SHARK EVIL

Shark Bay
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For other uses, see Shark Bay (disambiguation).
Shark Bay, Western Australia*
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party
Australia
Type
Natural
Criteria
vii, viii, ix, x
Reference
578
Region**
Asia-Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription
1991 (15th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List.** Region as classified by UNESCO.
Shark Bay is a world heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. It is an area centered approximately on 25°30′S 113°30′E / 25.5°S 113.5°E / -25.5; 113.5Coordinates: 25°30′S 113°30′E / 25.5°S 113.5°E / -25.5; 113.5, 800 kilometres north of Perth, on the westernmost point of Australia. An expedition led by Dirk Hartog happened upon the area in 1616, becoming the second group of Europeans known to have visited Australia.[1] Shark Bay was named by William Dampier, in 1699.
The area has a population of fewer than 1,000 people and a coastline of over 1,500 kilometers. The half dozen small communities making up this population occupy less than 1% of the total area.
Contents[hide]
1 Shark Bay World Heritage Site
1.1 Description
2 Discovery Centre
3 National Parks and Reserves
4 Bays of World Heritage area
5 Islands of World Heritage area
6 Peninsulas of the World Heritage area
7 IBRA sub regions of the Shark Bay Area
8 Footnotes
9 See also
10 External links
//
[edit] Shark Bay World Heritage Site
The World Heritage status of the region was created and negotiated in the 1990s [2]
[edit] Description

Shark Bay seen from Spot Satellite
The bay itself covers an area of 10,000 km², with an average depth of 10 metres. It is divided by shallow banks and has many peninsulas and islands. The coastline is over 1,500 km long. It is located in the transition zone between three major climatic regions and between two major botanical provinces.
Dirk Hartog Island is of major historic significance due to early explorers landing upon it. In 1616 Dirk Hartog landed at Inscription Point on the north end of Dirk Hartog Island and marked his discovery with a plate, which he inscribed with the date and nailed to a post. This plate was then replaced by a later explorer and returned to Holland. It is now kept in the National Museum of Holland. A replica can be found in the Shark Bay Discovery Centre in Denham.
Bernier and Dorre islands in the north west corner of the Heritage area are locations of some last remaining habitats of some Australian mammals threatened with extinction. They are used, as well and numerous smaller islands throughout the marine park, to release threatened species that are being bred at Project Eden in Francois Peron National Park. These islands are feral-free and so provide a safe haven of pristine environment on which to restore species that are threatened on the mainland.
The Australian Wildlife Conservatory are guardians of Faure Island off Monkey Mia. Seasonally, turtles come here to nest and in conjunction with DEC studies can be conducted on this sheltered island.

Stromatolites in Hamelin Pool are ancient structures that are built by microbes.
Shark Bay is an area of major zoological importance. It is home to about 10,000 dugongs (sea cows), around 10% of the world's population, and there are many Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, particularly at Monkey Mia. The area supports 26 threatened Australian mammal species, over 230 species of bird, and nearly 150 species of reptile. It is an important breeding and nursery ground for fishes, crustaceans, and coelenterates. There are over 323 fish species, with many sharks and rays.
Some Bottlenose Dolphins in Shark Bay exhibit the only known case of tool use in marine mammals (outside of sea otters): they protect their nose with a sponge while foraging for food in the sandy sea bottom.
Shark Bay has the largest known area of seagrass, with seagrass meadows covering over 4000 km² of the bay. It includes the 1030 km² Wooramel Seagrass Bank, the largest seagrass bank in the world. Shark Bay also contains the largest number of seagrass species ever recorded in one place; twelve species have been found, with up to nine occurring together in some places. The seagrasses are a vital part of the complex environment of the bay. Over thousands of years, sediment and shell fragments have accumulated in the seagrasses to form vast expanses of seagrass beds. This has raised the sea floor, making the bay shallower. Seagrasses are the basis of the food chain in Shark Bay, providing home and shelter to various marine species and attracting the dugong population.
In Shark Bay's hot, dry climate, evaporation greatly exceeds the annual precipitation rate. Thus, the seawater in the shallow bays becomes very salt concentrated, or 'hypersaline'. Seagrasses also restict the tidal flow of waters through the bay area, preventing the ocean tides from diluting the sea water. The water of the bay is 1.5x to 2x more salty than the surrounding ocean waters.
At Hamelin Pool in the south of the bay, living microbes are building stromatolites that are over 3000 years old. The Hamelin Pool contains the most diverse and abundant examples of stromatolite forms in the world.

