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Background: The public are an important source of notifications and evidence for the investigation of concerns by regulators of professionals. The website is an important source of information for the public, but the complexity of information presented to engage with the public is unknown. Objectives: This study explored the readability of information provided for the public to engage with fitness to practise processes by examining the websites of the 13 UK statutory health and social care professional regulators. Methods: Six readability algorithms were utilised to calculate the readability scores of 180 general and 8 easy‐read documents published for the 15 sites of the United Kingdom's 13 health and social care statutory professional regulatory bodies. These tests were the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, the Gunning Fog Score, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) Index, the Coleman Liau Index and the Automated Readability Index (ARI). Results: All the fitness to practise documents analysed in this study are written at a level too difficult for most of the general population to read, except one easy‐read document. There was also considerable variation in readability across resources for the same regulator, which could be confusing. Regulatory bodies risk excluding a large proportion of UK adults who may want to engage with professional regulatory proceedings. Conclusions: This is the first comparative analysis of readability conducted independent of the regulators of the fitness to practise website documents of health and social care regulators. The public are a key source of evidence in regulatory proceedings. Regulators could improve public engagement by addressing the complexity of language used. Public Contribution: Our advisory group of people with lived experience of involvement as members of the public in fitness to practise proceedings discussed the findings and contributed to the recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceutical waste can result from many activities and locations in a healthcare facility. A compounding pharmacy on site generates drug waste. Anywhere if medicines are employed the site can have spills, halfused bottles, Intravenous (IV) equipment with residual medicine on it. Waste drugs or pharmaceuticals require special treatment and their management seems to be a challenge. Small quantities at households can often be thrown away in the municipal waste stream (perhaps with some method of denaturing or making the drugs undesirable to interlopers). Large quantities kept at pharmacies, distribution centers, hospitals, etc., must be managed to minimize the risk of release or to exposure to workers and the public. This category of waste includes expired, unused and contaminated pharmaceutical products including vaccines and biological products used for therapy. Prescription and over-the-counter drugs end up as pharmaceutical waste as belongings used in pharmacies like gloves, masks, bottles, etc. In the past, medical waste was routinely disposed by flushing it down the drain. At that time, society was unaware of the potential harm these drugs could cause to the environment. Now, biologists have discovered traces of pharmaceuticals remaining in fish and aquatic ecosystems, highlighting the negative consequences of improper drug disposal. As responsible citizens and waste managers, it is crucial to prioritize the principle of prevention. While pharmaceutical wastes can be hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), in many instances, managing pharmaceutical waste is a vital aspect of healthcare and environmental preservation. In a world where medical breakthroughs have resulted in a multitude of pharmaceuticals, appropriate handling and disposal of these substances have become increasingly important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous Canadian reviews of physician, pharmacist, and dentist disciplinary action have noted differences in discipline outcomes across professions and provinces. The objective of this study was to compare the disciplinary action process across provinces and professions, and to describe the perspectives of health professional regulatory bodies on the disciplinary action process. Methods: Participation from medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and dentistry registrars or complaints directors from 10 Canadian provinces was sought. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone or video call. Results: Nineteen interviews with regulators were conducted--8 pharmacy, 5 nursing, 5 medicine, and 1 dentistry. Complaints and discipline processes followed a similar overall pathway with some differences. Differences in process were largely due to differences in health regulation legislation and were noted across professions, across provinces, and within a province. Participants tended to be more aligned with regulators within their province rather than regulators of the same profession across the country. