Estimating Micro Estimation

Estimating Micro Estimation Gray and Larson (2003), defines estimation as the process of forecasting the time and the cost of completing project deliverables. These processes are developed by each organization, and employed in a unique way possible. Estimating project times and cost Accurate estimates are critical for effective project management, as inaccurate estimates may lead to false expectations and consumer dissatisfaction. Accurate estimation depends on cost and time. The lifelines for control are budgets, times and cost; they serve as a comparison between the plan outlined in the project and the actual occurrence when undertaking the project. Accurate and reliable estimates also assist in setting up project rollup and project status reports which are the major input for measuring variances and taking action. Managers will need these estimates to make the project schedule and cost for every work package in the project. This data information assists in the coordination of the project by the management. Organization cultures influence the organizations quality of estimates in that, different organizations respond differently to certain estimates e.g. padding estimates are tolerated and privately encouraged in some organizations. While others may place a premium on accuracy and strongly discourage gamesmanship estimates. The importance attached on estimates, affects the quality of estimates in some organizations. A number of them believe that detailed estimates may take much time and are not worth the effort or that future cannot be predicted. Others they may have the belief that accurate estimates are the baseline for effective project management The difference between macro and Micro estimation is; Macro estimating approach are estimating processes which are classified as top down and are usually derived from analogy or mathematical relationship. Micro-estimating approach are estimating processes, classified as bottom-up and are based typically on elements estimates found in the work breakdown structure.There are certain conditions that one would prefer to use each of the above estimating approach. Macro estimates can be used when making strategic decisions; there is high uncertainly; the project is small and internal and when the scope is unstable. Micro estimates on the other hand can be applied when; cost and time is important; fixed-price contract and when the customers wants details. The type of cost found in a project are Direct cost (Labor, material, equipments, etc), project overhead costs, and general and administrative overhead costs. Direct cost can be altered to a specific work package and are therefore influenced by the project manager. Direct costs represent real cash outflows and must be paid as the project progresses. Direct overhead costs (project costs) which closely pinpoint organizations resources being used in the project can be partly influenced by the project manager. Time phase estimation is appropriate when a project is surrounded by unusual amount of uncertainty and it becomes impractical to estimate times and costs for the entire project. A two estimate system is used in time-phase estimation in which a detailed estimated is first developed for the immediate phase and a macro estimate is made for the remaining phase of the project. Contingency allowance should be separated from original estimates because, it has been experimentally noted that many projects total estimates do not materialize and the actual costs and schedule of some projects significantly exceed original work package based estimates. The estimation errors may result in the process of estimation or in the inherent uncertainty of predicting the future. Conclusion Estimates of time and cost are important when carrying out a project. Estimates based on facts from other past projects produces at most accurate information. People, technology and downtimes may sometimes influence the quality of estimates. Estimates based on facts should be acceptable as they represent the best realistic times and cost estimates. Reference Gray, C.F. and Larson, E.W. 2002.Project Management: The Complete Guide for Every Manager, McGraw-Hill publishers

Living for Normality :: Cultural Culture Essays

Living for Normality Most people want to be normal. The definition of normal however, depends on the culture of the person making the judgment. Far too often, normal is defined in America by looking at the actions and beliefs of the average white middle class family. This definition of normal fails to let other cultures to be accepted, creating distance and misunderstanding. One type of culture, which has traditionally been labeled as uncivilized, are those found in Africa. Other more civilized cultures tend to look down on those who belong to African cultures, labeling their customs and ways of life as abnormal. Randall Bass, an Associate Professor of English at Georgetown University, made an interesting argument in his book, Bordertexts: Cultural Readings for Contemporary Writer. Bass describes a passage from a local newspaper out of Louisville, Kentucky. The newspaper coined the phrase, "national geographic nudity" in describing a movie. Bass's impression of the phrase is shown in the following passage, "Somehow the phrase 'national geographic nudity' implies that the natives were not as present or as visible as the other people in the movie." Here Bass is proving the point of cultural differences relating to the definition of normality. While the natives view their nudity as normal, nudity is generally not accepted by any class from America. This dif ference is a prime example of clashing definitions of what cultures accept to be normal. The next step up the ladder of normality is the lower class. Unlike the natives who don't look to fit into the normal set by American middle class, American lower class are constantly looking for ways to improve. PBS ran a very interesting special on classes within the United States. In the special, "People Like Us," was a section devoted to a woman named Tammy and her family. Tammy is a typical lower class citizen; she lives in a trailer in a small town, trash piled around, and no car to drive. After being on welfare for eighteen years, Tammy got a job at a Burger King restaurant 15 miles away. Tammy wants to become better; in fact she wants to go back to school. "I'm hoping to go to college and be a school teacher. That was my goal from the time I was five years old up until now." Even though Tammy wants to move up a class, she still realizes to which group she belongs.

