Monsanto |
Communication in Business 100
|
Rebecca Licacristi Budianto - 15359111
Curtin University |
2011
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Monsanto is an
agricultural company that began in year 1901 and had survived until today. The
company has been operating in many parts of the world from North America, South
America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa. Saccharine is the very
first product that being creates and nowadays the company has been produced and
sells the seeds (Monsanto 2011). Today’s, the company famous for the
agricultural biotechnology genetically modified (GM) seeds, which brings many
confrontations in numbers of countries. This essay will discuss about the
positive and the negative performance of the company and the implications to
the society.
On the positive side,
Monsanto are motivated to improve life for the next generations, include the
environment and economic of the country. As an agricultural company, they do
their best to provide value through creating the products. They help in decrease
hunger and lack of nutrition through their products. They use biotechnology and
some chemicals to harvest the seeds and also use agronomics to improve
farm-management practices to reduce soil erosion (Monsanto 2011). The first concerns
of Monsanto’s responsibility are overtaking and take care of their workers and
society in order to sustainability. Sustainability depends on cultural, social
and environmental factors. Now, they are trying to use less resource to multiply
crops to decrease habitat damage and develop water quality. Biotechnology help
in sustainability, it could improve the efficiency of agriculture by reducing
inputs and increasing resources (“Sustainable Agriculture” 2009, 22).
For their achievements,
Monsanto is the largest seed company in the world. They are the first mover
advantage for biotechnology. Ninety percent of the GM farms in the world belong
to them, it can be said that the populations are depend on them. Monsanto
become one of the top ten United States chemical companies. Monsanto covered
pharmaceuticals, polymers, food additives, chemicals and agricultural products.
The company has grown and become the second biggest seed company and the third
biggest agrochemical company across the global (The World According to Monsanto
2008). In 2008, the company has won “The American Business Awards” for 2008
winner in Most Innovative Company nomination category (Sixth Annual American
Business Awards 2011).
On the negative side,
the most controversial Monsanto activities are related to Agent Orange,
Aspartame, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and Bovine Growth Hormone (The World
According to Monsanto 2008). Thirty years after using Agent Orange during the Vietnam
War, the impact still occur on the pregnant mother in Vietnam, which results in
abnormal babies born and most of them cannot survive to live while they are
born. Monsanto buried PCB near residences in Alabama, makes the citizens
contaminated and causing health problems especially cancer (Monsanto’s Dark
History 2011). Monsanto knows that PCB is poisoning but they never told their
neighbors. The used of PCB in many years results in very bad impact to the
environment around the world until today.
Bovine Growth
Hormone, injection gives to the cows, to increase milk production. It contains
some hormones that dangerous for human. Monsanto bring false advertisements in
New York, 1996 and 2006 in France which shows disrespect towards environment. There
are two farmers had suicide in India because they having a deep debts by
growing the cottons and it become the international scandals. The tragedy makes
the farmers in India willing to stop growing the cotton. They contaminate traditional
corn in Mexico and today unsolved global issue is Roundup toxic which hidden
in GM products (Monsanto’s Dark History 2011).
Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) has a part in business activities regarding to the
society. Greenpeace is one of the social interest groups that against Monsanto.
Monsanto’s lies in various ways by manipulate and spin doctoring the research
of GM products. Monsanto unsuccessful labels their product (Global Status
2007). The company does not willing to put more money to do better research and
development for their products. Many scientists found the bad side of their
products and try to stop the company, but they unsuccessful because the company
wants to protect their secret. The company can influence GM food policy
government as they had a great relationship with the top government. They hide
the truth from government authorities and also their neighbors by dirty tactics
that the company did. They will sue anybody who against them or revealed their
secrets (The World According to Monsanto 2008). So the farmers or the scientist
cannot do anything against the company.
Many social interests
groups and non-profit organization such as, Non Governmental Organization
(NGO), GM Watch, Organic Consumer Association (OCA), start their action to
against Monsanto. Social interest groups will active only when they are needed
and based on the evidences. This is where social media and public affairs play
their role in society. Social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and others
are connecting people around the world. Many the organizations create their web
page, and join the social networking facilities to give people around the world
any information without supporting any sides. Basically, people more trust worth-of-mouth
rather than advertisements and other promotions.
Public affairs could
influence the people easily and encourage them to support their activities
because people also can judge according to their perceptions by seeing the facts
and evidences that being provides. OCA creates Millions Against Monsanto
campaign in Michigan, Washington, Memphis, Minnesota and Southern California
with aim to against Monsanto. People around the world start to know and join
the campaign. For today’s issues, people around the world are demanding for GM
food labeling. As they realize that the company does not have ethics towards
the society, they do not trust Monsanto anymore (Phil 2008).
The company role in
society should be helping the farmers to provide enough foods to all people in
the world in order to guarantee the life for the next generations. But in
reality, the company not only provides their help to the farmers. They also try
to control all the foods in the world (WANTED 2002). The company is hoping to
achieve high profits from their selling and become powerful. They wanted to
have all farms land in the world by approach the farmers to use their product
with agreement (Environmental Concerns 2010).
