CRIMINAL LAW Barrister advice and defence statement Essay

CRIMINAL LAW Barrister advice and defence statement - Essay Example Mr. Olmeda saw the defendant, Joseph Wearn, hovering around a display of walking sticks. Mr. Wearn was looking around rather suspiciously. Mr. Olmeda contacted his colleague in the video control room to have the camera operator focus on Mr. Wearn. Mr. Olmeda then witnessed Mr. Wearn take a walking stick. Mr. Wearn camouflaged the walking stick and made a speedy exit through the front of the store without stopping to pay for the item. Mr. Olmeda followed Mr. Wearn all the way to the main concourse area inside Brent Cross shipping centre. Mr. Olmeda took hold of Mr. Wearn’s arm and cautioned him that he was the store detective and that he watched him remove a walking stick and exit the door without paying for it. Mr. Olmeda asked Mr. Wearn to step inside the store with him while he contacted the store manager, Mrs. Linda Levison. Mr. Olmeda retrieved the walking stick from Mr. Wearn when he stopped him outside of the store. Mr. Wearn repeatedly shouted obscenities while on the w ay to the store manager’s office, Mrs. Linda Levison’s office. Mr. Olmeda explained to Mrs. Levison what had just transpired and handed her the walking stick. The store manager, Mrs. Linda Levison, phoned the police who arrived at 12.50 hours. Mr. Olmeda explained what had transpired and then he returned to his post. Witness: Mrs. Linda Levison Occupation: Store manager of John Lewis, Brent Cross, London Statement taken: 9 December 2010 Summation: Mrs. Linda Levison is the store manager for John Lewis, Bent Cross, London. On 8 December 2010, Mrs. Levison was met in her office by store detective, Javi Olmeda. Mr. Olmeda informed her that he had apprehended Mr. Joseph Wearn for taking a walking stick from the store without paying for it. Mrs. Levison took Mr. Wearn, who was escorted by the store detective, Javi Olmeda, to her office. She proceeded to call the police who arrived on or about 12.50 hours. This is pursuant to the store policy of contacting the police wheneve r a theft is alleged. According to Mrs. Levison, the alleged perpetrator, Mr. Wearn was crying while they awaited the police to arrive. Once the police had arrived, Mr. Olmeda, the store detective, recounted the allegation and returned to his post. According to Mrs. Levison, the walking stick that she had been given by Mr. Olmeda was characterized by a prominent lion’s head handle. It also had the store’s label attached to it so that Mrs. Levison was able to ascertain that the item in question was indeed sold at her store and part of the inventory. With the information from the label of the walking stick, Mrs. Levison was able to identify it as part of the store inventory and that such a walking stick, according to computer records, was not sold on 8 December 2010. Mrs. Levison handed the walking stick over to one of the attending officers, PC May. She then witnessed Officer May arrest Mr. Wearn and watched them leave her office. Mrs. Levison is producing the computer records from 8 December 2010 (Exhibit LL/1), and is willing to give evidence in court. Witness: Richard Fairchild Occupation: Security camera operator Statement taken: 9 December 2010 Summation: Mr. Fairchild is employed as a security camera operator by Securigard PLC. On 8 December 2010, he was working at the John Lewis Partnership’s central office manning the camera desk. Mr. Fairchild is responsible for operating the security camera. The security camera is set up to monitor and record

Poverty or hunger in either Asia or Africa and solutions to help Essay

Poverty or hunger in either Asia or Africa and solutions to help improve conditions - Essay Example Poverty in Africa has being captured in different avenues to demonstrate the suffering that the people of the continent undergo due to lack of access to basic facilities in their countries. The increased presence of low economic levels in Africa despite the progress and input that has been made by different international organizations has been associated with a number of factors and courses. Solutions are however available that if adopted and adequately implemented can address the food and basic needs shortage in the continent and eliminate the suffering of the people (Altman, Zitha and Gemma 349). The continued presence of abject poverty in Africa despite the economic progress in other parts of the globe has been attributed to a number of policy issues and political factors associated regional policies and approaches. While the poverty levels in other parts of the world have witnessed a steady decline, the problem in Africa has remained relatively stable and this has been associated with poor policy formulation and implementation. Africa has large tracts of arable and fertile farming lands especially in countries to the southern of the Sahara desert. However, the farming approach in the regions have not been effective in increasing the national harvest as farm ownership in these regions is subjected to tribal groupings and clanships (Beasley 24). This leads to unnecessary division of the arable land for subsistence farming which produces less output to feed the growing population and a reserve for the unforeseen future. The lack of freehold land holding in major African countries has been contributed to the increased lack of agricultural production and heightened poverty levels. In countries like South Africa, Kenya and Uganda, there are widespread unused lands which have a great agricultural potential and can contribute immensely to the agricultural basket of the country. However, the

Zeitgeist Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zeitgeist - Movie Review Example The first part of the movie was more or less based on the birth of Jesus Chris, stating that he wasn’t infact born on this date. Here again, the director has to prove the fact that the birth date of Jesus Christ is not actually the 25th of December and that it should be in the season of winter solstice but the director has yet again avoided the theories which point otherwise. The next topic being discussed in the video is regarding the cross. The director claims that the cross is actually the symbol of the zodiac and is persistent on proving that the symbol is somewhat astrological by origin. The author has done this by discussing the myths. But it could be easily said that the cross has no relation whatsoever from astrological point of view rather it is used because Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross because crucifixion was the conventional method of punishing someone by law. Similar things can be said about the claim the author makes regarding the crown of thorns. The author also makes claim that the Bible is not actually a work of God and the stories of various prophets such as Noah, Moses mentioned in the Bible are actually again similar to other stories of the past. But the one thing that is problematic here is if the director is trying to prove wrong of the Bible why he is not trying to prove the reliability of the stories which he mentions in order to contradict the teachings of the Bible. The author also says that Horus was the God of the sun in Egypt, this shows that the author has a lack of understanding regarding the topic being discussed and he needs to do research regarding them. Every one, particularly Egyptians know that Horus was infact the God of the sky and Ra was the Sun God. This is one of the many examples which show the baseless facts that the director has mentioned in the entire video. The main conclusion that can be drawn from this video is that the religion, especially Christianity is the basis of