Shark Bay Road

Map of Shark Bay area
Shark Bay was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1991. The site covers an area of 23,000 square kilometres. It includes many protected areas and conservation reserves, including Shark Bay Marine Park, Francois Peron National Park, Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve, Zuytdorp Nature Reserve and numerous protected islands.
Denham and Useless Loop both fall within the boundary of the site but are specifically excluded from it. Shark Bay was the first to be classified on the Australian World Heritage list.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES

Malaysia Airlines
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Malaysia Airlines (MAS)Penerbangan Malaysia

IATAMH
ICAOMAS
CallsignMALAYSIAN
Founded
1947 (as Malayan Airways)
Hubs
Kota Kinabalu International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuching International Airport
Penang International Airport
Frequent flyer program
Enrich and Grads
Member lounge
Golden Lounge
Subsidiaries
Firefly
MASwings
MASkargo
Fleet size
85 (+41 orders, 20 options)
Destinations
85 (included Maswings)
Company slogan
Going Beyond Expectations, "MH" is more than just an airline code; it is Malaysian Hospitality
Parent company
Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (Government Holding Company)
Headquarters
Subang, Selangor, Malaysia
Key people
Azmil Zahruddin (Managing Director & CEO)
Website
www.malaysiaairlines.com
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (Malay: Sistem Penerbangan Malaysia; Chinese: 马来西亚航空公司; MYX: 3786) is the government-owned flag carrier airline of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its secondary hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah International Airport in Subang, Selangor.[1]
Despite a financial restructuring exercise in 2006, Malaysia Airlines maintains a strong presence in Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Middle East and on the Kangaroo Route between Europe and Australasia. Malaysia Airlines also operated transatlantic flights from Kuala Lumpur to Newark, via Stockholm until October 2009. It operates transpacific flights from Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles, via Taipei. In 1997, the airline flew the world's longest non-commercial, non-stop flight from Boeing Field in Seattle to Kuala Lumpur, flying eastward passing the European and African continents and breaking the Great Circle Distance Without Landing record for an airliner on a Boeing 777-200ER longer than the record held by the Boeing 777-200LR.[2]
Malaysia Airlines non-aeronautical revenue sources include maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO),[3] and aircraft handling. Malaysia Airlines has two airline subsidiaries: Firefly and MASwings. Firefly operates scheduled flights from its home base Penang International Airport which focus on tertiary cities, while MASwings focuses on inter-Borneo flights. Malaysia Airlines has a freighter fleet operated by MASKargo, which manages freighter flights and aircraft cargo-hold capacity for all Malaysia Airlines' passenger flights. MASCharter is another subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines, operating charter flights using Malaysia Airlines' aircraft. After recovering from past losses, Malaysia Airlines is keen on merger and acquisition (M&A) activities: particularly airlines in the Asia Pacific region.[4] Malaysia Airlines was ranked second with score 88 in Aviation Week's Top Performing Companies which accurately measures financial viability of an airline.[5]
Since its inception in 1963, after Malayan Airways was separated into two parts, Malaysia Airlines has built up a strong brand name in the aviation industry for service and safety [6], coupled with numerous awards from international bodies such as Skytrax.[7]. Malaysia Airlines is accredited by International Air Transport Association with IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) for its operational safety practices.[8]
It is one of only six airlines to be given a 5-star status airline by Skytrax (the other 5 are Asiana Airlines from South Korea, Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong, Qatar Airways from Qatar, Singapore Airlines from Singapore and Kingfisher Airlines from India). Malaysia Airlines is also listed among Skytrax's Quality Approved Airlines, alongside fellow 5-star carriers Asiana Airlines, Kingfisher Airlines and Qatar Airways
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Malayan Aviation History
1.2 Beginnings
1.3 Incorporation
1.4 Expansion
1.5 First Unprofitability
1.6 Second unprofitability
1.7 Recovery from unprofitability
1.8 Everyday Low Fares
2 Corporate information
2.1 Subsidiaries
2.2 Financial Highlights
3 Branding
3.1 Corporate image
3.2 Corporate logo
4 Destinations
5 Travelling with Malaysia Airlines
5.1 Ground Service
5.2 Airport Lounge
5.3 Cabin
5.3.1 First Class
5.3.2 Golden Club Class
5.3.3 Economy Class
5.4 In-flight entertainment
6 Fleet
7 Frequent flyer programs
7.1 Enrich by Malaysia Airlines
7.2 Grads
8 Partnerships and Code Share Agreements
9 Historical flights
9.1 Accidents and incidents
10 References
11 External links
//
[edit] History
Malaysia Airlines started its operation on 1987 after the airline changed its name from Malaysian Airline System. It is founded in 1947 by Malayan Airways. Then, it transformed to Malaysian Airways due to Malaysia gaining its independence. After that, it changes its name once more to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines and thereafter ceased its operation. It was then divided into Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

