After one such protest, Harvard declared it would not do business with apparel manufactures that do not abide by a code of conduct that requires employers to pay a living wage and disclose factory names and locations.

The controversy surrounding today's report stems from the role of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), an international business firm hired to conduct onsite factory inspections in each of the seven countries.

Last week, one of the report's authors, Dara O'Rourke, an expert in worldwide labor standards and an assistant professor at MIT, published a report criticizing the monitoring practices of Pricewaterhouse.

O'Rourke's report levied a series of charges against the corporation, concluding Pricewaterhouse's monitoring methods are "significantly flawed."

O'Rourke said Pricewaterhouse monitors failed to note serious health and safety violations, fraudulent and illegal labor practices and instances of discrimination. He also charged that monitors rely primarily on information provided by management, not worker testimony, and he called for greater transparency throughout the process.

'The factory inspection reports PwC produced did not convey an accurate picture of the conditions in these factories," O'Rourke's critique stated. "The reports are so condensed that they miss major issues and paint a false impression of a factory's compliance with local laws."

Members of the Harvard Student Against Sweatshops (HSAS) have echoed O'Rourke's criticisms.