Investigative Lab Proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Investigative Lab Proposal - Assignment Example eshwater that has a pH of 6.0–8.0, a 5.0–19.0 dGH water hardness and 4 to 41 Â °C temperature range Despite they they may not survive long enough at higher temperatures. Infact, they are taken to be not suited to living in a tropical fish tank that is heated, as they are employed to the greater oxygen amount in unheated tanks as well heat can burn them. (Copp and Sayer, 2010) Materials: Infrared gas analyzer, Fish tank with a heater, three gold fish, thermometer and two hot water bags. For this experiment, Gold fish 1 will be placed directly into the fish Tank with temperature near to 40c . Gold fish 2 will be placed in fish tank with room temperature. Gold fish 3 will be placed in fish tank with a temperature near to 4o0c.The temperature recording will be done through placing the thermometer in the fish tank. The machine will be expected to match after every five minutes. Alteration will be done at different points. The experiment will be carried out to ascertain if temperature has a significant effect on respiration rates of the Gold fish. It is based on the fact that there is kinetic energy alteration of enzymes involved in respiration with change in temperature thus its rate of reaction can either be faster or slower Copp GH, Sayer CD (2010) Norfolk Biodiversity Action Plan – Local species action plan for crucian carp ( Carassius carassius). Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership Reference:LS/3. Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft, 9

Ensuring children and young people’s safety Essay Example for Free

Ensuring children and young people’s safety Essay Ensuring children and young people’s safety and welfare in the work setting is an essential part of safeguarding. While children are at school, practitioners act in ‘loco parentis’ while their parents are away. As part of their legal and professional obligations, practitioners hold positions of trust and a duty of care to the children in their school, and therefore should always act in their best interests and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). The Children Act 2004 came in with the Every Child Matters (ECM) guidelines and greatly impacted the way schools look at the care and welfare of pupils. Children and young people should be helped to learn and thrive and be given the opportunity to achieve the five basic outcomes: be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. Children are vulnerable and depending on their age and level of development, do not see danger or recognise risks. They do not know when or how to look after themselves and need adults to protect them and ensure their safety, whilst encouraging their independence in an age appropriate manner. All organisations that employ staff or volunteers to work with children need to use a safer recruitment practice. In March 2005, following the Soham murders and the subsequent Bichard Inquiry, the DCSF – Department for Children, Schools and Families (previously the DES and the DoH) proposed that Recommendation 19 of the Bichard Inquiry should be carried out: ‘new arrangements should be introduced requiring those who wish to work with children, or vulnerable adults, to be registered. The register would confirm that there is no known reason why an individual should not work with these clients.’ As a result, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 was passed, providing the legislative framework for the new Vetting and Barring scheme. This Act established the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to make decisions about who should be allowed to work with children, the elderly and other vulnerable adults and to maintain lists of those who are barred. Under the Act, it is an offence for an employer to employ a barred person in a role with children. It is also an offence for a barred person to apply for  such a role. Employers must also advise the ISA if an individual harms a child whilst working for them. The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 merged the ISA with the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) to form the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services). It also differentiated between supervised and unsupervised activities. Schools should have policies and procedures for safer recruitment practice, which should be applied at every stage in the recruitment process, from advertising, references and pre-interview checks, to the selection of candidates, interviewing process and the offer of appointment. As part of the process, every adult wanting to work with children or vulnerable adults must have a DBS (Disclosure and Barring Services) check. There are three levels of DBS disclosure: -Basic disclosure: details relevant information about the individual, together with any convictions (spent or in force), cautions or warnings that the individual has received. -Enhanced disclosure: includes the same as the basic disclosure, plus any additional relevant information held by the police. -Enhanced disclosure with Barred List Check. Schools must also ensure that any adults (including cleaners and caretakers) or volunteers in the workplace do not have unsupervised access to children unless they have been DBS checked. Schools need to ensure that they provide children and young people with a happy safe environment to learn and develop, with trusted and supportive adults. Practitioners need to actively promote the well-being and welfare of every child. This includes providing a wide range of activities to promote development through play as well as formal learning. These activities should include age appropriate toys and games that meet the Toy (Safety) Regulations 1995 and are in a good state of repair. Practitioners should check for Kitemarks and CE markings. Kitemarks are symbols that show products have been tested and meet the British Standard Institute requirements. CE markings show that products meet European standards as set out by the European Community. Children also need to communicate and socialise with their peers, children from other age groups and other adults. They need to feel safe and secure in their environment so that they feel able to speak to adults about any concerns they may have, or to ask questions and seek help without fear of embarrassment. They need good role models who can help them extend their decision making skills and develop independence appropriate to their age and development level. Practitioners have a further responsibility to provide additional support to children who may have special educational needs. This may be through individual sessions within the school, liaison with external services such as educational psychologists or through the CAF (Common Assessment Framework) process. The CAF process was developed to gather and assess information in relation to a child’s needs in development, parenting and the family environment. It is a service that should be offered to children (and their families) whose additional needs are not being met through universal services within the school. Practitioners also need to protect any children who may be at risk of significant harm because of their home life and personal circumstances. There are a number of policies and procedures that should be in place in schools to ensure children and young people’s protection and safety: †¢Working in an open and transparent way – adults should make sure that another member of staff is always aware of where they are working, especially