What is primarily used in large, diversified companies to regulate independent business units?

The correct choice focuses on the use of market controls, which are essential for large, diversified companies with multiple independent business units. Market controls are mechanisms that leverage external market conditions and competition as benchmarks for performance evaluation. These controls allow organizations to regulate their business units by establishing standards based on market performance, pricing, and external competition.

Market controls help ensure that each business unit remains competitive and aligns with overall corporate strategy by encouraging them to respond to market dynamics. For a large organization, utilizing market conditions as a guiding framework helps maintain coherence among its diverse operations and ensures they are all working towards the collective goals of the corporation.

In contrast, financial control primarily focuses on managing budgets and financial performance rather than market performance metrics. Formal controls emphasize established procedures and processes, often lacking the flexibility needed for rapidly changing markets. Organizational controls are generally broader in scope, encompassing various structural and strategic guidelines, and may not address the specific needs of individual business units as effectively as market controls do.