined forces with younger scholars and graduate students to become a strong interest group with aspirations to change the profession.

Definition of Ecocriticism: 

Ecocriticism is the relationship between literature and physical environment. It is an earth-centred approach to literary studies. Ecocriticism was possibly coined by William Rueckert in his essay “Literature and Ecology” Some critics prefer the term ecocriticism because it is short and can be easily made as ecocritical or ecocritic. Additionally they favour eco over enviro- because ecocriticism studies about human culture and physical world. Enviro- means anthropocentric whereas eco can be termed as biocentric.

In most literary theory 'the world' is considered equal to society--the social sphere. If we agree with Barry Commoner's first law of ecology, "Everything is connected to everything else', we must admit that literature does not float above the material world in some aesthetic ether, but is part of an immensely complex global system in which energy, matter, and ideas interact.

The Three Stages in the Growth of Ecocriticism:

First stage is when the stereotypes are identified - Eden, Arcadia, virgin land, swamp, and savage wilderness. When absences are noticed: Where is the natural world in this text? But nature alone is not the only focus of ecocritical studies of representation.  Other topics also include the frontier, animals, specific geographical regions, rivers, mountains and many more.

The second stage is the growth of nature oriented through Henry Thoreau, John Burroughs, John Muir, Mary Austin, Aldo Leopold, and many others. Nature writing boasts a rich past, a vibrant present, and a promising future.  This stage also includes identifying fiction and poetry writers whose works manifests ecological awareness. Figures like Willa Cather, Robinson Jeffers, W.S. Merwin and many more have received much attention. 

In the third stage ecocriticism has branched out into areas like deep ecology and ecofeminism.

Future of Ecocriticism: 

An ecologically focused criticism takes us to matters that need our urgent attention. Ecocriticism aims at achieving the following targets in future:

· Consciousness Raising: Ecocriticism is a Consciousness Raising phenomenon about environment.  The environmental problems can be solved only by thinking about them.

·  Specialist in Literature Department: Glotfelty feels that ecocriticism would redraw the boundaries of literary studies.  There should be atleast one specialist scholar in every department to take the area forward.

·  Multi Ethnic Movement:  Glotfelty feels that ecocriticism has been predominantly a white movement. It will become a multi-ethnic movement when stronger connections are made between the environment and issues of social justice, and when divergent views are encouraged to contribute to the discussion.

It will become a multi ethnic movement when stronger connections are made between the environment and issues of Social Justice.

·    Prescribing environmentally oriented texts for Composition Courses
·       One-inter disciplinary Course: Students should be encouraged to take up inter-disciplinary course.
·       Using Recycled paper
·       Hosting Conferences

Essays in this collection:

There are three sections in this book reflecting three major phases:

1. First section aims to raise fundamental questions on the relation between nature and culture. And to provide a theoretical foundation to built the subsequent discussion of literary works. 

2. Second section, focuses on the representation of nature in fiction and drama. 

3. Final section is focused on the environmental literature in America. (native American stories and Thoreauvian nature of writing tradition. 

Important Essays in Ecocriticism:

·  “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis" by Lynn White, Jr. White claims that the environmental crisis is fundamentally a matter of the beliefs and value that direct the technology and science. He blames that Judeochristian religion for the anthropocentric arragance and dominant attitude towards the nature.

·    In "Nature and Silences" by Christopher Manes he uses the theory of Micheal Foucault to show how nature has been made silent in Western discourse.

·  William Rueckert coined the new term "ecocriticism" i.e, discover something about the ecology of literature". He describes poem as a stored energy. Also adds that reading transfers this energy through the mediators (critics and teachers) between poetry and the biosphere. 

CONCLUSION:

Cheryll Glotfelty’s work has been instrumental in advancing the study of literature in the context of environmental crisis. Through her advocacy for ecocriticism and her efforts to raise awareness about environmental issues through literature, Glotfelty has demonstrated the power of literature to inspire reflection, dialogue, and action in response to pressing environmental challenges. As we continue to confront the consequences of climate change and ecological degradation, Glotfelty’s vision of literary study offers a vital framework for understanding the interconnections between culture, nature, and society, and for envisioning a more sustainable and equitable future.

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