Publications

May 1992 (Revised August 1996)
Case

NIKE in Transition (A): The Ascendancy of Bob Woodell

By: Christopher A. Bartlett

Explores Bob Woodell's tenure as Nike's first COO. Describes development of Woodell's management style, his attempts to develop the organization, and his responses to unforeseen business problems. Changing market forces, new competitors, a build-up of low-end... View Details

Keywords: Conferences; Crisis Management; Management Style; Marketing Strategy; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Performance Evaluation; Competition

March 1995 (Revised April 1995)
Case

NIKE Inc. in the 1990s (B): Strategy and Management Changes, 1993-1994

By: Robert J. Dolan

Describes Nike's performance to 1994 and describes challenges facing the new president and COO, Thomas Clarke. View Details

Keywords: Performance; Problems and Challenges; Management Teams

28 Sep 2011
News

Nike Taps Venture Arm for Green Ideas After Making Jerseys Out of Bottles

November 2019 (Revised October 2022)
Case

GOAT Group: Jordans, Yeezys, and the Global Secondary Sneaker Market

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Spencer Rascoff and George Gonzalez

Keywords: Internet; Nike; Adidas; E-commerce

June 1995 (Revised March 2008)
Teaching Note

Phil Knight Managing NIKE's Transformation and Phil Knight: CEO at NIKE (1983) TN

By: Richard E. Walton

Teaching Note for (394-012) and (390-038). View Details

01 Jun 2023
HBS Case

A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have To?

in seconds today. If Miller hadn’t concealed his previous life of crime, would he ever have been given the chance to start fresh and perform his way to remarkable success, making his mark as a highly influential African American business leader who ultimately landed at... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Apparel & Accessories

January 2018
Case

Under Armour

By: Rory McDonald, Clayton M. Christensen, Daniel West and Jonathan E. Palmer

After 20 years of growth unprecedented in the sports apparel industry, Under Armour finds itself with a new record to beat: making the leap from $5 to $10 billion in sales—a feat only accomplished to date by competitors Nike and Adidas. At the heart of this challenge... View Details

June 1990 (Revised October 1993)
Case

Phil Knight: CEO at NIKE--1983

By: Richard E. Walton

An edited, shortened version of Phil Knight: CEO at Nike with parts of Nike (E) integrated into it. View Details

Keywords: Management Teams; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Sports Industry

31 May 2023
HBS Case

From Prison Cell to Nike’s C-Suite: The Journey of Larry Miller

View Video Editor's note: Watch the video in "full screen" mode for the best viewing experience. Before shaping one of the world’s largest sports brands, Nike executive Larry Miller spent years of his youth and early adulthood behind bars... View Details

Keywords: by Jamal Meneide; Entertainment & Recreation; Consumer Products

31 May 2023
HBS Case

Why Business Leaders Need to Hear Larry Miller's Story

Larry Miller shares how education helped him escape a life of crime and why employers should give the formerly incarcerated a second chance. ARTICLE: A Nike Executive Hid His Criminal Past to Turn His Life Around. What If He Didn't Have... View Details

Keywords: by Jamal Meneide; Entertainment & Recreation; Consumer Products

March 1998 (Revised March 1999)
Case

NIKE, Inc. in the 1990s (C)

By: John A. Quelch

In 1998, Nike's earnings and sales growth slowed. Management faced new competition from Adidas. This case asks students to review the various strategies (including diversification into sports equipment) pursued by Nike to resuscitate corporate growth. View Details

Keywords: Diversification; Competition; Product Launch; Brands and Branding; Growth and Development Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Sports Industry

02 Jun 2003
Research & Ideas

Why Have Marketers Ignored America’s Man-of-Action Hero?

has been the central myth in American culture for the last twenty years. Yet only two brands that I've studied—Budweiser in the eighties and Nike in the period from 1988-1995—have tapped into this myth. Each brand used advertising to... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

November 2018 (Revised April 2019)
Case

Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game

By: Anita Elberse, Bryce Aiken and Howard Johnson

“Our goal is to be the kind of start-up that would terrify Nike—if Nike didn’t already own us.” Ron Faris, general manager of S23NYC, a Manhattan-based digital studio owned by sports apparel giant Nike, is on the phone with Adam Sussman, Nike’s chief digital officer.... View Details

Keywords: Digital Technology; Apparel; Fashion; Superstar; Innovation; General Management; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Strategy; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Invention; Management; Sports; Entertainment; Digital Strategy; Apparel and Accessories Industry