...Nike Case Study Tracy Weispfenning Nike Case Study #1 MGMT 310 Jason Cussler January 31, 2014 Nike Falters in Ethical Practices Nike has faced many ethical dilemmas such as human rights abuses, labor violations, and negative impact on the environment where manufacturing plants are located. Their responses have varied from improving labor standards in each facility to implementing a recycling program for worn out shoes for the consumer, and creating a no waste recycling program at all levels of the Nike operations. In my opinion, Nike is on the right track but could do more in their response to these ethical challenges. Nike has responded to these ethical dilemmas in various ways. They’ve done a good job in anticipating the potential consequences, yet they have not involved enough people in the decision making process. For example, Nike did not take the allegations of human rights abuses and labor violations seriously in their overseas manufacturing plants until nongovernment organizations like Life magazine and The New York Times published articles on these violations. These articles created public awareness and exposed the lack of oversight and policies to ensure the human rights and labor guidelines were fair and enforced. After these articles were published, Nike obtained and implemented a new course of action for protecting workers rights, safety, and competitive wages. Nike should have been aware of these practices, monitoring and reviewing their...
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...Case study: Nike’s CSR Challenge After the widespread report on the workers of Nike in the plantation in 2005, Nike worked on the reports of social and environmental practices. Nike needs to consider the welfare of the workers and the profits they are earning. Nike’s future depends on the reconstructing the information that are being sent to customers, suppliers, investors, so that company is sustainable as well as profitable. Changing the rules and regulation is not only enough but they should also engage in transcending leadership and should be able to resolve systematic problems to achieve the goals of the organization. If they don’t make any changes in the financial markets, all their changes are worthless. 1) What are the challenges regarding corporate social responsibility that companies in the apparel industry face in its supply chains around the world? * There were many cases found such as mistreating employees in more than one third of Nike’s south Asian plants. There were also reports claiming most of the factories in the same region didn’t allow access to toilet or to drink water. And in some factories the workers were forced to work all seven days of the week. They were also paid below the minimum and were also punished if they refused to work overtime. They wanted to reconstruct the signals being given out so that they could be sustainable as well as profitable. 2) Discuss the meaning and implications of the statement by a Nike representative that “Consumers...
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...1. Discuss the challenges regarding corporate social responsibility that companies in the apparel industry face in their supply chains around the world. Companies operating abroad face several challenges, such as confusion about the cross‐cultural dilemmas. Another challenge is how to behave in a host country, since the host country usually has their own expectations and agendas. Other challenges the Company may face is: abusive treatment of their employees, long work hours and no compensation for their employees, and low wages. 2. Discuss the meaning and implications of the statement by a NIKE representative that ‘consumers are not rewarding us for investments in improved social performance in supply chains.’ The statement means that NIKE has spent lot of money to improve the welfare of its workers and to improve the working conditions in their factories. However, doing so has cost them a lot of money. In order to regain the money, they’ve had to increase the price on their products to try to get the consumer to pay for the cost. However, consumers are still not buying their products the way they used to. 3. What does it mean to have an industry open‐systems approach to social responsibility? What parties are involved? Who are the stakeholders? The open‐systems approach to social responsibility is that MNCs must consider sustainability in the CSR & must encompass financial, social and environmental factors during business operations. The MN...
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...Unit 1 Case Study - NIKE Samantha Eubanks Columbia Southern University Abstract The following case study will focus on the global brand of Nike. First, we will take a look at how Nike was created, and the foundation they have based their brand. The study will then delve into how Nike’s marketing strategy has proven successful, had a negative impact, and may have proven risky for the company. Lastly, the study will delve into how Adidas may improve their competitive value against Nike. Unit 1 Case Study - NIKE Over the years, there have been many companies that have ventured into the business of dealing in sporting equipment to include athletic shoes, athletic clothing, and athletic equipment. Nike has emerged as one of the leading brands of athletic products since the creation of the brand in 1962. At the time of its inception, Nike was first known as Blue Ribbon Sports and the main focus was “on providing high-quality running shoes designed for athletes by athletes” (Keller & Kotler, 2012, p. 29). A product that began with the creation of “lighter and better” running shoes has transformed into an international brand that is known by the simple image of a “swoosh” (Sanusi et al, 2014). The following sections will answer a series of questions in regards to the brand, and how a rival company may be able to better compete with the marketing campaign of this globally renowned name. What are the pros, cons, and risks associated with Nike’s core marketing strategy...
