The Role of a City-Forming Enterprise in the Social Development of a Modern Resort City (Based on the Example of ZAO Kurort Belokurikha)

The article examines the role of a city-forming enterprise in the social development of a modern resort city. The key social functions of a city-forming enterprise are identified, as well as the socio-economic significance of such an enterprise within the framework of the life of a modern resort city. The data obtained during the sociological research allowed us to identify both the objective components of the role of a city-forming enterprise in the social development of a modern resort city, and the subjective assessments of the population regarding the role of a city-forming enterprise. Moreover, within the framework of this sociological study, the key social functions of a city-forming enterprise within the framework of the life of a resort city in the Altai Territory will be considered. The city-forming enterprise has a positively symbiotic relationship with the resort city, comprehensively contributing to its social development. The methodological basis of this work is represented by T. Parsons' structural functionalism and a systematic approach. A questionnaire survey of the population was conducted, as well as an expert survey in the form of in-depth interviews with the heads of the city-forming enterprise and representatives of local authorities. The sample totaled 287 respondents, of which 275 were respondents to the questionnaire survey of the population. Belokurikha, and 12 are participants in an expert survey in the form of an in–depth interview. The empirical data obtained became the basis for determining the role of a city-forming enterprise in the social development of a resort city. The author came to the conclusion that a city-forming enterprise creates fundamental conditions for the social development of a city: it creates jobs, finances projects and events of local importance, improves the infrastructure of the urban environment, and increases the tourist attractiveness of the territory in the short, medium and long term. In addition, the city-forming enterprise creates sufficient investment attractiveness of the territory for the comprehensive further development of the city and the urban environment. Further research in this area is necessary, firstly, it is very important to find those universal components of the role of a city-forming enterprise, which will allow extrapolating the methodology of sociological research to other regions, as well as such studies can quickly identify and resolve the social problems of the resort city.