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| | Nike, Inc., NYSE: NKE is an American company, worldwide famous manufacturer of sportswear. Headquarters is located in Beaverton, Oregon.
History:
Initially, Nike was founded in 1964 by student Philip Knight, middle-distance runner in Oregon University team & his coach Bill Bowerman. First the company was called “Blue Ribbon Sports” and specialised on jogging shoe (sneakers) orders in Asian countries & their subsequent sale in American market. First independently designed product of the company is sneakers, based on wafer-shaped design of sole, “peeped” by Bowerman near waffle iron.
In 1966, the company opened first retail shop. Trade mark “Nike” appeared for the first time in 1971 – football boots were manufactured under this brand. In 1978, Blue Ribbon Sports was officially renamed to Nike, Inc. (It is considered, that the name is taken from Nike, Greek goddess for victory).
On October 23, 2007, the company bought brand Umbro, manufacturer of sportswear & footwear for 580 million USD.
Proprietors & management:
Chairman of board of directors of the company — Phillip Knight & the president is Mark Parker.
Activity:
Nike - one of the largest manufacturers of sports goods in the world. Products are manufactured under the brand name Nike, Air Jordan, Total 90, Nike Golf, Team Starter, etc. Also, Nike controls the companies, which manufacture the goods under brandnames Bauer, Cole Haan, Converse & Hurley International.
Sneakers Nike Air
Indicators:
Overall strength of the company – 26.7 thousands (2006 yr);
Turnover of the company for the year 2006 was $16.3 Billion (in 2005 - $14.9 Billion), net profit - $1.5 Billion ($1.3 Billion).
Advertising & sponsor's activity:
Nike - one of the major advertisers, emphasizing mainly on television advertisements with participation of worldwide renowned stars such as Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimiovic, Fernando Torres, Franc Ribery, Florent Malouda, Michael Jordan, etc. Also, Nike is widely known for having major sponsorship contracts with world famous sportsmen & sports teams, especially in football. Football clubs such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan & national football teams such as Brazilian, Croatian, Netherlands, Portuguese, Serbian, Turkish, Belgian and Slovenian have signed contracts with Nike.
“Swoosh” (Emblem of Nike)
World famous “Swoosh” (simulating wing of goddess Nike) of Nike was designed by student-designer of Portland University Mr.Carolyn Davidson in 1971, for which she received fee of $35. This emblem quickly became widely recognizable & became one of the most popular brands in the world. As a sign of gratitude, chairman Mr. Phillip Knight presented her a golden ring engraved with “Swoosh” & company shares (sum is not undisclosed) in 1983.
“Be a source of inspiration & innovations for all athletes around the world. If you have a body - you are the athlete...” Mission of brand Nike.
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While other companies report drops in profits, Nike just keeps doing 
