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Background: The Omicron (lineage B.1.1.529) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wales, UK on 3 December 2021. The aim of the study was to describe the first 1000 cases of the Omicron variant by demographic, vaccination status, travel and severe outcome status and compare this to contemporaneous cases of the Delta variant. Methods: Testing, typing and contact tracing data were collected by Public Health Wales and analysis undertaken by the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC). Risk ratios for demographic factors and symptoms were calculated comparing Omicron cases to Delta cases identified over the same time period. Results: By 14th December 2021, 1000 cases of the Omicron variant had been identified in Wales. Of the first 1000, just 3% of cases had a prior history of travel revealing rapid community transmission. A higher proportion of Omicron cases were identified in individuals aged 20-39 and most cases were double vaccinated (65.9%) or boosted (15.7%). Age adjusted analysis also revealed that Omicron cases were less likely to be hospitalised (0.4%) or report symptoms (60.8%). Specifically a significant reduction was observed in the proportion of Omicron cases reporting anosmia (8.9%). Conclusion: Key findings include a lower risk of anosmia and a reduced risk of hospitalisation in the first 1000 Omicron cases compared to co-circulating Delta cases. We also identify that existing measures for travel restrictions to control importations of new variants identified outside the UK did not prevent the rapid ingress of Omicron within Wales.

A review was undertaken of all genomic epidemiology studies on COVID-19 in long term care facilities (LTCF) that have been published to date. It was found that staff and residents were usually infected with identical, or near identical, SARS-CoV-2 genomes. Outbreaks usually involved one predominant lineage, and the same lineages persisted in LTCFs despite infection control measures. Outbreaks were most commonly due to single or few introductions followed by spread rather than a series of seeding events from the community into LTCFs. Sequencing of samples taken consecutively from the same cases showed persistence of the same genome sequence indicating that the sequencing technique was robust over time. When combined with local epidemiology, genomics facilitated likely transmission sources to be better characterised. Transmission between LTCFs was detected in multiple studies. The mortality rate amongst residents was high in all cases, regardless of the lineage. Bioinformatics methods were inadequate in one third of the studies reviewed, and reproducing the analyses was difficult as sequencing data were not available in many cases.

Regular maintenance shutdowns are required for mineral processing tanks to clean sedimentation and scale. The labour cost and loss of production during maintenance negatively impact on the economics of the operation. Swirl Flow (SF) technology was developed to improve the reliability of agitation and to maximise tank online time between maintenance intervals. This technology simplifies the engineering in agitator mechanical design with reduced shaft length and removal of baffles. Tests showed that swirling flow could provide more energy efficient suspension compared with draft tubes or multiple impeller designs. It is demonstrated that SF is capable of suspending solids at very high concentration, which is impractical with a conventional agitator. A more uniform velocity over the tank wall surface is generated under SF, free of stagnant zones in the upper corner of the tank and other areas commonly encountered in conventional agitator designs. This feature reduces the formation of large lumpy scale that could form in the stagnant zones. Compared with a conventional agitator designs, SF provides mixing homogeneity with slightly longer mixing time.

It is the purpose of this article to suggest a structured approach to internal resource audit, which, whilst of necessity general-purpose in design, would be capable of adaptation to particular company cases. Consequently this paper does not aim at theory development, but to make a conceptual contribution to the art and practice of management. It will, however, offer some criticism of current theory from a management perspective.

Several PEM fuel cell systems are currently being marketed or developed as natural gas fuelled stationary power generation or cogeneration systems. Whilst each of these may perform adequately when fuelled with methane, the composition of natural gas varies widely around the world, according to the source and even the season. This study investigated the variation in composition of fuel gas supplied in pipeline systems around Australia and how its chemical composition may affect the performance of PEM fuel cell systems than employ steam reforming, shift and selective preferential oxidation to convert the fuel gas to hydrogen. The study showed that the performance of the fuel cell system is affected by the chemical composition and that ammonia formed from gases with high nitrogen concentrations could limit the applicability of PEM fuel cells, and should be taken into account when manufacturers specify the allowable fuel gas compositions for their systems.

This article responds to ‘Let marketers reclaim corporate strategy’ by Mattsson, Ramaseshan and Carson (JSM, June 2006). Whilst accepting a number of points the authors make, particularly in relation to the current state of strategy scholarship, the view in this article is that corporate strategy is more than marketing alone. Although marketing must be the principal channel of market knowledge this must be combined with and balanced by knowledge provided by the other business functions of the organization. Thus a transcendent organizational view emerges which, it is suggested, is the true basis for corporate strategy.

