Pick one product from the old or new Monsanto and discuss the ethical aspects and repercussions from the point of view of at least 3 different types of company stakeholders. The GM or genetically modified seeds are a product from the new Monsanto. Monsanto is the leader in the seed industry and employees thousands of people in 160 countries (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & 2018). Ethical misconduct can ruin a company’s reputation and loose both customers and investors. Stakeholders can be critical to a firm’s success or failure. This paper will discuss ethical aspects from three stakeholders in the company. They are the farmers, consumers, and investors. One ethical dilemma Monsanto caused, dealt with the group of stakeholders, the farmers. For …show more content…
GM seeds account for most of the cotton, canola, corn and soybean seeds around the globe. These plants are genetically modified to be able to kill weeds and bugs without chemicals. As a consumer, how healthy is it to eat food made from these plants. There FDA says any reaction to the seeds are mild and will not harm humans. Because the FDA deems Monsanto seeds harmless, they do not have to label packages with warnings for the public to read (Gregory, 2013). In researching this paper, no research evidence of any kind was found to prove these seeds are harmless to humans. The company also knew that it’s other chemicals were harmful to birds, fish, and humans and did nothing to prevent or protect anyone or anything. They wanted to make money by selling their product at any cost. This is an example of unethical business. Monsanto is not considering any to the social responsibly associated with ethical business practices. The third group of stakeholders are the investors. The investors have made millions because Monsanto has a monopoly on the seed industry. The company’s practices are unethical, but the company can only see the short-term opportunities and not the long-term risks (Bansal, 2017). The scary part is that their GM seeds and plants are in the foods we eat at every meal. Their plants produce more food, but is it harmful? This company could be endangering the world’s food supply, and no one seems to
Monsanto Company are a public American multinational agricultural and agrochemical biotechnology corporation who leads in the production of genetically engineered seeds. Founded by John Queeny in 1901, the organization initially produced industrial chemicals such as sulphuric acid and plastics, including polystyrene and synthetic fibres. It was not until 1983, where the company was among the first to genetically modify a plant cell and conduct field trials of genetically modified crops. This scientific breakthrough shifted the company 's corporate focus towards the agricultural industry with the implementation of biotechnology. The company’s primary line of products consist of herbicides and genetically modified seeds.1
Short, April M. "5 Most Horrifying Things About Monsanto-Why You Should Join the Global Movement and Protest on Saturday." Alternet. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 5 May 2014. .
Monsanto Company is a public, agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company. Its main products are herbicides, crop seeds, and pesticides; However, Monsanto offers a broad arrange of products. Monsanto has patented many of its genetically modified seeds, some of which are herbicide resistant.
Between 1961 and 1971, Monsanto, along with Dow Chemical and other chemical companies, provided herbicides and defoliants, including Agent Orange, to the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. As a consequence of the exposure to dioxins contained in the defoliant, the military personnel in Vietnam suffered of injuries, such as Chloracne, heart disease, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, etc. (“Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange”) In 1980, a class-action lawsuit concerning Agent Orange was filed against Monsanto, Dow Chemical and other chemical companies, but these companies denied that Agent Orange was linked to the veterans’ medical problems. In 1984, seven of the chemical companies involved decided to settle the class-action
In an argument, the lawyer representing Monsanto Company stated that the amount of arable land around the world is quickly dwindling. This means that it is time to take extra drastic measures to improve food safety throughout the world. Genetically modified seeds and related chemicals offer the best solution for such food safety concerns and thus the company was right to make such investments. This idea comes from recent realization of a robust population boom throughout the world, an inability for traditional agricultural practices and seeds to withstand changing climatic systems. Modification of the seed’s genetic material to withstand climatic and other environmental threats seems to be a viable solution to the challenge.
According to Monstano’s website they are an agriculture company that helps supports farmers. They claim to do this by producing seeds that help farmers increase yield while saving the environment. This is a great business model as they produce seeds that are resistant to herbicides, which eliminate weeds from farms. This is such a great business model as they also produce the product that eliminates the weeds. In order to eliminate seeds from a farm, a farmer must buy Monsanto’s seeds, as well as their herbicides. However these seeds do not occur naturally in nature, like many bacteria who have evolved to acquire antibiotic resistance, these seeds are genetically modified by humans. A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques such as recombinant DNA technology. Recently GMO’s have come to the forefront after many years, as people are starting to learn more from independent studies. However Monsanto has tried to cover up these studies in order to stop laws about GMO labeling to save the company. Monsanto has been linked to many different acts of corruption over the past decade, including using bribery to pay a politician from another country to try to stop legislation over GMO labeling. After clearly taking part in acts of corruption over a long period of time, Monsanto needs to be punished for their actions that are hurting the American public and environment.
