Employee #1: Marketing product manager: She experiences cognitive dissonance every time her boss tells her she should not worry about the lower end of the market as “those people don’t have much buying power,” when the company’s values statement says that the company values the welfare of everyone everywhere. She comes from a blue-collar family and resents the attitude of her boss towards low-income groups. She is frequently late to work, and her boss has given her a warning as a result.

Fortress international, a large conglomerate, procures a few component parts from external suppliers and also manufactures some of the key raw materials in its own subsidiaries. aside from this, the company does not solely depend on outside distributors to reach its customers. in fact, it has its own retail stores to distribute its products. in this scenario, which of the following alternatives to vertical integration is fortress international applying? a. concentric integration b. taper integration c. horizontal integration d. conglomerate integration