This paper considers the role of strategic assets in the generation of company competitiveness. It takes the position that the resource-based view/dynamic capabilities explanation of competitiveness is tautological and ex post facto in its approach and proposes that competitiveness is derived from permanent infrastructural characteristics of organizational design providing a source of a continuous stream of temporary strategic assets or successful products, services and processes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The suggestion that use of the net present value (NPV) rule in major investment decisions induces illusions of certainty and encourages over-confidence on the part of users is contested. In the event that poor decisions are made when the NPV rule has been used, it is argued here that the causes will be behavioural and competence-centred rather than technique-based. The argument is advanced that the NPV rule is an important rational evaluation technique that provides astute and numerate managers and directors with important economic information and satisfies the demands of the investing community for a wealth creation-based criterion for strategic decisions. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The word competitiveness is used extensively in management discourse concerning national economic performance, international economic performance comparisons and at the level of the firm. It is a word of elusive meaning. Indeed, it is used in so many different ways that there must be serious doubt that the word has any concrete meaning at all. This is regrettable because it could make a valuable contribution to our thinking about economic policy and the management of business. This paper considers the concept of competitiveness at the level of the business unit and proposes an interpretation, which will be of value to practising managers in their efforts to improve the economic performance of their businesses. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

•A dominant theoretical paradigm in academic strategic management circles is the Resource-Based View (RBV). This paper reviews the literature of this position and the extent to which the RBV may be seen as a source of practical guidance for managers seeking competitive advantage and strategic success. •The theories of management academics should be of practical value to managers, otherwise such theories are of limited value. The test of the validity of theorizing about management is whether the theories produced help to improve the art of management. That is the criterion adopted in this paper. •The RBV is an ‘inside-out’ perspective, according to which, competitive success lies within the hands of managers themselves and it is from the point of view of practising managers that this paper examines competitiveness. Consequently, the assessment of the RBV will be a purely instrumental one. Does it help managers to manage better? Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

It is argued that practising managers benefit from conceptual frameworks to provide techniques for implementing business strategies. This paper: Considers the link between the concept of strategy levels and the marketing concept of product levels, Stresses that the success of business strategy is necessarily dependent upon effective implementation by the functional activities of the business, Proposes a technique based on the product level concept for approaching the practical issues of strategy implementation at the functional level, Suggests a greater emphasis by researchers on the practical problems of strategy implementation. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article: Considers competitive business strategy from a managerial rather than purely theoretical perspective; Focuses on the practical task of generating ‘good ideas’ for business development; Concentrates on products and markets as the building blocks of strategy; and Proposes a framework which managers can employ to stimulate idea generation and the identification of the key resource implications. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article is prompted by Slater and Narver’s (1998) SMJ article entitled ‘Customer-led and market-oriented: Let’s not confuse the two’. It is suggested here that Slater and Narver’s contention that strategic success is a function of market-led orientation rather than customer-led orientation is too reductionist a proposition which gives inadequate weight to the resource endowment and scale differences between companies. The argument is offered that success through time for the bulk of businesses will be directly related to close relationships with existing customers, particularly for smaller companies, which are the vast majority. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This response is prompted by Hult, Ketchen and Slater's (2005) article entitled ‘Market orientation and performance: an integration of disparate approaches.’ As a contributor to the foregoing debate in the pages of this journal to which they refer I am writing to offer some observations on the nature and implications of the research reported in their paper and to clarify my essential difficulty as a strategist with the ‘market-oriented: customer-led’ construct. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article considers the business unit level impact of the introduction of a single currency in the European Community. Most literature to date has concentrated on macroeconomic interpretations of this initiative ‐ the microeconomic issues have received scant attention. The article proposes that all businesses, irrespective of size or market sector, will be affected by the shift to a single currency, even in countries whose governments choose not to partake in the system. To this end business units must give adequate attention to the implications of the change in terms both of strategic and of operational impact. The article suggests potential forms of impact on business units and concludes with a generalised framework of business to manage the process.

This study examined variables predictive of pressure ulcers among patients undergoing urologic surgical procedures. Anesthesia duration and total time of the diastolic blood pressure was less than 50 Hgmm were statistically significant predictors. Dynamic pressure-relieving devices are recommended to reduce incidences of pressure ulcer incidence.

This article considers the case of Hayward Tyler, a UK based manufacturer of engineered pumping equipment. The company was considering establishing a joint venture in Malaysia to produce equipment for the Asian market. This industry is primarily confined to the industrialised countries and little dispersion of manufacture has yet occurred to the developing economies. The article considers Hayward Tyler's approach to this project on a resource constrained basis and the issues and management steps identified from the company's research as fundamental to optimising the probability of a successful venture. The article concludes in the context of the economic crisis which afflicted the Asian region in 1998.