“Corporate initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company’s effects on the environment and impact on social welfare. The term generally applies to company efforts that go beyond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups.” – Investopedia

Tom’s Shoes has been a notable example of Corporate Social Responsibility been put into practice.  It has for long advertised and executed its one for one campaign which gives a pair of shoes to every pair purchased.

Tsuyoshi’s blog argues in his blog that the CSR of Tom’s are not legitimate and defeats its purpose since the shoes are manufactured using cheap labor and are extremely overpriced, he judges the One for One campaign to be nothing but an marketing stunt. Conversely I perceived the situation differently. TOMS Shoes was founded together with the social mission of matching every pair of shoes purchased with a pair of new shoes for a child in need. In TOMS’s case, the social mission is the same as the company mission.  Their initiatives go beyond giving out shoes, with every eyewear product they help to improve sight on someone that needs it.  Differently from a company that implements the initiative with the purpose of expanding sales, Tom’s launched its business with CSR as its core and main objective, being sustainable and socially responsible are traits the company cherishes as a significant part of their brand value.

To learn more about Tom’s Corporate Responsibility visit:

http://www.toms.ca/corporate-responsibility/

To read Tsuyoshi Murakami’s Blog refer to this link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/yoshimurakami/2013/09/12/corporate-social-responsibility-of-toms-superficial/