Academics Studying Nike Web Document 

http://business.nmsu.edu/~dboje/nike.html 

"This Article Has an Interesting History"

David Boje

Here is the chronology:

First I wrote an article on the plight of women in Nike factories in Vietnam.

Boje, D. M. 1998f Nike, Greek Goddess of Victory or Cruelty? Women's Stories of Asian Factory Life Journal of Organizational Change Management. Vol. 11(6): 461-480. This article was part of a special issue "Strategic Dimensions of Organizational Change and Restructuring in the Asia Pacific: Part II, Concerns of Local Stakeholders", guest edited by Usha C. V. Haley (see editorial, pp. 458-460).

Second, I got a request to reprint this article in a book, as a chapter in Usha C.V. Haley's (ed.) as Chapter 26 in the (anonymous publishers') book to be titled: Strategic Management in the Asia Pacific : Harnessing Regional and Organizational Change for Competitive Advantage.  

• "Your article for JOCM [Journal of Organizational Change Management] on Nike will appear in the above book as Chapter26. Your WWW sites on Nike will appear as Chapter 27b on 5 October, 1998." Says Book editor and publisher.
• However, first the anonymous publisher could not find Nike's nikeworkers.com web sites (they have been reformatted and are now at (press here) to verify the comparisons I made in the journal article. 
  • (publisher's) attorney on June 15th, 1999 contacted the editor (Haley) saying: "Having checked the websites [in Chapter 26] - most are no longer now available indicating that Nike have taken action to have them removed - you would be left in the position of proving that all allegations are fact. You would
    be involved in a long and costly battle with the possibility that the book would be withdrawn (remember the McDonalds case)."
• Said publisher did elect to send the chapter (a JOCM article reprint) to Dusty Kidd of Nike Inc. (Labor Practices Department) and to Phil Knight (Nike CEO) for their critical evaluation and recommendation. 
  • FIRST RESPONSE - From publisher - "I've heard today from Nike (I'd asked them to respond by 16 July). Their Director of Labor Practices says that "I have read the first ten pages of text, and scanned the remainder. It is replete with error, and makes statements that are outrageous, and defamatory (For example, "Young girls are still being sold into bondage in Nike factories." P. 35).  This text has been referred to our legal department, and I will take their advice before responding."
  • SECOND RESPONSE - On August 2nd, 1999, Boje received this rendition of Nike's response. It was embedded in this glowing communication from the editor. It seemed that constructive dialogue was actually happening between my work and Nike Corporation: 
    
    FROM EDITOR: "I [Editor] just had a long conversation with Dusty Kidd (Director of Labor Practices for Nike) with whom [xxxx] {Managing Editor for PUBLISHER] communicated. He appeared entirely reasonable -- as top executives of major US companies do. He will discuss this further with his lawyers and get a formal letter to me in a day or two but here are the main points: 
    • Nike will allow publication of the book and the Nike chapter, and will file no libel suit, in the interests of academic freedom and free speech which Nike strongly supports if 
      • a) certain sentences (such as the one indicated to PUBLISHER) on selling woman in bondage are removed 
        b) Dusty [KIDD] will write a small piece (Ch. 20.2) about 5-10 pages (he said he was "not a wordy guy") with Nike's rejoinder; Nike will want this and Dusty's bio published in the book. He is meeting Dara O'Rourke (one of the key sources in the Nike chapter) today and will enlist his help in a rejoinder.
    • Dusty was especially happy about the idea of getting Nike's point of view out to students and academics at
      gatekeeper institutions such as Harvard. (Nike as he agreed, is very unpopular on US campuses, with several "Boycott Nike" campaigns underway)" {End of quote form August 2nd, 2, 1999 email.

  THIRD - A NON RESPONSE - On August 20th, the editor of the book emailed me that the chapters would be published without a Nike response since XXX had been trying to secure since August 2nd, 1999. 

• FINAL RESPONSE - FROM NIKE - On mid-night, August 20th, Nike sent its response, a 12-page table of comments. The first substantive feedback I obtained. I wanted to just see it published along side the article, but the publisher folded. They would not risk a Nike lawsuit. 
  • "I {EDITOR] attach Nike's response (written by Dusty Kidd, Director of Labor Practices at Nike and Nike's corporate counsel) as a Word97 for Windows file." THIS IS QUOTE FROM THE ATTACHMENT:
    • "Please note that Nike's lawyers have specifically stated that
      this response cannot be printed or quoted.  The response is intended as a taste of what can be brought up by Nike in court should this chapter be published as is and with the additional changes that you made earlier." [Dusty Kidd, Dated August 20, 1999]. 

• I do have the electronic text (12 pages) of the Dusty Kidd review, but for legal reasons, I can not cite or reproduce it in any form. To respond would throw the editor of the book, the UK book publisher, the MCB publisher of Journal of Organizational Change Management, and yours truly into court.  Nike has a big voice and rattles its saber at publishers, editors and authors. More than that, I learned the following. The strategy is to rattle the saber, offer conciliation, then delay and delay, and use the ultimate threat as a last resort. I want to make it perfectly clear, I agreed all the way through the 5 October 1998 to 20 August, 1999 negotiations to remove any objectionable commentary, document anything that was though by Nike, editor, or publishers to need documentation, find any non-working web sites (which turned out to be Nike's) and allow Nike to enter unchallenged by me, any response they chose to write.  As it stands now, I have a response, but if I respond, the results are obvious. David Boje.
  • 
    FORTUNATELY ONE SCHOLAR WHO EXAMINED MY WORK ADDS ANOTHER VOICE:

1. Barry, David's (1999) (press here) presentation to the Discourse and Language Conference at Ohio State University. Barry did an analysis of Boje's  1998  "Nike, Greek goddess of victory or cruelty?: Women's stories of Asian factory life" article and has his own unique perspective on Nike (press here) to see Barry's analysis.

Bottom Line, MCB publishers will never publish another Nike article.