A Synopsis of the Nike Company

23-12-2011 by

Nike Incorporation is a major company that is well known for its manufacture and supplier of sportwear in the whole world. This company is based in the United States of America where it has its headquarters in Beaverton. Nike Incorporation is an international leading manufacture and supplier of athletic shoes and sport equipment. The Nike Company was founded as Blue Ribbon sports in 1964 by two founding members named Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight. In the year 1978, the Blue Ribbon Sports officially became Nike Incorporation. The word Nike is derived from a Greek word that denotes goddess of victory. The aspect of marketing of manufactured products in Nike Company follows their own brand and the Nike Golf, Nike Pro as well as Nike air. Other than this, the Nike Company operates small retail shops bearing the name of Niketown. The main sponsors of Nike Company are the key athletes in the whole world as well as sport teams (Carroll & Buchholtz, 2008).

The company’s profits in the financial year 2009 amounted to .2 billion.

Most of the sales of the Nike Company come from America (34%) while EMEA’s (Europe, Middle East and Africa) sales totals to 29%. The Nike’s first product was the track running shoe. In this company footwear is the main product category representing 53.7% of the company’s total profits. The Nike Company sells it products to a wide variety of sports hence competing with companies like New Balance, Reebok, Puma, and Adidas. The biggest competitor of Nike Company is Adidas with billion in profits. Nike’s marketing strategy is an important component of the company’s success. Nike is positioned as a premium-brand, selling innovative, well-designed sporting goods. Nike promotes its products by sponsorship agreements with major athletes, professional sports teams and college athletic teams
An Overview of Nike Company

The Nike Company is managed by Marc Peter as the president and the Chief Executive Officer CEO. Nike Company excels as a team where the management has a strong teamwork which has assisted the company in competing very stiffly in the global market. Philip Knight is the chairman of the board of directors, Charlie Denson as the president of the Nike Brand. Other directors in this company include; Jim Allaker as the President and CEO Umbro Ltd., Mark Allen as the vice president of the Global Footwear Productv Creation and Operations, Kris Aman as the vice president Global Category Athletic Training, Tom Arndorfer as the vice president of Business Development in Nike Brand, and David Ayre as the vice president Global human resources among others. Other company’s directors include; Don Blair, vice president & Chief Financial Officer, Sandy Bodecker as the vice president NIKE Global Design & Action Sports, Mike Brewer as the vice president of the North America Supply Chain Operations, Martin Brok as the vice president of the Western Europe Retail, Andy Campion the vice president and CFO, NIKE Brand, Andrea Correani the vice president of the Footwear Sportswear, and Diana Crist the vice president of the  Apparel Product Creation among others. From this list it can be concluded that, the Nike Company has diversity in terms of leadership as even though there are more males than females the difference is not so big. Additionally, the leadership in this company is comprised of people who are well qualified in the marketing systems as can be indicated from the professionalisms of the directors of the Nike Company. The differences in professionalisms indicate that aspects relating to decision making within the company will be fast and effective (Werther & Chandler, 2010).

The stakeholders of the Nike Company are the people or parties who have interests in this company and hence are affected by the decisions made by this company. These people include world renowned athletes and teams like foot ball team in Brazil, United States of America and Argentina among other football teams of the world. These are the people who are directly affected by the decisions made by the company on many issues concerning the management and marketing of the company (Turner, 2001).

The Competition of the Nike Company

The Nike Company has been able to emerge as the largest manufacturer and supplier of sport shoes in the whole world with most of its market being in America. This has resulted from its capability to compete with other companies manufacturing foot ware like Japanese companies. The most underlying factor in Nike’s competition is its world wide distributed outlet channels while it has 23,000 outlets in America alone. Additionally, the connection and association it has with the sport teams has played a great role in enhancing its competition.

 

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Six Factors to Consider While Buying Hockey Skates

04-06-2009 by admin

 

If you are a beginner planning to buy yourself a new pair of skates then here are some basic tips to get you started:

1.) Sizing Factor

Hockey skates should be a size or two smaller than your regular shoes. Buying hockey skates that are the same size as your running or athletic shoes may result to injury such as blisters and sprains. Too much space for your foot to move about in a loose hockey skate means that there are more possibilities of a blister forming or inaccurate movements during games or practice sessions. This possibility of inaccurate movement can affect the game and the way that you play.

It is better to have snug fitting ice hockey sticks than loose ones. Bear in mind when fitting hockey skates that your toes need to be able to feel the front end of the skate while you are positive that your heel is backed up into the back part of the skate as well. It is important that you lace up the hockey skates before even trying to move about with them to see how they fit you. You should also try to stand with the hockey skates laced up and then try to bend your knees to a point where you are almost squatting. In this position, you can feel the toe area loosen up a bit. This may be the right skate size for you. The reason for this exercise is due to the fact that when one skates, the knees are usually bent hence the need to concentrate of this particular position to be comfortable.

A few tips to keep in mind:

a.) Never make the mistake of buying skates to grow into. This will put you in a risk of injury.

b.) To test the skates make sure your toes feel the front end of the skate while your heel is backed up into the back part of the skate

c.) Different brands have different sizing guidelines. So make sure to check them out before you go for the buy.

2.) Length and Width

Both the length and width of the hockey skate can affect its fit. Do not try to compensate the length for the width or vice versa. You should have the right length and the right width to have the right hockey skate size. Some people think that they can compensate a wider skate for feet that actually need a longer length. This will give you an inaccurate skate size and may cause serious injury.

3.) Radius of the Blade

Radius of the blade is the amount of blade that is in direct contact with the ice. If you are a beginner skater it is recommended that you go for a larger blade radius. A radius of 5 inches should be a good choice. A larger radius increases stability and aids easy maneuverability along the ice surface.

4.) Break-in period

Break-in period of a skate is the amount of time it takes for the padded lining of the skate to get molded and adjusted to the shape of your feet. How soon the break-in happens depends on a lot of factors like the quality of lining and body-weight of the player among others. A heavier person will generally have a faster break-in period than a light person. So if you have lighter body mass, try to go for skates with a softer lining.

5.) New or Used Skates?

Hockey skates are supposed to be stiff. This is something that you should be aware of before buying hockey skates. Some people might opt to buy the less expensive used hockey skates instead of the more expensive brand new ones. Bear in mind that used skates may have lost their stiffness factor which is essential for more powerful skating action and support for the legs, feet and ankles.

Some cheap hockey skates may be less stiff than the more expensive ones. Buying cheaper hockey skates is only beneficial for those who have not made up their minds regarding playing hockey or not or for children who outgrow a skate easily within a year.

6.) Your Budget

A good pair of skates would cost you anything around $100 to $650. It is recommended not to buy expensive skates for your first pair. Until you play in a league you won’t know what position you are playing or what kind of skate with best accommodate it. Consider the first pair of skates as skates used for practice and introduction to the sport.

Good luck and play hard!

 

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