Nike has signed a three-year commitment to fund a
microenterprise program in Vietnam that will provide
financial aid to under-capitalized women looking to start
their own small businesses. Nike's program will process
loans from any female residents of the Vietnamese villages
of Trung An and Tan Thanh Tay. Applicants are not required
to be employed by Nike. Each recipient will receive a
business loan of $85, to be repaid within six months. Nike
is providing $25,000 for the launch, and expects almost 300
women to receive loans in the inaugural year (Nike).
CAN'T SHAKE IT: In Washington, Timothy Burn examined
Nike's PR troubles regarding overseas working conditions and
wrote that "though the negative media attention has so far
had little affect on Nike sales, company officials are
concerned that its global image could be permanently
tarnished." Nike's Vada Manager: "The concern is that if
you allow these erroneous charges to go unchallenged it
could hurt business. Our corporate image is our greatest
strength." On Saturday, "several rights groups plan to
stage simultaneous rallies in several cities around the
world to protest" Nike's association with "sweatshoplike
factories" in Southeast Asia (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/13).
SEE YA IN THE FUNNY PAGES: Gary Trudeau has made Nike
the subject of his DOONESBURY strip this week, while
alerting readers of this weekend's rallies (THE DAILY).
