Self-Regulation and Consumer Power

Abstract

In a sense, a headnote to this chapter is not needed at all. Anthony Barker’s paper on the N.H.B.R.C. picks up the argument of the book as a whole and shows how his study fits into the general theme. Briefly, the research reported on in this chapter was aimed at answering the question; ‘What happens when the methods which are supposed to ensure accountability in a given field fail to work?’ Especially in Chapters 4 to 6, we have been concerned with situations where, often with the assistance of peer-groups, those who provided funds for Q.N.G.s were in a strong position to make them accountable, though we also saw that difficulties could arise where the organisation and its clients/customers took different views of the role that the organisation should be playing. But, at least, the clients/ customers were usually businesses, and therefore had a degree of economic and/or political power.