if they are alone in a room with a child, there should always be visual access or the door should remain open. †¢Duty of care – adults should always act in the best interests of the child and ensure their safety – the welfare of the child is paramount (Children Act 1989). †¢Whistleblowing staff should understand their responsibilities to raise concerns of malpractice. Staff will be deemed to be failing in their duty to safeguard children if they do not act. †¢Listening to children adults relationships with children should always be professional, caring and respectful. Children need to feel valued and listened to. †¢Power and positions of trust adults working with children hold positions of trust due to their access to the children in their care, and relationships between pupils and staff will  always have an unequal balance of power – these positions should never be abused. †¢Behaviour teachers should behave in such a way as to safeguard children’s well-being and maintain public trust in the teaching profession. †¢Physical contact staff should ensure that any contact with children is entirely professionally appropriate. †¢Off-site visits staff must take particular care to ensure that clear boundaries are maintained and full risk assessments must be carried out prior to a visit. †¢Recording of images – there must be age-appropriate consent from the person or their parents or carers. †¢Intimate personal care all children have a right to safety, privacy and dignity when intimate care is required. †¢Sharing concerns and information highly confidential information about children and their families should only ever be shared on a need to know basis, and anonymously wherever possible. †¢Security – school premises should be made secure with fencing, gates and locking doors with secure access codes to prevent unwelcome visitors and to stop children from leaving the premises unaccompanied. There should be clear locking and unlocking procedures and stringent rules for visitor access to the buildings. Contractors should be LA approved or selected using safe selection procedures and should have carried out appropriate risk assessments in advance. They should be given information to enable them to follow the school’s safety procedures. The three main areas that address the protection of children from harm in the work setting are: child protection; health and safety, and risk assessments. †¢Child protection. It is the responsibility of all adults in the setting to actively safeguard children and young people and to prevent abuse or neglect. The setting should detail how the policies and procedures should work on a daily basis and outline current legislation in this area (see Task A). The policy should describe the responsibilities of the setting as well as those of individuals. It should include a summary of the possible signs of abuse or neglect for staff to refer to (see Task D1). Staff are required to respond to any concerns in an appropriate and timely manner. There should be clear guidelines on how staff should proceed when there are concerns, or  allegations have been made, including the role of the designated CPO (Child Protection Officer) (see Task D2). Staff should also be made aware of the procedures if the allegation concerns another member of staff or the head teacher (see Section 2 below). The policy should detail external services that may be required, including names and telephone numbers etc. There should be specific guidance about how to behave if a child or young person makes an allegation of abuse. The policy should detail other procedures and policies that support staff responsibilities in this area, such as the behaviour and anti-bullying policies (see Task E) and the whistleblowing policy (see Section 3 below). †¢Health and Safety. Schools are legally required to have a Health and Safety policy to ensure that there is a plan for how health and safety is managed in the setting and that all staff are aware of all their responsibilities. This policy should be read and implemented by all staff and it should form part of the induction process for new members of staff. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 were designed to protect everyone at work. The employer in a school must take reasonable steps to ensure that staff and pupils are not exposed to risks to their health and safety. This applies to activities on or off school premises. The employer is required to carry out regular reviews of the school, its premises and activities. There should be a designated health and safety representative at every setting who is responsible for the reviews and any subsequent action. The reviews should involve regular walks around the school as well as safety checks on equipment. All electrical items should be checked annually by a qualified electrician. Fire extinguishers should also be checked annually. Staff should ensure that they use any safety equipment provided and store it safely. All materials and equipment used in schools should meet recognised safety standards. Practitioners should check for Kitemarks and CE markings. Kitemarks are symbols that show products have been tested and meet the British Standard Institute requirements. CE markings show that products meet European standards as set out by the European Community. The Workplace, (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 deal with physical conditions in the  workplace and require employers to meet minimum standards in relation to a wide range of issues, including: maintenance of buildings and equipment; lighting; provision of drinking water; temperature; ventilation; rest rooms; toilet facili ties; room dimensions and space; cleanliness; condition of floors and traffic routes. The School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 apply to all maintained schools in England, and came into effect in October 2012. This legislation works in conjunction with the Workplace Regulations, but applies specifically to school standards, which are often more stringent i.e. the provision of a medical room for pupils, or a lower maximum temperature for hand washing in children’s toilet facilities. To protect children and young people from harm on the premises, the school should consider the following: †¢Safety of the indoor and outdoor play equipment, including water and sand play. †¢Safety in the school kitchen, including the storage, preparation and cooking of food. †¢Fire safety, including maintaining clearly marked exit routes and doors. †¢Appropriately sized furniture and equipment for the children. †¢Safe storage of hazardous materials under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002. †¢Appropriate adult-child ratios at all times. †¢First aid training for staff, with sufficient numbers of first aid trained staff on the premises at all times. †¢Safety in the dining hall, including hot food, spillages, choking risks etc. †¢Vigilance in challenging unidentified adults. †¢Procedures for cleaning up bodily fluids, vomit or faeces. †¢Internet safety. †¢Hand washing facilities and practices. †¢Adaptations where necessary for children with special needs or disabilities. †¢Safety of outdoor play areas, including access, space and floor surfacing. †¢Safe storage and supervision of medicines. †¢Implementation of procedures for children and staff with illnesses, i.e. remaining away from school for 48 hours after sickness or diarrhoea. †¢A  nominated person for asbestos and legionella competency. †¢Tidiness and safety of traffic routes around the premises. Off-site educational visits have additional issues that could affect children’s safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires full risk assessments to be carried out prior to a visit. Employers must assess the risks of activities, plan measures to control the risks and inform employees of the measures. Staff must follow school and Local Authority regulations, policies and guidance, which include: evidence of parental permission; emergency procedures; first aid kit and trained staff; appropriate clothing and equipment; qualified staff for activities; adult to children ratios; special educational or medical needs of the children; approval of volunteers (including DBS checks); age and competence of the pupils and transport arrangements. Health and Safety arrangements also require members of staff to keep colleagues/senior staff aware of their whereabouts and movements. †¢Risk assessments. It is a legal requirement for all employers to carry out risk assessments. Risk assessments are a formal examination of things that could cause harm to people. The Health and Safety Executive guidance sets out a simple Five Steps to Risk Assessment: Step 1: Look for the hazards and risks. A hazard is something that can cause harm. A risk is the likelihood of harm together with the consequences should it take place. Step 2: Decide who could be harmed and how. Step 3: It is necessary to differentiate between hazards and risks and then to prioritise them, dealing with the most serious risks first. Decide whether the existing precautions are sufficient. If not, decide what other precautions should be introduced and ensure that they are put in place. Step 4: Record your actions and findings. Step 5: Review the assessment at regular intervals, or if circumstances  change, and revise if necessary. Risk assessments should be used within the school setting e.g. for a new climbing frame or for outdoor water play, and also for off-site visits regardless of their duration. The head teacher is usually responsible for risk assessments and should sign and date them after they are completed. If existing precautions are not satisfactory, then activities may have to be restricted or stopped until changes are made. Changes may involve staff training or additional equipment. Risk assessments will also need to be carried out for individuals with special needs or disabilities and specialists may come to the school to carry them out. Other individuals may require a risk assessment in certain circumstances, i.e. a pupil on crutches or temporarily in a wheelchair. Ofsted inspectors would expect risk assessments to be available as part of their inspections. Risk assessments should form part of a school’s management processes and help to formalise working practices and arrangements. They are a valuable tool for identifying problems and potential problems, monitoring situations and ensuring precautions are taken to keep children and adults safe from harm.

Constructivist Theory of Knowledge in the Curriculum

Constructivist Theory of Knowledge in the Curriculum 1. The Constructivist Theory of Knowledge This theory has emerged from psychological theories around human learning and knowledge acquisition. Within this theory, the main preposition is that people construct knowledge and infer meaning to concepts through experience. It is a theory which is principally credited to Jean Piaget, who used scientific data to prove that the theory was of some validity. In relation to education, constructivist theories have had a significant impact on pedagogy, even though constructivism is not a pedagogy in and of itself. Within constructivism, the idea is that people respond to new knowledge by internalising it and accommodating this knowledge into their existing internal schema, the personal constructs of meaning and understanding that are unique to them. This explains one of the key facets of constructivism as applied to knowledge acquisition, that learners learn individually, and their knowledge is individually constructed and, arguably, unique to them. Therefore, learning is derived from sensory input from which the learner constructs knowledge. This seems rather simplistic, but runs counter to a number of previous theories, particularly the long-standing belief that knowledge is universal, because instead the learner must engage with the world or their social context or environment in some way, in order to learn. In constructivism, theorists posit that learners learn as they learn, in that while they are learning knew knowledge they are learning on many levels, about more than just the facts they are acquiring[1]. For example, if the student is learning about different materials, such as wood, plastic and metal, they are learning about the nature of these substances, but also they are expanding their vocabulary, learning what these substances look and feel like, and, are also processing examples of how these materials are used, and why. Applying this knowledge to their social world allows them to test their new understandings and to see what elements of their environment are constructed out of these different materials. The construction of meaning is a mental process which is enhanced by physical activities[2], but cognitive engagement with learning is key. In constructivism, learners are central to the learning process, not the knowledge they are required to acquire. Learning is both context ual and social, and so in primary science, for example, collaborative activities and experiments engage learners socially as well as individually. Learners need time to learn, but they also need opportunities to review and revisit the new knowledge, as it becomes internalised and takes its place as a building block for further learning. Primary science teaching appears to fit very well with this approach to understanding learning, because it builds from initial concepts and exploratory activities into more complex activities. As time progresses, the curriculum is designed to revisit knowledge on several occasions, and to put that knowledge into practice. How far this works for primary science, however, may depend on a number of factors[3]. This does seem to be a very constructivist approach, and while it works well in primary science, this author wonders if there are other subjects which might not so easily suit constructivist explanations of learning. As a practical subject, science at all levels allows students to take more control of their learning experiences[4] and to engage fully with new knowledge[5]. However, this theory also acknowledges that learning requires a degree of motivation, and this may be the biggest challenge to any educator[6]. 