A Airspeed Consul, the first aircraft type operated by Malayan Airways
[edit] Malayan Aviation History
Scheduled air passenger services in Malaya commenced in 1937 when Wearnes Air Services (WAS) commenced operating services between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Wearnes Air Services was started by two Australian brothers, Theodore and Charles Wearnes.[9] The service commenced as a thrice weekly flight between Singapore and Penang The first flight, using an 8-seater de Havilland Dragon Rapide D.H.89A took place on 28 June 1937. This inaugural flight possibly departed from either the older Seletar Airport or the then brand new Kallang Airport. Later a second D.H.89A enabled the expansion to daily services as well as the addition of Ipoh as a destination. The WAS services ceased with the onset of the Second World War Japanese occupation of Malaya and Singapore.
[edit] Beginnings
An initiative[10] by the Alfred Holt's Liverpool-based Ocean Steamship Company, in partnership with the Straits Steamship Company[11] and Imperial Airways, resulted in the incorporation in Singapore on 12 October, 1937, Malayan Airways Limited (MAL). But the first paying passengers could be welcomed on board only some 10 years later. After the war, MAL was restructured to include just the partnership of Straits Steamship and Ocean Steamship. The airline's first flight was a charter flight from the British Straits Settlement of Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, on 2 April 1947, using an Airspeed Consul twin-engined aircraft.[12] This inaugural flight on the "Raja Udang"[13], with only five passengers, departed Singapore's Kallang Airport and was bound for Kuala Lumpur's Sungai Besi Airport. Weekly scheduled flights quickly followed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang from 1 May 1947 with the same aircraft type.[14] The airline continued to expand during the rest of the 1940s and 1950s, as other British Commonwealth airlines (such as BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways) provided technical assistance, as well as assistance in joining IATA. By 1955, Malayan Airways' fleet had grown to include a large number of Douglas DC-3s, and went public in 1957. Other aircraft operated in the first two decades included the Douglas DC-4 Skymaster, the Vickers Viscount, the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, the Bristol Britannia, the De Havilland Comet 4 and the Fokker F27. Over the next few years, the airline expanded rapidly, boosted by post-war air travel demand when flying became more than a privilege for the rich and famous. By 12 April 1960, the airline was operating Douglas DC-3s, Super Constellations and Viscounts on new routes from Singapore to Hong Kong, and from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok via Penang. Flights were also introduced from Singapore to cities in the Borneo Territories, including Brunei, Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu), Kuching, Sandakan and Sibu.
In 1957, the airline became a state-run stock corporation. With the delivery of an 84-seat Bristol Britannia in 1960, the airline launched its first long-haul international flight, to Hong Kong. When Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, the airline's name was changed, from "Malayan Airways" to "Malaysian Airlines" (though still abbreviated to MAS). MAS also took over Borneo Airways. In 1966, following Singapore's separation from the federation, the airline's name was changed again, to Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). The next year saw a rapid expansion in the airline's fleet and routes, including the purchase of MSA's first Boeing aircraft: the Boeing 707s, as well as completion of a new high-rise headquarters in Singapore. Boeing 737s were added to the fleet soon afterward.
[edit] Incorporation

Malayan Airways DC-3
The differing needs of the two shareholders, however, led to the break-up of the airline just 6 years later. The Singapore government preferred to develop the airline's international routes, while the Malaysian government had no choice but to develop the domestic network first before going regional and eventually international. MSA ceased operations in 1972, with its assets split between two new airlines; Malaysian Airline System (MAS)(now Malaysia Airlines),[15] and Singapore Airlines.
With the Singapore government determined to develop Singapore Airlines' international routes, it took the entire fleet of seven Boeing 707s and five Boeing 737s, which would allow it to continue servicing its regional and long-haul international routes. Since most of MSA's international routes were flown out of Singapore, the majority of international routes were in the hands of Singapore Airlines. In addition, MSA's headquarters, which was located in Singapore, became the headquarters of that airline.
The initials MSA were well regarded as an airline icon, and both carriers tried to use them. Malaysian went for MAS by just transposing the last two letters and choosing the name Malaysian Airline System, while Singapore originally proposed the name Mercury Singapore Airlines to keep the MSA initials, but changed its mind and went for SIA instead. Acronyms for airline names later became less fashionable, and both carriers then moved on to their descriptive names.
[edit] Expansion

Boeing 747-400
Malaysian Airline System took all domestic routes within Malaysia and international routes out of that country, as well as the remaining fleet of Fokker F27's. It began flights on 1 October 1972. Soon after that, Malaysia Airline System rapidly expanded its services, including introducing long-haul flights from Kuala Lumpur to London.
In the same year, MAS operated flights to more than 34 regional destinations and six international services. In 1976, after receiving its DC-10-30 aircraft, MAS scheduled flights reached Europe, with initial services from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt.
An economic boom in Malaysia during the 1980s helped spur growth at Malaysia Airlines. By the end of the decade, MAS was flying to 47 overseas destinations, including eight European destinations, seven Oceania destinations, and the United States destinations of Los Angeles and Honolulu. In 1993, Malaysia Airlines reached South America when the airline received its B747 aircraft. When Malaysia Airlines introduced its service from Kuala Lumpur to South America, MAS became the first and only airline in Southeast Asia to serve South America via its flights to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Services extended to Central America when Malaysia Airlines began flying to Mexico City in the 1980s, which route was terminated in the 1990s.
[edit] First Unprofitability
Prior to the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, the airline suffered losses of as much as RM 260 million after earning a record-breaking RM319 million profit in the financial year 1996/1997. The airline then introduced measures to bring its P&L back into the black. For the financial year 1999/2000, the airline cut its losses from RM700 million in the year 1998/1999 to RM259 million. However, the airline plunged into further losses in the following year, amounting to RM417 million in FY2000/2001 and RM836 million in FY2001/2002. With these losses, the airline cut many unprofitable routes, such as Brussels, Darwin, Honolulu, Madrid, Munich and Vancouver.
The airline recovered from its losses in the year 2002/2003. It achieved its then-highest profit in the year 2003/2004, totaling RM461 million.
[edit] Second unprofitability