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...Case Study Andrew Sauls MGT 448 August 18th, 2014 University of Phoenix Case Study The Nike Firm is definitely the world’s leading company of athletic shoes and clothing. The company got its name from the Greek goddess of victory, and has achieved its reputation of becoming victorious within the sports niche for more than a decade. Nike has accumulated skyrocketing manufacturing numbers via independently hiring companies beyond the United States to manufacture. “Nike sold about 280 million sneakers, cross-trainers and running shoes last year. Doubling manufacturing workers' wages in China would cost Nike, which last year had revenues of almost $14 billion a year” (Dreier, 2007) Millions of people throughout the world have been in awe with the success of this organization. An incredible number of Americans have purchased merchandise produced by Nike. Nike provides a quality brand name that's supported by super stars and sports athletes; however millions of people are not aware exactly how Nikes involvement with outsourcing to third world nations has created great debate with labor unions, and more importantly employees within these countries.” Today’s global economy is characterized by rapid and at times wrenching changes, driven by competition, new technologies, and a continuing search for cheaper resources and markets” (Thinking Critically, 2008). Nike must bear in mind that together with the importance of manufacturing and supply of products and services they are...
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...Nana Offei MGT/448 Global Business Strategies Case Study Nike: The Sweatshop Debate July 5, 2012 Professor, Marc Mosko Nike, the sweatshop debate Nike Inc. was started by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight, who met each other in 1957 Before going into business, Knight became a certified public Accountant (CPA) the original Nike Inc. was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and his friend Bill Bowerman with a collective investment of 1000 to fund the business tries (Nike repository, 2010) The company began with Bill and Phil being local distributors for the Onitsuka Tiger footwear brand now own by Asics footwear, Bill and Phil did business out of their cars at local track meet and sporting event to athletes in the vicinity of the University of Oregon, the first sport retail store open in California in 1966 as where the company profit began to grow they realized that their financial limits imposed by Onitsuka Tiger would limited their long team profits (Nike repository, 2010) This paper will describe the legal culture ,and ethical challenge that confront the global business as personated on the case study, in addition the paper will determine the various roles that the host government played in global business operation .at the end it will summarize the strategic and operational challenges facing global managers illustration in Nike organization Global business doesn’t come without challenges Nike organization plan to become a global body and...
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...Analysis of Case Study for International Business By Assistant Professor Asif Mahbub Karim MBA, CA(Inter.), KPMG, MCFC,MBA, B.Com. PhD Research Fellow, Malaysia Coordinator – BBA & MBA Program Stamford University Bangladesh Introduction Background of the Case Established in 1972. Company has $10 billion in annual revenue. It sells in 140 countries. It only Sub Contracts. Employs 550,000 all around. Mission Statement “ Just Do It “ Accusations !! Products are made in Sweatshops. Many are Child Worker. Work in hazardous condition. Less than Subsistence Wages. Nike have become symbol of Evils of Globalization. Global Exchange – A Human Right Organization targeted Nike for repeated critisicm. Accusations !! The condition at foreign factories was at stake. Subcontractors were not matching minimum local labor laws. Long working hours. Working environment very poor. Minimum Wage rate very low. Safety & Security compliances not followed. Case Against Nike In search of cheap labor Nike looks factories as such in target countries where minimum wage level is not set. Targeting literate , disciplined and desperate job seekers. Mostly young women are hired. Labors don’t share Nike’s huge profit. They work 6 days a week for only $40 a month - just 20 cents an hour. Attack on Nike’s Sub Contracting Some factories were employing 11 years old labors in Indonesia for their sneakers. Wage...
