For my topic I chose to research Nike the clothing and footwear brand. I will be shedding light on their part of social responsibility and their ethical principles.
- According to nike.com, Nike is part of many different corporate responsibility and sustainability organizations which means they’re always active trying to do their part for society. Just recently in 2019 Nike realized that a main target or issue they were having was having a “diverse, engaged and healthy work environment” so they came up with strategies and plans to attack and change the problem. In order to change the problem according to Nike’s “Report Content” they came up with ways to “provide visibility to our diversity and inclusion process” which means they started to add more diversity to their team and created more opportunities for POC to gain employment.
- Nike has a main goal which is to inspire and bring change through the clothing, footwear and sports products they design. Nike believes in systematic change but they also know that they do not have control over every aspect so they try to influence others with what they do have control over (Footwear, apparel etc). On nike.com their mission statement is ” to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.” Another way Nike is also promoting change just with this statement alone because to Nike an “athlete” is any person with a body, so they are also promoting body positivity. From what has been read on their website it seems as if Nike’s social responsibilities are mainly aimed towards uplifting communities and inspiring society to become better.
- Nike donates to charities and non profit organizations as well as standing up against any form of injustice. When BLM was going on Nike made sure to let the POC know that the company stood with them and not racist ( https://news.nike.com/news/nike-commitment-to-black-community .) In conclusion to Nike being a very socially responsible company I think personally if they were to hire more POC in higher positions like for designing sneakers and clothes etc their sales and business would boom even more. They’re already for the communities so them having more people who identify with them on their team would make the company more relatable to the communities and also make their business boom because they would know more of the demand so they can supply.
https://news.nike.com/news/nike-commitment-to-black-community
Amauri, I agree with your post. Nike should consider hiring more people of color for their management and art departments which, in return, broadens their impact on the world by creating a workforce open to diversity through innovation. Nike is a popular brand in the inner city communities and the people would be proud to see one of their sons or daughters serving in a position of leadership.
I think Nike’s claim to promote diversity in its environment is good as long as they live up to it. Diversity isn’t just your skin color but can also include things like your educational background, socioeconomic status, and other demographics. Nike has had problems in the past with women athletes, especially those who got pregnant. One example is the story of Allyson Felix. She told Nike she wouldn’t perform as well during the months surrounding her childbirth, but she was punished for it. She had to undergo a c-section because of medical issues. After she had her baby, Nike tried to cut her pay by over 70%. In other cases, Nike has been called out for pressuring pregnant female athletes representing the brand to stay in the same athletic condition they were in before pregnancy. Diversity includes pregnant women, and since there are discrimination laws in this country against pay cuts/punishments against pregnant women, Nike should stand behind what they claim to be their motto.
I actually have read the “Shoe dog” by Phil Knight. Nike’s story is very interesting and inspiring. I am glad that today it`s a world-known company which many prefer. I also like they promote body positivity with their campaigns. Besides that Nike’s environmental sustainability goals have evolved to include, eliminating waste and potentially harmful substances from materials and manufacturing and designing products that can either be collected and remanufactured or safely returned to nature. Obviously, Nike needs to work on the diversity aspect as many of my colleagues are saying.