Today Nike breaks a three-year silence on social reporting as it publishes its 2004 corporate responsibility report. This is Nike's first report since a 2002 California supreme court ruling that the company could be sued by Mark Kasky, a labour rights activist, over statements it made about its labour practices. But that is not all: the sports equipment company has also broken new ground in transparency by publishing a complete list of suppliers on its website.

"That will garner great attention among companies that report on their supply chain practices, and it will put Nike ahead of the game," says Aron Cramer, president and chief executive of Business for Social Responsibility, a US non-profit advisory group whose membership includes many leading multinationals.