I think a really interesting part of an organization is how they define who they are and why they exist. This entails their core values, mission statement, and organizational culture. Some businesses operate in the sole interest of being profitable, while others work towards attaining a much larger purpose in society. Personally, as a consumer, I find businesses that identify themselves with socially responsible goals much more appealing. The most common example everyone talks about is Ben & Jerry’s. While Ben & Jerry’s is a very socially responsible company, let’s take a lot at a different company that work toward similar goals.
Many people are familiar with the brand TOMS and associate it with their “One for One” program. This program started with shoes, but has expanded to much more. The “One for One” program entails that for every purchase of a pair of shoes, a pair of shoes will be donated to a child in need. Through this program TOMS has given more than 45 million shoes to children. That’s a lot of shoes. However, in addition to shoes, TOMs also provides people with sight, water, safe birth, and kindness. These programs operate on a similar basis. For example, each bag of TOMs Roasting CO. coffee provides 140 liters of water to a person in need. Who even knew TOMs sold coffee?
TOMS goes beyond the “One to One” program by using sustainable and recyclable materials. TOMs also gives back to the community in many more ways. The list goes on and on. I highly suggest visiting the TOMs website and exploring all they do for society as it is very interesting. But the real question to consider here is why? Why does TOMs spend so much time giving back to the community and working towards the advancement of health, education, and economic opportunity? Why do any companies decide to adopt a responsible and social standpoint and others don’t?
For TOMs, the reason goes back to the beginning of the company. The Founder, Blake Mycoski, witnessed children growing up without shoes while traveling in Argentina. That is when he decided to start a company to give a pair of shoes to a child in need with every purchase. The TOMs Company began by establishing its core values, which are fundamental, passionate, and enduring principles that guide a company’s conduct overtime. TOMs’ core values are evident through its dedication to improving people’s lives. TOMs has also established its role in society through its mission statement. Although they don’t directly state what their mission statement is, I believe it may be geared around their focus on the “environmental and social impacts of their products, responsible giving, and employee life”.
I think the foundation that a business operates on is crucial to the reputation associated with their brand. When I think of TOMs, I think of a responsible, compassionate company. Establishing this type of stigma with your company can lead to consumers’ consistent and favorable attitude toward your company, which is called brand loyalty. I think of this as marketing your company. Businesses market their products and services in conventional ways, such as advertising and promotion, but marketing goes beyond this. Setting an organizational foundation is the first step in the strategy of visual organizations. I think more companies should focus on this type of establishment and then move on to their products.
Here's a cute video TOMs has on their website showing their One to One program.
http://www.toms.com/#
References:
http://www.toms.com/corporate-responsibility
http://www.igze.com/corporate-social-responsibility/
http://www.toms.com/
http://antwuanmalone.com/category/candid-christianity/my-musings/
No comments:
Post a Comment