Ben Gardiner's Comm 101 Blog

I was intrigued to read Adrianne Erdman’s blog post and how her perspective about an Indian entrepreneur evolved to include ideas about social entrepreneurship. Before attending the Comm 101 class on social entrepreneurship, I would have thought that Mr. Muruganantham’s approach to business is a bit unusual and inefficient. However, I think it is important to appreciate that many people in the business world have motivations other than profit alone. Successful small businesses are finding ways to grow revenues while also promoting their values or taking action on important social problems.

Adrianne mentions Mr. Muruganantham’s Indian social enterprise which seeks to provide low-cost feminine hygiene products for women in developing countries. At the expense of maximizing profits, this business has not only provided inexpensive hygiene pads for women but is currently providing resources for girls to manufacture the pads themselves in schools across India.

This business is, by no means, a charity; the business is constantly seeking local raw materials and more efficient means of production. Mr. Muruganantham’s fabric-shredding machinery has allowed women across India and other developing countries to embrace a sustainable business model while introducing the concept of a practical and sustainable sanitary practice to women. I believe this is a model social enterprise which displays how sustainable business can contribute to social advancement in addition to making profit.