DO NOT USE ANY AI Objective: Analyze the competitive landscape of a chosen industry using strategic group theory, focusing on industry overview, identifying strategic dimensions, analyzing firm positioning, and formulating strategic recommendations. This exercise is designed to develop an understanding of strategic groups and their role in competitive dynamics and strategy formulation. Instructions: 1. Industry Overview: Choose an industry of interest and provide an overview of its key characteristics, emphasizing market size, growth trends, key technologies, major competitors, customer segments, regulatory environment, and recent innovations. Utilize high-quality executive summaries or industry briefs for efficient yet thorough insights. 2. Strategic Group Analysis: Select two key strategic dimensions (e.g., cost, quality) critical for differentiating firms within your chosen industry. These dimensions should reflect meaningful variations in competitive strategies. Construct a simple two-dimensional strategic group map using tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, or hand-drawing. Place a representative sample of firms along these dimensions to highlight clear groupings, ensuring that similar competitors are positioned closer together. Briefly analyze each strategic group, explaining the basis for firm groupings and discussing the strategic implications of their positions. Consider mobility barriers that might influence firms' abilities to change groups. 3. Strategic Recommendations: Based on your strategic group map analysis, propose one or two realistic and actionable strategic recommendations for a firm within the industry. These should directly address insights gained from the map, focusing on competitive opportunities or addressing strategic vulnerabilities. 4. Presentation Preparation: Prepare concise slide deck, no more than 7-9 slides, including: An insightful overview of the industry, highlighting its key characteristics. The key strategic dimensions used to differentiate firms within your strategic group map. A clear and informative strategic group map, emphasizing visual clarity to enhance understanding. A detailed summary analysis of strategic groups, offering insights into their strategic positions and implications. Well-formulated strategic recommendations, clearly derived from your analysis. A reflective concluding slide that encapsulates the strategic insights gained and their implications for strategic management within the chosen industry. A citation slide accurately listing all sources used for your analysis and presentation.