2. Discuss the issue of progression in a child’s learning in the context of a critique of the materials and properties strand of the national curriculum and the associated QCA schemes of work. The notion of progression builds upon issues of constructivism by starting what appears to be a cascade of learning through directed activities. The guidance for the materials and properties strand of the curriculum, particularly espoused in the QCA schemes of work, seem to start with an initial encounter with key concepts, such as the nature of materials, through focused activities[7]. For example, children in reception to Year 1 might be asked to identify types of materials, such as glass, wood, metal, and discuss the ways in which these are used, such as, windows are usually made of glass, or doors are usually made of wood. This knowledge is then built on later on in their learning process by learning more in detail about the properties of these different types of materials, through new information, and testing that information to learn about the properties under investigation. For example, learning about stretchiness would allow students to understand both the concept and the kin ds of materials which display this property, whilst also acquiring the new knowledge of different terms and their application. So progression of learning requires the student to understand what a property is, and the kinds of words used to describe and to explore it. The learning process challenges the student to ask questions about different properties, and then, through these answers, to apply these concepts to other materials and their properties. Progression is thus based on the student engaging at all stages, and only once the student has grasped initial concepts can they move on to the testing of those concepts in more and more detail. However, the challenge of basing a curriculum and set schemes of work on this concept of progressive learning, in this case, is that all students do not learn at the same rates, and therefore the progression of the class may be limited to the speed of the slowest student rather than responding to individual learning. However, this approach also allows students to not only revisit knowledge but to simultaneously signpost their learning[8], which may help build confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy. The continuous programme of study that is the National Curriculum aims to ensure progression from primary to secondary school, in particularly, is less marked and more straightforward, although this is not the case for many educators. However, in principle, within science, the curriculum allows students to acquire the fundamental understandings necessary to advance to more complex science and scientific investigation. 3. How does the recognition of concepts of evidence affect a teachers approach to progression and assessment of pupils understanding in Sc1? Concepts of evidence is a fundamental scientific principle in relation to the acquisition of any kind of real scientific knowledge and understanding. Every part of the progression from S1 requires that students can recognise and work with ‘evidence’ acquired from practical activities[9], such as information gathering, observation and recording of these observations, and experimentation[10]. Experimental and investigative work in this subject, at this level, requires students to engage in the following kinds of activities: planning investigations; deciding what to change, what to keep the same and what to measure; deciding whether a fair comparison was made; and using results to draw conclusions[11]. These require students to have internalised what constitutes ‘evidence’ in scientific studies. However, in science, cognition and learning, and in particular, reasoning, is characteristically different than in other subjects, because this reasoning is carried out using ‘evidence’. Learning to work scientifically relates to a rage of ‘concepts of evidence’, which might include the purpose of observation, and how to carry out observation for specific reasons, recognising what constitutes a scientific question that can practically be investigated through accepted scientific processes, the need to carry out multiple measurements, and the need to develop through these new skills in carrying out measurement processes, and different ways of recording data and presenting findings. It also involves understanding different kinds of experiments and the kinds of results that can be gained from these. However, these kinds of concepts must be learned from engaging in practical activities, and in relation to progression from Sc1, understanding the principles of scientific activities must be demonstrated through carrying out the activities and working through these to achieve specific goals. This runs somewhat counter to the notio n of individual learning, however. However, it is not enough that students can carry out the activity required, because they need to be able to see beyond establishing ‘facts’ and look for alternative explanations or interpretations to illustrate their ‘evidence’. Not only must they be able to frame their investigations in the right language, and choose the right kinds of questions[12], they also need to be able to learn how to make robust measurements, with support and input. What this demonstrates is that it is not enough for students to learn superficially how to do an experiment, and how to record results. For students to progress, they need to be able to discuss observations and inference, questions and areas of investigation, and the different ways to produce ‘evidence’ to explain relationships or causality. And the literature does show that even young children can develop these kinds of capabilities, if they are properly supported. Therefore, the modern approach to science education where knowledge acquisition appears to be fully constructivist, particularly in relation to testing of ideas and principles, appears well suited to students developing key scientific skills, which at the next stage of their education form the basis for deeper understanding and manipulation of more complex and challenging tests and variables. Yet it could also be argued that to teach almost by rote, by following the schemes of work set out by the QCA and DfES is also to stifle individuality in learning, because not all students will grasp these concepts at the same time, or even in the same ways. Science is about universal laws and the testing of theories[13], but in order to allow students to develop a true understanding of basic principles[14], perhaps it is time for educators themselves to reconsider what are their ‘concepts of evidence’ for readiness to progress to the next level. References Gibson, J. (1998). Any questions any answer? Primary Science Review, 51, 20-21. Gott, R. and Johnson, P. (1999) Science in schools: times to pause for thought? School Science Review81(295) 21 -28 Gunstone, R.F. and Mitchell, I.J. (2005) Metacognition and Conceptual Change Teaching Science for Understanding 133-163 Hollins, W. Whitby, V. (1998). Progression in Primary Science. Great Britain: David Fulton Publishers. Johnson, P. and Gott, R. (1996) Constructivism and Evidence from Childrens Ideas. Science Education 80(5); 561-577. Osborne, J. and Simon, S. (1996) Primary Science: Past and Future Directions Studies in Science Education 26 99-147 Paivi, T. (1999) Towards expert knowledge? A comparison between a constructivist and a traditional learning environment in the university International Journal of Educational Research31 (5) 357-442. QCA/DfES (2008) http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes2/science/sci3c/sci3cq2?view=get  Accesed 23-10-08 Reinhartz, J. Beach, D. M. (1997). Teaching and Learning in the Elementary School: Focus on Curriculum. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Shepardson, D. P. (1997). Butterflies and beetles: first graders ways of seeing and talking about insect life cycles. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 34(9) 876-889. So, W. M. W. Cheng, M. H. M. (2001). To facilitate the development of multiple intelligences among primary students through science projects. Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, 2(1), Article 4. Available at: http://www.ied.edu.hk/apfslt/v2_issue1/sow/. Accessed 23-10-08. Watts, M., Barber, B., Alsop, S. (1997). Childrens questions in the classroom, Primary Science Review, 49, 6-8. White, R. and Gunstone, R. (1992). Probing Understanding. London: Falmer Press. 1 Footnotes [1] Paivi, T. (1999) [2] Shepardson, D. P. (1997). [3] Gott, R. and Johnson, P. (1999) [4] Gibson, J. (1998). p 20. [5] White, R. and Gunstone, R. (1992). [6] Reinhartz, J. Beach, D. M. (1997). [7]QCA/DfES (2008) [8] Gunstone, R.F. and Mitchell, I.J. (2005) [9] Hollins, W. Whitby, V. (1998) [10] So, W. M. W. Cheng, M. H. M. (2001). [11] QCA/DfES (ibid). [12] Watts, M., Barber, B., Alsop, S. (1997). [13] Osborne, J. and Simon, S. (1996) [14] Johnson, P. and Gott, R. (1996)

