A Study On Social Enterprise As A Supply Path Of Elderly Care Service

As the aging of population is getting serious, the needs of elderly care service is expanding. With the service needs trends to be multilevel and personalized, the old pattern that government as the only subject provides products and service is no longer adaptable. Mean while, government failure itself can reduce efficiency of service supply. The new situation of elderly service market requires multiple subjects to join to supply such products and service. Social enterprise as a new type of organization has the features same as both For-profit organization and Non-profit organization. That means social enterprise runs a business with commercial strategy but uses the profits to achieve social objectives. Making profits is not the objective itself. With this unique nature social enterprise has its advantages in providing elderly care service, which other organizations can’t have. This makes it an effective path to introduce social enterprise as supplier into the elderly service market.In China, the development of social enterprise is still in its primary stage and hasn’t been admitted as a new type of organization officially. But some social entrepreneurs have already put the idea into practice in elderly care service area. The government needs to identify, standardize, guide and encourage the development of social enterprise in this market, ensuring a healthy environment for its self-improvement. Thus social enterprise plays a good role in meeting multilevel needs in elderly care service together with government and other suppliers.