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this paper is the first to describe Canadian health professional regulatory body perspectives on the complaints and discipline process. More research is needed to better understand the factors that affect discipline outcomes and to ultimately improve complaints and discipline processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociologists define "wicked problems" as issues confronting humanity that have no clear right answer or perspective. The issue of climate change is a wicked problem of our age--and an issue that few regulators have explicitly addressed within their remit. The polluting effects of health care work itself have recently been highlighted as a call to action within health professions to address climate change issues more forcefully. Perspectives on how and why regulators should--or should not--prioritize climate change in their activities can be difficult to articulate. An approach to this issue that focuses on appropriate and proportionate use of regulatory levers is essential. Processes to allow for greater transparency in discussions, decision making, and strategic plan development are important for regulators to consider. While regulatory bodies vary in their statutory ability or organizational capacity to lead or address climate change directly within their profession, opportunities may exist to partner with other groups to develop evidence-informed options for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many of the overseas qualified nurses educated work as health care assistants and support workers for a decreased wage without scope for professional advancement. There is an imperative to ease their entry to the nursing register. Aim: To gather and provide evidence to the regulatory bodies regarding the demographics of this cohort of nurses and the challenges they face in attempting to register as a nurse. Design: This study used a mixed-method explanatory sequential design. The survey was completed by 857 unregistered nurses followed by five in-depth interviews. Results from both phases were triangulated. Results: The results signpost to the characteristics and challenges of these nurses working as unqualified grades of staff for a decreased wage without scope for professional advance. Discussion and conclusion: The downward occupational spiral of internationally educated nurses underscores the paradoxical nature of the pedagogical application of transition theory, as these nurses are compelled to revert to a novice status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background The public are an important source of notifications and evidence for the investigation of concerns by regulators of professionals. The website is an important source of information for the public, but the complexity of information presented to engage with the public is unknown. Objectives This study explored the readability of information provided for the public to engage with fitness to practise processes by examining the websites of the 13 UK statutory health and social care professional regulators. Methods Six readability algorithms were utilised to calculate the readability scores of 180 general and 8 easy‐read documents published for the 15 sites of the United Kingdom's 13 health and social care statutory professional regulatory bodies. These tests were the Flesch Kincaid Reading Ease, the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, the Gunning Fog Score, the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) Index, the Coleman Liau Index and the Automated Readability Index (ARI). Results All the fitness to practise documents analysed in this study are written at a level too difficult for most of the general population to read, except one easy‐read document. There was also considerable variation in readability across resources for the same regulator, which could be confusing. Regulatory bodies risk excluding a large proportion of UK adults who may want to engage with professional regulatory proceedings. Conclusions This is the first comparative analysis of readability conducted independent of the regulators of the fitness to practise website documents of health and social care regulators. The public are a key source of evidence in regulatory proceedings. Regulators could improve public engagement by addressing the complexity of language used. Public Contribution Our advisory group of people with lived experience of involvement as members of the public in fitness to practise proceedings discussed the findings and contributed to the recommendations.

Copyright of Middle East Journal of Legal & Jurisprudence Studies / Mağallaẗ al-Šarq al-Awsaṭ li-l-ʿulūm al-Qānūniyyaẗ wa-al-Fiqhiyyaẗ is the property of Manar Elsharq for Studies & Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Scientific Development for Studies & Research (JSD) is the property of Journal of Scientific Development for Studies & Research (JSD) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) seeks to promote the achievement and maintenance of a fair, accessible, efficient, sustainable and responsible market place for consumer products and services in South Africa. Moreover, the CPA seeks to provide an accessible, consistent, harmonised, effective and efficient system of redress for consumers. Notably, the CPA provides that the supplier should not supply or enter into an agreement to supply any goods or services at a price that is unfair, unreasonable, or unjust. This is generally aimed at combating any problems that are suffered by consumers when accessing goods and services in South Africa. Accordingly, various regulatory bodies and related role-players were established to enforce consumer rights and provide redress mechanisms to vulnerable and affected consumers. These consumer protection bodies and related roleplayers include the National Consumer Commission (NCC), the National Consumer Tribunal (NCT), provincial consumer courts, ordinary courts and other alternative dispute resolution agencies. These bodies and