Evaluating the Strategic Role of Operations Management at Nandos

Evaluating the Strategic Role of Operations Management at Nandos Nandos can be described as a casual dining restaurant, which originated in South Africa with a Mozambique/ Portuguese theme. Nandos got its name from one of its founders; Fernando who had Nandos in the later part of his name. The Restaurant chain was founded in 1987 and has grown to operate in over thirty countries in over five continents. (www.nandos.co.uk) Most commonly, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Malaysia, Mauritius , Pakistan, Singapore, Zimbabwe, the united States of America and The united kingdom in which Nandos is trying to build a finger licking tradition. They received the highest accolade for excellence ( three stars) in the best companies annual accreditation awards. It is important to high light here that amongst all the large companies which entered for this award , Nandos was the only one who received the award. (www.nandos.co.uk) Nandos is specialized in serving chicken and chips , rice or mashed potatoes. They specialize in selling flames peri peri chicken and from a personal point of view I think that they do no only specialize in the selling flamed chicken grills , I think that they have revolutionarised the way in which we eat chicken and chips in the united kingdom. Chicken and chips in the united kingdom can to an extent be considered staple food, but with the establishment of Nandos in the country , its presentation and serving has been given a total over hall. The name peri peri is a south African Swahili word for what is called in Africa the birds eye chilli.. This chilli is exclusively indigenous to Africa. The chicken in Nandos is served in either quarters, halves or a full chicken. (www.nandos.co.uk)There are also butterfly breast which are sold exclusively to the Nandos restaurants in the united Kingdom. Added to chicken, Nandos also serves pitas, burgers, salads, wings and raps in their restaura nts. In other countries, Nandos sells, a large stand with a skewer of chicken breast and large peppers , chicken livers and a chicken and rice dish served in a traditional Portuguese copper dish. Nandos serves a wide range of drinks, but they are well known for their idea of serving bottomless drinks, which gives the customer the opportunity to drink and endless as much soft drink as they want, as long as they can handle it and nobody is allowed to take any away from the premises of the restaurant. (www.nandos.co.uk) Nandos thrives on excellence, this is embedded in the our promise section of the menu. In the promise, Nando says that nothing is more important that keeping a promise, and the symbol of the escudo is a sign of integrity, passion, pride and courage. (www.nandos.com)This is a promise by Nandos to give you the customer the excellent flavor and quality that you would expect. It is important to add her that every service sector company should strive to attain excellence. The survival of this type of business depends on people opinions as such it is very very essential that these kind of companies try their utmost best to keep customer satisfaction levels high. This could either be in the way of producing the best quality plate of food that a customer has ordered in the shortest time possible. (www.nandos.co.uk)This will reduce the waiting times by the customers, but still leave the customer with the excellent feeling of satisfaction of consuming your good or service According to accounts filed at companies house in 2009 , the financial crisis at Nandos worsened as they made a loss of about 23 million pounds. As a result of the financial crisis, consumer spending reduced and there was a rise in the cost of raw materials to the industry. This led to a rise in cost to the company and a fall in sale. It is important to not that the company made sales during the period of about one hundred and sixty seven million but due to other factors out of their control, they were still able to make a loss. Management also confirmed that they were happy with the performance of the company even though they did worse that the previous financial year. (www.nandos.co.uk) Operations management is responsible for designing, redesigning and overseeing business operations. It focuses on the process of producing and distributing goods and services efficiently. Operations management makes sure that business operations use as little resources as possible to produce the post resources as possible, it also has to be as efficient in the sense that it has to make sure that the customers requirements are met. Other activities that are associated with this process include inventory control, quality control, managing processes, storage , logistics and evaluation of processes. Substantial measurement and management of internal processes is therefore embedded in the operations management concept. Important to note therefore is that fact that the ways by which operations management is carried out in an organization depends sole or wholly n the goods and services that this The idea of the role operations plays in business is very important , as similarly as human beings, we have a role I our everyday existence. In the morning, we could be parents the our kids, later in the day colleagues at work, and later in the evening we could be friends to other people. The point which should be made here, is that we have a different function in every role we play. In the same way, operations in the business depending on what they are, perform a different function depending on what their overall objective is. The most basic role of strategic operations is implementing business strategy. Other important roles of operations are to act as support for the business strategy and to act as a driver for business strategy. The objectives Operation management objectives are generally every broad. However, it is important to note that operation management affect five different groups or stakeholders in the organization. (Micheal and McCathie ,2005) The first obvious group of people that are going to be affected by operations are the customers. The second group of people going to be affected are the suppliers who have to change or adapt to the changes in any operations so that the end results can be achieved. The share holders are definitely another group that are going to be affected by changes in operations. The better the operation performs, the more business will be driven to the company which in turn increases sales and in turn increases returns on shares. (Micheal and McCathie ,2005) Generally, employees implement operations processes, therefore it is important that the employees understand the objectives of this operation and are will and able to do everything possible to achieve this goal. Also there is a chance like with many companies, that if the employees perform well and this generates positive returns for the company, then they will be in turn better off as the company may be in the position to offer bonuses to them or maybe increase their employee benefits or salaries. Findings And Analysis This report is going to analyze the strategic role of operations and operations objectives, layout , flow , process, and capacity management of Nandos high cross Leicester. It finds that Nando is a high volume mass