From Stanwick and Stanwick’s Understanding Business Ethics, I have chosen to discuss the case
“TOMS Shoes: Helping Soles All Over the World” (2016). I chose this case because I have prior
knowledge of TOMS as a company, and I have questioned their ethics before. TOMS is a company that
makes it charitable mission known. With every pair of shoes bought from TOMS, TOMS gives a pair of
shoes to a child in need. This sounds like a charitable company, but I am often suspicious of for-profit
companies that claim such noble causes.
Stanwick and Stanwick (2016) bring up many good points in their questions for thought at the
end of each chapter. They ask why, if TOMS is so successful, doesn’t every company adopt their business
model? I think this is a very interesting question. Obviously, every company does not adopt their practice
of selling a product and giving a product away for each one sold. I think this partially goes back to the
fact that TOMS is a privately-held company and does not have to disclose their financial information. For
instance, perhaps their shoes are very cheaply made and sold for a high markup so that they can afford to