Above figure shows Monsanto is a monopoly in the Market. It is one of the fortune-500 companies whose annual turnover is greater than GDP of some small companies. Such is its power in lobbying governments of various countries. Also all these giants were once chemical companies who then bought seed companies to market their seeds. They either buy away their opponents or make their existence economically unfeasible due to their minuteness.
Everyone has likely already heard the name Monsanto, the largest seed distributor in the world. Nearly fifty percent of all seeds in the world are owned by only three corporations. These companies account for trillions in fertilizer, pesticide, seed patents and herbicide sales annually. These companies have been building a seed empire within the food industry for over thirty years now and they have plans to patent every seed with biotechnology. Thoreau wrote in his book, “The condition of the operatives is becoming every day more like that of the English; and it cannot be wondered at, since, as far as I have heard or observed, the principal object is, not that mankind may be well and honestly clad, but, unquestionably, that the corporations
Meanwhile, detrimental effects of GM seeds might outweigh their benefits. There is lack of researches that can gauge the long-term effects of GM seeds on humans and animals’ health. Critics blame glyphosate which is the main ingredient of Roundup herbicide for causing harm to farmers’ health and also the surroundings because of its lasting residues. In addition to the drawbacks of GM seeds, organic farmers stated that GM products will contaminate their conventional seeds and the combination between those seeds can create mutative one which poses a threat to the
Monsanto was one of the major stakeholders from the beginning, they made profit from the very first genetically modified seed they produced and they have been ever since. They
Seeds of Death was created by Gary Null and Richard Polonetsky in 2012. The film goes in depth about Genetically Modified Organisms and its effects on the environment. The film mainly talks about Monsanto, which produces majority of the GMOs in the United States. Monsanto is chemical company that produce herbicides, insecticides, and GMOs. In addition, the film also talks about how GMOs are produce and what’s the reason for GMOs. This film dismantles the myths about GMOs and expose it for what it really is. Seeds of Death reveals to the public that GMOs are not only destroy our health, but also destroy the environment.
...ence of GM crops is that genetic modifications can develop proteins in plants which a consumer could be allergic to. For example, one of the most common allergies is with the peanut. What would happen if peanut proteins interlace into tomato seeds? Then people with peanut allergies would not be able to eat genetically modified tomatoes. There are many reasons to stop the production of GM food. It can produce serious long-term nature accidents, but there is no way to know much about it until is too late (“GM Food” 2).
The company must discover new ways and ensure the disposal of hazards chemicals. In the past, Monsanto lacked active engagement with policy-makers and environmental groups (Keating, 2016). This could have a positive effect on both the corporate image and reputation. Taking on criticism rather than ignoring can help to promote the brand as being actively concerned for the environment and society. Bayer’s name behind the Monsanto GMO products could all help to convince and change the perception of GMO’s through the European Union.
Genetically modified (GM) foods have become omnipresent over the past decade. They are a technological breakthrough that allows humans to manipulate and add foreign genes to crops to enhance desired traits, but they have also evolved into a controversial issue, especially for Third World countries. Some people believe that GM foods not only provide larger yields to feed hungry citizens in Third World countries, but they can also be a source of great nutritional value. For example, researchers have developed a strain of golden rice containing high amounts of vitamin A and numerous other vitamins and minerals. Additionally, GM crops are laced with herbicides and pesticides, and therefore reduce the need for chemical consumption. Opponents of GM foods claim that they pose a threat to the health of consumers and that these crops could eventually cross-pollinate in an unregulated fashion or lead to the growth of superweeds and superbugs resistant to the herbicides and pesticides woven into the genetic fiber of the crops. Developed nations should promote research and monitoring from an ethical point of view and financial assistance through philanthropic ventures in order to limit environmental and health risks. They should also make sure that limited cultural displacement will result from the introduction of GM crops and that instead, a better livelihood and well-being through collaboration will emerge. Hence, GM crops should be introduced only provided that the developed nations assume the ethical and financial responsibilities for the environmental, health, and social consequences that attend this new innovation.
Monsanto is a company that specialized in producing seeds for farmers to plant to grow the nation’s food. Monsanto has experienced many health related criticisms because of what they use for their seeds. In 1970, Monsanto created a chemical that was used in the Vietnam War to kill trees or shrubs quickly (Ferrell & Hartline, 2014). However, like many companies, Monsanto had a moral obligation that they had to achieve to stay in business. Moral obligations for businesses range from environmental to the companies social impact (Gabaldon & Groschl, 2015).