Regional services flown by Fokker F50s, such as this one, were once operated at a substantial loss.
In the year 2005, Malaysia Airlines reported a loss of RM1.3 billion. Revenue for the financial period was up by 10.3% or RM826.9 million, compared to the same period for 2004, driven by a 10.2% growth in passenger traffic. International passenger revenue increased by RM457.6 million or 8.4%, to RM5.9 billion, while cargo revenue decreased by RM64.1 million or 4.2%, to RM1.5 billion. Costs increased by 28.8% or RM2.3 billion, amounting to a total of RM 10.3 billion, primarily due to escalating fuel prices. Other cost increases included staff costs, handling and landing fees, aircraft maintenance and overhaul charges, Widespread Assets Unbundling (WAU) charges and leases.[16].
The Government of Malaysia appointed Idris Jala as the new CEO on 1 December 2005, to execute changes in operations and corporate culture. Several weaknesses in airline operations were identified as the causes of the RM1.3 billion loss. These included esclating fuel prices, increased maintenance and repair costs, staff costs, low yield per available seat kilometre ("ASK") via poor yield management and an inefficient route network. Under the leadership of Idris Jala, Malaysia Airlines launched its Business Turnaround Plan in 2006, developed using the Government-linked company (GLC) Transformation Manual as a guide.
The most substantial factor in the losses was fuel costs. For the period, the total fuel cost was RM3.5 billion, representing a 40.4% increase compared to the same period in 2004. Total fuel cost increases comprised RM977.8 million due to higher fuel prices and another RM157.6[16] million due to additional consumption. In the third quarter, fuel costs were RM1.26 billion, compared to the RM1.01 billion in the corresponding period in 2004, resulting in a 24.6% increase or RM249.3 million.[16]
Another factor for the losses was high operating costs. MAS substantially lagged its peers on yield. Some of this gap is due to differences in traffic mix,[17](less business traffic to and from Malaysia than to and from Singapore), but much of it was due to weaknesses in pricing and revenue management, sales and distribution, brand presence in foreign markets, and alliance base. Malaysia Airlines has one of the lowest labour costs per ASK at USD0.41, compared to other airlines such as Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines at USD0.59 and USD0.60[17] respectively. However, despite its low labour cost, the ratio of ASK revenue (millions) to this cost was, at 2.8, much lower than Singapore Airlines, where the ratio is 5.0, and slightly higher than Thai International Airways[17]
There are other factors listed in the Business Turnaround Plan of Malaysia Airlines, all leading to the net loss of RM1.3 billion in the year 2005.
[edit] Recovery from unprofitability

Boeing 777-200ER
Under the various initiatives, launched together with the Business Turnaround Plan, Malaysia Airlines turned losses into profits between FY2006 and FY2007. When the Business Turnaround Plan came to an end, the airline posted a record profit of 851 million Ringgit (265 million dollars) in 2007, ending a series of losses since 2005. The result exceeded the target of RM300 Million by 184%.[18].
Among the initiatives that turned losses back into profit, route rationalising was one of the major contributors. Malaysia Airlines pared its domestic routes from 114 to 22, and also cancelled virtually all unprofitable international routes (such as Kuala Lumpur-Manchester, that required a 140% load factor to break even). Apart from that, Malaysia Airlines also rescheduled all of its flight timings and changed its operations model from point to point services to hub and spoke services.
Additionally, the airline started Project Omega and Project Alpha to improve the company's network and revenue management. Emphasis has been placed on six areas: pricing, revenue management, network scheduling, opening storefronts, low season strategy and distribution management.
Malaysia Airlines has been involved in discussions for new aircraft purchases, using its cash surplus of 5.3 billion Ringgit to eventually purchase 55 narrow-body aircraft and 55 wide-body aircraft.[19].
[edit] Everyday Low Fares
Malaysia Airlines took an unprecedented move with its “Everyday Low Fares” (ELF) programme on 6 May 2008 which offers 1.3 million RM 0 for all domestic routes operated by Malaysia Airlines and Firefly.[20] According to the managing director of Malaysia Airlines, Datuk Seri Idris Jala the Everyday Low Fares programme will create new demand for people who do not fly with Malaysia Airlines.[21]
The Everyday Low Fares programme offers a maximum of 30% of the total seats on every flight which are unsold due to the average load factor of 70% on each flight. Thus, Malaysia Airlines is generating income for the airline through fuel surcharge, administrative fee and airport tax.[22] By 14 May 2008, Malaysia Airlines has sold more than 150,000 seats since the launch of the programme and 50,000 tickets has been sold in the first two days.[23]. Malaysia Airlines is also extending the programme to all Asean routes operated by Malaysia Airlines.[24]
However, the Everyday Low Fares programme launched by Malaysia Airlines has been strongly opposed by Asia's largest low cost carrier, AirAsia which claims that Malaysia Airlines is competing directly with AirAsia's business model but at the same time not allowing the budget carrier to compete against the national airline.[25]
[edit] Corporate information
Malaysia Airlines is listed on the stock exchange of Bursa Malaysia under the name Malaysian Airline System Berhad (MYX: 3786). The airline suffered high losses over the years due to poor management and fuel price increases. As a result of financial restructuring (Widespread Asset Unbundling) [16] in 2002, led by BinaFikir, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad became its parent company, incorporated in 2002, in exchange for assuming the airline's long-term liabilities. On the operational side, the Government of Malaysia appointed Idris Jala as the new CEO on 1 December 2005, to execute changes in operations and corporate culture. Under his leadership, Malaysia Airlines unveiled its Business Turnaround Plan (BTP) in February, 2006, which highlighted low yield, an inefficient network and low productivity (overstaffing). The airline headquarters building in downtown Kuala Lumpur was sold. The new corporate headquarters is now at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, Petaling.

Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flight MH138 docked at Adelaide Airport awaiting departure
Following the Widespread Asset Unbundling (WAU) restructuring of Malaysia Airlines, Malaysian Government investment arm and holding company, Khazanah Nasional's subsidiary, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad[26] is the majority shareholder with a 52.0% stake.[26] After Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad, the second-largest shareholder is Khazanah Nasional, which holds 17.33% of the shares. Minority shareholders include Employees Provident Fund Board (10.72%), Amanah Raya Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd (5.69%), State Financial Secretary Sarawak (2.71%), foreign shareholders (5.13%)[26] and Warisan Harta Sabah (2.4%). It has 19,546 employees (as of March, 2007).[27]. Malaysia Government has been reporting that the government's holding company, Khazanah Nasional is keen on selling shares of Malaysia Airlines to remain globally competitive in an industry which is fast-consolidating.[4]
[edit] Subsidiaries
Main article: Malaysia Airlines Subsidiaries
Malaysia Airlines has diversified in to related industries and sectors, including aircraft ground handling, aircraft leasing, aviation engineering, air catering, and tour operator operations. It has also restructured itself by spinning-off operational units as fully-owned subsidiaries, to maintain its core business as a passenger airline. Malaysia Airlines has over 20 subsidiaries, with 13 of them fully owned by Malaysia Airlines.[28]
Some of the subsidiaries include:
[edit] Financial Highlights
Malaysia Airlines experienced its worst lost in FY2005, with RM1.25 billion losses. Since then, the Business Turnaround Plan was introduced to revive the airline, in the year 2006. At the end of the airline's turnaround program, in financial year 2007, Malaysia Airlines gained RM851 million net profit: a swing of RM987 million compared to RM134 million in losses in FY2006, marking the national carrier’s highest-ever profit in its 60-year history. The achievement was recognised as the world’s best airline-turnaround story in 2007, with Malaysia Airlines being awarded the Phoenix award by Penton Media's Air Transport World: the leading monthly magazine covering the global airline industry.[29]

ADIDAS LIFE STYLE

Adidas
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Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the company. For the song by Korn, see A.D.I.D.A.S..
Adidas

