Monsanto is one of the world's largest industrial agriculture businesses. For much of its history, Monsanto has dealt in controversial products from artificial sweeteners to Agent Orange to pesticides and herbicides. One of the more recent additions to Monsanto's product portfolio has been genetically modified seeds. GM products have stirred up controversy everywhere they are distributed, and Monsanto, being a huge multinational corporation and a major producer, is at the center of the debate. This case deals with the ethical implications involved in producing and selling a product with unknown health and environmental side effects. Monsanto claims that its products are safe, even beneficial for society. However, critics are not convinced. A major issue in this case pertains to the debate over whether genetically modified plants (GMO) and substances (milk) are safe both for the environment and for human consumption. Other issues Monsanto faces have to do with intellectual property and patent protection, and the question of whether seeds can be proprietary goods. Traditionally, farmers save seeds from one year to plant in the next year, but Monsanto wanted to introduce a "kill gene" to force farmers to purchase new seeds from the company every year. The case also covers Monsanto's long history of ethical misconduct, including instances of hiding illegal pollution and taking bribes. Finally the case goes on to cover Monsanto's corporate responsibility initiatives, charitable giving, and how its GM seeds may actually help farmers in less-developed countries (LDCs). The case concludes by asserting that Monsanto claims to have realized the errors of its ways and is on the path to greater corporate responsibility in the future. The question to students remains: Do they believe Monsanto, or is the company just paying lip service to avoid further criticism?

1. Monsanto is a powerful company, with a history of making what many would questionable or unethical business decisions in the name of profits.