Toms Shoes is a company that designs and sells shoes throughout North America. The company is seen to be very socially aware because for every pair of shoes they sell, a pair of shoes is given to an impoverished child. This benefits the company in both social and economic ways. Consumers have an emotional connection to the shoes because of the good they do for the the less fortunate, which creates a desire to purchase the stylish shoes and help make a change. Although this seems to positively benefit the company and those in need, I believe there are some negative effects from this system.
“Tom’s Shoes”
In my opinion, Toms could be sending the wrong message to the developing countries they are helping. If a company continues to hand over a product repeatedly, the receiving party will become dependent on this action. As a result, the third party won’t try to start their own shoe business or create their own market because they are relying on Toms to do it for them. In addition, the long-term effects of Toms shoes are very poor. People in developing nations live under brutal circumstances, and they need high quality footwear in order to protect their feet. Although Toms shoes suffice our living conditions, they aren’t durable for the developing nations.
Not to be misunderstood, I believe Toms Shoes is doing a good thing; however, they should consider different ways of spending their expenditure on the developing nations. For instance, they could set up programs where they teach developing nations how to make shoes. As a result, these nations would learn how to function in this area independently.
Works Cited:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236326
“Toms Shoes.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2014. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.