Type
Public (AG, FWB: ADS)
Founded
1924 (registered in 1949)[1]
Founder(s)
Adolf Dassler
Headquarters
Herzogenaurach, Germany
Key people
Herbert Hainer (CEO), Erich Stamminger (CEO, Adidas Brand), Igor Landau (Chairman of supervisory board) (2009-)
Industry
Designing and Manufacturing
Products
Footwear, Sportswear, Sports equipmentToiletries
Revenue
€10.799 billion ($15.6 billion) (2008)[2]
Operating income
▲ €1.070 billion ($1.5 billion) (2008)[2]
Profit
▲ €642 million ($933 million) (2008)[2]
Employees
38,980 (2008)[2]
Website
www.adidas-group.com
Adidas AG (pronounced /əˈdiːdəs/ in US English, FWB: ADS) is a German-based sports apparel manufacturer and part of the Adidas Group, which consists of Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-adidas golf company, and Rockport. Besides sports footwear, the company also produces other products such as bags, shirts, watches, eyewear and other sports and clothing related goods. The company is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest sportswear manufacturer in the world, after its U.S. rival Nike.[3]
The company's clothing and shoe designs typically feature three parallel bars, and the same motif is incorporated into Adidas's current official logo. The "Three Stripes" were bought from the Finnish sport company Karhu Sports in the 1950s.[4][5] The company revenue for 2008 was listed at €10.799 billion and the 2007 figure was listed at €10.299 billion, or about US$15.6 billion.
Contents[hide]
1 History
1.1 Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik
1.2 Company split
1.3 Global Peace day
1.4 The Tapie affair
1.5 Post-Tapie era
2 Products
2.1 Running
2.2 Association football
2.3 Tennis
2.4 Golf
2.5 Cricket
2.6 Basketball
2.7 Lacrosse
2.8 Rugby
2.9 Skateboarding
3 Accessories
3.1 Toiletries
3.2 Marketing
3.3 Sponsorship
3.4 Corporate information
3.4.1 Current executive board
3.4.2 Former management
3.4.3 Financial information
3.5 Criticism
3.6 Slogan
3.7 Adidas Originals
3.8 Separation
3.9 Y-3
3.10 References
3.11 External links
3.11.1 Articles
//
[edit] History
[edit] Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik
Adolf ("Adi") Dassler started to produce his own sports shoes in his mother's wash kitchen in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, after his return from World War I. In 1924, his brother Rudolf (Rudi) Dassler joined the business which became Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik (Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory) and prospered. The pair started their venture in their mother's laundry, but at the time, electricity supplies in the town were unreliable, and the brothers sometimes had to use pedal power from a stationary bicycle to run their equipment.[6]
By the 1936 Summer Olympics, Adi Dassler drove from Bavaria on one of the world's first motorways to the Olympic village with a suitcase full of spikes and persuaded United States sprinter Jesse Owens to use them, the first sponsorship for an African-American. After Owens won four gold medals, his success cemented the good reputation of Dassler shoes among the world's most famous sportsmen. Letters from around the world landed on the brothers' desks, and the trainers of other national teams were all interested in their shoes. Business boomed and the Dasslers were selling 200,000 pairs of shoes each year before World War II.[7]
Late in World War II, the shoe factory shifted to production of the Panzerschreck anti-tank weapon.[8]
[edit] Company split
Both brothers joined the Nazi Party, but Rudolf was slightly closer to the party. During the war, a growing rift between the pair reached a breaking point after an Allied bomb attack in 1943 when Adi and his wife climbed into a bomb shelter that Rudolf and his family were already in: "The dirty bastards are back again", Adi said, apparently referring to the Allied war planes, but Rudolf was convinced his brother meant him and his family[9]. After Rudolf was later picked up by American soldiers and accused of being a member of the Waffen SS, he was convinced that his brother had turned him in.[6]
The brothers split up in 1947,[10] with
Rudi forming a new firm that he called Ruda - from Rudolf Dassler, later rebranded Puma,
and Adi forming a company formally registered as adidas AG (with lower case lettering) on 18 August 1949. The backronym All Day I Dream About Soccer, although sometimes considered the origin of the adidas name, was applied retroactively. The name is actually a portmanteau from "Adi" (a nickname for Adolf) and "Das" (from "Dassler").[1]
[edit] Global Peace day
On Global Peace day, 2009 a team of puma employees captained by their chief executive (Herbet Hainer) and Adidas employees captained by their chief executive (Jochen Zeitz) played a game of football. There were 700 employee specatators from both sides. The game was played at the adidas headquarters, both teams sported kits featuring both puma, and addidas features on it. The event showed that sport, specifically football can bring people together who wouldn't usually get together. "Our joint football match in support of PEACE ONE DAY and Global Peace Day was a unique experience for the participating players and our employees. It showed that everyone – and companies as well – can make their contribution to peace," said the two Chief Executives Jochen Zeitz and Herbert Hainer. "The symbolic handshake of adidas and PUMA helped to raise awareness for Global Peace Day and the necessity for non-violence and ceasefire."
[edit] The Tapie affair
After a period of trouble following the death of Adolf Dassler's son Horst Dassler in 1987, the company was bought in 1989 by French industrialist Bernard Tapie, for 1.6 billion French francs (now €243.918 million), which Tapie borrowed. Tapie was at the time a famous specialist of rescuing bankrupt companies, an expertise on which he built his fortune.
Tapie decided to move production offshore to Asia. He also hired Madonna for promotion. He sent, from Christchurch, New Zealand, a shoe sales representative, to Germany and met Adolf Dassler's descendants (Amelia Randall Dassler and Bella Beck Dassler) and was sent back with a few items to promote the company there.

