Imagine that you are the head of strategic planning for a 150-bed general hospital located in a medium sized city with a diverse population representing a cross section of US society. Compile a list of the segments into which the hospitals overall market could be defined. you might want to start by thinking about the most prominent variables that define a population. it should not be hard to come up with at least twenty or thirty possible segments. once you have the list in hand, check off those segments that your common sense says are the most likely bases for a differentiated product or service offerings. in other words, look for segments that probably want something unique in their hospital services.