Three things come to mind when one thinks of Nike: the three lettered quote “Just Do It” stamped in bright yellow across their t-shirts, the simple yet very recognizable swoosh symbol, and the fact that the multi billion-dollar brand advertises and represents all of the latest and greatest athletes. Phil Knight, the co-founder of Nike, is behind all of this publicity and fame that we see almost everywhere. Believed to be the 20th century version of John D. Rockefeller, Knight’s actions can easily be compared and contrasted to the capitalist techniques of that infamous Robber Baron. These two men shared very similar characteristics that included: ambition, risk taking, and greed. No matter if it is shoes or oil, achieving success in any industry
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Nike began to grow bigger and bigger as time went on and the demand for athletic clothing was at an all time high, making Nike’s sales skyrocket. Even so, he was never content, seeing the endless possibilities that Nike had created and all the doors of opportunities just waiting to be opened. As LaFeber explains on page 61 “Knight wanted more. He was determined to smash Adidas and Reebok, his main competitors”. Looking for a new solution to increase his profit, Knight thought he had hit the jackpot when he discovered that “Exploiting low-wage labor to produce high-quality goods for American and European markets was a telling characteristic of the new transnationals” (LaFeber, 103). This was a short-lived method that Knight found to be very profitable. It did not take long until the news got out to the public of Knight’s strategy, and eventually, “Knight stood accused of making Nike wealthy on the bent backs of exploited, poorly paid Asian workers” (LaFeber, 90). Rockefeller, on the other hand, treated his workers fairly with reasonable pay. But he had a motive behind this treatment of his workers; he was ultimately worried that if he were to treat them harshly that they would complain, and the last thing that Rockefeller needed was negative publicity. All in all, Rockefeller was protecting himself by keeping his workers
Nike began to grow bigger and bigger as time went on and the demand for athletic clothing was at an all time high, making Nike’s sales skyrocket. Even so, he was never content, seeing the endless possibilities that Nike had created and all the doors of opportunities just waiting to be opened. As LaFeber explains on page 61 “Knight wanted more. He was determined to smash Adidas and Reebok, his main competitors”. Looking for a new solution to increase his profit, Knight thought he had hit the jackpot when he discovered that “Exploiting low-wage labor to produce high-quality goods for American and European markets was a telling characteristic of the new transnationals” (LaFeber, 103). This was a short-lived method that Knight found to be very profitable. It did not take long until the news got out to the public of Knight’s strategy, and eventually, “Knight stood accused of making Nike wealthy on the bent backs of exploited, poorly paid Asian workers” (LaFeber, 90). Rockefeller, on the other hand, treated his workers fairly with reasonable pay. But he had a motive behind this treatment of his workers; he was ultimately worried that if he were to treat them harshly that they would complain, and the last thing that Rockefeller needed was negative publicity. All in all, Rockefeller was protecting himself by keeping his workers