Year 9 Nike Website Exercise
Log on to www.nikebiz.com
1. On the homepage click Company Overview followed by History
Write a brief account about the origins of Nike from the 1950’s section of the history. Who
were the founders? When? Where? (The timeline may help)
2. Go to Nike Responsibilities and click on Workers and Factories. What is Nike trying to
do to improve conditions in its factories? What hasn’t helped to improve conditions in
these factories?
3. How many countries do they currently manufacture in? (Scroll down to ‘Active Factories
download’) What types of countries are these? Which countries dominate?
4. Search for ‘Code of Conduct’. Click the first link that appears titled ‘Slide 1’
(http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/documents/Nike_Code_of_Conduct.pdf)
What does it say about the employees?
What does it say about working hours?
What does it say about health and safety?
How does this code of conduct differ to images you have or factories in LEDC countries?
For further info see: http://www.nikeresponsibility.com/
Now log on to http://www.cleanclothes.org/
Go to ‘About Us’ and then ‘Who we are’
1. What is the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) dedicated to? Who is part of it?
2. Still in the ‘About Us’ section, now click on the ‘What we believe in’ link. Pick out 5
points and summarise them.
3. Still in the ‘About Us’ section, go to ‘FAQ’s’.
In ‘Questions about Companies and Working Conditions’, have a look at the sorts of
questions they are trying to answer?
Click on the following question:
“Some companies claim to check their suppliers regularly to make sure working conditions
are okay. Are they telling the truth?” Write a short summary of what you read.
4. What does this mean for Nike? Can we trust everything that is written on their website?
Do we really know what is going on? Write your thoughts in the space below. Make sure
you refer to evidence from the 2 websites in support of your views.
Extension work – Go back to www.nikebiz.com and go to Customer Services and find a
contact address for the main US headquarters or the one for the European region. Draft a
series of questions you would like to put to Nike via email. If you feel strongly about the
issues of child labour and the conditions in the factories used to manufacture Nike goods
then send the email to the company – see if you get a reply & what sort of response they
give. If you get a reply, give a copy of the email and the reply to your subject teacher. The
replies will then be displayed for all to see and merits awarded for the extra work.