Confucianism and Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee Essay

Celebrated cases of Judge Dee, a detective novel which describes crime cases which happened in China during the Tang Dynasty, in the 7th Century. In the book Judge Dee is a well known magistrate of Chang Ping, whom and is famous for solving crime and maintaining justice, particularly amongst common the Chinese People. In the book, Judge Dee is faced with three murders. As Judge Dee begins solving the crimes, the story unfolds slowly and presents historical, social, legal, philosophical and even religious pictures of ancient China. Tang Dynasty China was a period in which society was strongly influenced by Confucianism, due strongly to the previous influence of the Han Dynasty. These Confucian standards within Tang society strongly guide interpersonal relationships throughout the story in the form of right relationships; in particular, the relationships between father and son, ruler and subject, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, and the relationship between friends. These standards of interpersonal relationship strongly emphasized in Confucian belief played major roles throughout the three trials which Judge Dee faced. In order to examine the stories, the Confucius principal should first be discussed in great depth. Confucius sees social order as a series of status groups and graded roles, from the ruler at the top through officials, scholars, gentleman, all the way to the father of the family; all with authority over, as well as a responsibility to set a good example to those below them. The key element of these interpersonal relationships is right relationships (also known as five relationships). These relationships refer to the ties between father and son, ruler and subject, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, and those between friends. [1] The relationship between father and son, according to Confucius, is that children always respect their parents and parents always are a moral model for their children. Between ruler and subject, the rulers are responsible for taking care of his people, trust his subject and be a good model, while the subjects should remain loyal and faithful to their rulers. The husband should treat his wife respectfully, while the wife should support the  husband. The elder brother should be a good role model and take good care of and younger one, while the younger one should respect the older brother (brothers being fraternal to each other). Finally, friends should be honest and trustworthy toward one another. From the five relationship principle, every person has many roles to play in this life , or in this society, and must obey these five relationships so that the world and the universe can improve toward perfection. These relationships are also interchangeable and relative. For example, a father in family can also be a subject to the rulers, a friend to other people and meanwhile a son to his mother. It s therefore believed that every person has a duty to follow through with their role within society, a concept which is clearly upheld by Judge Dee throughout the book. In Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, there are many cases follow the Confucius guide previously mentioned. For example, one of Confucius’ Analects says, â€Å"In order to increase the peace and harmony in society, appoint the honest and empathetic to office.†Ã¥â€œâ‚¬Ã¥â€¦ ¬Ã¥â€¢ Ã¦â€º °:ã€Å'ä ½â€¢Ã§â€š ºÃ¥â€°â€¡Ã¦ °â€˜Ã¦Å" ?〠Ã¥ ­â€Ã¥ ­ Ã¥ ° Ã¦â€º °: ã€Å'舉ç› ´Ã©Å' ¯Ã¨ « ¸Ã¦Å¾â€°,則æ °â€˜Ã¦Å" ;舉枉éÅ' ¯Ã¨ « ¸Ã§â€º ´,則æ °â€˜Ã¤ ¸ Ã¦Å" Ã£â‚¬â€š 〠[2]. Similarly, the Judge Dee story follows this Confucian principle, as evidenced by the original introduction: â€Å"If, therefore, a judge is honest, then the people in his districts will be at peace.†[3]. If a judge, as a ruler to the people in the lower level, can be honest to the people, then the people will obey and the society can remain in order, as portrayed within the right relationship principle between ruler and subject. Readers can also see this principle applies in the cases which face Judge Dee. The story begins with the murder of a travelling silk merchant, whom was traveling with another merchant. The merchants were travelling together for safety, when one of them murdered the other, sold the victim’s possessions, and ran away to live a wealthy life. When caught, the merchant placed all blame on someone else. The relationship portrayed between these two merchants, according to Confucianism, is one between friends (Confucius states that friends should be straight, honest, trustworthy and well informed in order to benefit in life). However, the merchant Shao thought  differently. Instead of being a trustworthy and honest friend, he ruins the relationship between friends, and commits the murder, thus creating chaos in society. Another murder case n the story takes place in Huanghua village. A woman, Mrs Djou, had an affair with Mr. Hsu. Later Mrs Djou murdered her husband Bee Husn in order to have Mr. Hsu marry her. Mrs. Djou even gives her little daughter drugs so that her daughter cannot tell on her. Mrs. Bee, Mr.s Djou’s mother in law, had been ill since the time of her son’s death, though Mrs. Djou neglected this fact and did not try to take care of her. These behaviors broke three principles of the right relationships. First, Mrs. Djou committed a severe crime of killing her husband, and broke the relationship between a husband and a wife. Also, she gave drugs to her own daughter, ruining the