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...Nike is an iconic sportswear brand, with its very recognizable swoosh logo decorating the attire of many of the globe’s most famous sports teams, and has established a long-lasting brand legacy both with its ability to adjust to trends, as well as to build a profitable business model. Naomi Klein’s famous book, No Logo – Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies, first published in 1999, attacked many big brands accusing them of violating labor laws and using dirty tactics to dominate the changing markets. One of the brands that took a heavy hit in the book was Nike. In the case study Nike: The Sweatshop Debate, the author of this article continues on Klein’s theme, addressing accusations made against Nike for child labor usage through their suppliers as well as dubious sponsorship agreements. These accusations focus around the poor and hostile working conditions of Asian factories, the below-minimum wages and suppressive employee treatment. Nike, in many ways, became the evil representation of the entire sweatshop issue, then a surfacing theme and in many ways a new corporate territory in big scale, and opportunism had its price. Nike would be seen as a brand that would mercilessly exploit the labor opportunities of poorer countries, caring little of the origins of their products. It is fair to say, that changing this stigma would become a globally relevant issue for the entire corporation, and fixing the damaged brand image would be a challenge for the entire company for years to...
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...Nike Case Study Shiffaun L. Alston Jack Welch Management Institute Professor R. Chua JWMI 550 Sunday, December 7, 2014 Executive Summary Nike’s business model was based in outsourcing its manufacturing, then using the money it saved on aggressive marketing campaigns. However, the process of outsourcing work internationally proved to be problematic for Nike in a variety of ways particularly in regards to low wages provided workers and poor working conditions and environment. This paper intends to evaluate Jeff Ballinger’s argument against Nike, as well as determine how convincing Nike’s response was to Ballinger’s allegations. Lastly, strategies are provided as to how Nike moves forward after the smoke of the crisis has cleared. Evaluation of Jeff Ballinger’s argument against Nike Ballinger’s main argument that “any company has a significant obligation towards even its lowliest workers” is a very convincing one on many levels—social, ethical, and financial. Companies, such as Nike, make large profits and benefit tremendously from workers’ low wages in their international manufacturing companies. After reviewing Exhibit 1 (Nike Inc. Financial History 1989-1999) and Exhibit 4 (Summary of Revenue and Expense Profile of Minimum Wage Workers by Demographic Type) it would appear that Nike could indeed offer its workers higher wages at least to a level where workers can survive and help their families, some additional benefits, and provide...
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...NIKE CASE STUDY This post is a based on a case study of Nike. The article will be discussing legal and ethical analysis and how the impact the operational/ ethical issues of the organization, the paper shall also be discussing the contribution factors and how the company’s corporate culture may have helped to minimize the unethical behavior or actually contributed to/caused the unethical behavior. The paper is also going to provide ethical decision factors, which are going to address or going to be considered in resolving the legal/ethical issues identified within this case. And finally the paper is going to provide an action plan for each of the legal/ethical issues along with recommendations that company can take to help prevent these issues in the future. Nike is one of the famous franchises in the world that sells sportswear for all ages. But is mostly famous for their athlete shoes and apparel and Nike is also one of the major manufacturers of sport equipment as well. The slogan for Nike is “Just Do It”. Nike was founded in January 1962 in Oregon, United States by Philip Knight and Bill Bowerman. Nike has somewhere around 700 or more retail outlets spread all over the world, and has approximately 45 offices only outside the United States. And it employs 30,000 people all over the world. Nike had a revenue excess of $16 billion in 2007. Nike’s factories are mostly located in Asian countries like Pakistan, India, Malaysia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam...
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...Running Head: Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. Case Study Adelaide A. Odoteye FIN 586 – Dr. Cullers Fall 2006 The brand name “Nike” is one of the most readily recognized around the globe. The name is synonymous with high-quality athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories in the minds of many people worldwide. Perhaps it is the ubiquitous Nike “swoosh” and compelling marketing that commands attention. Or maybe it is the association between the brand name and its famous endorsers, such as Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Alternatively, it may be Nike’s cutting-edge sporting vision and technology that entrances multitudes of consumers. Quite conceivably, it is a combination of these factors that has propelled Nike to the top of its industry. However, not all of Nike’s story is ideal. In recent years, the company has faced criticism in connection with its use of contract labor in developing nations. The purpose of this case is to provide an understanding of the company’s background, its general business strategy, and its use of contract labor. The Athletic Apparel and Footwear Industry The athletic apparel and footwear industry experienced steady growth for more than two decades, beginning in the early 1980’s. For example, in the U.S.A. alone, consumer spending on athletic footwear increased by 10 percent during the first six months of 2005 (Quinn, 2006). Consumers were not just professional athletes, but ordinary men, women, and...
