An important aspect of successful business is the correlation between maximizing profit and business ethics. The Stakeholder Theory states that companies hold the responsibility of meeting the interests of both the shareholders and the general community. Numerous companies are perceived as responsible for their economic activities, yet in reality, they are violating many basic ethical standards. For example, Monsanto took drastic legal action against local farmers regarding Monsanto’s GMO seed patent. Monsanto filed over 100 lawsuits against farmers whose crops had been contaminated and held traces of the company’s product. Despite the fact that the farmers didn’t want to be associated with Monsanto’s GMO, they were forced to seek legal protection. Due to Monsanto’s patent, several negative factors affected the agricultural growth for independent farmers. Overall, Monsanto’s unjust actions towards these particular farmers reflect the common imbalance between seeking profit and violating business ethics.

Works Cited

Zimmerli, Walther, Holzinger, Markus, and Richter, Klaus, eds. Corporate Ethics and Corporate Governance. Berlin/Heidelberg, DEU: Springer, 2007. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 11 September 2014.

Bartz, Diane. “Monsanto critics denied U.S. Supreme Court hearing on seed patens.” Thomson Reuters, 13 Jan. 2014. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.