[solved] The concept of strategic groups is relevant to industry and competitive analysis because
strategic group maps help identify which industry members are close rivals and which are distant rivals.
a company's profit potential depends on which strategic group it is in.
competition grows in intensity as the number and diversity of the strategic groups in an industry increases.
firms in the same strategic groups are rarely close competitors--a firm's closest competitors are usually in distant strategic groups.
competitive pressures tend to be weaker within strategic groups than across strategic groups.