English 320

Business and Professional Communication

North Dakota State University
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
DUE DATE:
SUBJECT:

Ms. Megan Even

Gabrielle Valenzuela
September 28, 2016
Unit 2- Job Packet

Dear Ms. Megan Even,

In part one of this letter I describe five agronomy-related internship listings and why I am qualified for such
internships. In part two, I create a comparison table to interpret and analyze the differences between two of the
select internship listings given in part one. In part three, I compare and contrast how I would wright cover
letters and resumes for each of the listings chosen in part two. I also explain which of the two listing is most
appealing to me and further explain its values, attitudes, structure, history and other components. Finally in
part four, I create a table based on the selected internship application requirements and how I fulfill those
requirements. In addition to this, I also explain why I would benefit the selected organization.
Memo Part 1
The following are agronomy field related internship listings that I have qualifications for.
1. Anheuser-Busch, Agronomist Intern. I am qualified for this position because I am a junior studying crop and
weed science at NDSU, which is related to the agronomy field. I have above a 3.0 GPA, and have strong
customer service and multi tasking skills.
2. Black Gold Farms, Field agronomist intern. I am qualified by studying and Agronomy related major, can
obtain a private pesticide application license, and I have good attention to detail.
3. Dow Agro Sciences, Sales Intern, crop protection and seeds. I am qualified by being willing to assist
farmers and sails support dealers. I also have basic technological experience with excel and can extensively
researched farm management practices and business principals.
4. Land O Lakes, Crop Scout Intern. I qualify by studying an Ag-related major, am attentive to detail, have a
strong work ethic, and can work without direct supervision.
5. Monsanto, Supply Chain Summer Intern. I have key qualifications such as not graduating before August
2017, am studying Crop and Weed science, am highly motivated, have excellent attention to detail, have
unwavering commitment, and able to solve problems and work as a team.
Memo Part 2
To begin, the Anheuser Busch Company website clearly shows their core values. These values are given
individual tabs and include, Our Company, Our Responsibility, Our Beers, and Our Heritage. Within
each of these tabs are short descriptions that reflect the qualities of the AB Company. These reflections of
company values are helpful for attaining insight to both what the company claims to be, but also for what the
company would want to find in a future employee. The Our Company tab is the most broad and reaches out
to all the components of the AB Company and is the one that I will be focusing on.
As stated above, the Our Company tab discloses overall values and does so through repeated words and
motifs in the given text. For example, Great people make a company great is the header for this tab and
highlights the importance of the individual that includes both consumers and employees. This phrase is
regarded as a mater of company pride and is further elaborated on by the expressed appreciation for their
growers, marketing teams, and innovation teams who . Come together everyday and work with a sense of

purpose and pride in being the best. Furthermore, this sense of company pride is then directed towards the
consumer.
By emphasizing the high quality of the AB products and the extensive efforts such as only using the finest
ingredients, the consumer is also valued. Additionally, the consumer is valued through the company
describing its commitment to the consumers well being through promoting alcohol responsibility and also
engaging in protecting and preserving the environment.
Such a positive broadcasting from the AB Company creates an altruistic and generally optimistic description
about their business. To challenge these AB claims, I used the Glassdoor website to gain perspective on what
actual employees thought and experienced at their Company. In general, the responses matched the positive
outlook of the AB Company. According to the Glassdoor data, employees and prospect employees rated AB as
3.4 out of 5 and according to one responder, AB offers ample opportunity for growth. Based off of this
information, there must be some truth the to AB Companys description claims of valuing their people and
product made by AB.
In contrast, Monsanto (an agriculture research and marketing company) directs its focus to their identity and to
their consumer population of farmers. Monsantos top tabs include Who we are, Products, Improving
Agriculture, and conversation. Like AB, the Who we are focuses on key elements and values of the
company. However, the remaining tabs are much more functional. These tabs list their products, current
agriculture related information, and their sponsored programs. The text under these tabs is very limited and to
the point. This could indicate Monsantos regard to their science core and alto to being efficient.
Furthermore, Monsanto is only interested in a specific audience: Farmers. We are focused on empowering
farmerslarge and smallto produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural
resources such as water and energy. The Monsanto company products are made with only farmers in mind, so
their audience specificity is appropriate and is also a key definition of the Monsanto Company. Though the
Monsanto Company does not mention their employees unless practically noted under the career tab, their
employees have plenty to say about their company.
The employment search engine Indeed rated an overall score of 4.2 out of 5. This is a positive affirmation
about the work environment of the company, and could infer that Monsanto is as dedicated to creating new
products as it is to creating an inspiring work environment. Based on these findings, the table below shows key
similarities and differences between the AB and Monsanto.
Table 1: Key Values for AB and Monsanto
Company
Key Words/ Ideas
Anheuser Busch
Pride, Success,
Teamwork, Family,
Responsibility, Beer,
Appreciating Consumer.
Monsanto

Farmers, Empower,
Renewable, Innovation,

Priorities
Company name
Customer relations
High quality product

Values
Pride in AB business
Honoring employees
and consumers.

