Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interest

Case Study 1: Monsanto Attempts to Balance Stakeholder Interest

Samantha Kraft

Business Ethics

        Since 1901, the company of Monsanto has been operating. They have updated their company many times throughout the last century to achieve society needs. Products like artificial sweeter, saccharine, vanilla flavoring, petroleum, fibers, packaging roundup herbicide, agent orange, and biotechnology for genetic manipulation of organisms in seeds have all been made in the company. With ethic, environmentally, socially, and business issues Monsanto has seen tough times (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 383).

        Monsanto does not have an ethical culture for their stakeholders and they have let down their stakeholder ethically multiple times. This company seem to have recently tried but still fails to create an ethical culture for various stakeholders. It all started out in the 1970’s when Agent Orange was being produced and this was just the first of many unethical situations. They are not able to create an ethical culture because in order to build a well built business you have to maintain sense of respect towards the government and environment. An example of them not doing this was when the FDA had to get involved due to the fact that the seeds of Monsanto that were being produced was even safe for the environment (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 385).

        Humans who are consuming food that is grown by the seeds of GM are having negative outcomes because these type of seeds are genetically modified with pesticide and herbicide that can effect the health of the humans (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 387-388). Yet GM seeds effects on the environment biodiversity and human health had provide inconclusive results. Many activist, organizations, groups, and associations are starting to raise concerns about GM foods and companies pursuing profit with no concern of environment hazards. The three concerns for GM foods are environmental hazards, economic concerns, and human health risk (Dill, 2010). The US, China and Brazil are open-minded about GM foods but the European Union in the other hand are taken opposite approach and extremely cautious about GM products.

Disadvantages always come with advantages. Some advantages would be that farmers who buy seeds from Monsanto are given excellent opportunities to increase their profits and help them by allowing them to grow crops that originally wouldn’t. It also helps farmers in less-developed countries grow the crops. Issues like pest infestation, diseases, and poor weather conditions can lead to low crop production but GM crops can help with these issues. In no studies proven that GM seeds are harmful to humans or to the environment. For example, of the issue of disease, there was research done on sweet potatoes for them to improve viral resistance and on bananas to help resist the Black Sigatoka Fungus. With the GM seeds to helps resist bacterial, fungal, and viral infestations (Nuffield Council on Bioethics 2014).