Final answer:
d) drive out fear
The quote from the student's question relates to Deming's point of 'drive out fear' in his 14 points for management, emphasizing the elimination of internal competition for the betterment of the organization. It aligns with the preference for monopoly settings by business executives who favor less competition for greater security and profits.
Step-by-step explanation:
The quote within the student's question pertains to one of W. Edwards Deming's 14 points for management, which focus on improving productivity and the quality of management and services.
Specifically, it identifies a behavior where managers exhibit competitiveness for self-preservation and personal gain at the expense of long-term organizational welfare. The best match for this concept from the given options is d) drive out fear.
This point stresses that management should eliminate fear among employees so that they can work effectively for the company. It's about creating an environment where workers and managers alike are not competing internally, which can lead to sub-optimal decision-making purely to protect personal interests, but are instead collaborating towards the overall success of the organization.
Relating this to the concept of monopoly, businesses in monopolistic settings may face less competition, leading executives to prefer this scenario over perfect competition. This parallels the way managers may avoid internal competition to feel secure in their positions and performance.
Nonetheless, for an organization to thrive, Deming argues that fear must be removed to foster pride in workmanship and better collective performance over individual short-term gains.