Businessmen: Role and Importance

People who own or manage private companies and seek to make a profit by offering products or services that meet market needs are called businessmen. They are a key driver of the economy, creating new job opportunities and innovating new products and services.

A businessman is typically innovative, constantly seeking new ideas to improve business. He is also a risk-taker, investing time and money in new ventures. As a leader, he manages a team to achieve the company’s goals and is responsible for the success or failure of the business.

Importance and Necessity:

The importance of businessmen manifests in various areas, including:

• The companies they establish provide job opportunities for many people.
• They contribute to economic growth through investment and the innovation of new products and services.
• Entrepreneurs can drive positive social change through their ventures.

It is worth noting that the term “entrepreneur” is closely related to “businessman” but often refers to someone who starts a new and innovative project. The term “employer” is broader and can include both businessmen and company managers.

The Role of Businessmen in Nation Building:

Businessmen play a crucial role in driving the economic and social development of countries, with multiple responsibilities, including:

• Job creation: By founding and expanding companies, they help reduce unemployment and improve living standards.
• Encouraging innovation: They drive continuous innovation, developing new products and services that advance technological and economic progress.
• Investment: They invest in new projects, spurring economic growth and attracting further investments.
• International trade: By participating in local and global trade, they contribute to national income and strengthen economic ties with other countries.
• Social responsibility: Many businessmen understand the importance of social responsibility and contribute to charitable projects, infrastructure improvement, and environmental preservation.

They also strengthen the role of the private sector in the economy, reducing dependence on the public sector and increasing efficiency and productivity.

Factors Affecting the Role of Businessmen:

• Economic environment: Economic stability, ease of doing business, and the availability of good infrastructure all encourage entrepreneurial activity.
• Government support: Government support for the private sector, such as providing loans and protecting intellectual property, contributes to business growth.
• Cultural environment: Promoting a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, and recognizing the role of businessmen, helps increase their numbers and activities.

Challenges and Difficulties:

Businessmen play a pivotal role in achieving sustainable development for nations. By supporting them and creating an enabling environment, countries can achieve sustainable economic growth and improve the living standards of their citizens.

Businessmen face several challenges that must be identified and addressed:

1. Bureaucracy: Administrative complexity and red tape can hinder the work of businessmen.
2. Corruption: It negatively impacts the investment climate and makes businessmen hesitant to invest.
3. Lack of funding: Entrepreneurs may struggle to secure necessary financing for their projects.
4. Fierce competition: This can make staying in the market difficult.

The Importance of Businessmen in Syria’s Recovery:

Given their general role, businessmen in Syria play a vital part in rebuilding and reviving the economy for several reasons:

• Investment: Businessmen are a primary source of investments needed to rebuild Syria’s infrastructure and various production sectors.
• Job creation: Their projects create new employment opportunities for Syrian youth, helping to reduce unemployment, which exceeds 80% in Syria, and improving living standards.
• Economic diversification: Businessmen invest in promising new sectors, reducing reliance on any single industry.
• Attracting foreign investment: They help bring in investments that transfer technology and knowledge.
• Urban development: Businessmen contribute to building new cities, industrial zones, and infrastructure, enhancing citizens’ quality of life.

Many businessmen also recognize the importance of social responsibility by supporting charitable projects and public services, which benefits the Syrian people.

However, significant obstacles remain, and the challenges facing businessmen in Syria need to be studied and mitigated. Security instability is a major barrier to investment, and corruption across different Syrian regions increases business costs and diminishes investor interest. The destruction of infrastructure during the war makes investment costly, and businessmen also face difficulty securing the necessary funding for their projects. Additionally, legislative instability creates an unfavorable environment for investment.

Solutions to Challenges:

To address these challenges, decision-makers in Syria should take steps such as ensuring security and stability, which are fundamental to attracting investment, fighting corruption and promoting transparency, simplifying bureaucratic processes, and rebuilding infrastructure. Additionally, they must provide financing for investment projects and create a stable legislative environment conducive to business.

Other challenges facing the private sector in Syria include difficulty registering companies due to complex bureaucratic procedures, long and costly licensing processes, and weak intellectual property protection, which encourages imitation and theft.

Conclusion:

To enhance the role of businessmen in Syria’s reconstruction and economic recovery, comprehensive steps must be taken, including:

• Creating an attractive investment environment: This involves ensuring security and stability, protecting intellectual property and investments, fighting corruption, and simplifying bureaucracy. Basic infrastructure (roads, electricity, water, communications) must be improved, and financing must be made available for investment projects.
• Supporting entrepreneurship: This can be achieved through incubators that provide financial and technical support to startups, training to improve businessmen’s skills, and easier access to local, regional, and international markets. Public-private sector cooperation should be encouraged to execute investment projects.
• Protecting intellectual property: This requires modern laws and a strong registration system to protect trademarks, inventions, and designs.
• International cooperation: Foreign investments should be attracted by offering incentives to foreign investors, and cooperation with international organizations like the World Bank and the IMF can provide technical and financial support.
• Strengthening institutions related to the private sector: Chambers of commerce and industry must be developed, and legal frameworks governing the private sector need to be improved.
• Supporting promising sectors: Priority should be given to sectors like agriculture, industry, tourism, and technology, with tax incentives for investments in these areas.

In Syrian Future Movement’s vision, supporting businessmen must be sustainable, with coordination among government entities supporting the private sector. Policies and programs should be regularly evaluated for effectiveness.

Additionally, businessmen themselves must play a proactive role in reviving their country’s economy by:

• Innovation: Adopting modern technology and innovation in products and services.
• Collaboration: Cooperating with current and future authorities in a constructive and equal manner.
• Effective marketing: Promoting their products and services effectively.

Dr. Zaher Ihssan Baadarani
Presidency office
Article
Syrian Future Movement (SFM)