Monsanto try to
manage the ethical culture with their stakeholders. Their stakeholders are the
consumers which means, the farmers and the population. The farmers who can
afford the products are able to protect their farms easily, the farmers can
save their money to employ fewer workers and also save their time. But on the
other side, by using the products, could be dangerous for human life. The users
and the people who lives near the farms could be contaminated indirectly which
is dangerous for their health.
The populations need
food to eat which grow by the farmers who mostly used Monsanto’s products. Most
of the products are non-organic products because they use pesticides,
herbicides and the other chemicals. As the education level changes, people are
more concern about their health. People have their rights to eat healthy food
and to know what they eat. They demand for food labeling for Monsanto products,
but rejected by Monsanto. As lack of trust and communication between the
company and the consumers, the consumers do not trust the company and willing
to not use the product anymore and prefer to eat organic food (Goldman and
Clancy 1991, 93).
The citizens or the
neighbors are the people who live near the company. They have the rights to be
protected from the dangerous chemicals and wastes from the company. The company
should be responsible to reduce their waste or at least confess to the people
that the waste would be dangerous so the government can take action for the
citizens. But again the company hides the information and makes the society
angry. The profit which company able to get can be measured, but the waste that
they throw might not be measurable.
Monsanto has many
shareholders include thousand numbers of small investments, pension funds and
banks, as they know Monsanto is a successful company. They back up the company
for the strategy to minimize risks of being threatened from outside groups (Is
Investing in Monsanto Ethical? 2008). Maintain relationship with the
stakeholders could hold the success for the future.
The community, many
social interest activists and environmental protection groups go against
Monsanto. The community’s aim is to protect the environment and also stop food
poisoning. By the community activities, the people get influence and willing to
use organic food. As discussed by Lim (2009), organic food do not use chemical
toxic that may harm the environment and also could poisoning the animals which
is dangerous for human. Because at the end, human is the one who will consume
it.
As time pass by, the
business task and challenges are changed, it will influence the interaction and
communication of the business. Huge forces that come from social contract and
social media put a lot of matters to the company. The challenges for the
business are they should win the world’s population heart. By prove that they
are changed, become more honest, no more hiding the facts and friendly to the
environment for the sake of sustainability environment. According to the Iron
Law of Responsibility theory (Lorenz 2011), the company has to be responsible
for the environment as they used it to produce their products for their profits.
The profit which company able to get can be measured, but the waste that they
throw might not be measurable. If they not protect the environment, in the
future they will tend to lose it or not sustainable.
To conclude, the
company should respect the workers, the consumer and also the environment. The
company value is different and disconnect with what they have done so far
especially in the past. The company value is to take care of their workers and
society with aim to create sustainability as the realized that seed business is
a long term business. But what the society sees is different, they harm the
environment and risk human life. The forces from society in form of critics by
social interest groups had changed their behavior towards their products and
the society.
The business had successful
to provide the needs and expectations of the society, but not in a positive
way. The company could do much better if the company could improve the company
practices by doing more research and development for human and environmental
safety. The society would be much more satisfied and happy to use their
products if the company could maintain their achievements and also change their
values and ethics at the same time. Because business is a part of society,
without society exists, Monsanto could not produce and gain anything in the
future.
Reference
Lists
Environmental
Concerns Versus Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered Food. 2010. Farms
Communities.com.
http://www.farmcommunities.com/2010/05/environmental-concerns-versus-monsanto’s-genetically-engineered-food/
Global
Status of Genetically Engineered Crops. 2007. Greenpeace.
http://www.greenpeace.org./international/en/publications/reports/global-status-of-genetically-e/.
Goldman,
Barbara J. and Katherine L. Clancy. 1991. “A survey of organic produce and
related attitudes of food cooperative shoppers.” American Journal of Alternative Agriculture 6 (2): 89-96.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=6451692&next=true&jid=AJA&volumeId=6&issueId=02
Is Investing
in Monsanto Ethical? 2008. Trends I’m Watching.
http://www.trendsimwatching.com/2008/04/is-investing-in.html
Lim,
Alvin. 2009. “Organic Food”. The Consumer
134 (1): 2008-2009.
Lorenz,
Patricia (2011). “Lecture 3: Rise of Special Interest Groups and Criticism of
Business.” Power Point Lecture notes.
Monsanto.
2011. Who We Are. Accessed July 29,
http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/default.aspx
Monsanto’s
Dark History: 1901-2011. 2011. Best Meal Info. Accessed August 2,
http://bestmeal.info/monsanto/company.history.shtml
Phil, Alan
Mchugen, D. 2008. Labeling Genetically
Modified (GM) Foods. Accessed August 1,
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“Sustainable
Agriculture: Feeding The World.” 2009. Global
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The World
According to Monsanto. 2008. GreenMuze.
http://www.greenmuze.com/reviews/films/494-the-world-according-to-monsanto.html
WANTED:
Monsanto for crimes against the planets. 2002. Greenpeace.
http://www.greenpeace.org/interntaional/en/news/features/monsanto-are-wanted-for-crimes/
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