My new shoes, Nike and Corporate Social Responsibility

My new year’s resolution was to get back into jogging. My friends never believe me but a couple of years ago I even managed a half marathon but unfortunately work and my like for food meant that the weight went on and the exercise took a back seat. On 1 January this year I made a resolution to get back to exercise. It’s nearly the end of February and the good news is that I’ve kept it up so far!

So much so in fact that I’m in need of some new running shoes. I’ve used Asics shoes for years but this evening had a quick look at the Nike site to see what was there.

Being an accountant though I couldn’t resist having a look at the site for some other information rather than just the latest products.

Back in the 1990s Nike was in the news for a number of wrong reasons. There were reports that some of their suppliers were allegedly paying their employees a pittance and some were working in sweatshop conditions. A BBC report also uncovered child labour practices at one of their suppliers in Cambodia.

Supply chain management is key to any successful business. Nike, as one of the world’s leading brands had to act fast to ensure that their brand wasn’t damaged by the bad publicity. They acted quickly and by all accounts resolved any issues that may have been present with their suppliers.

What is interesting though is that in today’s business environment the supply chain is no longer “hidden away” but is now arguably used to prove “best practice”. Nike have not only ensured compliance with best practice but have an “open book” policy on their website where you can find out comprehensive details of their CSR activities. Have a look here and there’s all you’d want to know about Nike’s CSR policies.

Now of course, I should really get off the computer, stop eating biscuits and get out there running…