Introduction
Businesses are expected to engage actively in corporate social responsibility activities. This statement relies on the idea that organizations typically have sufficient resources to address various problems and make life better for people. Nike understands the importance of this activity, and various initiatives prove it. In particular, Nike established the N7 Fund and relied on Native mascotry to support the Indigenous community, but these initiatives were not effective, which denotes that three interventions could have helped increase the program’s impact.
Discussion
To begin with, one should explain what initiatives Nike implemented. On the one hand, the N7 Fund was established to provide Native Americans and representatives of the Aboriginal community with an opportunity to apply for grants and receive funding to realize their potential (Hayhurst & Szto, 2016). On the other hand, the organization decided to base the design of its products on Indigenous imagery and rituals, which is known as Native mascotry (Hayhurst & Szto, 2016). However, these initiatives were not successful because the target audience considered them disrespectful and insulting. That dissatisfaction even resulted in the #DeChief movement when individuals criticized Nike and challenged their use of Native imagery (Hayhurst & Szto, 2016). That is why one cannot state that the initiatives were successful.
It was possible to take three specific steps to increase the program’s impact. Firstly, a suitable intervention was to cooperate with Air Jordan and Cole Haan. This collaboration could maximize the program’s effect by evoking positive impressions among the target customers because numerous reputable organizations promoted the same initiative. Secondly, Nike should have hired Native Americans in its management team so that these individuals could predict how the community would respond to the initiatives. Thirdly, another potential intervention was to extend the initiatives to focus on African Americans and other minority groups. This step could have allowed the Native Americans to understand that Nike did not have a prejudiced attitude toward them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Nike failed to achieve successful outcomes from its N7 Fund and the Native mascotry initiatives because they evoked criticism among the target customers. That is why the essay has offered three essential interventions that could increase the program’s effectiveness. It is challenging to state which option was the most effective, but it is possible to suggest that the combination of the three could lead to better outcomes for Nike and the selected populations.
Reference
Hayhurst, L. M. C., & Szto, C. (2016). Corporatizating activism through sport-focused social justice? Investigating Nike’s corporate responsibility initiatives in sport for development and peace. Journal of Sport and Social Issue, 40(6), S22-S44. Web.