2024年5月29日发(作者：佘子爱)
Non-competitive Strategic Cooperation/Alliance: Apple and Nike in Sports
Wearable Equipment Field
As the world's most valuable high-tech company, Apple has always been an
expert in using diversified development strategies. Methods of development can
be classified into internal development methods and external development
methods. And the external development methods include mergers, acquisitions
and cooperation/alliances. Apple has kept good cooperation relationship with
Nike over the past decade and the paper tries to analyze the non-competitive
strategic cooperation alliance between these two giants of different fields.
Two independent firms and the cooperation field
NIKE is the world's leading sporting goods manufacturer，Nike has invested a
lot of manpower and material resources in new product innovation and
development. Apple is known for its innovation among all the worldwide
high-tech companies. The cooperation field of Apple and Nike is the field of sports
wearable equipment, which can hardly to be completed by either company alone.
Apple is a hardware device manufacturer, Nike is a sports equipment manufacturer.
As long as Apple is willing to provide application support for Nike, Nike will be
very happy to sell its products through is no subordinate relationships
between them. Remaining independent, they cooperate to undertake actions in
the field of sports wearable equipment, The two companies have been together
developing sports wearable equipment market for about ten years under the
ecological environment of digital products and services, to bring a richer user
experience for all people.
Cooperation and non-competitive strategic cooperation
Apple and Nike, the two independent firms, have reached an agreement to
share their resources and capabilities (Apple’s hardware and Nike’s sports user
group) to reinforce their competitive advantage in the field of sports wearable
equipment, which is called the cooperation between Apple and Nike.
In traditional cooperation/alliance, the coordinated firms are in the same or
related industries or, in the same upstream and downstream industry chain, thus
the firms will face direct competition or will face price competition between the
two sides. But there is no direct competition relationship between Apple and Nike,
therefore this kind of cooperation is non-competitive strategic cooperation.
Long-term contractual agreements and shareholder agreements
In fact, as early as 10 years ago, Apple began its cooperation with Nike. In
2006, Apple and Nike launched a Nike + iPod sports package. Through the wireless,
the built-in chip in the Nike shoes was connected with the iPod, and the users
could record their time, distance, speed, heart rate, calorie consumption and other
data during their exercise through the iPod. It was the world's first generation of
wearable sports equipment as well.
Over the years, Apple and Nike has kept cooperation relationship in the initial
2024年5月29日发(作者：佘子爱)
Non-competitive Strategic Cooperation/Alliance: Apple and Nike in Sports
Wearable Equipment Field
As the world's most valuable high-tech company, Apple has always been an
expert in using diversified development strategies. Methods of development can
be classified into internal development methods and external development
methods. And the external development methods include mergers, acquisitions
and cooperation/alliances. Apple has kept good cooperation relationship with
Nike over the past decade and the paper tries to analyze the non-competitive
strategic cooperation alliance between these two giants of different fields.
Two independent firms and the cooperation field
NIKE is the world's leading sporting goods manufacturer，Nike has invested a
lot of manpower and material resources in new product innovation and
development. Apple is known for its innovation among all the worldwide
high-tech companies. The cooperation field of Apple and Nike is the field of sports
wearable equipment, which can hardly to be completed by either company alone.
Apple is a hardware device manufacturer, Nike is a sports equipment manufacturer.
As long as Apple is willing to provide application support for Nike, Nike will be
very happy to sell its products through is no subordinate relationships
between them. Remaining independent, they cooperate to undertake actions in
the field of sports wearable equipment, The two companies have been together
developing sports wearable equipment market for about ten years under the
ecological environment of digital products and services, to bring a richer user
experience for all people.
Cooperation and non-competitive strategic cooperation
Apple and Nike, the two independent firms, have reached an agreement to
share their resources and capabilities (Apple’s hardware and Nike’s sports user
group) to reinforce their competitive advantage in the field of sports wearable
equipment, which is called the cooperation between Apple and Nike.
In traditional cooperation/alliance, the coordinated firms are in the same or
related industries or, in the same upstream and downstream industry chain, thus
the firms will face direct competition or will face price competition between the
two sides. But there is no direct competition relationship between Apple and Nike,
therefore this kind of cooperation is non-competitive strategic cooperation.
Long-term contractual agreements and shareholder agreements
In fact, as early as 10 years ago, Apple began its cooperation with Nike. In
2006, Apple and Nike launched a Nike + iPod sports package. Through the wireless,
the built-in chip in the Nike shoes was connected with the iPod, and the users
could record their time, distance, speed, heart rate, calorie consumption and other
data during their exercise through the iPod. It was the world's first generation of
wearable sports equipment as well.
Over the years, Apple and Nike has kept cooperation relationship in the initial