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...Tracy Weispfenning Nike Case Study #1 MGMT 310 Jason Cussler January 31, 2014 Nike Falters in Ethical Practices Nike has faced many ethical dilemmas such as human rights abuses, labor violations, and negative impact on the environment where manufacturing plants are located. Their responses have varied from improving labor standards in each facility to implementing a recycling program for worn out shoes for the consumer, and creating a no waste recycling program at all levels of the Nike operations. In my opinion, Nike is on the right track but could do more in their response to these ethical challenges. Nike has responded to these ethical dilemmas in various ways. They’ve done a good job in anticipating the potential consequences, yet they have not involved enough people in the decision making process. For example, Nike did not take the allegations of human rights abuses and labor violations seriously in their overseas manufacturing plants until nongovernment organizations like Life magazine and The New York Times published articles on these violations. These articles created public awareness and exposed the lack of oversight and policies to ensure the human rights and labor guidelines were fair and enforced. After these articles were published, Nike obtained and implemented a new course of action for protecting workers rights, safety, and competitive wages. Nike should have been aware of these practices, monitoring and reviewing their manufacturing plants...
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...Nike Case The Nike Case study is a pool of lessons on management. It has a reliable knowledge on forecasting, aggregate planning, ERP modules, and implementation. The company recognizes the significance of each of these elements and purposes to employ each of them. Forecasting is one of the main elements that are extremely useful in management. It refers to act of predetermining some activities in a business. It is an extremely useful tool, as it would assist in ensuring that the information being predetermined remains relevant and useful only to the given organization. Forecasting act as a goal setting process where the company defines the goals it would wish to achieve within a given a period. It is adequate to have forecasting as one of the key elements that every organization should employ as it purposes to pursue a given line of business. It prepares the company for the action line towards the goals of the organization (Boston 43). Aggregate planning is the other main element useful in management that can be extracted from the case study. This is an extremely unique business strategy where a company can match the supply and the demand of the organization through determination of appropriate quantities as well as outputs timing. The case study proves that aggregate planning is vital for every organization. There is no need for being ignorant of facts of exclusive benefits aggregate planning. There are massive merits that will come out of having supplies and demands determined...
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...macro-environmental factors that influence Nike’s strategy include culture, demographics, social issues, technological advances, economic situation, and political and regulatory environment. Culture is the shared meanings, beliefs, morals, values and customs of a group of people. In America, Nike has become an industry leader that influences our cultural practices. It is widely accepted as the premier retail brand by all age groups. Nike has done a great job of advertising to various generational cohorts and expanding its brand. Nike’s distinguishable products have become a household name on the global scale. Nike has to specifically consider the “country culture” of not only the countries where it sells product, but the cultures of the countries where the products are manufactured. Country culture attributes include behavior, dress, symbols, physical settings, ceremonies, language, and colors. Identifying and navigating some of the more subtle aspects is difficult but necessary for global firms. Demographics indicate the characteristics of human populations and segments, especially those used to identify consumer markets. Demographics include age, gender, race, and income. Nike uses marketing ads to target different segments of demographics. For example, Nike’s version of the toning shoe is designed to specifically appeal to women. Social issues influence consumer behavior around the world. Recently, there has been a heavy emphasis on thrift, health and wellness...
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...STRATEGIC ISSUES AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Nike is a worldwide global corporation that has its shoes manufactured on a contract basis in places like Asia, China, and Vietnam. Although it does not actually own any of the manufacturing locations, it has long been accused of having its products manufactured in facilities that exploit workers. Although Nike admits some wrongdoing in the manufacturing facilities of its contractors, it claims to have started a commitment to improve working conditions in those facilities. Nike has suffered attacks from a number of agencies and organizations throughout the world that claim that the workers who manufacture Nike shoes are denied the basic essentials of living—a fair wage and decent benefits. All that occurs while several sport megastars are reaping in multimillion dollar contracts to promote Nike shoes. Over the years, Nike formulated tactics to deal with the problems of working conditions and compensation in subcontractors. It hired a strong consultant (Ernst & Young), commissioned an independent audit of its subcontractors, and spelled out initiatives to improve those working conditions. Still, Nike’s critics were not satisfied. They protested on university campuses and accused Nike of continuing to hide the conditions of workers. 1. Should Nike be held responsible for working conditions in foreign factories that it does not won, but where sub-contractors make products for Nike? Although Nike may be technically removed from responsibility...
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