Calculations Without Brake Booster Engineering Essay

Calculations Without Brake Booster Engineering Essay The purpose of this written assessment is to show that we understand how the braking system works in an automotive vehicle. We should be able to show a range of specialized technical skills which involve a wide choice of standard and non standard procedures. I will also show you a broad knowledge base with substantial depth in some areas of the braking system. Here in this assignment I will also cover the determination of appropriate methods and procedures in response to a range of concrete problems with some theoretical elements and apply it in self directed and sometimes directive activity, within broad general guidelines. By the end of this assessment I will have a wide understanding of how the braking design and braking system work within the automotive vehicle. A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a vehicle or a machine, and to make sure that it stops moving. The kinetic energy lost by the moving part is usually translated to heat by friction. Alternatively, in regenerative braking, the energy is recovered and stored in a flywheel, capacitor or other device for later use. Brakes of some description are fitted to most wheeled vehicles, including automotive vehicles of all kinds, trains, motor bikes, and normal pedal bikes. The kinetic possessed by a vehicle at any one time into heat energy are by means of friction. The equations for kinetic energy, that is the energy of motion may be given by: The disc brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel on a vehicle. A braking disc or commonly known as a rotor, is usually made up of steel and other metallic compounds, is connected to the wheel or the axle. To stop the wheel, the braking pads which are normally mounted in a device called a brake caliper, which is then squeezed mechanically or hydraulically against the disc on both sides. Friction causes the disc and attached wheel to slow down and stop according to the driver. A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating drum. The drum is connected to a rotating wheel. The modern automotive vehicle drum brake was invented in 1902 by Louis Renault. In the first drum brakes, the shoes were mechanically operated with levers and rods or cables. From the mid 1930s the shoes were operated with oil pressure in a small wheel cylinder and pistons, though some vehicles continued with purely-mechanical systems for decades. Some designs have two wheel cylinders. Experiments with disc-style brakes began in England in the 1980s the first ever automobile disc brakes were patented by Frederick William Lanchester in his factory in 1902, though it took another half century for his innovation to be widely adopted. The first designs resembling modern disc brakes began to appear in Britain in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They offered much greater stopping performance than comparable drum brakes, including much greater resistance to brake fade this is caused by the overheating of brake components, and were unaffected by immersion which is drum brakes were ineffective for some time after a water crossing, an important factor in off-road vehicles. Disc brakes are also more reliable than drum brakes due to the simplicity of their mechanics, the low number of parts compared to the drum brake, and ease of adjustment. Disc brakes were most popular on sports car when they were first introduced, since these vehicles are more demanding about brake performance. Many early implementations located the brake disc inboard, near the differential, but most discs today are located inside the wheels. An inboard location reduces the un-sprung weight and eliminates a source of heat transfer to the tires, important in formula one racing. Discs have now become standard in most passenger vehicles, though some retain the use of drum brakes on the rear wheels to keep costs and weight down as well as to simplify the provisions for a parking brake or emergency brake. As the front brakes perform most of the braking effort, this can be a reasonable compromise. Mechanism A single piston, floating caliper system. Pressurized brake fluid travels along the brake line to the caliper. The pressurized fluid pushes the piston (green) and inner brake pad against the disc which is normally blue. Pressure against the disc pushes the caliper away from the piston, pulling the outer brake pad against the disc. As the brake pads clamp together, friction slows the rotation of the disc and wheel. Brake Pads The world of Automotive Brakes can be quite overwhelming. The first task in choosing Automobile Brakes is making sure that you have the Automotive Brakes and parts that are application specific to your vehicle whether it be a car, truck, van or whether the Automotive Brakes are to be installed on a two year old sedan or a rare classic. There is more to Automotive Brakes than parts that fit. Automotive Brakes also have to be right for the vehicles actual use. For example, Automotive Brakes required for off road or stop and go city delivery driving can be quite different than Automotive Brakes that are suited for ordinary family driving, even though all these brakes fit the job. Its a matter of finding the right Automotive Brakes for your application. Brake Pads Brake Booster Unless youre a professional athlete with tree trunks for legs, be grateful that your car has a brake booster nestled between the brake master cylinder and firewall on your car. Your brake booster doesnt make any noise, and it doesnt use any electricity