Hendricks Ceramics sells items it buys from ceramic factories. If it were to purchase one of these factories, it would be engaging in integration.

Backward vertical integration

Explanation:

In the backward vertical integration, the company acquires the company or step in the manufacturing of the supplier product or acquiring companies that bring it more nearer to the orignal supplier. The company remains within the same industry and moves towards supplier. In this case the company has acquired its supplier factories which shows moving investment in the backward direction which leads to suppliers and vertical means in the same industry. So the company is engaged in backward vertical integration.

answer; ///i believe that the correct answer is (a) it is the means by which a person earns money;

107x106 is the answer