Farmers.
The importance of
Farmers.
Receiving business
from (all) farmers.

Farmers.
Dedication to
Farmers. Creating
products to enable
successful and efficient
ag. business.

Memo Part 3
In essence resumes and cover letters are the key for any employment future. They either create opportunities or
they entirely burn your chances at successful employment. With this in mind the following compares and
contrasts how a resume and cover letter would differ given the AB Company and the Monsanto Company.
For the AB Company, focusing on becoming apart of a greater whole through teamwork and pride in what you
contribute to the AB Company would be ideal. I would effectively shown this through stating my interest in
applying my talents and education and experience qualifications as a benefit to the company. I would also
mention my intention to maintain the high standard for the AB products. Furthermore, I would emphasize
teamwork. Teamwork could be shown through highlighting any participation in extracurricular activities
(agronomy club and running club) and community involvement. In general, my passion for contributing to AB
and their products through team efforts and pride should dominate both the resume and cover letter.
However, if I were applying to Monsanto, my resume and cover letter would be tailored much differently.
Instead of focusing on the passion and tradition of the company, I would write straightforward and to the point.
By writing directly, I would mimic Monsantos company website that was very efficient and did not elaborate
on company praise. Furthermore, I would elaborate about how my qualifications would benefit the Monsanto
Company. However, I would also equate this benefit to the company to ultimately contributing to farmers
needs in order to further match Monsantos objective.
Based off of the above research and analysis of the two selected companies, I would optimally apply to both
companies. However, for this assignment, I am choosing to apply to Monsanto instead of Anheuser Busch.
Although Anheuser Bush has a much more team oriented and company pride tone, Monsanto seems much
more focused. Being focused and driven is attractive to me because I am a highly driven individual, so the
work environment at Monsanto would be a good fit.
Monsantos website gives further information relating to business objectives and practices. The Why Work
Here was especially convincing. Monsanto focused of a focus for improvement and innovation. They
explained how with in the company, employees will be challenged and coached and will work together to find
solutions. This information was presented in the terms of career development and the ability to grow and
advance with in the company. However, the ultimate goal of making a difference was the most impressive.
Monsantos challenge to satisfy the predicted need of the Earths population [needing] 55% more food that
it can produce now is the central driving force of their efforts.
With a literal impending doom of world starvation, Monsanto is working to create new products that increase
crop yield and reduce crop loss due to insects, weeds, and plant infections. All of this is accomplished through
developing herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and most importantly, genetically modifying crops (created
through the use of genetically modified organism, GMO, practices.)
Innovation is often associated with improvement, but by many of todays standards, Monsanto is a
questionable company. The issue related to GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is a passionate subject for
debate and is common knowledge to many people. As of now, the effect of GMOs is still being disputed
amongst the scientific and consumer communities. However, from a business stand point such as Monsanto,
the use of GMOs are necessary based on their food shortage prediction for world food shortages in the near
future.

In addition, some of Monsantos research work is focused on third world countries where on a global scale, 1
and 7 go to bed hungry. To counter this problem, Monsanto is focusing on teaching agriculture practices to
subsistence farmers in order to empower these growers with a means to better provide for their families and
communities. Furthermore, research is being done to improve the crops them selves. This is being done by
focusing on changing the molecular make up of the plant into a more nutritious food source and also
improving the yield capabilities of the given crop. All in all, Monsanto has both positive and negative
attributes, just like any other company.
Table 2: Monsanto Profile
Readers
Needs
Primary (Monsanto)
Business from farmers

Secondary (Employees)

Employment from
Monsanto

Tertiary (Consumers)

1st World consumers

require quality and
variety in food
production.

Gatekeepers (Gov. Reg.)

