Monsanto Company

In the latter part of 2010, The Monsanto Company faced a critical juncture in its history. The agricultural giant is known for producing the herbicide "Roundup" as well as genetically engineered seeds that are resistant to the weed killer, and the company had previously been highly-regarded and trusted, both by farmers and stockholders alike. However, after a trying year that saw Monsanto's stock price plummet, earnings decrease, and market share cut, should questions be raised concerning Monsanto's core values and purposes?

There were a few surface issues that contributed to the company's downturn: Some of its higher-priced seeds were yielding the same as regular-priced seeds, Roundup's efficacy came into question as weeds began growing resistant to the herbicide, and competitors lurked, primed to capitalize on Monsanto's setbacks. Furthermore, while Monsanto used to introduce seeds that gave farmers a two-thirds share of the profit on higher yields, its new products in 2010 aimed to give farmers only a one-half share.

The issues presented are not debatable; they are known and true. The ultimate question at hand then becomes: What actions did Monsanto take, or didn't take, that brought them to this point? More specifically, one must consider Monsanto's vision and core ideology to see if it had strayed from its initial core values and purposes, or if this was just a simple bump in the road that occurred outside the confines of the company's control.

This is not a singular clear-cut answer to this, as one can interpret the company's actions in conjunction with its core ideology many different ways. Today, Monsanto has a mission statement that focuses on quantity of yield and conservation of resources, both of which will contribute to its ultimate purpose, which is the prosperity