1. Does TOMS buy-one-give-one-away model make it a more ethical company than a traditional shoe manufacturer donating money to a charity? Why?
2. Why would customers pay such a high price for a simple linen shoe?
3. Mycoskie designed TOMS model from the ground up. Could an established company improve its ethical standards by launching a model like TOMS? How?
4. Select two other industries that could copy the buy-one-give-one-away model, and explain how it could be adopted.
The focus of most of the chapters in this text has been on companies seeking (or in many cases failing) to operate according to clearly established ethical principles that guide how they treat their stakeholders. The concept of “doing the right thing” has been presented as a natural alignment to their central business purpose, whether that’s making cars, computers, or providing financial or consulting services. But what about a company that was started specifically to do the right thing? Not a consulting company to advise other companies on ethical business practices, but a company whose core purpose is “conscious capitalism”—delivering a product as a means to another end.