The ongoing issue in the world of business ethics that I’m going to be talking about today is the Monsanto Corporation. Monsanto is a multinational corporation that has been the leading producer of food additives since 1901 by founder John Francis Queeney. This company was one of the first to start experimenting with natural resources and modifying them. The reason I am applying Monsanto to Joseph Heaths theory is because, Monsanto is seen to be extremely controversial when it comes to ethical practices, and it holds the monopoly over crops, and its seeds. In the next few paragraphs I will talk about; what Heaths theory is, what Monsanto grows and their company background, and apply the theory to Monsanto.
Joseph Heath and the “market failure”…show more content… They have the monopoly over their seed and have taken over many crops from their competition. Many farmers have been upset because they have a patent over seeds, which doesn’t allow any others to use it, but there are other unethical things that factor into why Monsanto is creating a market failure. In 1998, this was not too shortly after they first launched gmos in Canada; they had filled their first lawsuit against a farmer family called the Schmeisers for patent infringement. The Schmeisers had no idea how the seeds had gotten into their crop, and they had lost all their land and millions of dollars. Later the farmers had noticed that one of Monsanto crops had been neighbours to theirs, and had no barrier, so the seeds were somewhat doomed to be contaminating the competitions crop. Monsanto has filed about 90 identical lawsuits against farmers for patent infringement, their seeds would often blow onto their neighbours crops, forcing a cross contamination leaving Monsanto the right to sue. This was one of the most controversial things about Monsanto; they are purposely killing their competition and making the market failure in so many ways. The farmers are so upset because there is no winning when it comes to a company with so much power over so many crops. Heaths theory fits in with the Monsanto corporations doings so well because they are literally doing everything possible in order to run an unethical business which they gain monopoly and leave no other farmers left to gain profit from the farming industry one day. According to Heath there should be guidelines to keep companies like Monsanto from making these unethical choices, and governments should stop them to make a healthy competitive