driven by the U.S. legislative retroactive reinstatement of the research and development tax credit and a reduction of tax reserves on foreign operations, partially offset by an increase in the percentage of earnings in higher tax jurisdictions. 

Discontinued Operations 

During fiscal 2013, we divested of Umbro and Cole Haan, allowing us to focus our resources on driving growth in the NIKE, Jordan, Converse, and Hurley brands. The results of the divestiture are presented as discontinued operations. Please refer to Note 15 — Discontinued Operations in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more detail. 

Operating Segments 

Our reportable operating segments are evidence of the structure of the Company’s internal organization, which changed beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. The NIKE Brand segments continue to be defined by geographic regions for operations participating in NIKE Brand sales activity, which now includes the results of NIKE Golf and Hurley. Previously, NIKE Golf and Hurley were combined with Converse and reported as “Other Businesses.” 

Each NIKE Brand geographic segment operates predominantly in one industry: the design, development, marketing, and selling of athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment. The Company’s reportable operating segments for the NIKE Brand are: North America, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Greater China, Japan, and Emerging Markets. The Company’s NIKE Brand DTC operations are managed within each geographic segment. Converse is also a reportable segment for NIKE, Inc., and operates in one ndustry: the design, marketing, licensing, and selling of casual sneakers, apparel, and accessories. Prior year amounts have been restated to conform to fiscal 2014 presentation. 

As part of our centrally managed foreign exchange risk management program, standard foreign currency rates are assigned twice per year to each NIKE Brand entity in our geographic operating segments and Converse. These rates are set approximately nine months in advance of the future selling season based on average market spot rates in the calendar month preceding the date they are established. Inventories and cost of sales for geographic operating segments and Converse reflect the use of these standard rates to record non-functional currency product purchases into the entity’s functional currency. Differences between assigned standard foreign currency rates and actual market rates are included in Corporate together with foreign currency hedge gains and losses generated from our centrally managed foreign exchange risk management program. 

The primary financial measure used by the Company to evaluate performance of individual operating segments is earnings before interest and taxes (commonly referred to as “EBIT”), which represents Net income before Interest expense (income), net and Income tax expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income. As discussed in Note 18 — Operating Segments and Related Information in the accompanying Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, certain corporate costs are not included in EBIT of our operating segments. 

North America 

Fiscal 2014 Compared