A pair of Adidas "Samba" football trainers.
In 1992, Tapie was unable to pay the interest from his loan. He mandated the Crédit Lyonnais bank to sell Adidas, and the bank subsequently converted the outstanding debt owed into equity of the enterprise, which was unusual as per the prevalent French banking practice. Apparently, the state-owned bank had tried to get Tapie out of dire financial straits as a personal favour to Tapie, reportedly because Tapie was Minister of Urban Affairs (ministre de la Ville) in the French government at the time.
In February 1993, Crédit Lyonnais sold Adidas to Robert Louis-Dreyfus, a friend of Bernard Tapie for a much higher amount of money than what Tapie owed, 4.485 billion (€683.514 million) francs rather than 2.85 billion (€434.479 million). Tapie later sued the bank, because he felt "spoiled" by the indirect sale.
Robert Louis-Dreyfus became the new CEO of the company. He was also the president of Olympique de Marseille, a team Tapie had owned until 1993.
Tapie filed for personal bankruptcy in 1994. He was the object of several lawsuits, notably related to match fixing at the soccer club. During 1997, he served 6 months of an 18 month prison sentence in La Santé prison in Paris.
In 2005, French courts awarded Tapie a €135 million compensation (about 886 million francs).
[edit] Post-Tapie era
In 1994, combined with FIFA Youth Group, SOS Children's Villages became the main beneficiary.
In 1997, Adidas AG acquired the Salomon Group who specialized in ski wear, and its official corporate name was changed to Adidas-Salomon AG because with this acquisition Adidas also acquired the Taylormade Golf company and Maxfli which allowed them to compete with Nike Golf.
In 1998, Adidas sued the NCAA over their rules limiting the size and number of commercial logos on team uniforms and apparel. Adidas withdrew the suit, and the two groups established guidelines as to what three-stripe designs would be considered uses of the Adidas trademark.
In 2003, Adidas filed a lawsuit in a British court challenging Fitness World Trading's use of a two-stripe motif similar to Adidas's three stripes. The court ruled that despite the simplicity of the mark, Fitness World 's use was infringing because the public could establish a link between that use and Adidas's mark.[11]
In September 2004, top English fashion designer Stella McCartney launched a joint-venture line with Adidas, establishing a long-term partnership with the corporation. This line is a sports performance collection for women called "Adidas by Stella McCartney",[12] and it has been critically acclaimed.[13]
Also in 2005, on 3 May, Adidas told the public that they sold their partner company Salomon Group for €485m to Amer Sports of Finland.
In August 2005, Adidas declared its intention to buy British rival Reebok for $3.8 billion (US). This takeover was completed with partnership in January 2006[1] and meant that the company will have business sales closer to those of Nike in North America. The acquisition of Reebok will also allow Adidas to compete with Nike worldwide as the number two athletic shoemaker in the world.[14]
Adidas has corporate headquarters in Germany, and many other business locations around the world such as Hong Kong, Toronto, Taiwan, England, Japan, Australia and Spain. Mainly sold in the U.S., Adidas makes lots of assets from these countries and is expanding to more oversea countries.
In 2005, Adidas introduced the Adidas 1, the first ever production shoe to utilize a microprocessor. Dubbed by the company "The World's First Intelligent Shoe", it features a microprocessor capable of performing 5 million calculations per second that automatically adjusts the shoe's level of cushioning to suit its environment. The shoe requires a small, user-replaceable battery that lasts for approximately 100 hours of running. On 25 November, 2005, Adidas released a new version of the Adidas 1 with an increased range of cushioning, allowing the shoe to become softer or firmer, and a new motor with 153 percent more torque.[citation needed]
On 11 April 2006, Adidas announced an 11-year deal to become the official NBA apparel provider. They will make NBA, NBDL, and WNBA jerseys and products as well as team-coloured versions of the "Superstar" basketball shoe. This deal (worth over $400 million) takes the place of the previous 10-year Reebok deal that was put in place in 2001.
[edit] Products
[edit] Running
Adidas currently manufactures several running shoes, including the adiStar Control 5, the adiStar Ride (the replacement for the adiStar Cushion 6), the Supernova Sequence (the replacement for the Supernova Control 10), and the Supernova Cushion 7 (which will soon be replaced by the Supernova Glide), among others. In addition, their performance apparel is widely used by runners. Adidas also uses kangaroo leather to make their more expensive shoes.[15][16]
[edit] Association football
One of the main focuses of Adidas is football kit and associated equipment. Adidas also provides apparel and equipment for all teams in Major League Soccer. Adidas remain a major company in the supply of team kits for international football teams. Current examples include Russia, France, Germany, Greece, Romania, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Japan and Nigeria. The company has been an innovator in the area of footwear for the sport with notable examples including development of the Copa Mondial moulded boot used for matches on firm dry pitches for almost forty years. The studded equivalent was named World Cup follow in celebration of the 1978 tournament won by Argentina, one of the nations it supplied at the time. Adidas became renowned for advancing the "Predator" boot design developed by ex-Liverpool and Australian international player Craig Johnston. This design featured a ribbed rubber structure for the upper leather of the shoe, used to accent the movement of the ball when struck; highly skilled players claimed they were able to curve the flight of the ball more easily when wearing this new contoured design.[citation needed]The Predator also features the Craig Johnston invented "Traxion" sole. As the development and popularity of Football continued Adidas played a leading role in shaping the style of the play itself. FIFA, the sports governing body, commissioned specially designed footballs for use in its own World Cup tournaments to favour more attacking play. The balls supplied for the 2006 Germany World Cup were particular noteworthy for their ability to travel further than previous types when struck, leading to longer range goal strikes that were intended to increase the number of goals scores and increase spectator enjoyment. Goalkeepers were believed to be less comfortable with the design claiming it would move significantly and unpredictably in flight.
[edit] Tennis
Adidas has sponsored tennis players and recently introduced a new line of tennis racquets. While the Feather is made for the "regular player", and the Response for the "club player", Adidas targets the "tournament player" with the 12.2 oz Barricade tour model[17]. Adidas sponsors the following professional players: Dinara Safina, Ana Ivanović, Daniela Hantuchová, Fernando Verdasco, Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Marcos Baghdatis, Fernando González, Marat Safin, doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan and upcoming players like Melanie Oudin, Sorana Cirstea and Grigor Dimitrov. Adidas tennis apparel contains the ClimaCool technology found in other athletic jerseys and shoes. [18]
In Cincinnati, at the ATP Tennis Tournament in Mason, they have also sponsored the ball-boy and ball-girl uniforms.
[edit] Golf
In 1997, Adidas purchased TaylorMade. The image and focus of TaylorMade was redirected shortly after the acquisition to take over the driver market. The company succeeded in achieving this goal in late 2004 when it officially became the No. 1 driver in golf. On 14 October 2008, Adidas, through its subsidiary TaylorMade, acquired Ashworth for $72 million, assuming $46.3 million in debt.[19]
[edit] Cricket
In the 1990s, Adidas signed the world No. 1 batsman Sachin Tendulkar and made shoes for him.[1] He is still wearing Adidas shoes when he plays matches. Adidas even made action figures after Sachin Tendulkar.
In 2008, Adidas made their move into English cricket market by sponsoring English batting star Kevin Pietersen after the cancellation of his lifetime deal with Woodworm, when they ran into financial difficulties.[20] The following year they signed up fellow England player Ian Bell. Having made cricket footware for many years, the company finally entered the field of bat manufacture in 2008 and their products are available in the Incurza, Pellara and Libro ranges. Kevin Pietersen now endorses Pellara Bat from Adidas
Adidas also manufactures the uniforms worn by both the England cricket team and the Australian cricket team.
In 2008 and 2009 in both the seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), it took up the sponsorship of the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Daredevils.
In 2009, Adidas signed Sachin Tendulkar and started sponsoring him. It created a new bat for him which he would use to play future cricket matches. The bat would be Incurza Range and the front of the bat only has 'Adidas' text written on it. The back side stickers look similar to Incurza Bat.
[edit] Basketball
Adidas has been a longtime basketball shoe manufacturer. They are most famous for the Superstar and Pro Model twins, affectionately known as "shelltoes" for their stylized hard rubber toe box. These were made very popular in the 1980s hip hop streetwear scene alongside Adidas' stripe-sided polyester suits.
Adidas is also the current outfitter of all 30 franchises in the National Basketball Association (replacing the Reebok brand after the merger) and sponsors numerous players past and present like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tracy McGrady, as well as Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups, Desmond Mason, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Devin Harris, and the late Pete Maravich. Gilbert Arenas has also had a prominent line of Adidas shoes.
Patrick Ewing once had an extremely popular Adidas signature model in the late 1980s, now known as the Attitude since Ewing is no longer under contract (he parted to start his own shoe line under Next Sports in the early 1990s). Kobe Bryant entered the NBA under contract with Adidas, but elected not to renew in 2002 after lukewarm critical and market response to the KOBETWO shoe. He has since signed with Nike.
[edit] Lacrosse
In 2007, Adidas announced the future production of lacrosse equipment, and will sponsor the Adidas National Lacrosse Classic in July 2008 for the top 600 high school underclassmen lacrosse players in the United States.[21]
[edit] Rugby
Adidas make rugby balls and other rugby gear. They are the current kit and ball supplier to the New Zealand All Blacks, Irish Munster Rugby, and the Argentinian Pumas, among others.
[edit] Skateboarding
Adidas SB (Skateboarding) are shoes made specifically for skateboarding. Many of the shoes Adidas previously made were redesigned for skateboarding.
[edit] Accessories
Adidas also designs and makes watches, eyewear, bags, baseball caps, and socks [2]
[edit] Toiletries

