Free Custom «Nike Corporation» Essay Paper

Nike Corporation was founded on a basis of a handshake, and the implicit in the whole process was the determination that the company was to be building its business based on the idea of trust, mutual respect, teamwork, and honesty. It started as a two-man partnership, this was between Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, and grew into a global business. The management of the company has been having a task of maintaining the same ethic across all production operations. The company management has put corporate governance policies and practices in place for the purpose of aligning the overall operations of the company (Monks & Minow, 2008).

The Company’s Codes and Policies

The company’s code of ethics for employees is basically known as “Inside the Lines” and it highlights on the overall principles of conduct expected for all employees. In respect to this, employees are supposed to verify their comprehension of “Inside the Lines” and this is supposed to be done on annual basis (Anand, 2007). To achieve this, the company operates a global toll-free Alert line for all company employees, as in confidence, they are supposed to report any alleged violations of the set law or the company’s code of ethics. The Audit Committee of the Board is formed to deal with all concerns around internal control measures, auditing, or accounting. This makes sure that the company is placed at a secure level of any misconception brought with poor management and misplacement of identified issues.

The management, through such set policies and ethics, expect their suppliers to have a chance of sharing the identified company’s standards, and also be in a position of operating their business dealings within an ethical and legal framework. The company’s Nike Code of Conduct covers different contractors of whom their work is to manufacture Nike-branded products, whereas the Inside the Lines takes in consideration of Nike employees’ behavior. Nike Code of Conduct provides a profile of directing all contractors to respect the existing rights of their employees. It also gives them a chance of having a healthy and safe working environment.

Corporate Responsibility Management at the Board Level

This was established in 2001, and the corporate governance in conformity with the United States Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other available laws was placed in hands of the Nike's Board of Directors. They were also put in charge of the overall interests of the company’s shareholders. Currently, the Board is made up of the independent non-executive directors, which is as described under the existing listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange. The company’s Corporate Responsibility Committee consists of at least two members of the Board of Directors. The following are the duties and responsibilities for the Corporate Responsibility Committee that makes company to be properly set up in succeeding over the long-term:

1. Regularly review all the activities being done by the NIKE Foundation
2. Give guidance to the company management team on environmental impact, and also sustainability concerns.
3. Give guidance to the company management team, and also report to the Board of Directors on company’s labor practices.
4. Review all reports of the company’s internal labor and environmental compliance audits.
5. Review and critically make workable recommendations to company’s management on reporting to possible shareholders and other available communities in regard of all activities involved in the corporate responsibility.
6. They are eligible to respond to duties and other functions as they may be assigned by the Board of directors.
7. In regard to overall involvement in the significant corporate responsibility concerns, such as major business decisions, they provide guidance to the company’s management, and also reports to the Board of Directors.

Company’s Compensation Committee

The company’s Compensation Committee consists of at least three directors, of which are supposed to be appointed the Board of Directors. For the appointed individuals to be in the committee, they all need to meet the autonomy necessities of the New York Stock Exchange (Aras & Crowther, 2009). This should consist of applicable rules, statutes, and regulations that have been brought into existence by the Board of Directors, when they are exercising the judgment of the business.

The main reasons for having this Compensation Committee are to:

1. Release the Board’s responsibilities that normally relates to the compensation of the Company’s directors and executive officers.
2. Supervise the overall organization of the Company’s executive compensation procedures.
3. Supervise the performance evaluation of the company’s top management team, in this case, is the Chief Executive Officer and other company’s executive officers.

Conclusion

As it is indicated in the company’s mission “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world,” Nike Corporation is working on everything to ensure that the quality of their products is maintained. Its main goal is to proceed on with the legacy of innovative and creative thinking of the company founder. The company has established a better portfolio of affiliate brands, such as Cole Haan, which plays a role of designing, marketing, and distributing products.