Assignment #3: A new product proposal

[From the notebook they gave us:]

Write a paper in the form of a proposal to the CEO, president, director, etc. of your future employer using this scenario:

1. You are proposing the development of a new product, idea or theory;
2. You have a budget of up to $100,000 to spend on this proposal;
3. You must demonstrate how the proposed development relates to the Environmental System.

For example...[blah blah blah]...Carefully consider your alternatives and present your idea, why you think it will be effective, what some of the drawbacks may be, and who will benefit (i.e. WHY should your company invest this money into your idea).  Remember it is your idea, but you must legitimize it by providing examples of how it can be successfully applied to your employer, the profession, and result in greater company profit.

Use this assignment to identify an issue that is a challenge to professionals in your major field of study.  Be innovative and persuasive when trying to convince the reader that this project should receive funding.  

We were also supposed to make a budget breakdown, but it isn't that thrilling so I didn't put it here.

Grade: 93% (my opinion was not stated clearly enough, the rationale for the project regarding the budget wasn't good enough, it didn't follow logical thinking, and they had some problems with my spelling, according to the evaluation sheet--but keep in mind I got a 93% anyway, so my offenses weren't that bad--I think the big problem was that my language wasn't formal enough for this sort of thing, judging from all the contractions they circled)

To: Our New CEO
From: [me], Genetics Lab Assistant
Re: A New Product Proposal

Ms. Levine: Please allow me the liberty of being the first Genetics Lab Assistant to welcome you personally to your new position as the Chief Executive Officer of GenCornCorp, Inc.! I'm sure you're very busy right now adjusting to all the demands of corporate life, but I would greatly appreciate you spending just a few moments of your time on what I feel would be a tremendously profitable long-term investment for our company.

According to my research, over 80 million acres of corn were planted in the United States last year. At well over 100 bushels per acre, that's a lot of corn to be used up. Some goes to human and animal consumption, some is exported, some is turned into products such as corn syrup, and of course some is used to create next year's crop. However, what many people, especially those from the "big city" like yourself, don't realize is that there is a tremendous corn surplus in this country, resulting in literally hundreds of thousands of bushels of corn just sitting around in storage bins, useless. Cows, chickens, and other livestock can only eat so much corn. Consumers can only use so much corn syrup. Other countries such as Russia need more corn, but the costs associated with such exportations are really too prohibitive to be practical, especially in today's economy. As a result, farmers are left with vast quantities of corn that must be piled up in sheds, silos, and other facilities.

You might be surprised to hear this; it's an issue that's very rarely talked about even among producers. That reticence is understandable. In a business as labor-intensive and expensive as farming, having so much unwanted product is a personal and professional embarrassment, not to mention a financial setback. In fact, too much unsold corn has caused the bankruptcy of many a farmer; less than two percent of the population can now afford to stay in the production business.

The amount of leftover corn grows year after year, taking up valuable storage space. In addition, large quantities of stored corn are quite dangerous. They often form chemicals such as poisonous nitrogen dioxide and carbon dioxide, which pollute the environment and cause injury or death to humans and animals. In the producers' quest for ever higher and more nutritious yields, the byproduct of genetic manipulations and continual cross-breeding has been a tough, resilient corn seed that resists nearly all the diseases and molds that used to safely decompose extra seed a hundred years ago. In fact, corn seeds can now last for years without even losing their ability to germinate. Therefore, I propose that we devote some of our company's genetic engineering resources towards the creation of a biodegradable corn variety, a variety that will decay into non-toxic components within ninety days of harvest.

Of course, a new variety of corn cannot be whipped up in just a few months; it could take years, a decade even, to develop the right genetic combination and have it approved for sale. Still, I would be willing to personally take on this responsibility, if you would allow me. I propose that the tests take place in our newly-acquired laboratory in Geneva; the currency exchange between the two countries is usually quite favorable and lab supplies such as petrie dishes, DNA pipettes, and chemicals are readily available. Our laboratory has a greenhouse attached so that I may perform my initial field trials on-site. By doing most of the necessary duties myself (including contacting the appropriate seed suppliers, collecting and evaluating experiment results, and of course filing monthly progress reports), this project will be able to subsist on only $100,000 a year.

I feel certain that this new corn variety would quickly become the most popular on the market, giving farmers comparable yields without any noxious corn residue. Let me go so far as to predict that within five years of its initial offering we could be seeing revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars. We would be increasing our profits, saving farmers space and money, and protecting the environment for only $100,000 a year (minimum).

If you have any questions about the proposal, please contact me directly at the labs. May I also be so bold as to suggest that your idea be classified as a top secret document? I have heard rumors that one of the workers in the Genetics Labs, perhaps even a supervisor, may be a corporate spy employed by our rivals, AgriCornCo., Ltd., and it would be very imprudent for your undoubtedly winning suggestion to be discovered and developed by another company. I look forward to hearing your answer.

Oh, and I think all the numbers are actually correct, although we weren't required to attached a works-used list.  And corn does produce toxic vapors that do kill people.