When ethics collide: Managing conflicts across cultures

Nike--one of the fastest-growing companies in the world--has been stymied recently due in part to consumer reaction to conflicts involving management practices in its suppliers" factories in the Far East. Among the accusations--poor working conditions, low wages, enforced overtime, and harsh, sometimes brutal, discipline and corporal punishment. Levi Strauss & Co. was recently confronted with the challenge of how to deal with contractors in Bangladesh that employed young children, a legal practice in Bangladesh, but one contrary to Levi's company policy. The fact that these children were often a sole or significant source of their family income further complicated the matter. Tony Anderson, Chairman and CEO of H. B. Fuller Company, was faced with a decision regarding the company's responsibility for illegitimate use of one of its products. Resistol, a toluene-based glue, has become an addictive drug of choice for many Central American street children. These "Resistoleros" inhale the glue and often experience violent reactions and serious health problems, including kidney failure and brain damage.