Corporation Analysis:
Nike, Inc.
Brian Le
Business Management
Mrs. Paulsen
2/28/13
Company Description
Nike is a company that specializes in apparel, footwear, and gear for
athletes. They first started out by experimenting with shoes to improve country
runners’ abilities to run further. Soon, their company reached out to improving
basketball shoes with their Air Max line which was made famous by Michael
Jordan. Little by little, Nike improved upon other brands and became proficient
in what they did; deliver to athletes exactly what they needed and nothing they
don’t.
Mission Statement
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.” -Bill
Bowerman, Co-Founder of Nike, Inc.
I think this quote and mission statement is really impressive because it is
extremely flexible. It worked back in the 1950s and it still works now. It doesn’t
need to be changed to accommodate the variety of Nike products out there.
Code of Ethics
NIKE’s good name and reputation result in large part from our collective
actions. That means the work-related activities of every employee must
reflect standards of honesty, loyalty, trustworthiness, fairness, concern for
others and accountability. We are expected to be sensitive to any
situations that can adversely impact NIKE’s reputation and are expected
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to use good judgment and commonsense in the way we all conduct
business. This Code of Ethics applies to NIKE and its subsidiaries worldwide.
(“Inside the Lines, Nike Code of Ethics”)
Company History
The company was conceived in 1950 when Bill Bowerman “experimented
with different track surfaces, re-hydration drinks and – most importantly –
innovations in running shoes. But the established footwear manufacturers of the
1950s ignored the ideas he tried to offer them, so Bowerman began cobbling
shoes for his runners”. (nikeinc.com)
Blue Ribbon Sports, the predecessor to Nike, was founded in 1964 when
co-founders Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman placed orders for their first 300 pairs
of running shoes. Knight sold them out of his car trunk to athletes while
Bowerman began ripping apart, essentially “dissecting”, Tiger brand shoes to
see how he could further improve on them (“nikeinc.com”).
Plans for the Future
Looking ahead, Nike plans to use more natural resources and strive to
deliver their already great products with less waste and less pollution. They also
plan to further improve on their bond with computer company Apple and video
game console Xbox to create better and bigger programs to help the general
public get fit and healthy. (nikeinc.com)
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Personal Analysis
What I like about Nike is that every product they develop works really well.
It’s simple; make a product that will successfully live up to its needs and your
customers will be really happy. Some impressive things that they have been
doing lately are teaming up with computer company Apple to create a
program called NikeRun. This program hooks up with your iPhone or iPod Touch
and it records how many calories you’ve burned, distance you’ve ran, etc.
(“nike.com”). Things like that are really innovative and extremely useful for
athletes.
Conversely, there are some downsides. Sure, Nike is very apt to aid
athletes in their ordeals. But I feel as if they take on too many needs of too many
athletes. I could compare this situation to Wal-Mart: yes, Wal-Mart carries a lot of
merchandise but are ALL those merchandise of acceptable quality? I would
rather buy from a company that carefully specializes in one product than a
company that tries to specialize in too many products.
Likewise, another downside is the cost of these products. Nike+ Fuelband
is a watch that doubles as a pedometer, calorie counter, and activity recorder
(“nike.com”). I feel as if I could record all this data using my regular watch and
pencil and paper to calculate and record all the numbers without spending
$150. Some of their apparel is notably overpriced as well. Nike Dri-FIT, a long
sleeve breathable shirt sells for $80 (“store.nike.com”). I can’t see the reason why
not wear a regular long sleeve shirt.
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All things considered, Nike is an extremely successful company. They own
other famous companies such as Converse©, Hurley©, and Jordan© (“Our
Portfolio of Brands”). They received $20.9 billion dollars in revenue and continue
to succeed and support athletes in reaching their potential.
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Works Cited Page
Knight, Philip. "Code Of Ethics." Inside the Lines, The Nike Code of Ethics. pag.
Print.
"History & Heritage." Nike, Inc., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
Bowerman, Bill. "Nike's Mission Statement." Nike's Mission Statement. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
"Our Portfolio of Brands." NIKE, Inc. -. NIKE, Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
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