Adidas Fresh Impact - Limited Edition
Adidas also have a branded range of male and female deodorants, perfumes, aftershave and lotions
[edit] Marketing
Adidas has developed unique and dynamic marketing initiatives in traditional and emerging mediums. They are stalwarts of innovative, out-of-the-box campaigns that extend beyond their products to an entire philosophy, thinking, and way of life. Here are several campaigns that speak not only about Adidas products, but the lifestyle they create:
Urban Art Guide — Adidas embodies rebellion, independence, and creative expression, particularly in an urban setting. Their street-art locator application for the Apple iPhone bolstered urban street artists exposure and branded the outfitter as a "for-the-people" company. [22]
Mi Adidas — Permits users to customize their footwear.[23]
Adicolor viral video – This cerebral, abstract video campaign symbolizes Adidas' commitment to expression, no matter how strange or odd. [24]
Adidas, like other Sports brands is believed to engender high consumer brand loyalty. Brand loyalty towards Adidas, Nike and several other sportswear brands was examined in a recent study[25]. The study found consumers did not exhibit unduly high loyalty towards such brands.
[edit] Sponsorship
Main article: List of Adidas sponsorships
Adidas are the main sponsor and kit supplier of the highly successful New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks. Adidas also are the kit supplier to the Argentina Pumas, to the French Stade Français, and the Irish Munster Rugby team.
Adidas are the main sponsors and kit sponsors of the successful Australian Cricket Team and the England Cricket Team. They are also the main sponsors of the Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag and English cricketers Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell. Adidas are the main sponsors of Australian Domestic Cricket Competitions - Pura Cup, KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, Ford Ranger One Day Cup. They are sponsors of the Indian Premier League teams Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.
Adidas also sponsors the Gold Coast Titans and St George Illawarra Dragons rugby league clubs in the Australian National Rugby League (NRL) competition.
Adidas is the longstanding kit provider to the Germany national football team, a sponsorship that began in 1954 and is contracted to continue until at least 2018. Sponsoring also the Mexican, French and Spanish National Football Teams and from 2010 will sponsor the Scotland national football team.[26]
Adidas are very active at sponsoring top football clubs such as Liverpool, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Marseille, AFC Ajax, Schalke 04, Galatasaray, Benfica, Newcastle, River Plate, Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, UANL Tigres, Panathinaikos, Litex Lovech, Slavia Sofia, Djurgårdens IF, Brøndby IF, IFK Göteborg, Al-Ahly, Al-Hilal, Palmeiras, Fluminense, CFU Chile, and the Colombian football teams Los Millonarios, Deportivo Cali, and Atlético Nacional.
Adidas and Major League Soccer (MLS) announced a 10-year sponsorship agreement in November 2004 to make Adidas the official athletic sponsor and licensed product supplier for the league, and to work together to create a developmental league for MLS.[27]
Adidas also sponsors events such as the London Marathon.
For the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, Adidas spent €70 million sponsoring the event, amid criticisms.[28]
Adidas has also been marketing in NASCAR, sponsoring big name drivers such as Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Tony Stewart