Innovation In Sports - Essay Example

INNОVАTIОN IN SРОRTS Name: Course Instructor’s name Institution Date INNОVАTIОN IN SРОRTS Introduction Over the years Nike has focused on carrying out frequent technological improvement on their sporting products, nearly each year Nike Company unveils a new advancement or technological improvement on its sport ware, foot wares and other apparels. These innovations have in no doubt revolutionized various aspects of the game with most of the players using these products confessing that these products have significantly helped them in improving their performance. Due to Nikes constant improvement of its products it has become a sportswear giant and a market leader in context to sports footwear and other sports apparels products (Wier, 2009, p.7.). For instance this year Nike unveiled its Nike anti clog traction technology for its football boots products. This is a technology that prevents mud from clogging underneath the football boots. Literature review History of the innovation; The Nike anti clog traction technology dates back in the year 2014 when Dr. Jeremy Walker noted that the problem of the boots of footballers are layered with mud especially in wet and firm grounds was a major inconvenience in the sport. He noted that this problem made these footballers less mobile due to their heavy football boots which would often be layered with mud. Dr. Jeremy Walker is quoted saying that everyone has experienced this problem and they would not want to be forced to constantly take time away from the game removing this layer of mud in these football boots (Techtracks 2016, n.p). In this case Dr.. Walker dived deep into research trying to come up with a football boot technology that ensures that layers of mud do not constantly stick underneath the player’s boots. He testifies that it took him approximately two year to finally come up with a breakthrough, the Nike anti clog traction technology. In this case Dr. Walker claims that this was not an easy task and affirms that there is a reason why this problem has been there for decades (Sasha 2016, n.p). He claims that his education background where he has experience in materials science engineering and chemistry helped him in this break. Before this breakthrough Dr. Walker claims that they shifted their focus from the repelling water problem to using it as an advantage through creating a lubricious layer which would be quite slippery for layers of mud to stick on. However, he also emphasizes that in the course of creating this technology his team was cautious not to sacrifice the traction aspect of the technology. Dr. Walker says that he took upon himself to study and understand the molecular structure of the mud. In this case he claims that this was key in the creation of the hydrophilic solution which was essential in preventing mud from clogging on the plate underneath these football boots (Riot, Carter & James 2015, n.p). After the development of this technology it was put in a series of test where players around the world have played in this boots in multiple types of grounds (Sasha 2016, n.p). After enough test to prove the affectivity of this technological innovation the Nike anti clog traction technology was unveiled early in the year 2016. The company has taken up effort to improve this technology. Mud sticking on footballers’ boots has over the years caused injuries as well as costing many teams in terms of results and revenues. Whenever there are rains , matches have often been rescheduled or suspended temporary but if every team adopted the traction technology then their plans can play under the most worst weather conditions with a lot of ease (Ringuet-Riot, Carter & James 2014, pg. 818). Observations Where the innovation sits within the industry; Through this innovation Nike has further stamped its stance as an industry leader and a force to reckon within the sportswear manufacturing industry. Similarly, this technology has also changed the way people think of traction on wet ground. This innovation has also elevated Nikes position in the industry in the wake of the unveiling of its all Conditions football boots which ensures that football can be played in any type of whether condition (Pawlak and Smoleń 2009,p46 ). For this particular technology it has improved on this by ensuring that football players can play in any type of whether condition as well as ensure that they are not constantly pounded with the problem of removing clogged mud underneath their boots (Relaunched, 2016). This technology has also escalated Nikes industry position since a number of football stars have been seen donning boots with this particular technology an issue which has further stamped Nikes position as a market leader in terms of entrepreneurship and innovation. It is estimated that Nike’s sports footwear and sport apparel sales in the year 2015 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate level was estimated to be 12.6% which is significantly higher that the growth rate of its competitors such as Adidas Asics and Puma (Riot, Carter & James 2015, n.p). This is attributed to Nike’s immense focus on technological advancement of its products as evidently seen in its newly unveiled Nike anti clog traction technology. According to Bowerman (2016), the company’s sport researcher claims that Nike company’s focus for technologically improved products and advances on its products is also evident through the company’s focus on research and entreprenurship. In this case this