hing line a few years back. But there are varying opinions on this issue. Human Rights organizations denounce "sweat shop" practices. They claim they take advantage of the poor and uneducated. Corporations counter argue that they are providing a better wage and benefits than what the average employee could obtain otherwise. Yet, a third opinion prevails. What exactly is a sweat shop anyway? Because a factory in a foreign nation does not meet U.S. standards, but abides by or even exceeds the host country labor laws, does that make it a sweat shop? Does the United States have a right to enter a sovereign country, and impose their labor standards on that country? ( Ward's Auto World, 2000). No matter what side one aligns their views with, corporations must be wary and cautious when dealing with this issue. The clothing manufacturer The Gap has handled this situation quite admirably with their manufacturing sites in Honduras. Honduras is a big clothing exporter to the United States, thanks partly to the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which allows some clothing to enter duty-free. This has drawn foreign manufacturers. South Koreans in particular have moved to Honduras to exploit its access to the American market (Economist, 1997). But unlike the reputation of South Koreans, who have been charged with employee abuse, The Gap has signed on, through an initiative sponsored by the U.S. and Honduran governments, to allow Honduran human-rights groups and churches to monitor conditions in their Honduran factories. This gives them a decided advantage over their other foreign competitors, who have yet to embrace such "quality of working conditions" scrutiny ( Economist, 1997).Cultural Barriers A country's culture has long been defined as an environmental characteristic that influences consumer behavior, and the many aspects of a culture affect differently the needs consumers satisfy through the acquisition and use of goods and servic...
