Business Research Assignment Evaluating The Social & Digital Media Of Nike

Question

Task: Sneakers have revolutionised fashion, lifestyle and the environment.
Sneakers and streetwear have revolutionised fashion, lifestyle and the environment. Global Footwear Market Report 2021, reports that the Sneaker Market is Projected to Reach $403.2 Billion USD by 2025 - Driven by New Design Trends and Rising Discretionary Spending Among an Expanding Middle Class Population.

From Nike, Toms, Puma, Adidas to Converse, Veja, Yeezy to Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Chanel everyone is wearing sneakers. Kanye West, Mark Zuckerberg, Taylor Swift, ViratKohli, Beyonce and people from all walks of life both young and old are wearing sneakers. The sneaker industry like all industries has had to pivot itself to environmentally friendly and sustainable sneakers. Spain, Italy and many countries in South America are leading the way in producing sneakers made of recyclable materials including food.

TASK: In this business research assignment you will audit, analyse and evaluate the social and digital media of an environmentally and sustainable sneaker brand.

Answer

Executive Summary
The concept of sustainable business development explored in this business research assignment is crucial for each organisation to sustain in the global competition. Every brand is trying to develop new strategies for the sustainable growth and development of their company. One of the major strategies for sustainable business is the development of eco-friendly products. Consumers are aware of the environmental issues and are tend to buy eco-friendly products. This report focuses on the brand Nike, which has developed eco-friendly products and has paved the way for sustainable business development. The development of eco-friendly products can be seen as one of the major concepts of contemporary businesses.

Introduction
Nike is one the biggest footwear brand in the world. Nike came into existence in the year 1971 and since then it has been in business and has developed itself over the years.Nike has constantly pushed boundaries in innovating sportswear, over the last five decades. Though Nike has majorly focused on the performance of the brand, it has never ignored the fact that sustainability is necessary to create a qualified brand. Nike has been recognised as the brand using the most recycled polyester, in 2018. Not only that, Nike has been winning the tag for the most using recycled polyester six years in a row. Nike has brought about the transformation of 6.4 billion plastic water containers into footwear which were made out of recycling water bottles(Feitelberg, 2021).

Discussion
Nike has been identified as one of the biggest brands to use the innovative concept of recycling waste products into footwear. Although Nike has been in the business of recycling products to make footwear, its quality has never been compromised. Nike believes that the growth of a business is not possible without sustainability efforts. Nike has stated that one of the major components of success is sustainability and it is not possible for a forward-thinking company to survive without sustainability efforts (Cavaleri, and Shabana, 2018).

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been taken very seriously by Nike and the company is constantly striving to cut off the negative impact of the manufacturing processes of the brand on the environment. Nike consumes half the energy it has been consuming eight years ago and produces half the emissions to make footwear. The use of 100% renewable energy is the goal of Nike and the company has already begun the implementation of the generation of renewable energy on the sites of some of its largest facilities (Pinto et. al., 2017).

Audit and Analysis
Audit and analysis of Nike’s website
Nike has a strong designed website that conveys its brand image and message in a well-developed way. Nike is one of the largest footwear brands in the world and website designing is a vital factor of the brand functioning. The brand has always been reliant on their merchandise being eye-catching to clients and the website has no difference. The website page uses striking illustrations like the background and ensures that the customer's focus goes on the products.

Audit and analysis of Nike’s social media presence
Nike can be identified as a leader in the social media domain. Nike has 92 million followers on Instagram which makes it the second most followed brand. The brand is the 19th of the most popular brands on Instagram. Nike is available on all the major social media platforms like Twitter,Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and others. The brand has a diverse presence with the development of different pages for its products which providethe needs to target different audiences.

The social media platforms and the website of the brand are well engaging to its customers. The products of the brand are being advertised in a well-strategized manner on the social media platforms and the website of the brand. The presentation of the social media pages and the website is striking and well defined which is sufficient for attracting customers and conveying the right knowledge to them.

