If the words spoken by Levi's chairman are true, specifically that "we believe in the interconnection of liberating the talents of our people and business success" ("Levi's", p. 104), then the advice would be to actually consider going back into China with a set of prerequisites. However, these cautions and guidelines would be changes on the part of the company and not changes on the part of the government of China. Here, then, are the prerequisites that Levis must determine, when and if it returns to China.

Prerequisite One: Clean Hands Doctrine

This is a concept in both Civil and Roman law that all parties to a suit or an argument come to the table with "clean hands" (in other words, no secret guilts and no hidden agendas) ("Global"). This is essential for Levis because its stated reason for leaving China -- human rights violations -- is suspect.

In the past, when Levis had found suppliers and/or vendors in its foreign operations that failed to live up to a human rights code the company took action. According to the case, this code of ethics was brought about because the company felt that it had been "lax in keeping informed about conditions for employees at its overseas factories" ("Levi's", p. 104). This code, said to be the first of its kind for a multinational corporation (MNC) covered "employee working conditions, labor relations, environmental impact, and regular inspection for compliance" ("Levi's", p. 104). The implication in the case is that we should praise Levis for this noble stance. In fact, the reaction should probably differ, as we see in Prerequisite Two.

Prerequisite 2: Open Your Eyes

Levis withdrawal from China in 1993, according to the official stance of the company, was that there were "systemic labor inequities" ("Levi's", p. 104). The "Levi's" then cites as evidence of that stance an article in Business Horizons that revealed