or gasoline, but it ensures that you can stop your car with only a light touch of the brake pedal. Things werent always like that, Before the invention of the vacuum brake booster, cars still stopped. Its just that you had to really stomp on the brake pedal. The modern brake booster is an good device that operates using something that your engine generates whenever its running, Vacuum. The brake booster takes engine vacuum via a rubber hose that runs from the intake manifold, and the brake booster uses that vacuum to amplify the pressure you put on the pedal. A light application of the brakes is translated by the brake booster into significantly more pressure on the brake master cylinder, ensuring that your car stops quickly. So what happens to the brake booster if your car stalls, resulting in a loss of engine vacuum? Early designers realized that gas engines were hardly foolproof, so they designed a little check valve into the brake booster circuit. The brake booster stores enough vacuum to provide full boost for two or three pedal applications even after the engine dies. The check valve on the brake booster is what keeps that vacuum from leaking out. And speaking of leaks, thats the reason most brake booster units have to be replaced. As your brake booster ages, the rubber seals and diaphragms that hold the vacuum tend to wear out and crack. Brake Booster Calculations without brake booster for 1 pot caliper: Data: Force applied: 80N Length of brake pedal: 340mm Pedal movement: 46mm Diameter of master cylinder: 26mm Piston spring pretension: 15N Piston spring rate: 8N/mm Wheel diameter: 0.30/ 250mm Caliper piston: 46mm Pedal ratio= Length of pedal Pivot of brake booster = 340mm 60mm = 5.666 Movement = Pedal movement Pedal ratio = 46mm 5.66 = 8.127 Drivers applied force = Applied force x pedal ratio = 80n x 5.66 = 452.8N Piston force = (Pretension force + Rate of spring x movement of piston) = 452.8N (15n + 8N/m x8.127) = 452.8N 80.016 = 372.784 N Pressure = Force Area of piston = 372.784 N 0.25TT D2 = 372.784 N 0.25TT (26 x 10 -3) 2 = or 0.70 Mpa Caliper force = Pressure x Area = 7021.35 Pa x 0.25 TT (46 x 10-3)2 =1270.55 Transmitted force = Caliper force x Co- efficient of friction x number of pads = 1270.55N x 0.35 x 2 = 8893.85 N Torque = Transmitted force x Effective Radius = 8893.85 N x 0.30 m = 266.79 N Brake Caliper The brake caliper, a key component of your cars brake system, operates just like a small hydraulic clamp designed to grip the brake rotor and bring your car to a halt. If youve ever seen or worked on a brake caliper, you know what were talking about. The brake caliper is a U-shaped device with a piston or pistons on one or both sides of the U. The brake pads ride on top of the brake caliper pistons, and the rotor spins in the channel of the U. When you hit the brakes, high-pressure fluid is channeled from the master cylinder down to the brake caliper where it pushes the piston or pistons inward. That brake caliper action moves the pads against the spinning brake rotor, and the friction stops your vehicle. Since the brake caliper is affixed to your vehicle frame and the rotor is spinning and hundreds of RPM, its easy to imagine the massive forces that the brake caliper has to absorb. Much of the heat energy is dissipated by the rotor and pads which is why theyre replaced the most, but the pulling and twisting forces the brake caliper has to endure require that it be extremely strong. More than anything else, though, its the hydraulic brake fluid that leads to the demise of a brake caliper. If its not changed often enough, moisture in the fluid will begin to rust out the inside of your brake caliper, resulting in leaks and sticking pistons. Eventually the brake caliper will cease to function altogether, it will effect your cars stopping ability. Calipers The brake caliper is the assembly which houses the brake pads and pistons. The pistons are usually made of aluminum or chrome plated iron There are two types of calipers: floating or fixed. A fixed caliper does not move relative to the disc. It uses one or more pairs of pistons to clamp from each side of the disc, and is more complex and expensive than a floating caliper. A floating caliper (also called a sliding caliper) moves with respect to the disc; a piston on one side of the disc pushes the inner brake pad till it makes contact with the braking surface, then pulls the caliper body with the outer brake pad so pressure is applied to both sides of the disc. Floating caliper (single piston) designs are subject to failure due to sticking. This can occur due to dirt or corrosion if the vehicle is not operated. This can cause the pad attached to the caliper to rub on the disk when the brake is released. This can reduce fuel mileage and cause excessive wear on the effected pad. Brake caliper In a vehicle the brake pedal in 360mm and the booster is connected 50mm from the pivot. The booster diaphragm is 220mm with the valve body of 52mm diameter the diaphragm return spring has a pretension force of 80N and rate of 12N/mm. The engine manifold pressure of 36Kpa and ambient pressure is 90Kpa. The master cylinder diameter is 26mm and return spring retention force is 15N and a rate of 8N/mm. the caster piston in 46mm and the co-efficient of friction between the 2 pads and the 250mm effective diameter disc are 0.30. The wheel diameter is 625 mm. fluids the tractive braking forces if the driver applied force of 80N and his fast moves 46mm. Data: Force applied: 80N Length of brake pedal: 340mm Pedal movement: 46mm Pivot of brake booster: 50mm Diaphragm diameter: 