In response to Stephanie Fung’s blog post, I agree that TOMS Shoes may be operating with good intentions, but their “One for One” campaign seems to be stealing the sales of local shoe salesmen in needy countries. It also does not empower the needy children, but in a way teaches them that they need to rely on outside aid.

I believe TOMS should consider remodelling their social enterprise, looking at other present day social enterprises  that empower others to make a difference. A good example is Save on Meats in Vancouver, which employs criminals and people from the street to work for them. They teach them valuable skills that they can use to become a valuable part of society and inspire them to help others in need.

Despite the problems with their current social enterprise strategy, TOMS should be praised for it’s effectiveness of marketing, and it’s fight for a cause. It has helped popularize the idea social entrepreneurship in today’s world, and when looking at the state of some third-world countries, is a pretty important accomplishment.