Anton Emmanuel's Blog

In all honesty, the article on ‘The Unintended Consequences of the One-For-One business Model’ was one of the most interesting reads from COMM101 thus far. It presented a unique perspective that I had never considered, and at the same time, struck close to home. Many of the challenges that the locals in the article faced,  paralleled with struggles my own parents had gone through during their childhood.

Let’s be clear, I have nothing but praise for Toms and businesses alike who endevour towards creating a better world. In my view, these companies should be lauded for employing a business model in which social impact and profitability can co-exist. Not surprisingly, I am in complete support of the one-for-one business model — I feel it empowers consumers to share in the message of social change.

At the same time, however, I am in disagreement with the large sum of goods being given away at absolutely no charge. Instead, I side with the viewpoints in the article that suggest contributions should have a stronger focus on developing the necessary infrastructure to enable self-sufficiency. I feel this more so addresses the poverty crisis at its root.

It’s painful to think that a seemingly altruistic business model can undercut the livelihood of business owners in these impoverished regions. In the end, we’re all human, we can all resonate with how empowering a sense of self-worth can be.

All of this in mind, implementing change is far easier said than done. Many of these regions are rife with geopolitical conflict, corruption, and intolerance. Often infrastructural changes can be exploited, and the regional population can suffer nonetheless.

In my view, the key to deploying a successful region-specific social initiative is to understand that each region has its own inherent traits. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, the underlying economical and sociological structure of a region must first be fully understood. Then, and only then, should social entrepreneurs begin implementing their initiatives.

A variety of information was sourced from this article.