Company Overview:
Nike is a leading designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a range of sports and fitness activities. The company primarily operates in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Company History:
Before there was the Swoosh, before there was Nike, there were two visionary men who pioneered a revolution in athletic footwear that redefined the industry. Bill Bowerman was a nationally respected track and field coach at the University of Oregon, who was constantly seeking ways to give his athletes a competitive advantage. He 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. Phil Knight was a talented middle-distance runner from Portland, who enrolled at Oregon in the fall of 1955 and competed for Bowerman’s track program. Upon graduating from Oregon, Knight earned his MBA in finance from Stanford University, where he wrote a paper that proposed quality running shoes could be manufactured in Japan that would compete with more established German brands. When Knight had his first shoe design he sent it to Bowerman hoping to make a sale. Instead, Bowerman stunned Knight by offering to become his partner, and to provide his footwear design ideas to Tiger. Nike entered the 1980s on a roll, thanks to the successful launch of Nike Air technology in the Tailwind running shoe in 1979. By the end of 1980, Nike completed its IPO and became a publicly traded company. This began a period of transition, where several of Nike’s early pioneers decided to move on to other pursuits. Even Phil Knight stepped down as president for more than a year in 1983-1984, although he remained the chairman of the board and CEO. In 1989, Nike’s cross-training business exploded, thanks in part to the incredibly popular “Bo Knows” ad campaign. In 1996, Nike Golf landed a vastly talented but as-yet-unproven young golfer named Eldrick “Tiger” Woods for a reported $5 million per year. Today, Nike continues to seek new and innovative ways to develop superior athletic products, and creative methods to communicate directly with their consumers. |
Work Culture:
NIKE, Inc.'s heritage is deeply rooted in innovation and believe diversity and inclusion are key levers in continuing to drive creativity and innovation. It takes every one of the more than 30,000 employees working at the top of their game for NIKE, Inc. to reach its highest potential. And they know that outstanding teams are composed of people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skill sets.
Company Values/Mission Statement:
Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world if you have a body, you are an athlete. Nike's philosophy is that they simply believe. As stated by their CEO We believe in potential, not limits. The 4-minute mile was safe, until Roger Bannister. Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 straight games was safe, until Cal Ripken. No one would ever clear 29 feet in the long jump, until Bob Beamon. Nobody would ever beat Bob Beamon, until Michael Powell. That’s how it is with NIKE. We believe. They take this philosophy and are able to provide the best products in the business, every year NIKE comes out with new innovative shoes and clothing apparel to help take an athlete to the next level of performance.
Growth and Stability:
Our world faces unprecedented change: constrained resources, population growth, heightened connectivity, increased demand. In a world of finite natural resources, our growth is enabled by infinite human resources: innovation and inspiration. We understand that innovation through the lens of sustainability is fundamental to achieving our vision of growth that is not dependent upon constrained resources. Indeed, creating and building business models that not only recognize and accommodate but thrive on the constraints of the natural world is the only way we can achieve growth in the present that won’t compromise our ability to grow and succeed for decades to come. Of course, this transition is challenging for a company that sells physical products and has bold ambitions to provide those products to more people in more places worldwide. Transforming NIKE in this way will take time and is a long-term commitment. It touches every aspect of our business, from how we design and make our products to how we engage our employees and other businesses in our value chain. It begins with placing sustainability at the beginning of the innovation process.
Company Caveats:
Nike is one of the top companies in the world with little negatives aspects. They have been on the up since they started out and they show no signs of slowing down. Even in times of economic distress Nike doesn't slow down. The company does not expect a decrease in sales; it expects sales to continue to rise this year and beyond. “During times of economic challenge, consumers will go to brands that they trust and can connect with. We have not seen the economy have a dramatic impact on the sales of our products, not just in the high end, but also in the mid-priced range,” Chief Executive Mark Parker said.
Company Reputation:
Nike is the top athletic manufacturer in the world. Over the last two decades, athletic footwear has grown tremendously. In 1985, in the US alone, athletic footwear was a 5 billion dollar business with 250 million pairs of shoes sold. In 2001, that number almost tripled, it became a 13 billion dollar business with 335 million shoes sold. In the athletic manufacturing business Nike takes the lead with Reebok and Adidas as strong competitors.
NIKE, Inc.'s heritage is deeply rooted in innovation and believe diversity and inclusion are key levers in continuing to drive creativity and innovation. It takes every one of the more than 30,000 employees working at the top of their game for NIKE, Inc. to reach its highest potential. And they know that outstanding teams are composed of people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skill sets.
