A strategic group consists of firms that typically:

A strategic group consists of firms that leverage similar competitive approaches and occupy similar market positions, making option C the correct choice. This concept is crucial in strategic management because firms within the same strategic group typically have more in common in terms of their strategies and competitive behaviors than with firms in other groups. For example, they may compete on similar basis such as price, quality, or technological innovation.

The similarity in strategic approaches allows firms in a strategic group to effectively benchmark against one another and understand the competitive landscape they operate in. This is particularly important for further analysis on how to gain competitive advantage or where to focus efforts for market expansion.

The other options do not accurately reflect the nature of strategic groups. Firms that follow different driving forces or focus on entirely distinct customer segments would likely operate in separate strategic groups, as their competitive dynamics and market strategies would not intersect significantly. Similarly, utilizing regions of different market positions suggests a divergence in strategic positioning, which again implies that these firms would not be grouped together effectively. Understanding these relationships helps in analyzing competitive behaviors and strategic choices in a given market.