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The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the Official Scrutineer in the annual film awards ceremony of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), a role currently occupied by the audit firm Deloitte. The case of BAFTA provides an illustrative example of the increasing demand for discretionary assurance services from audit firms (Free et al., 2009), which in turn is reflective of Power's (1997) “audit society”. It showcases the power of audit as a legitimating tool. The paper seeks to understand the role of the auditor as assurance provider by drawing upon Goffman's (1959) dramaturgical framework. Viewing the auditor as “performer” and a range of interested stakeholders (BAFTA voting members, sponsors, award winners and industry commentators) as the “audience”, this theoretical lens facilitates insights into the nature of assurance provision.

The paper gathers interview data from within the case organization (BAFTA), it's Official Scrutineers (Deloitte), BAFTA voting members, sponsors, award winners and film industry commentators.

Drawing on Goffman's (1959) work on impression management to inform its theoretical argumentation, the analysis of results from 36 interviews indicates that Deloitte are highly effective in delivering a successful performance to their audience; they convey a very convincing impression of trust and assurance. The paper therefore suggests the importance of performance ritual in the auditor's role as assurance provider. Additionally, it argues that such a performance may be particularly effective, in the eyes of the audience, when played by a well known audit firm.

The paper highlights the expanding territorial scope of assurance provision by audit firms. By focusing on a glamorous media event, it also furthers an understanding of the role of accounting within the domain of popular culture.

Discusses the different forms of external enquiry into the operations of HEIs that constitute existing quality control, assurance and assessment processes and procedures. Proposes that external scrutiny of operations should adopt an approach that ensures accountability, enhances quality, is practical, efficient, effective and offers a degree of autonomy. Asserts that putting continuous quality improvement into practice in higher education requires the implementation of key principles of procedure and practical team approaches which are currently far from endemic across institutions. Describes and explains how the identification of specific roles and responsibilities within academic teams can provide one way of successfully establishing the link between quality control, assurance and assessment and the process of continuous quality improvement in the provision of higher education.

‘OH, AND PERHAPS YOU'LL KEEP AN EYE on the House Library. They'll read all sorts of rubbish if you're not careful.’ I gathered that this was thought to be one of my lesser duties as the new House Tutor, and not to be compared with my responsibility as ‘Keeper of the Pocket Money’ or ‘Scrutineer of the Games Book.’

The Employment Act 1988 is the latest legislation in the government's step by step measures to weaken trade unions and to some extent to weaken the encouragement of collective bargaining. The 1988 legislation has been preceded by the Employment Acts 1980 and 1982, the Trade Union Act 1984 and the Wages Act 1986. These numerous legislative measures make the law they cover both complex and confusing. In the resumé which follows, it is not proposed to treat the complex issues which arise as a result of the inter‐relationship of the various pieces of legislation. These have already been treated elsewhere. It is however proposed to examine the salient features of the 1988 Act in a succinct and brief manner.

The Employment Act 1990 is the sixth piece of major industrial relations and trade union legislation brought in by the Tory government since 1979. Each of this legislation continues the step by step reforms which, — in the belief of this goverment, — are needed to counteract the adverse effects on the economic performance and efficiency of this country. The political aims of this legislation are also obvious; they weaken trade unionism. In two Green Papers, namely “Removing barriers to employment” and “Unofficial action and the law” the government identified a number of “weaknesses” and “evils” in the industrial relations and trade union system; which are now dealt with by the 1990 Act.

In the last monograph an attempt was made at giving a short historical background of the trade union movement; at defining a trade union; at discussing the closed shop and at looking towards its future.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts, examining: their information needs; their information seeking and sharing; what personal information they had; and their satisfaction with their information seeking and personal information management efforts.

This exploratory study examined participants’ information behaviour from a postpositivist and inductive research approach. An online survey was completed by 81 motor sport enthusiasts. The quantitative survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding.

The research findings highlighted that enthusiasts engaged in mixed serious leisure. They required information before, during and after race events, and sought this primarily from online sources, as well as from other individuals. Totally, 90 participants shared information about their interest in motor sport with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts, primarily via e-mails (69 per cent) and Facebook (49 per cent). They also gathered information about motor sport, including photographs and memorabilia. Participants were satisfied with their information management strategies for their personal collections.

Participants were limited to motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, hence findings cannot be generalised more broadly.

Understandings of enthusiasts’ information behaviour provide information management professionals with insights to work with this user community.

This study fills a gap in the literature about leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia. It identifies and provides a typology of the 12 categories of information needed by enthusiasts. Provides a preliminary motor sport information behaviour model guided by the conceptual frameworks of the everyday life information seeking model; general models on information behaviour; and the information problem solving behaviour model.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how individuals involved in top pay determination view their role and accountabilities, and capability development needs, theorised under the rubric of professionalisation.

A qualitative research approach draws upon in-depth interviews with non-executive directors serving on remuneration committees (Remcos), institutional investors, their external advisors, and HR reward experts.

Regulation has addressed remuneration committee resourcing implications but has yet to consider the ramifications for implied professionalisation requirements for the independent actors involved. Non-executives' and institutional investors' professional engagement is potentially hindered by the capability and capacity required for the activities involved and, for NEDs, the reward attached.

Further research is needed to evaluate professionalisation initiatives by top pay regulators and assess their impact on executive remuneration in practice.

Thorough induction, tailored training, and continuous professional development are crucial to quality executive remuneration decision-taking; organisational and regulatory attention to these issues is required along with widening NED selection and recognition criteria.

This paper provides new knowledge on how top pay decision-takers view their role, the competencies required, and necessary professional development needed to achieve organisational competitive advantage. It reveals a potential dark side to top pay decision-taker professionalisation if individuals repurpose themselves as occupants of part-time executive roles undermining corporate executives.

In the Foreword to the first Annual Report of the Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members, Mrs.Gill Rowlands says “As Commissioner I am able to provide material assistance to union members contemplating or taking certain proceedings in connection with … matters specified [in] … the 1988 Act. If assistance is granted, the applicant will know that he/she will not be placed at a disadvantage by a lack of ability to obtain legal advice or pay legal costs in connection with those proceedings.”

Information sharing and joint working between agencies undertaking direct work with children have long been recognised as fundamental to robust and effective safeguarding and child protection arrangements. The public health response to Covid-19 disrupted those arrangements abruptly. This study aims to identify some of the innovative practices that have been implemented and how responses might inform planning for multi-agency working in the future.

This study presents reflections on preliminary fieldwork from a study of how agencies in London are responding to the challenges for multi-agency safeguarding arrangements created by the Covid-19 measures. It draws on the experience of expert practitioners in the research team as well as interviews with 17 senior professionals from local authorities, safeguarding partnerships and health.

The study participants endorsed known concerns around increased risks to children and raised new concerns about particular groups of children that under normal circumstances would not have been at risk. They identified some unexpected benefits derived from new arrangements, especially in relation to engagement with remote working.

Early insights are offered into promising initiatives to preserve strong multi-agency arrangements in crises and strengthen the resilience of the child protection system.