service restaurant operating with a low process variety level This report will examine and describe the main characteristics of Nandos service operations in the high cross in Leicester which was visited on the evening of Friday the first of April 2011. After making the necessary analysis, this report will end with a recommendation on how Nandos can improve their process. It is worth noting here that Nandos has become or is gradually becoming a household name in the United Kingdom. Demand for the products and services is so high in the Leicester area that they are operating two restaurants in the city center, one about four hundred yards from the other (Micheal and McCathie ,2005) Variation. Nandos can be said to have a fairly predictable variation in the daily, weekly and seasonal demand for its goods and services. Because of the type of food they sell, it is very typical for a Nandos restaurant to be virtually empty in the morning hours of the day. Generally , the most busy periods for the restaurant are evenings, weekend, launch time, and various holiday periods. Periods such as Easter, Christmas and the New year. As a result therefore, management of Nandos varies the number of staff in the shop at any one period of time so that they can be able to meet up with and adapt with changes in demand. Nandos also employs a good number of part time and temporal staff as such they can be called in at short notice so that unexpected variations in demand can be dealt with efficiently and time lags are avoided. Visibility Visibility can be said to be the level of exposure to operations that the customer experiences. Using this definition, Nandos can be said to have very high levels of visibility as they are exposed to all the front end operations of the business. In a typical Nandos restaurant , the customer is able to take a look at how his chicken is grilled. Basically take a look at how his/her meal is being prepared. However, if visibility is considered in terms of the extent to which customers can customize their meals, then visibility can be said to be between medium and low. Nandos, on most of the days and in the evenings can be considered to be a high volume restaurant. This means that you have a lot of people coming into the restaurant to eat. Customizing meals will not be very feasible as it will totally slow down operations. At some times of the day, say probably earlier on in the day, it is easier to probably try an customize meals. But id that is done then they will have to try to practice that through out the day and it will be virtually impossible to do during peak times. As such it can be said that due to its high volume nature, low to medium levels of visibility are necessary in order that the business can operate efficiently. Since customer satisfactions is greatly linked to quality of service, overtime Nandos has tried to increase visibility by increasing the options available to customers. they have brought in vegetarian options to their meals, increases they side dishes that they offer with their meal as well. Nandos used to only offer chips and rice as a side dish to your ordered chicken, now they have other additional options such as mashed potatoes. They have also introduced salads, burgers , pittas , wings and wraps. Also, overtime, they introduce the serving of desserts and now have a great variety of things you can have as desserts after you eat your meal. Hornets are a great example of something revolutionary that they have got in their starter menu. And because a lot of the stuff in the menu is unique cant be gotten from any other restaurant in the same way that it is served in Nandos, people keep on coming back. Variety. In my opinion, Nandos does not provide a lot in terms of variety on their menus. It is true that looking at the menu superficially, you have the feeling that there is a lot on there and you probably have a wide range to chose from. But for flesh loving customers, their choices are limited to chicken. On the evening of my observation, I saw a family of five , two parents, mum and dad and their children who came into Nandos to have a meal. While kids and their dad seemed to be enjoying the meal, the mum who was a meat lover but didnt like chicken had to manage through the evening. Understandably, Nandos as a restaurant cant satisfy the wants of everybody who walk into or thinks about walking into their restaurant, but a little bit of diversification in menu variety will do a lot of good and will definitely go a long way to increase consumer satisfaction. Layout, flow and process design. Nandos, high cross is kind of set in a new building which was open about three years ago. Nandos has what I will term a semi oval shape and the way the restaurant is set up, it gives easy access for movement around the restaurant even when it is at full capacity. It is important to note that customers have to go to the tills to place their orders, since bottomless drinks are very common in Nandos restaurants, customers have to be moving around as well to re fill their glasses and after placing orders, customer have to pick up their cutlery and sauces by themselves. So with all of this in mind, the restaurant is set up in such a way that it can accommodate the flow of customers at any given point in time. Just as you enter the restaurant, there is a sitting area which either provide accommodation for people who have placed take away orders and are waiting for it to be prepared or given a situation when the restaurant is so busy and at full capacity waiting customers can make use of th is area to wait. It is important to note that besides being convenient to the customers, the existence of a functional layout in the restaurant improves and increases overall efficiency of the operation. For example drinks and refill facilities are all set up at one place, plates and sauces with cutlery are also all set up at one place. This makes it really easy for staff to restock in the event that the run out . The big advantage of having a proper layout is that it allows customers for example to move directly to what they are looking for. It prevents people from wondering all around the restaurant in search of what they are looking for. Strategic performance objectives. There are five performance objectives which are common to all operations, these include dependability, speed, flexibility and cost. Quality: Customer satisfaction is directly tied to the quality of the goods and the service which is offered in a Nandos restaurant. If customers became dissatisfied service or quality of the food served in the Nandos restaurant, they might decide to eat somewhere else or why not decide to start eat strictly home made food. This will inevitable lead to a fall in revenue for the restaurant and who knows, might have a knock on effect to other companies in the same line of business. If for example, customers caught a bug from eating in the Nandos restaurant, there is really no guarantee that this bug isnt present in other restaurants, as such risk adverse customers will refrain totally from eating in restaurants, which brings on this knock on effect is spoke about . Due to the fact that this is a service sector industry and the food is prepared on the spot, it is hard to say that first piece of chick which leaves the grill will be exactly the same like another piece which leaves the grill and taking into consideration the fact that this food is prepared by human being, level of quality is susceptible to variations. Also the way the ay one staff treats a customer will not necessarily be the same way in which another staff will treat another customer. This