Company Values/Mission Statement:
Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world if you have a body, you are an athlete. Nike's philosophy is that they simply believe. As stated by their CEO We believe in potential, not limits. The 4-minute mile was safe, until Roger Bannister. Lou Gehrig’s 2,130 straight games was safe, until Cal Ripken. No one would ever clear 29 feet in the long jump, until Bob Beamon. Nobody would ever beat Bob Beamon, until Michael Powell. That’s how it is with NIKE. We believe. They take this philosophy and are able to provide the best products in the business, every year NIKE comes out with new innovative shoes and clothing apparel to help take an athlete to the next level of performance.
Growth and Stability:
Our world faces unprecedented change: constrained resources, population growth, heightened connectivity, increased demand. In a world of finite natural resources, our growth is enabled by infinite human resources: innovation and inspiration. We understand that innovation through the lens of sustainability is fundamental to achieving our vision of growth that is not dependent upon constrained resources. Indeed, creating and building business models that not only recognize and accommodate but thrive on the constraints of the natural world is the only way we can achieve growth in the present that won’t compromise our ability to grow and succeed for decades to come. Of course, this transition is challenging for a company that sells physical products and has bold ambitions to provide those products to more people in more places worldwide. Transforming NIKE in this way will take time and is a long-term commitment. It touches every aspect of our business, from how we design and make our products to how we engage our employees and other businesses in our value chain. It begins with placing sustainability at the beginning of the innovation process.
Company Caveats:
Nike is one of the top companies in the world with little negatives aspects. They have been on the up since they started out and they show no signs of slowing down. Even in times of economic distress Nike doesn't slow down. The company does not expect a decrease in sales; it expects sales to continue to rise this year and beyond. “During times of economic challenge, consumers will go to brands that they trust and can connect with. We have not seen the economy have a dramatic impact on the sales of our products, not just in the high end, but also in the mid-priced range,” Chief Executive Mark Parker said.
Company Reputation:
Nike is the top athletic manufacturer in the world. Over the last two decades, athletic footwear has grown tremendously. In 1985, in the US alone, athletic footwear was a 5 billion dollar business with 250 million pairs of shoes sold. In 2001, that number almost tripled, it became a 13 billion dollar business with 335 million shoes sold. In the athletic manufacturing business Nike takes the lead with Reebok and Adidas as strong competitors.
Company Competitors:
Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1.28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. With a market share of 3% and revenues of $280 million, Converse manufactures their products both domestically and internationally. New Balance is the one company that has kept a substantial amount of manufacturing in the United States, and has a 3% market share with sales of $260 million.
Company Investments:
The Nike foundation was established in 2004, The Nike Foundation’s own investments have directly helped more than 500,000 girls around the world to fulfill their potential, providing grants to more than 100 organizations in more than 80 countries over nine years — including: giving girls in Nigeria the chance to stay in school; helping girls in India to claim equal rights to inherit and own land; and giving girls across Rwanda critical health information and mentoring. In the 1990s, research from the Population Council and International Center for Research on Women began to show that when an adolescent girl in poverty is able to stay in school, delay marriage and delay having children, not only do her life chances radically change, but the children she will later have are far more likely to be healthy and educated. By investing more in girls, governments and international organizations could break the cycle of poverty from one generation to the next.
Locations:
Nike headquarters are located in Beaverton, Oregon although Nike has over 700 factories worldwide, in 41 countries with 363 retail stores in the USA and 393 internationally.
Reebok, as the second leading manufacturer of footwear, has domestic revenues of $1.28 billion and a market share of 16%. Similar to Nike, they also utilize a 100% outsourcing strategy and manufacture their products throughout Asia. Adidas is currently enjoying the fastest growth of any brand domestically, with a market share of 6% and revenues of $500 million. With a market share of 3% and revenues of $280 million, Converse manufactures their products both domestically and internationally. New Balance is the one company that has kept a substantial amount of manufacturing in the United States, and has a 3% market share with sales of $260 million.
Company Investments:
The Nike foundation was established in 2004, The Nike Foundation’s own investments have directly helped more than 500,000 girls around the world to fulfill their potential, providing grants to more than 100 organizations in more than 80 countries over nine years — including: giving girls in Nigeria the chance to stay in school; helping girls in India to claim equal rights to inherit and own land; and giving girls across Rwanda critical health information and mentoring. In the 1990s, research from the Population Council and International Center for Research on Women began to show that when an adolescent girl in poverty is able to stay in school, delay marriage and delay having children, not only do her life chances radically change, but the children she will later have are far more likely to be healthy and educated. By investing more in girls, governments and international organizations could break the cycle of poverty from one generation to the next.
Locations:
Nike headquarters are located in Beaverton, Oregon although Nike has over 700 factories worldwide, in 41 countries with 363 retail stores in the USA and 393 internationally.