Problem Statement

Monsanto continues to incrementally improve their level of authenticity and transparency with global consumers, yet trust will remain elusive for decades until their customers' success levels outweigh the social and ethical controversies the company has shown to be adept at creating for itself.

Three Strategic Alternatives

There are three strategic alternatives for the company to consider pursuing:

1. Completely re-order R&D to concentrate only on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics of performance that align to 3rd world nations' need for affordable, healthy food. This would give the company exceptional levels of credibility that they have lacked in the past.

2. Re-define the CSR initiatives to also include monitoring of their impact on the environment. They need to be truly green if they claim to be. Make sustainability best practices a core part of the company and measure it with advanced Total Quality Management techniques.

3. Create a series of customer success stories of how their food saved the lives of entire villages and how they are working to re-order the economics of food distribution in 3rd...

The recommendation is to completely re-order R&D to concentrate on the most pressing hunger problems globally and invent ingredients that components that allow for greater positive good.
Marketing Implementation

The marketing implication needs to include a solid focus on measurable results of redesigned and more earth-, people and animal-friendly ingredients and inventions. Re-aligning R&D to the most pressing hunger problems and the coming food shortages would show the company is serious about doing well by doing good. As of right now it is business as usual with R&D still creating products that could be considered ethically proactive or controversial, yet highly profitable. They need to completely re-align their value chain to make their marketing matter. And they would paradoxically be even more successful doing this as more nations will use their products as a result.