role-players are statutorily obliged to resolve consumer disputes in South Africa. However, there are some uncertainty challenges regarding the jurisdiction of ordinary courts and consumer protection regulatory bodies in relation to disputes that relate to the consumers’ right to fair, just and reasonable prices, terms and conditions of goods and services. This article discusses the role of the NCC, the NCT, provincial consumer courts, ordinary courts and other alternative dispute resolution agencies in the regulation of prices for goods, services and access to redress for affected consumers under the CPA. This is done to provide some recommendations that could resolve jurisdictional and regulatory challenges in relation to the price and access to goods and services under the CPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nineteenth and twentieth century determined a special connection and interdependence between political and economic branches, which set the right platform for presentation of the bodies or regulatory authorities. Macedonia was not overlooked by this connected determinism and interdependent. The formation of regulatory bodies by the Assembly in more diverse sectors in Macedonia began in 2002. The regulatory bodies have the status of legal entity by registration in court and their work is public. The role of the market, politics / government and civil society as a regulator with economic and political mechanisms that operate in democratic societies with market economies is, in fact, an appropriate balance of their roles as regulators of public affairs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the passing of the Financial Institutions (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill in Singapore's Parliament, which aims to enhance the investigative and supervisory powers of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in regulating financial institutions. The bill harmonizes and strengthens MAS' investigative powers across six Acts, including the Financial Advisers Act and the Securities and Futures Act. It also empowers MAS to issue directions to financial institutions conducting unregulated businesses and enhances MAS' supervisory powers. The changes will come into operation at a later date. The article provides a summary of the key features of the bill, including the enhancement of MAS' investigative powers and the facilitation of evidence transfer between MAS and other agencies. It also highlights the expansion of MAS' powers to issue directions to financial institutions conducting unregulated businesses and the enhancement of MAS' supervisory powers. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the issuance of notices by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to banks and merchant banks regarding the management of outsourced relevant services. The notices set out requirements for ongoing outsourced services and the disclosure of customer information to service providers. MAS has also published guidelines on outsourcing in conjunction with the notices. The article also mentions MAS's requirement for financial institutions to conduct and respond to reference checks to mitigate the risk of individuals with misconduct moving between firms without disclosure. [Extracted from the article]

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a compelling health problem worldwide in the twenty-first century. The initiation and spread of drug-resistant pathogens pose a substantial threat to human health. Mounting evidence indicates the widespread prevalence of AMR in India. This concerning trend can be primarily attributed to the lack of effective implementation of regulations and oversight measures by regulatory bodies in multiple sectors, including humans, animals, food, and the environment. In addition, inadequate communication and coordination between these sectors further exacerbate the AMR problem. Given the current threat of AMR, it is imperative to develop and implement a robust mechanism that should work in tandem with each other to prevent the development of antimicrobial resistance, as it ultimately affects citizens' quality of life and imposes an economic burden on the country. This article aims to highlight the efforts of various organizations in India to mitigate AMR and provide recommendations for tackling emerging AMR.

The article focuses on the concept of "wicked problems" in regulation, highlighting their complexity and resistance to conventional problem-solving methods. Topics include the attributes of wicked problems, their relevance to the challenges faced by medical and health regulators, and examples such as climate change and artificial intelligence, illustrating the intricate nature of these issues.

