A small outdoor clothing company in the United States has just received an attractive proposal from a business in Tanzania to manufacture the work gloves that it sells.
Accepting the offer from the Tanzanian firm would allow for substantial cost savings compared to the current supplier.
However, the clothing company's manager has recently read reports that some businesses in Tanzania are forcing people to work in unsafe conditions in order to keep their costs down.
The manager is now seeking your help in clarifying the ethical aspects of this opportunity. How would you describe to this manager his or her alternatives in terms of cultural relativism and mor al absolutism?
What would you identify as the major issues and concerns in terms of the cultural relativism position versus the absolutist position? Finally, what action would you recommend in this situation, and why?