Nike

Nike is a U.S. based manufacturer of athletic shoes, apparel and sports equipment. Nike is well known for its swoosh brand as well as it's slogan Just Do It, both domestically and internationally. The company was founded in 1964, under the name of Blue Ribbon Sports, as an importer or Japanese running shoes.http://xroads.virginia.edu/~class/am483_97/projects/hincker/nikhist.html

The company changed it's name to Nike in 1978 and since then the Nike brand has gradually grow through acquisitions such as Cole Haan and Canstar Sports, a leading hockey equipment maker. In 1979 the Nike clothing line was launched gaining the company additional notoriety along with with it's endorsement of famous athletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods. Nike has been a publicly traded company on the NYSE since 1980. It's stock symbol is NKE.http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/NIKE-Inc-Company-History.html

The Nike Foundation is the giving arm of Nike Corporation and focuses on a wide range of social issues impacting the economically disadvantaged. They hand out millions of dollars worth of equipment, educational scholarships and philanthropy annually.http://philanthropy.com/blogPost/Nike-Founder-Pledges/13727/ But at the heart of Nike are sports so most of their efforts revolve around athletics, exercise, fitness and recreation.

In the past Nike has come under fire for the conditions of their factories for the their laborers. In recent years they have made an effort to establish protocols and codes of conduct designed to improve the lives of workers.http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/workers_and_factories.html

Nike is also currently partnering with CERES in an effort to develop innovative climate and energy policy, and build sustainability. This is a five year plan which is slated for review and measurement in three years.http://www.nikebiz.com/responsibility/

Key dates in Nike history:

1. 1966: First Blue Ribbon Sports retail store opens
2. 1971: "Swoosh" logo debuts on Nike soccer cleat
3. 1978: Company renamed to Nike, Inc.
4. 1980: Nike goes public
5. 1982: First national TV ad campaign
6. 1985: Michael Jordan endorses Nike
7. 1986: Revenues break $1 billion
8. 1990: First Niketown opens in Portland
9. 1996: Tiger Woods endorses Nike
10. 2003: LeBron James endorses Nike
11. 2007: Buys Umbro
12. 2009: Lobbies physical education regarding various business concerns
13. 2010: Introduces NIKE SENCE, a new one of a kind adaptive traction technology featured in the new Nike Football Boothttp://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=uslp

• Adidashttp://www.adidas.com/us/shared/home.asp

• Filahttp://www.fila.com/zz/eng

• New Balancehttp://www.newbalance.com/

• Pumahttp://www.puma.com/