THE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SHOE COMPANY When Blake Mycoskie was visiting Argentina in 2006, a bright

THE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE SHOE COMPANY

When Blake Mycoskie was visiting Argentina in 2006, a bright idea came to him. At the same time that he was wearing alpargatas, resilient, lightweight, canvas slip-ons, shoes typically worn by Argentinean farm workers, he was also visiting poor villages, where many of the residents had no shoes at all. His bright idea was that he was going to start a shoe company and give away a pair of shoes to some needy child or person for every pair of shoes he sold. Thus, the basic mission of his company was formulated. Employing self-financing, especially at first, Blake decided to name his company Toms: Shoes for Tomorrow. Blake is from Texas, and he likes to read books about such business success stories as those of Ted Turner, Richard Branson, and Sam Walton. He appends the following message at the end of his emails: “Disclaimer: you will not win the rat race wearing Toms.” In the summer of 2006, he unveiled his first line of Toms shoes. Stores such as American Rag and Fred Segal in Los Angeles, and Scoop in New York, started carrying his shoes. By fall, he had sold 10,000 pairs of Toms and was off to the Argentina countryside, along with several volunteers, to give away 10,000 pairs of shoes. In a Time magazine article, Blake was quoted as saying, “I always thought I’d spend the first half of my life making money and the second half giving it away. I never thought I could do both at the same time.” By February 2007, Blake’s company had orders from 300 stores for 41,000 of his spring and summer collection of shoes, and he has big plans to go international by entering markets in Japan, Australia, Canada, France, and Spain in summer 2008. The company is also planning to introduce a line of children’s shoes called Tiny Toms. Another shoe drop is planned for Argentina, with future trips targeting Asia and Africa. Questions for Discussion

1. How would you assess Toms’ CSR using the fourpart CSR definition? Is the company based on the typical business case for CSR or more of an ethical/philanthropic model?

2. Do you believe Blake’s twin goals of economics and social responsibility are compatible for the long term and at the current level? Review the company’s website to see additional information: http://www.tomsshoes.com/.

3. What challenges do you foresee for the company’s future?