company has an allocated department which is in charge on conducting research and tests on ways to improve its products. This has set Nike apart from the rest of its competitors as well as enforcing the company’s industry leader position (Ratten 2011, pg.59) Nike’s technological advancements impact on the sport where they have elevated the performance of sport stars making its products in high demand especially for the professional athletes who need them in order to enhance their performance. This has therefore made Nike a pace setter in the sports footwear and sports apparel manufacturing industry due to the high demand that their products command in almost all sports (Olesen, 2014,p 4). Discussion How the organization came to use the innovation in question; Nike Company came to use the innovation through the help of its research labs team. This team is attributed for the exploration of all the niches which technology could highly influence. Consequently, Driving product innovation for athletes through the knowledge and insight gained from the company’s research team’s scientific understanding of the performance of athletes (Epstein, Buhovac &Yuthas 2010, 353-355). Thus, the research entailed fundamental questions which are driven towards unlocking of innovation and entrepreneurship. For this particular innovation the research team focused on the ongoing problem of layers of mud getting clogged underneath the football boots of athletes and felt there is a need to address that problem through innovation. Through an in-depth research the Nikes research team found out that the layers of mud clogging underneath the athlete’s boots reduced the performance levels of athletes. In this case this research team realized that this resulted to slippery surface leading to the athlete constantly falling or even being injured (Sasha, 2016, n.p). This layers of mud made the boots significantly heavy therefore slowing the acceleration of the athletes. Nikes research team therefore noted that this was an issue which they needed to address by coming up with football boots which prevented mud from clogging underneath (Techtracks 2016, n.p). Nike’s research team built on the knowledge source in their disposal through taping of the insights on both the world’s best athletes and the usual football players who had experiences of clogged layers of mud on their football boots. This innovation therefore came through Nike’s test of countless ideas which are all in the context of the pursuit of the sports footwear and sports apparel which aid the performance of athletes as well as reduce their risk of getting injured (Ramaswamy 2008, pg.13). The organization came to use this innovation through its research lab which is a global hub of sport science as well as through its research partnerships with major universities and institution in Europe, Asia and North America (Techtracks 2016, n.p). Therefore through these researches and its pool of talent from its research team the company was able to come with anti- clog footwear which was created by cutting-edge science. On the other hand, the company also came to use this innovation through biomechanical study which revealed the athletes movement and how their footwear constantly pick up layers of mud . In this case Nikes research team focused on finding materials to de on the underside of these football boots which prevented clogging of layers of mud (Riot, Carter & James 2015, n.p). The sports science visualization tool in this case came in handy in testing the materials used in creation of anti-clog footwear. How does it compare to use in other organizations The sport footwear manufacturing industry has changed over the years with more players in this industry seeking more market share. Over the year Nike has remains as an industry leader and this is attributed to its focus on technological advancement in an effort to create more advanced products (DeLong 2009, pg. 110). Most brands which their core business was sports cloth wear have now jumped in the sports footwear manufacturing bandwagon (Business wire 2016, n.p). However new players have been reported to use cheap materials and traditional overused technologies. This has made major players such as Nike to continue dominating this industry through its focus on technological innovation. Nike anti Anti-Clog tech is not match to any other technological advancement created by any other sports footwear and sports apparel industry player. This particular technological innovation stands out since it comes with a new SG- Pro studs pattern. In this case Nike has set its self apart from the other industry players by creating a unique stud pattern and opting not to go with the traditional stud pattern (Carty, 2002, pp.129-146 ). In this particular technology a flatter surface is placed underneath this footwear to ensure that the surface on the shoes sole has minimal contact with the ground therefore it can rarely pick up layers of mud. On the other hand this technology is non-comparable in the context of Nike’s competitors since it uses water on the sole which is essential through the creation of a barrier preventing layers of mud from sticking on the footwear (Relaunched 2016, n.p). However, other competitors like Puma and Adidas have come up with cutting edge technologies like the EVOspeed, EVOpower and lace less football boots respectively but Nike’s traction technology still stands out. Anti-clog is an aspect that has never been tried before therefore it put Nike ahead of its