CSR and customer engagement of Nike
Nike has ensured the marketing of their CSR activities by conveying its social values and ethics to the customers. The customers are having been given enough reasons to come back to the social media pages and the website of the brand. Nike has created a two-way conversation with its client base and that has ensured the attention and loyalty of the customers towards the brand.

Recommendations using Porter’s Value Chain model
Inbound logistics
o Production costs are low
o Purchase the raw materials locally
o Good control over inventory
o Less inventory risk
o A strong relationship with suppliers

Operations
o Outsourcing of products
o Manufacturing
o High investment in research and development
o Innovative technological concepts and implementation
o Equipment maintenance and repair

Outbound logistics
o Just-in-time delivery
o Well-built control over the worldwide distribution channel
o Regional distribution centres chain used
o Effective material handling
o Effective scheduling, processing of orders, transportation and delivery

Marketing and sales
o Brand reputation and recognition is high
o Strong client base
o Pricing strategy is value-based
o Cost leadership
o Well-built promotional events
o Celebrity endorsements
o High market budget allocation
o Iconic logo and tagline
o Advantage of economies of scale
o Advantage of being the first mover,

Services
o Pre-sales and after-sales services are excellent
o IT implementation to enhance customer facility and experience
o Client satisfaction is a major focus o Personalization

Recommendations
a) The competitor has been identified as the strongest force for Nike and the brand should focus on prioritizing strategies that deal with competition.
b) Nike is also threatened by the bargaining powers of the clients and the substitutes. Nike must invest more in product development to gain a competitive advantage (Nam, Dong and Lee, 2017).
c) Based on the analysis of the Five Forces, it can also be recommended that Nike should implement plans to attract more customers and retaining them.

Conclusion
It can be concluded that Nike is one of the biggest players in the footwear industry and it has improved its business by developing sustainable and eco-friendly products. The website design and the social media pages are well built and express the ideas and the product detail very well. The CSR activities of Nike is marketed in a strategized way which has resulted in attracting more customers. The Porters Five Forces analysis of Nike has evaluated that the facilities and the internal operations of the company are well structured which ensures the on-time delivery of the products to the customers. The customers base of Nike is satisfied with the product quality and the service quality of the brand. The brand must focus on product development to make sure that the customer base is attracted and retained.

Recommendations
a) The brand must keep investing in renewable energy use to ensure lower emission and more environmentally friendly business. The investment and improvement of the company towards the use of renewable resources would ensure a strong position of the company in the industry.
b) Nike must develop products to ensure the loyalty of its client base and to keep the competitors out of the domain.Nike must focus on its competitors and develop strategies to gain a competitive advantage to sustain in the business (Grubor and Milovanov, 2017).
c) Nike must use their website and social media pages more efficiently to deliver messages which represents the brand in a well-defined manner.

References
Feitelberg, R. (2021). Nike evaluates its diversity, sustainability. Wwd, 11, 11–11.
https://lesa.on.worldcat.org/v2/search/detail/9026987395queryString=Nike%20sustainability&clusterResults= true&stickyFacetsChecked=true&groupVariantRecords=false&subformat=Artchap%3A%3Aartchap_artcl& changedFacet=content&year=2015..2024&expandSearch=off&translateSearch=off&content=fullText
Cavaleri, S., Shabana, K. (2018). Rethinking sustainability strategies. Business research assignmentJournal of Strategy and Management, 11(1), 2–17. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-08-2016-0050
Nam, C., Dong, H., & Lee, Y.-A. (2017). Factors influencing consumers’ purchase intention of green sportswear. Fashion and Textiles : International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 4(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-017-0091-3
Pinto, G. L., Dell’Era, C., Verganti, R., & Bellini, E. (2017). Innovation strategies in retail services: solutions, experiences and meanings. European Journal of Innovation Management, 20(2), 190–209. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-06-2015-0049
Grubor, A., & Milovanov, O. (2017). Brand strategies in the era of sustainability. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 15(1), 78–88. https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.15.1.6