relationship between the parent and the child. A mother should be a good model and take care of her child, but she failed to do that. Moreover, she ignored Mrs. Bee’s illness instead of trying to cure her, once again breaking the relationship between parents and children. Mrs. Djou failed to be a mother and here, failed to be a daughter in law. At the end of the case, Judge Dee sentences Mrs. Djou to a painful execution for murdering her husband and having an affair with another man. Mr. Hsu is sentenced to strangulation because he took part in the crime of having a affair with Mrs. Djou. However, there is another person who gets punished, Doctor Tang, Mr. Hsu’s teacher. Dr. Tang is the host teacher of the private school, and lives with all his students, taking charge in the supervision of his pupils. During the tribunal, Judge Dee told Doctor Tang, â€Å"You, a man of wide learning and many years experience, have failed miserably in your duties as a tutor. The crime of adultery took place in your house, and, as it were, under your very eyes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.you are strictly forbidden ever again to engage in the teaching of students.† [4]The Judge then proclaims to Mrs. Bee(though does not in fact punish her), â€Å"You failed in your duty of supervising the conduct of your daughter-in-law, and consequently two heinous crimes were committed in your house.†[5] This relates again to the Confucian theory of right relationships. The elderly should play his/her role as an older person  in the Chinese society, or else the society will go without order, a nd though Mrs. Bee doesn’t get punishment, the words Judge Dee says clearly portray interpersonal relationships in Chinese society. Throughout the story the concept of right relationships is so important that people get punished, or scolded when they fail their Confucian duty. Doctor Tang was both elderly and a teacher, and is therefore responsible as a teacher, mentor, and supervisor in the lives of his students. However, he fails his duty as a teacher. According to the story, because Mrs. Bee and Dr. Tang did not do their duty of watching and guiding the younger ones (daughter in law and students), they indirectly let the crime take place and caused the tragedy. Throughout Celebrated Cases of Jude Dee, the relationship between ruler and ruled, between friends, husband and wife, parents and sons/daughters, the elderly and the younger remains incredibly significant, and continuously guides interpersonal relationships. Those whom did not follow the standards of the right relationships were met with punishment from Judge Dee, strongly exemplifying Confucian morality as a whole, and in many ways portraying a large aspect of Tang era society. Bibliography Gulik, Robert Van. Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1976 Murphey, Rhoads. A History of Asia Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc., 2009 ———————– [1] Rhoads Murphey, A History of Asia Sixth Edition, (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Person Education Inc., 2009),32 [2] Confucius and his students, Analects 2:19(ç‚ ºÃ¦â€ ¿Ã§ ¬ ¬Ã¤ ºÅ'ç ¬ ¬Ã¥  Ã¤ ¹ Ã¦ ¢ ) [3] Robert Van Gulik, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dà  â‚¬Ã   Å'à  Å½Ã   â€˜Ã   Å"à   Ã    ¥Ã    ¦Ã    «Ã    ¬Ã    ®Ã    ¯Ã    ´Ã  ¡Ë†Ã  ¡â€°Ã  ¡Å½Ã  ¡ Ã  ¡â€˜Ã  ¡â€¢Ã  ¡ ¥Ã  ¢ ºÃ  ¢ ¼Ã  £â€ Ã  £â€¡ee, (Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, Inc., 1976),5 [4] Robert Van Gulik, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, (Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, Inc., 1976),208 [5] Robert Van Gulik, Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, (Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, Inc., 1976),208

Essay on Analysis of the Use of Film Trailers and Film...

Analysis of the Use of Film Trailers and Film Posters Film posters come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Some have appealing pictures on that target a particular age group, some are for a general audience, but they all use the same things on the poster. Anchorage, Alliteration and Eye catching devices. You can find them at a wide range of places, like at the cinema inside and out, or on big billboards, or even in town. But they all have one target in mind, to make you spend your money to see that movie. I shall be looking at what makes a film poster a good film poster. And then I will give an example of a good film poster with all the things I describe. To begin with I am†¦show more content†¦Its normally whats appropriate for the movie and the age group of people it is targeting. Underneath that it will have the transference of values of one or two main actors/actresses names in big lettering so that the viewer can see it has someone who is really good and is really popular and think if it has him/her in the movie it will be good. Then it will have the name of the movie in big, dark lettering on a light background so that every letter is viewable without anyone squinting and so that they dont make a mistake of the name of the movie so that the viewer will hopefully give word to mouth advertisements. Then will come the credits, which nobody really notices but it has all the compulsory things like copyright and the mention of people who worked on or in the movie. At the very bottom will say the date it will be released or coming soon. Sometimes it might have a competition or a prize giveaway located somewhere to attract people even more. 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