I will be looking into how helpful TOMS shoes’ “buy-one give-one” program really is. The idea of buying a pair of shoes and donating a pair to a shoe-less child in a developing country sounds great, but how well does this program really work? TOMS needs to shift the focus from the quantity of the shoes donated to the quality of the shoes donated.  

Source 1. http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/05/toms-shoes-buy-one-give-one

Background: In the article “Do TOMS Shoes Really Help People?” by Kiera Butler, the idea of buy-one give-one programs are examined. The author argues that some similar programs have hurt the local economy affected than helped.

How I Intend to Use It: The article talks a lot about how the shoes are actually distributed and whether or not the methods used are effective. The article also gives examples to other buy-one give-one relief programs that have done more harm to the area at hand than good.

Source 2: TOMS Shoes rethinks its ‘buy one, give one’ model of helping the needy

Background: The article “TOMS Shoes rethinks its ‘buy one, give one’ model of helping the needy” by Joyce Hackel looks into the newest campaign by TOMS Shoes and their response to recent criticisms.

How I Intend to Use It: TOMS Shoes is responding to criticism by initiating a new campaign in which instead of giving the local people shoes and combating the local economy, they intend on helping the locals start a manufacturing community, in which they make shoes cheap enough for the locals. I will use this as backup for a possible solution that I might propose.

Source 3: Why I Hate TOMS Shoes

Background: In the article “Why I Hate TOMS Shoes” Topher Hendricks rants about how TOMS is tricking Americans into thinking that TOMS Shoes is a charity, opposed to a Million Dollar company. Hendricks brings back up the point that TOMS is undermining the local economy of the area being donated to, and also is making a profit in the process.

How I Intend to Use It: This is an excellent example of extreme criticism that TOMS is facing, and gives good insight to how some customers actually feel about being “duped” by a company like TOMS. I will use this article to provide a counter-argument.

Source 4: Some Bad News About TOMS Shoes

Background: This article touches on topics such as: undermining local economies, the effectiveness of the actual shoes themselves, and the way in which the shoes are distributed.

How I Intend to Use It: This article provides many statistics and info that I can use to support my argument. It also offers a wide range of different arguments to make.

Source 5: The Broken “Buy-One Give-One” Model: 3 Ways to Save TOMS Shoes

Background: This article provides three, guided solutions to the problems that TOMS Shoes are creating.

How I Intend to Use It: This article gives a lot of information on possible solutions, so I will use the information I take from this article to help construct a plan for TOMS Shoes.