Antiquate food
production

Values
Finding innovative
solution to global need
for increased food
production.
Value work and research
to improve current crop
systems and ag.
practices.
Are concerned about
GMOs and crop chem.
3rd World countries may
not mind as long as they
are able to grow enough
food to not starve.
Safe food for consumers

Attitudes
Rely on science and
take the general stance
that GMOs and applied
crop chemicals are OK.
Making a positive
difference in the world
can really be effective
on a global scale.
Fear caused by science
or by heard mentality?
Cultural practices,
different food may not
be acceptable.
Generally negative to
the use of GMOs/ etc

Memo Part 4
Table 3: Internship Requirements and Fulfillments
Relevant degree and not graduating before fall
Studying crop and weed science and graduating
semester of 2017
December 2017
Ability to commit to 3 months (May- August)
Ready to commit!
Able to build relationships and work as a team
Work well with people, able to follow or give
directions, restaurant job.
Able to communicate with all levels organization
Highly organized and good communication skills,
maintain mycelium and able to inform in progress
Able to fill deadline and focus on details
Good time management skills and detail oriented,
required to complete numerous tasks with in set
time limit between classes and able to maintain
accuracy by remaining detail focused.
Problem solving skills
I can break problem down and go from there.
Excellent computer skills
Experience in Excel, Microsoft Word, and
PowerPoint from science lab courses in college
Demonstrate leadership
I am highly motivated, can work on my own, and
am not afraid to ask questions as done with Dr. liu.

I would like to express my interest in your Supply Chain Summer Internship position. I am a current student at
North Dakota State University and am studying Crop and Weed Science. I am a highly motivated and detail
oriented individual and have experience as a Graduate Student research assistant for the NDSU Plant
Pathology Department. As a research assistant, I was responsible to culturing and accurately cataloging the
different fungal pathogens, planting thousands of seeds in specific test plot patterns, and accurately measuring
out ingredients to make various kinds of media. From this experience, I have gained useful skills such as
attention to detail, following directions, and working in a timely and independent manner, which would be
effectively applied to this internship position. I am looking to apply my education to a company focused on
making a positive impact towards innovation related to agriculture practices and would like to apply this
passion for science towards your company.

Appendix
Monsanto Job Description:
Job Description - Supply Chain Summer Intern Hawaii (01CPY)
Job Description
Supply Chain Summer Intern Hawaii-01CPY
Description
Monsanto is seeking a highly motivated individual with the ability to learn and grow within our organization.
At Monsanto, we produce some of the industry's most recognized seed brands, including DEKALB, Asgrow,
Deltapine, and Seminis. Monsanto is committed to increasing crop yields and improving the lives of farm
families. Every day, we invest more than $2.6 million to discover and deliver innovative technologies. Here on
Hawaii we produce new varieties of corn and soybeans year round and have a unique opportunity to work in
an agricultural environment found almost nowhere else in the world.
Responsibilities:
The Seed Production Intern role is designed to be a hands on learning opportunity related to business,
agriculture, and science in real world application of seed production. The selected candidate will spend time
both executing several key projects along with cross training across the Hawaii operations on a roughly 50/50
split. Interns will be involved in fundamental aspects of crop production such as plant health monitoring,
planting, irrigation, harvesting, seed processing, planning, and logistics. The intern will be exposed to the
business as much as possible during their employment to gain valuable process knowledge for future career
opportunities. Daily activities will likely include field activities such as performing field inspections, and
warehouse/processing activities such as quality sampling and testing. A key component of the program is to
also complete at least one specific project. Several of the potential projects are listed below and will be
matched with the successful candidate during the on boarding process based on business needs and intern
interest the specific area. Upon completion of the internship each intern will also participate in a leadership
review where they will share their major accomplishments and learnings.
Potential Projects :
Study the effectiveness of various approaches to Integrated Pest Management (IPM) such as trap crops,
application timing, and beneficial insect presence to improve crop health

