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Not only was the GoodWorks report incomplete, it was also very fictitious. Andrew Young?s report lists Anita Chan as a contact. Ms. Chan wrote a letter to the Washington Post denying ever being contacted by Mr. Young or anyone from GoodWorks. She states that if she had been contacted, she would have brought to his attention numerous health, wage, and safety violations, which were occurring in the Chinese factories. These inaccuracies are not limited to China. Photos were taken of Andrew Young during his trip to Vietnam, one of which was captioned ?Andrew Young meeting with plant management and union representatives in Vietnam?. Nike spokesman Mr. Vada Manager later admitted that the men in the photograph with Mr. Young were receiving salaries from the company, rather than from the union or the Vietnamese government.

In a lawsuit filed by the state of California against Nike, Inc., representatives from the state contend, ?Nike knew, or should have known, that the GoodWorks report was deficient in its failure to address the potentially life-threatening health and safety violations at the Tae Kwang Vina plant.? Despite the inconsistencies in the GoodWorks report, Nike represented it as proof that it was doing a good job and ?operating morally? (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.).

As can be expected, Nike denies wrongdoing in the conditions of its factories and claims to be justified in all of its actions. There have been numerous, unsuccessful boycotts against the company, and Nike has retaliated with denials and attempts to justify its actions. For example, Nike is a member of the Fair Labor Association, a White House-backed organization, which has apparel companies on its board. Mr. Knight and the shareholders of Nike feel this association is an acceptable effort toward rectifying the situation in its factories. However when the University of Oregon joined a different organization, the Workers Rights Consortium, Nike CEO Philip Knight cancelled his planned $30 million donation to his alma mater. The billionaire Mr. Knight has previously given a total of $50 million to the University of Oregon – $30 million for academics, and $20 million for athletics. As an explanation for the withdrawal of the promised donation, Nike spokesman Vada Manager said ?We object to the Worker?s Rights Consortium because it does not provide a seat on the table for companies.? He went on to say ?The University of Oregon, despite its unique relationship with Nike and Phil, is free to align itself with the Worker?s Rights Consortium. However, it does not mean that we are required to support those efforts with which we have fundamental disagreements.? (Knight; Greenhouse).

Randy Newnahm, University of Oregon Senior and Survival Center Coordinator has a different view of Mr. Knight. Perhaps he sums up the whole situation best. ?He (Mr. Knight) keeps claiming that his company is socially responsible and that they don?t use sweatshop labor. If that?s the case, why is he so upset that we joined this monitoring group? It kind of implies that something isn?t quite up to par.? (Greenhouse).

Greenhouse, Steven. ?USA: Nike CEO Cancels Gift to University Over Monitoring.? New York Times 25 April 2000.

Knight, Philip. ?Statement From Nike Founder & CEO Philip H. Knight Regarding the University of Oregon.?

Nike. ?Statement by Nike Regarding an Interim Agreement with the University of Michigan.?

O?Rourke, Dara. ?Comments on the Vietnam Section of the Tuck School Report: ?Nike, Inc.: Survey of Vietnamese and Indonesian Domestic Expenditure Levels??

Press for Change. ?Dragging Negotiations Cited as Key Factor in Protest?

State of California. ?State of California v. NIKE, INC.?

Vietnam Labor Watch. ?Nike Labor Practices in Vietnam: An Open Letter to Concerned Americans, Nike Shareholders, and Consumers.?

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