Nike, a company headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, is a major force in the sports footwear and fashion industry, with annual sales exceeding $12 billion, more than half of which now come from outside the United States. The company was co-founded in 1964 by Phil Knight, a CPA at Price Waterhouse, and Bill Bowerman, college track coach, each investing $500 to start. The company, initially called Blue Ribbon Sports, changed its name to Nike in 1971 and adopted the "Swoosh" logo-recognizable around the world-originally designed by a college student for $35. Nike became highly successful in designing and marketing mass-appealing products such as the Air Jordan, the best-selling athletic shoe of all time.
Do you think the criticism of Nike is fair, considering that the host countries are in dire needs of creating jobs?
What do you think Nike's executives might have done differently to prevent the sensitive charges of sweatshop labor in overseas factories?
Do firms need to consider the so-called corporate social responsibilities in making investment decisions?