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?

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.

SEM and ultrasound are promising in the detection and prediction of early tissue damage and PU presence. However, these methods should be further studied to clarify their potential for use more widely in PU prevention strategies.

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.

᭹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.