There has always been a power struggle regarding control over the administration of the university. In the Enlightenment era, the contenders were the State and the Church. However, as the role of the Church in modern educational institutes declined, the state clamoured for greater control (Delanty, 2001b ; Rüegg, 1992). In the 1990s, academic autonomy was under the purview of the university. This in turn gave impetus to greater mobility of students across borders and to the larger process of Internationalization of Higher Education (IHE). However, in the post-democratic era, the autonomy of universities was severely restricted and research and curriculum were tainted with a protectionist attitude (Altbach and De Wit, 2018 ; Jenkins et al., 2018). Emerging conflicts between the state and the university highlight the urgent need to understand and assess state-university relations in the new political climate. Under these circumstances, the process of IHE has borne the brunt and in the last decade, we have seen a decrease in international outbound student mobility, an increase in the cancellation of offshore campuses and other cross-border education activities. While the process of IHE is still maintained, the original aim of this process, to tackle global issues with a local perspective while providing an inter-cultural university education is at risk. This paper examines the changing dynamics of state-university relations and their implications on the process of IHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEmergence of social networks has significantly changed not only personal communication, but also the perspective of commercial and political communication around the world. From a political point of view, social networks have a significant impact on the field of political marketing. Thus, leaders, political parties, and politicians increasingly use social networks to inform citizens, communicate with them, and invite them to participate in politics (Vesnic-Alujevic, 2012). The concept of political marketing refers to the use of marketing principles and tools in political campaigns by political parties and leaders that can attract voters’ attention in order to win votes (Newman, 2012). Social networks play a huge role in various forms of political participation, including electoral arenas (Vergeer, 2013). They refer to various online tools that facilitate initiation of conversations and the dissemination of information between users (Kushin & Yamamoto, 2010). They allow users to develop online relationships where people with common interests can interact, and share opinions and knowledge (Steenkamp & Hyde-Clarke, 2014). According to political marketing, social networks can be mentioned as one of the important and influential factors for citizens' political participation in elections (Malherbe, 2015). Citizens have a direct influence on the elections and determination of the country's destiny with their political participation, but no study has yet been conducted on election coverage through social networks, which can have a tremendous impact on the electoral arena. The problem of which networks can be used in the election process depends on the legal, political, and cultural conditions of the country on the one hand and the users who follow different motives, needs, and specific behaviors on the one hand. Therefore, according to what was said and since the purpose of this research was investigating the effect of political marketing through social networks on the participants’ loyalty to elections from the perspective of the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the researchers also looked for an answer to the question of how social networks can affect the election participants’ loyalty through political marketing under the shadow of legal and regulatory institutions. Materials & MethodsThis study was a "descriptive survey of correlation type" in terms of purpose and an "applied" research in terms of data collection method. The unlimited statistical population included the 384 citizens of Kermanshah Province, who were selected via the simple random method (Table 1). From among the questionnaires related to social networks, the questionnaire of Auter and Palmgreen (2000) consisting of 21 questions and that of Tsiotsou (2015) consisting of 4 questions were applied. The questions were localized by the researchers according to the conditions and laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The measurement scale was based on the 5-choice Likert spectrum questions. To confirm the research validity, 3 types of validity (content, convergent, and divergent validities) were used and 3 criteria (factor loading, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and composite reliability coefficient) were used to confirm its reliability. Discussion of Results & ConclusionsAs it was said, the purpose of this research was to analyze the effect of political marketing on the participants’ loyalty to the elections through social networks and from the perspective of the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The results of the research hypothesis, which was the possible effect of political marketing on the participants’ loyalty in the elections through social networks, showed that social networks had an effect on the participants’ loyalty in the elections from the perspective of the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This finding was consistent with the results obtained by Asplund et al. (2014), Nisar & Whitehead (2016), Dabula (2017), Mahesar et al. (2021), and Hamid et al. (2022). In most studies, social networks was believed to offer great opportunities for leaders and political parties and thus, the power of these networks could be used in the electoral field. This was the reason for the findings of this research to be in line with those of the previous studies. The difference between this study and the previous researches was that none of the studies conducted in this field had any references to the laws of the countries governing the mentioned networks and only measured the relationships between the variables, while the researchers in this research expressed the legal conditions and these social platforms could operate within the framework of the law of the Islamic Republic of Iran besides examining the relationships between the variables.

