Publicity, punishment and protection: the role(s) of adverse publicity in consumer policy

This paper argues that adverse publicity can fulfil two crucial roles in consumer protection law and policy. First, it can operate as an effective regulatory sanction in its own right; secondly it can play a vital role in helping consumers to exert market discipline by making informed choices about suppliers. However, there are significant risks to using adverse publicity to achieve these ends and it is imperative that any regulatory regime addresses these. Studying this topic now is particularly important for three main reasons. First, there has been widespread recognition that the regulatory offence, typically backed up with fines, is not the most effective form of sanction. More flexible, targeted and responsive options are required. Secondly, there is now ample evidence that regulated information, for example in the form of mandatory disclosure, frequently fails to help consumers to make fully informed choices. Finally, there are some highly significant very recent examples of enforcers using publicity in ways that can be viewed both as a sanction and as an information tool. The need to sanction responsively and to bolster consumer sovereignty demonstrates the potential for adverse publicity as a tool of consumer protection policy

Redress compliance and choice: Enhanced Consumer Measures and the retreat from punishment in the Consumer Rights Act 2015

This article examines critically the extent to which the availability of Enhanced Consumer Measures (ECMs) created by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 addresses the problems associated with the enforcement of consumer protection law in the UK. The article explains the genesis of the provisions by establishing the limitations of the previous law before moving on to consider the extent to which ECMs are successful in addressing those limitations. The article argues that while the availability of ECMs will potentially improve the ability of both enforcers and courts to achieve some objectives of consumer protection law, the measures raise some significant concerns. Of particular concern is the extent to which they signal a move away from prosecution in cases where that would be the optimal response, and so compromise the ability of consumer protection law to achieve some of its most important objectives

Modernising consumer markets: a response to the consumer green paper

A response to the BEIS Green Paper Modernising Consumer Markets by Peter Cartwright, Sam Dunleavy and Richard Hyde who are Consumer Law and Policy specialists at the Centre for Commercial Law in the School of Law at the University of Nottingham

Neogene stratigraphic architecture and tectonic evolution of Wanganui, King Country, and eastern Taranaki Basins, New Zealand

Analysis of the stratigraphic architecture of the fills of Wanganui, King Country, and eastern Taranaki Basins reveals the occurrence of five 2nd order Late Paleocene and Neogene sequences of tectonic origin. The oldest is the late Eocene-Oligocene Te Kuiti Sequence, followed by the early-early Miocene (Otaian) Mahoenui Sequence, followed by the late-early Miocene (Altonian) Mokau Sequence, all three in King Country Basin. The fourth is the middle Miocene to early Pliocene Whangamomona Sequence, and the fifth is the middle Pliocene-Pleistocene Rangitikei Sequence, both represented in the three basins. Higher order sequences (4th, 5th, 6th) with a eustatic origin occur particularly within the Whangamomona and Rangitikei Sequences, particularly those of 6th order with 41 000 yr periodicity

Mental Health Malingering and the Fraudulent Motor Insurance Claimant

Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated symptoms in order to obtain an advantage. Although it has been estimated that over 800,000 claims for personal injury in Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) were filed in the UK in 2012, no approximation exists forhow many involved malingering. This study attempts to understand what influences a psychiatrist to conclude that a claimant’s symptoms are not caused by an RTA and thus suggests the claimant is malingering. This article describes a study of Personality Assessment Inventory scores alongside collateral forms of evidence for 100 RTA claimants; all individuals seeking compensation for damages to their mental health. The results suggest that up to 40% of these claims could be cate-gorised as not being the result of the RTA. Significant differences emerged between those claimants diagnosed as having a mental disorder as a result of the RTA and those claimants who were classified as not having a mental disorder as a result of the RTA in regards to: employment status, level of injuries and scores on the paranoia scales of the PAI.The study emphasises how the assessment process is idiosyncratic and in need of further researc

Phylogenetics of Hydroidolina (Hydrozoa: Cnidaria)

Hydroidolina is a group of hydrozoans that includes Anthoathecata, Leptothecata and Siphonophorae. Previous phylogenetic analyses show strong support for Hydroidolina monophyly, but the relationships between and within its subgroups remain uncertain. In an effort to further clarify hydroidolinan relationships, we performed phylogenetic analyses on 97 hydroidolinan taxa, using DNA sequences from partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA, nearly complete nuclear 18S rDNA and nearly complete nuclear 28S rDNA. Our findings are consistent with previous analyses that support monophyly of Siphonophorae and Leptothecata and do not support monophyly of Anthoathecata nor its component subgroups, Filifera and Capitata. Instead, within Anthoathecata, we find support for four separate filiferan clades and two separate capitate clades (Aplanulata and Capitata sensu stricto). Our data however, lack any substantive support for discerning relationships between these eight distinct hydroidolinan clade

Measuring Metacognition in Cancer: Validation of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30)

Objective The Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 assesses metacognitive beliefs and processes which are central to the metacognitive model of emotional disorder. As recent studies have begun to explore the utility of this model for understanding emotional distress after cancer diagnosis, it is important also to assess the validity of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 for use in cancer populations. Methods 229 patients with primary breast or prostate cancer completed the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale pre-treatment and again 12 months later. The structure and validity of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 were assessed using factor analyses and structural equation modelling. Results Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses provided evidence supporting the validity of the previously published 5-factor structure of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30. Specifically, both pre-treatment and 12 months later, this solution provided the best fit to the data and all items loaded on their expected factors. Structural equation modelling indicated that two dimensions of metacognition (positive and negative beliefs about worry) were significantly associated with anxiety and depression as predicted, providing further evidence of validity. Conclusions These findings provide initial evidence that the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 is a valid measure for use in cancer populations