Nike Research Paper Essay Example
Primary Business Function(s) and Background
A primary business function or activity is the main focus or line of products that the business ventures into and the types of products that they aim to sell to the consumer market. Nike is a clothing and goods manufacturer, focusing on athletic shoes, apparel, sporting goods and accessories. Originally known as "Blue Ribbon Sports", it was founded by track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company's profits grew quickly, and in 1966, “Blue Ribbon Sports” opened its first retail store. Continual growth throughout the 20th Century has seen Nike become the world leading sports manufacturer and they now provide a range of apparel, shoes and accessories amongst other products, for a wide-range of global sports.
Business Structure
Nike is a global publicly traded company. As it was initially formed from a “handshake”, it was “implicit in that act was the determination that we would build our business based on trust, teamwork, honesty and mutual respect”.
Nike has a matrix structure - a combination between the functional and the divisional structure. This organisational structure sees the chief executive officer sit at the top of the hierarchy and the various managers of each department report directly to him. The business consists of 5 departments: HR, Marketing & Sale, Accounting, Production, and Design & Development, that cooperate and interact effectively to strengthen the overall brand. The main company executives are: Philip H. Knight, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Mark Parker, CEO, NIKE; Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand and there is a board of thirteen directors which controls and oversees the operations within the Nike Brand.
The importance of this organisational structure is the fact that it gives certain individuals the opportunity to recognise their roles and responsibilities and helps to facilitate communication between individuals centered in their
A primary business function or activity is the main focus or line of products that the business ventures into and the types of products that they aim to sell to the consumer market. Nike is a clothing and goods manufacturer, focusing on athletic shoes, apparel, sporting goods and accessories. Originally known as "Blue Ribbon Sports", it was founded by track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company's profits grew quickly, and in 1966, “Blue Ribbon Sports” opened its first retail store. Continual growth throughout the 20th Century has seen Nike become the world leading sports manufacturer and they now provide a range of apparel, shoes and accessories amongst other products, for a wide-range of global sports.
Business Structure
Nike is a global publicly traded company. As it was initially formed from a “handshake”, it was “implicit in that act was the determination that we would build our business based on trust, teamwork, honesty and mutual respect”.
Nike has a matrix structure - a combination between the functional and the divisional structure. This organisational structure sees the chief executive officer sit at the top of the hierarchy and the various managers of each department report directly to him. The business consists of 5 departments: HR, Marketing & Sale, Accounting, Production, and Design & Development, that cooperate and interact effectively to strengthen the overall brand. The main company executives are: Philip H. Knight, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Mark Parker, CEO, NIKE; Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand and there is a board of thirteen directors which controls and oversees the operations within the Nike Brand.
The importance of this organisational structure is the fact that it gives certain individuals the opportunity to recognise their roles and responsibilities and helps to facilitate communication between individuals centered in their