The article traces how European football regulation has been 'captured' by the football governing bodies. The European Commission re‐aligned with the European football governing body Union des Associations Européennes de Football (UEFA), which enabled the latter to solidify its role as industry regulator. Four factors seem to account for the successful capture of European football regulation by UEFA. (1) UEFA enjoys a substantial mobilization advantage. (2) As legitimacy maximizer, the Commission avoids unnecessary confrontations. (3) Substantial interest heterogeneity amongst football stakeholders such as clubs, players and leagues prevented the emergence of strong countervailing constituencies to oppose UEFA regulatory proposals. (4) The legacy of amateur ideology in European football nurtures a strong socio‐cultural regulatory frame, which depicts the football governing bodies as trustees of the public interest in football as community institution. The findings come with implications for EU football regulation and the limits of the EU regulatory state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial education entails the process of improving financial consumers' knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence regarding their use of financial services and financial products as well as the risks involved through consistent and objective advice from the relevant regulatory bodies and related stakeholders. Financial education is vitally needed to enhance financial consumers' knowledge on, inter alia, budgeting, better saving and better investment for their short and long-term financial goals in their respective countries and jurisdictions. In this regard, the role of regulatory bodies in the promotion of financial education through the adoption of adequate and appropriate measures to improve the financial well-being of financial consumers is indispensable. Accordingly, this article discusses the role of selected regulatory bodies in the promotion of financial education in South Africa. To this end, the role of the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the National Credit Regulator (NCR), the National Consumer Tribunal (NCT) and the National Consumer Commission (NCC) is discussed. This is done to investigate whether the stated regulatory bodies and/or related agencies have adopted sufficient measures for the promotion of financial education in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides information regarding the perception and expectations of newly enrolled optometry students in the optometry profession. It's a questionnaire -based study. The data was collected through an online questionnaire from students of diffe rent optometry colleges. 152 students responded to the questionnaire, majority of students 91(59.9%) selected Optometry as a first choice. The majority of students 93(61.2%) know that optometrist can work as a researcher. 80 (52.6%) feels they should get a salary between 25000 -- 35000 Indian national rupees (339.63 -- 475.48 US$) after completing the four years optometry programme. Our study shows newly enrolled students are aware about optometry profession and its scope however areas like salary expectations and language skills are concerned areas in students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drugs and their formulations are mainly used in the prevention and treatment of disease or disorders; out of such drugs, only some are considered to be essential and life-saving, whereas others remain substitutes for each other. When some serious adverse effect is faced by a general population on the consumption of the particular drug, the adverse side effects are monitored through pharmacovigilance; when the hazard overshadows the benefit, then the drug is proposed for a ban in the country. Some drugs potentiate the adverse effect only when it is in combination with another drug, which is considered to be irrational; in such situations, the Fixed Dose Combinations FDC is banned but not the single drug. Banned drugs are still available in India, and this might be due to the lack of awareness and knowledge among clinicians and the persistence of loopholes in Indian laws governing the approval and manufacture of drugs. The government needs to enforce laws and increase drug information centers and ensure their proper functioning, from where the update on each drug will be provided to doctors and the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare professions in South Africa are regulated through legislative bodies such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) towards the protection of the public. Professional associations, on the other hand, enhance professional practice aspirations and advocate for recognition of their profession and membership that is voluntary in nature. These specific mandates are sometimes confused or conflated by the profession. Aim: To assess practitioner perceptions on the role and relevance of optometric professional and regulatory bodies in South Africa. Setting: The study was conducted amongst practicing optometrists and dispensing opticians in South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study that used a quantitative approach involving 208 optometric professionals was conducted via an online survey. Results: Approximately two-thirds (65.5%) of the 208 respondents, 65.0% of whom were members of the South African Optometric Association (SAOA), believed that the SAOA is relevant. However, more respondents (72.9%) in the sample believed that the HPCSA was relevant, the majority (56.1%) of whom were also SAOA members. Most respondents did not believe that either the SAOA (68.0%) or the HPCSA (61.0%) protects the practice of optometry. A lack of action against perceived negative practices of optometry networks and violations by registered and unregistered individuals emerged as strong reasons for dissatisfaction amongst respondents. High membership fees were cited as a membership deterrent by 67.0% of non-SAOA members. Despite reporting adequate knowledge of the SAOA (84.7%) and HPCSA (94.6%), factual assessment revealed only 42.4% and 69.5% were accurate on the respective mandates of the two organisations. Conclusion: Although many practitioners were unclear of the actual mandates of both the SAOA and HPCSA, they believed that both bodies were relevant and should improve advocacy and sanctioning of errant practitioners within the optometric arena in South Africa.

The article discusses the Monetary Authority of Singapore's (MAS) proposal to require financial institutions (FIs) to conduct and respond to reference checks. The purpose of these checks is to mitigate the risk of individuals with misconduct in one firm moving on to another firm without disclosing their earlier misconduct. MAS will require FIs to establish relevant policies and procedures and provide a written undertaking to notify MAS of any disclosure of customer information to overseas regulators. The article also outlines the scope of employee positions for which FIs are required to conduct reference checks and the minimum mandatory information to be provided. MAS will provide guidance on the specific functions within scope and impose the requirements through notices with a transitional period of one year for implementation. [Extracted from the article]

The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate that safety culture can be a relevant additional concept for regulating at-risk installations. In that purpose, we developed a three-level model aiming at guiding a safety culture assessment. In that framework, “coherence” (i.e. the level of alignment between principles and practices), “cooperation” (i.e. the mutual understanding between sub-cultures) and “consistency” (i.e. the capacity to change and to improve) have been considered as core issues for a regulatory body assessment of safety culture. These important dimensions are illustrated through two study cases related to two safety culture assessments of nuclear installations.

