Answer: c.increasing profits.
Cartels, monopolies, trusts, as well as horizontal and vertical integration all share the goal of increasing profits, which is the main goal of almost any business strategy. However, they are slightly different in their approaches. Monopolies and horizontal and vertical integration try to decrease competition in order to increase the portion of the market that a producer has access to. Cartels operate in a similar way. However, they require cooperation with other producers, as opposed to individual action.
