What characterizes a strategic group within an industry?

A strategic group within an industry is characterized by firms that follow similar strategies and target the same segments. This means that within a broader industry, some companies compete more closely with each other due to their similar business models, marketing strategies, customer bases, and resources. These firms may differentiate themselves based on various factors such as pricing, product features, or customer service, but they still operate within the same strategic framework and often target the same market segments, making their competitive dynamics unique.

The concept of strategic groups helps to understand the competitive landscape within an industry by identifying subsets of firms that behave similarly and compete against one another in more direct ways than they do with firms outside their group. In contrast, other options provided diverge from this definition, as they either misidentify the relationship between firms in strategic competition or suggest characteristics that do not align with those commonly observed in strategic grouping.