The public relations fiasco that has haunted Nike Taiwan for a week temporarily came to an end when the company's general manager finally showed up to apologize to the public at a press conference yesterday morning.
In front of a packed house of journalists, the country head of the American sportswear maker Hank Lin (
This is an about-face for the branch office, which was criticized by some for having an "arrogant attitude" at an earlier press conference on Wednesday, which was forced to end abruptly after reporters walked out en masse to "protest" Nike executives' refusal to apologize.
"Their crisis management is really laughable," said Horng Shun-ching (
He said this has exposed massive flaws inside the company, as this matter -- which could have been a minor incident -- dragged on for a week, becoming a huge controversy.
"They should have made apologies and offered compensation at the beginning," he said.
As Lin admitted that they had known about Jordan's less-than-two-minute appearance beforehand, Horng said this has greatly damaged Nike's reputation and would definitely be reflected in its sales in coming weeks.
In an effort to show their sincerity, Lin said Nike products bought between May 1 and May 22 could be refunded without condition and the company will sponsor 30 community basketball courts -- in addition to giving exclusive posters and Air Jordan 1 Retro Low shoes to 700 fans.
The Consumers' Foundation therefore canceled boycotts of Nike sportswear it has planned to stage yesterday afternoon.
"Although Nike Taiwan's response was not aimed at the foundation's requests made Tuesday, it has shown goodwill and boycotts are now unnecessary," Cheng Jen-hung (
Cheng said the businesses would secure public support only when they respect consumers' rights and interests.
Although Nike Taiwan has responded to the disappointment of the fans, who were vexed at the basketball megastar's too-brief appearance last Saturday, government investigations are still underway.
Fair Trade Commission chairman Hwang Tzong-leh (
Article 41 of the Fair Trade Act (
In addition, the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office has stepped in to look into the disputes.
"We're collecting evidence and would like victims to make depositions," said Prosecutor Lee Hong-wei (
The office has not ruled out issuing a summons to the company executive to clarify the issue, Lee said.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
The government is considering polices to increase rental subsidies for people living in social housing who get married and have children, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During an interview with the Plain Law Movement (法律白話文) podcast, Cho said that housing prices cannot be brought down overnight without affecting banks and mortgages. Therefore, the government is focusing on providing more aid for young people by taking 3 to 5 percent of urban renewal projects and zone expropriations and using that land for social housing, he said. Single people living in social housing who get married and become parents could obtain 50 percent more
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
RSS