will undoubtedly leave different customers at with different opinions about the quality of service at Nandos. Also talking to the manager at Nandos high cross, I was given the impression that student part time staff are a lot less committed and devote to their jobs as such they tends to provide a lower quality of service when compared to may be full time adult staff. Sometimes, the levels of quality can be reduced unintentionally or intentionally as a result of balancing quality with cost and flexibility. Dependability Nandos has its regular opening and closing times so that customers are clearly aware of the times at which they can attend the restaurant to have a meal. At Nandos High Cross, Sunday to Thursday, Nandos opens between 11:30 to 23:00 oclock and on Fridays and Saturdays, between 11:30 and 00:00 hours. Customers in the area are fully aware of these opening times and they are guaranteed that if they walk into the door of this restaurant between these hours , they are guaranteed to have what ever they order. To the best of my knowledge from personal experience and from talking to staff in the restaurant, I have not yet come across a scenario in which a customers order could not be met because certain things were out of stock. This therefore means that inventory in Nandos restaurants are properly taken care of and refilled where and when the need arises. Speed Speed is an issue generally in the Nandos restaurants. Sometimes you have a long queue at the till and you have only one of the tills being operated. This makes customers orders to be taken slowly and in turn makes the overall waiting experience really long. Also the waiting time for food sometimes ranged up to fifteen minutes. In the general perspective that is not a long time to wait for your food to be cooked and served, but say you dropped in for lunch in on your lunch break, you take a few ins to queue up to get your order started and wait fifteen minutes for your food to get ready, you end up discovering that when your food arrives you barely have enough time to eat properly before you get back t work. If Nandos can reduce the waiting times, I think customer experience is going to be a lot better. This is going to keep customer coming to the restaurant and in turn increase sales and income levels to the company. Flexibility. I personally do not think that Nandos is a very flexible restaurant , ninety percent of their meals are chicken dependent and demand and supply in the particular chain can be determined by factors totally out of the control of the restaurant. For example if we took the case of a bird flu pandemic in the country, this is going to lead serious fall in the supply of chickens to be prepared in the Nandos stores. This pandemic will not only affect the supply of chickens to the restaurant but it will affect customers perception. Customers will be wary about eating chicken at all and a sustained existence of this kind of pandemic will greatly affect sales at the restaurant. This will wholly be to the fact that Nandos sells only chicken do very little in the form of varying to other products. It might be nice for a change for Nandos to try and marinate beef or steak with their peri peri spices and serve with chips. This will and might increase their customer base and increase revenue. Cost. In todays economic climate, cost has become an increasingly become important. To the extend that it almost acts as a winner for restaurants. Other companies in the country such as Tesco, highlight the importance of cost in the economy by using slogans such as every little helps Personally I think that the cost of food in Nandos is fairly affordable and anybody who want to have a proper meal of chicken and chips can actually just walk into Nandos , buy a quarter of chicken and chips and have an unlimited amount of drink for themselves for a little under ten pounds. Quality Management Generally speaking, quality management is a very recent concept which gives customers the opportunity to be able to choose goods which meet a higher quality in standard that other regular goods. (Greasley, 2009) Customers have come to the realization that the quality of the good or service is a very important attribute. And companies have also come to the realization that the quality in the good or service that they provide can make the difference as to whether a customer chooses them or chooses their competitor. (Greasley, 2009) Quality management generally adopts a number of principle that cam be used by top management to organize the institution towards better or improved performance. Some of these principles include being customer focused; at the heart of a business like Nandos the customer is everything about the business. As such the present and future needs of the customer should always be looked at. Management should plan to tackle any needs that might be arising in the near future. (Greasley, 2009) Another aspect of quality management is leadership, the leaders in the organization are supposed to be able to adopt unity and direction of purpose and endeavor to stir the company in the direction of their target goals. Management has to try to involves the employees at all levels in the organization, this makes people to feel valued and it goes a long way to improve performance. A mutually beneficial relationship between supplier and business has to be built and an effective and efficient systematic approach to business has to be developed. As a company they has to be the need to constantly want to improve processes and work on customer beneficial approaches. Talking to the manager of Nandos, he told me that they keep quality at the top of their to do list. I can remember the first time I ate at Nandos I suffered from a bad after reaction, as the peri peri sauce that I used with my meal was stale. And I noticed this in a couple of other shops on different occasions. At the moment management has realized that they can no longer put sauces into a bottle and expect to refill it only when it is finished. Now the peri peri sauces are constantly renewed and refreshed to make sure that the customer enjoys the sauce when it is in its best state. Also over time, customer service in the restaurants has been greatly improved, customer focused training is given to all staff at the restaurant and they the staff are constantly being monitored by their supervisors to ensure that they carry out their work well and they have the best interest of the consumer at heart. On a negative not from a customers point of view, the sizes of the portions have constantly been reducing over time. They seem to be buying a lot smaller birds and they have even changed the bowls used to serve side dishes to smaller ones. This in effect has reduced the amount of food that is being served for exactly the same amount of money. This to the company is good, as they seem to make a lot more money for a comparatively smaller amount of good or service they are providing. In conclusion therefore, looking at the way operations are managed in Nandos, high cross Leicester, from talking to some customer and talking to staff and the manager in the shop, I think that they as a restaurant they have worked hard in the last three years to improve customer experience. They have tried to everything within their powers to reduce customer waiting times, they have worked tirelessly with staff to improves customer service and tried to build a good relationship with supplier to ensure that all goods are supplied on time and they have a rota which permits them to have adequate staff to be able to deal with all customer queries and enquiries at peak periods.