What did Andrew Carnegie famously promote through his practices in the steel industry?

Andrew Carnegie is well-known for promoting vertical integration in the steel industry, which refers to a business strategy where a company expands its operations by acquiring control over multiple stages of production and supply chains. In Carnegie's case, this meant that he sought to control every aspect of steel manufacturing, from raw materials like iron ore and coal to the transportation and processing of steel products.

By implementing vertical integration, Carnegie was able to reduce costs, increase efficiency, and ultimately dominate the steel market in the United States. He believed that controlling the entire production process would enable him to eliminate middlemen, increase profit margins, and improve the quality of the steel produced. This approach also allowed him to respond more effectively to market demands, as he could manage production levels and prices throughout his supply chain.

Other options, while relevant to the broader context of industrial practices during this era, do not define Carnegie’s core business strategy as clearly. Horizontal integration, for instance, involves merging with competitors to increase market share, which was more characteristic of other industrialists like John D. Rockefeller in the oil industry. Investment in technology and labor unions are important aspects of industrialization during this period, but they do not capture the primary strategy Carnegie used in building his empire in steel. Therefore, the