Evaluate the effectiveness of different cover cropping species to determine an ideal mix/plan to improve soil
health.
Develop and execute a soil sampling/mapping program including making recommendations for equipment,
software, sample collection methods, processing, and action plans based on the results of the program.
Complete a lean or six sigma project in one of the operations that can help identify methods to streamline
operations and reduce waste. An example might be completing a project to evaluate ways to reduce the amount
of labor needed to complete irrigation activities.
Complete a Zero Waste project identifying opportunities and making recommendations to help Monsanto
achieve its zero waste goals
Qualifications
Required Skills/ Experiences:
Currently enrolled in a Bachelors or Masters program with plans to graduate no earlier than August 2017 or
recently graduated with plans to enroll in an advanced degree program Fall semester of 2017. Preferred areas
of study include Business, Supply Chain, Engineering, Agriculture, Science, or similar programs.
Ability to commit to a 3 month period (~12 weeks) from May-August
Ability to build relationships and work well in a team based environment
Ability to communicate effectively with all levels of the organization
Demonstrated ability to manage a deadline while being able to focus on details
Strong problem solving skills and an ability to organize (thoughts, data, etc)
Excellent computer skills related to data acquisition and record keeping
Demonstrated leadership ability. Desire to learn and willing to ask questions and able to adapt to change
Limited Travel may be required within the Hawaiian islands
Hawaii Residents preferred but not required

Gabrielle A. Valenzuela
1155 17 Ave. North Apt 308 Fargo, ND 58102 303.990.2630 gabrielle.valenzuela@ndsu.edu
th

OBJECTIVE
To obtain the Supply Chain Summer Internship (Hawaii- 01CPY) for the Monsanto Company.
EDUCATION
North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
December 2017
2016 Transfer of Benedictine College, Atchison, Ks
Bachelor of Science degree in Crop and Weed Science
GPA: 3.2/4

Anticipated Graduation

RELATED COURSEWORK
Intro. Soil Science Intro. Plant Pathology General Entomology Weed Identification Forage
Production
WORK EXPERIENCE
NDSU PLANT PATHOLOGY RESEARCH DEPARTMENT
January 2016 April 2016
Research Assistant
Work 12- 17 Hours/ week during weekdays in-between classes.
Demonstrated precision when mixing simple and complex media.
Used accuracy when planting wheat test plot that contained between 432 4,320 seed types.
Illustrate consistency by maintaining aseptic technique when culturing and harvesting pathogen spores.
Demonstrate ability to follow instructions when extracting pathogen DNA through an intensive process.
Rooftop Tavern, Morrison, CO
June 2015 - August 2015
Server
May 2016 August 2016
Work average 50 to 60 hours/ week
Maintain excellent customer service, take orders, deliver meals, and remain calm in a high stress
environment.
Reliable to work scheduled days and cover for other employees.

LEADERSHIP AND INVOLVEMENT

NDSU Agronomy Club
September 2016 - Present
Gain exposure to current agriculture happings from bimonthly agronomist speakers and business tours.
Contribute to community through volunteering at various on and off campus events.
Benedictine College Cross Country
August 2013 December 2015
Athletic scholarship, committed to two a day practices, prepare for meets, and maintain academic
achievement.
Maintain year round fitness through running 50- 65 miles/ week.

SKILLS
Excel Microsoft Word Valid U.S. Drivers License

Gabrielle A. Valenzuela
1155 17th Ave. North Apt 308 Fargo, ND 58102 303.990.2630 gabrielle.valenzuela@ndsu.edu
September 24, 2016
Monsanto Hiring Committee
Monsanto Hawaii
2111 Piilani Highway
Kihei, HI 96753
Dear Monsanto Hiring Committee,
I am applying for the position of Supply Chain Summer Intern advertised on your Job Search page, September 15,
2016. The University courses that I have taken so far as well as my passion for science justify the qualifications
needed for this position.
Upon graduating in December of 2017, I will earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Crop and Weed Science from
North Dakota State University. As a current student, I have taken key courses related to successful agriculture
practices such as Plant Pathology, Entomology, Weed Identification, and principles of Forage Production. This past
winter, I worked as a graduate student assistant. For this past position, I cultured unique fungal pathogens and
catalogued their conidia for future mycelia growth. I also planted wheat test crops. Both of these tasks required a
high level of commitment and consistent attention to detail to maintain the integrity of the experiment and I am
ready to apply these skills to your projects.
I am especially interested in the project that studies how different cover crops can improve soil health. As a student,
my goal is to apply my education in a meaningful way. Your project to improve soil health through selective cover
crops reflects the innovative, resource conservative, and grower focused qualities of Monsanto as a whole and I am
more than ready to apply my knowledge and passion for science to your company.
The education that I am receiving and my strong desire to contribute to a brighter future give me excellent
qualifications to be apart of your innovative team. Enclosed is a copy of my resume and I would be happy to answer
any questions. Please contact me at 303.990.2630 or at gabrielle.valenzuela@ndsu.edu to schedule an interview.
Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
Gabrielle Valenzuela
Enclosure