The purpose of this article is to explore African form of indigenous mass communication with emphasis on Ethiopian indigenous form mass communication institutions, tools, manuscripts, and regulatory bodies. The method employed for this study is qualitative. First hand documents, tools and observation were considered as sources of primary data. Furthermore, pertinent literature was reviewed. The data was analyzed qualitatively where description of the responses on the bases of themes was given emphasis. The finding of this study argued that drum beating, horn blowing and town crying are a form of mass communications in the ancient time. In ancient time news in Africa was first made public from the tower in the center, squares of the city, palace main stairs, market and church. Town Criers, Azmari and shepherds were the journalists and the essential news presenters in ancient times. In the same manner, Afe Negus (mouth of the King) and Tsehafe Tezaze (Minister of Pen) were originally indigenous information regulatory bodies of the empire regime. This research discovered the oldest African newspaper in Ethiopia, a news sheet entitled Zenamewale (Daily News) and the first written newspaper and inscriptions of king Ezana are the first types of African form of news, which dates back to 320 A.D. Zena mewale is believed to be the first handmade press so far known in Africa for 700 years. This confirmed that Ethiopia has 3,000 years of indigenous forms of oral mass communication and handmade press history in Africa.

Background: Healthcare professions in South Africa are regulated through legislative bodies such as the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) towards the protection of the public. Professional associations, on the other hand, enhance professional practice aspirations and advocate for recognition of their profession and membership that is voluntary in nature. These specific mandates are sometimes confused or conflated by the profession. Aim: To assess practitioner perceptions on the role and relevance of optometric professional and regulatory bodies in South Africa. Setting: The study was conducted amongst practicing optometrists and dispensing opticians in South Africa. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study that used a quantitative approach involving 208 optometric professionals was conducted via an online survey. Results: Approximately two-thirds (65.5%) of the 208 respondents, 65.0% of whom were members of the South African Optometric Association (SAOA), believed that the SAOA is relevant. However, more respondents (72.9%) in the sample believed that the HPCSA was relevant, the majority (56.1%) of whom were also SAOA members. Most respondents did not believe that either the SAOA (68.0%) or the HPCSA (61.0%) protects the practice of optometry. A lack of action against perceived negative practices of optometry networks and violations by registered and unregistered individuals emerged as strong reasons for dissatisfaction amongst respondents. High membership fees were cited as a membership deterrent by 67.0% of non-SAOA members. Despite reporting adequate knowledge of the SAOA (84.7%) and HPCSA (94.6%), factual assessment revealed only 42.4% and 69.5% were accurate on the respective mandates of the two organisations. Conclusion: Although many practitioners were unclear of the actual mandates of both the SAOA and HPCSA, they believed that both bodies were relevant and should improve advocacy and sanctioning of errant practitioners within the optometric arena in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the independent oversight bodies and regulatory bodies have been part of the politico-legal system of the Republic of Serbia for some years, their nature, functions and main characteristics have caused frequent misunderstandings both among scholars and general public. The key attributes of this type of state bodies, such as: independence, autonomy, oversight and regulation, are often used uncritically; moreover, they are frequently used for labelling the bodies that do not have these features. This article analyzes the national legislation and demonstrates that the Serbian legislator regulates the independence of oversight and regulatory bodies in an inconsistent and, sometimes, contradictory manner. At the same time, the analysis has shown that the unclear nomenclature of state bodies further complicates the placement of regulatory bodies in the legal system, primarily due to the widespread usage of the term "agency" for state bodies of completely different legal nature. The aim of this article is to contribute to the definition and clarification of the mutual relations between the concepts of independence and autonomy, as well to explain the similarities and differences between oversight bodies and regulatory bodies.