Which competitive tactic did Carnegie and Rockefeller employ against each other?

• A. Undercutting each other's prices
• B. Launching smear campaigns
• C. Sending insulting gifts during the holidays
• D. Collaborating on business ventures

Answer: (C)

The competitive tactic that Carnegie and Rockefeller employed against each other was primarily undercutting each other's prices. This approach was a common strategy in the fierce competition of the industrial age, where both men sought to dominate their respective industries—steel for Carnegie and oil for Rockefeller.

By lowering their prices, they aimed to capture market share and diminish each other's profitability. This tactic can lead to a price war, ultimately pushing competitors out of business or forcing them to adapt by cutting costs or innovating.

The other options, such as launching smear campaigns or sending insulting gifts, are not documented as tactics used in their rivalry. Collaborating on business ventures would contradict their competitive nature, as both were determined to establish their own empires rather than join forces. Thus, the strategy of undercutting prices shows the aggressive tactics employed in their business dealings to gain supremacy in the market.