competitors in regards to sports footwear technology. The water behind this technology ensures that the footwear is able to have good traction despite the king of whether condition that an athlete is playing in. The science behind this technology also sets Nike apart from its competitors in this case the water acts as the lubricant which keeps the mud off. In this case the adaptive polymers, soleplate and water ensure that there is a lubricious layer between the sole plate underneath the footwear and the mud (Riot, Carter & James 2015, n.p). This particular condition is only active when exposed to water the condition which results to layers of mud clogging underneath the footwear. Evidently, Nike’s new technology sets them apart from its competitors since this technology shows that they are aimed to cater for the needs of the athletes with major innovations. In this case rather than focusing on creation of fancy aspects of these sports footwear like other players in this industry Nikes looks at the needs of the athletes through reviewing the constant problems they are facing and seeks to address these problems through meeting these player’s needs (Epstein, Buhovac & Yuthas 2010, pg.354). Ken Link, (2016) A football boots designers claims that sports footwear and sports apparel manufacturing company should focus on the needs of the athletes if they are to make a stance in this industry. In this case Nikes new technology allows athletes to any size to play since it ensures that their product ranges from all sizes as well as it also allows them to play and any speed due to the ant-clog technology as opposed to competitors like puma who are more concerned on design. In this case Nike sets itself apart from its other competitors through ensuring that it does not concentrate on one target group of athletes rather it ensures that it has footwear products range from different sizes for children aspiring to be top athletes and footwear products for athletes, this has propelled its entrepreneurship and innovation spirit over the years backed by a strong R&D team (Vanessa 2012, pg.72). This shows an aspect of diversity approach that the Nike Company has taken up in order to boost its revenue generation through sales of footwear products with Anti-Clog technology for a wide range of customers. What does the future hold for the innovation of choice? Through this particular radical innovation Nike appears to have taken a huge stride in perfection of its products by seemingly taking up the task of controlling nature by itself and adopting focal innovations (BurgeSmani, and Wheelwright, 2004 n.p). In this case the future of this technology looks quite promising since the problem of clogging football boots is a problem that has been present for a long period of time. In fact Nike President and CEO Mark Parker during the unveiling of this technology claimed that the problem of football boots clogging mud has been with us for a couple of decided and counting but Nike’s technology will remedy this. The break that Nike Company has made in regard to the Anti-Clog technology reveals the bright future that this technology has (Techtracks 2016, n.p). The problems that this technology solves which range from ensuring stability and balance of athletes through prevention of cases of slippery and enabling them to run swiftly due to light weighing footwear which do not have clogged layers of mud. This therefore means that athletes are able to perform at their level best without any burring in regards to the infectivity of the footwear (Olesen 2014, pg.41). This is evident through the quickness of the elite athletes in appreciating this particular technology where we have seen top athletes donning Nike footwear with this particular technology. For instance, Christiano Ronaldo a top football athlete has by himself claimed in a recent advertisement that this technology has a significant boost to the athlete performance through ensuring that they can fully accelerate (goal 2016, n.p). The soleplate technology therefore promises a bright future in the context of athlete’s performance. The CEO of Nike, Mark Parker, also sees a bring future in the Anti-Clog technology in this case during the unveiling of this technology he claimed that he has no doubt that this technology will become an integral part of the company sport footwear products. On the other hand that despite it starting small in a matter of time this technology will move into other Nike product categories. He also emphasizes that this technology will become ubiquitous going forward. Conclusion It is evident that the Anti-Clog technology by Nike Company is an industry changer as well as sports innovations. The science behind this particular technology ensures that it gives the athletes the best sports footwear product that guarantees high performance. This technology has also elevated the position of Nike Company in the sports footwear manufacturing industry by making it a pacesetter through its industry changing technologies and an innovate entrepreneurial company. The Anti-Clog technology was created by professional researches and tests have proven that it is up to scale when it comes to fostering the performance of athletes. In this case test have been carried out to prove the worth of this technology and see whether there are any faults in this technology and none has been found. This therefore means that this technology has high potential and its future is quite bright. 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