1 Should HR managers adopt an approach to ethics in which there are absolute rights and wrongs, or is it ethically acceptable to take a contingent perspective that could, for example, justify low wages in certain situations? The different perspectives on ethics lead to different ways of assessing a situation. For example, an ethical question for HRM can be drawn from Abrams and Astill’s (2001) investigation of the production of denim jeans. They found that mid-

priced jeans being sold in Europe were composed of materials from 13 countries around the world, and while some suppliers were operating a reasonable approach to employment, others (in the view of Abrams and Astill) were not. For example, the copper for rivets and buttons was being mined by people working for low wages in poor conditions, and at the cost of environmental contamination in Africa. Similarly, the final product was being assembled and stitched by people working for very low wages under circumstances that would be seen as well below the acceptable standards of health and safety in the UK