Required information Strategic Group Mapping Read the overview below and answer the questions that follow. In this exercise, you will be asked to assess the positioning of key competitors using the Strategic Group Mapping. Please review Chapter 3 before completing this exercise. A strategic group consists of industry members with similar competitive approaches and positions in the market. Companies in the same strategic group can resemble one another in several ways: they may have comparable product- line breadth, sell in the same price/quality range, emphasize the same distribution channels, use essentially the same product attributes to appeal to similar types of buyers, depend on identical technological approaches, or offer buyers similar services and technical assistance Concepts & Connections 31 presents a two-dimensional diagram reflecting the positioning of rivals in selected U.S. pizza chains Strategic group mapping is a valuable tool for understanding the similarities, differences, strengths, and weaknesses inherent in the market positions of rival companies, Rivals in the same or nearby strategic groups cautiously, if at all, look for opportunities in other industries. A competitively weak company in an unattractive industry may see its best option as finding a buyer, perhaps a rival, to acquire its business. The lesson of strategic group mapping is that some positions on the map are more favorable than others. The profit potential of different strategic groups varies because of strengths and weaknesses in each group's market position Often, industry competitive pressures and change drivers favor some strategic groups and hurt others. Rear the worlow helwandaminate the artities that folloin Saved Help Save & Exi Price/Service/Restaurant Ambiano Moderate Pizza Hut Papa John's Dominos Cici's Hungry Howie's Little Caesar's Sbarro Low High Low Moderate Geographic Coverage The following assignment questions require your analysis of the strategic group map. Hint: Use the five-forces model to help determine competitive pressures from the different competitive strategic groups. Based upon the strategic group map in Concepts & Connections 3.1. briefly explain which pizza chain is Little Caesar's closest competitor and why