220mm Valve body diameter: 52mm Spring rate: 80N Pre-tension of diaphragm spring: 12N/m Ambient pressure: 90kpa Engine manifold pressure: 36kpa Diameter of master cylinder: 26mm Piston spring pretension: 15N Piston spring rate: 8N/mm Wheel diameter: 625mm Efficient Disc diameter: 0.30/ 250mm Caliper piston: 46mm Calculations with brake booster for 1 port caliper: Pedal ratio = Length of pedal__ Pivot of brake booster = 340mm_ 50mm = Movement = _Pedal movement Pedal ratio = _46mm_ 7.2 = 6.38 Diaphragm Pressure = Ambient pressure Manifold pressure = 90Kpa 36Kpa = 54Kpa Diaphragm Area = Total area -Area of valve body = 0.25TT (220X10-3)2 0.25TT (54X10-3) 2 = 35.72 x 10-3 Force of Diaphragm = Pressure x Area = 54Kpa x 10-3 x 35.72 x 10-3 = 1928.88 Nm Booster output force= Diaphragm force (spring pre-tension + rate of spring x movement of piston) = 1928.88 Nm (80N + 12N/m x 6.83) = 1928.88 Nm 156.56 = 1772.32 Nm Driver applied force = Applied force x pedal ratio + Booster output = 80N x 7.2+ 1772.32 Nm = 2348.32 N Piston force = Booster force (Pretension force + Rate of spring x movement of piston) = 2348.32 N (15N +8N/m x 6.38) = 2348.32 N 66.04 = 2282.28N Pressure = ____Force___ Area of piston = 2282.28N 0.25 TT D2 = 2282.28N 0.25TT (26 x 10-3)2 = 42986.52 Pa or 4.29 Mpa Caliper force = Pressure x Area = 42986.52 Pa x 0.25TT (46 X10-3)2 = 7143.94N Transmitted force = Caliper force x Co-efficient of friction x Number of pads = 7143.94N x 0.35 x 2 = 5000.758N Torque = Transmitted force x Effective radius = 5000.758N x 0.125m = 625.094Nm Tractive = Torque (Braking) Radius of wheel = 625.094Nm 0.35m = 1785.985N Difference between Tractive with without brake booster Tractive different = Tractive with brake booster Tractive without brake booster = 1785.985N 226.79N In the previous calculations it just goes to show you how useful the brake booster application is in todays modern vehicle, because if it wasnt we would have to apply a major amount of pressure to the brake pedal, the brake booster wasnt really put to its application till the early 1950s, but in this modern day and age there are more technical designs which involve a use of 2 and 4 pot calipers this design isnt just to make the brake system look better but it also increases the tractive braking force The design of the brake discs and caliper varies. Some are simply solid steel and some are made up of carbon fibers, but others are hollowed out with fins joining together the discs two contact surfaces usually included as part of a casting process. This ventilated disc design helps to dissipate the generated heat. Many motor bikes and sport car brakes instead have many small holes drilled through them for the same purpose. Additionally, the holes aid the pads in wiping water from the braking surface. Other designs include slots shallow channels machined into the disc to aid in removing used brake material from the brake pads. Slotted discs are generally not used on road cars because they quickly wear down brake pads. However this removal of material is beneficial to race cars since it keeps the pads soft and avoids verification of their surfaces. Some discs are both drilled and slotted. Pistons cylinders The most common caliper design uses a single hydraulically actuated piston within a cylinder, although high performance brakes use as many as 8. Modern cars use different hydraulic circuits to actuate the brakes on each set of wheels as a safety measure. The hydraulic design also helps multiply braking force. Failure can occur due to failure of the piston to retract this is usually a consequence of not operating the vehicle during a time that it is stored outdoors in adverse conditions. For high mileage vehicles the piston seals may leak, which must be promptly corrected. Parking brakes Most vehicles include a mechanical parking brake system also called an emergency brake which operates on the rear wheels. These systems are very effective with drum brakes, since these tend to lock. The adoption of rear-wheel disc brakes caused concern that a disc-based parking brake would not effectively hold a vehicle on an incline. Today, most cars use the disc for parking, though some still rely on separate drums. An emergency brake is a braking system that is generally only to be used in emergency situations to slow or stop a machine. The most well known emergency brakes are those in trains and automotive vehicles. Many people shorten emergency and call the devices e-brakes. Additionally, in the automotive side, they are also known as parking brakes and hand brakes. In cars, the emergency brake is a supplementary system that can be used if the vehicles primary brake system has a failure. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable directly connected to the brake mechanism on one end and to some type of lever that can be actuated by the driver on the other end. DATA: Forced applied: 80N Length of brake pedal: 360mm Pedal movement: 46mm Pivot of brake booster: 50mm Diaphragm diameter: 220mm Valve body diameter: 52mm Spring rate: 80 N Pre tension of diaphragm spring: 12 N/m Ambient pressure: 90kpa Manifold pressure: 36kpa Diameter of master cylinders: 26mm Piston spring pretension: 15 N Piston spring rate: 8 N/m Wheel Diameter: 625mm Efficient disc diameter: 0.35 / 250mm Calliper piston: 46mm x 2 Calculation with brake booster for two pot callipers: Pedal ratio = Length of pedal Pivot of brake booster =360mm 50mm =7.2 Movement = Pedal movement Pedal ratio =46mm 7.2 = 6.38 Diaphragm pressure = Ambient pressure Manifold pressure = 90Kpa 36Kpa = 54 Kpa Diaphragm Area = Total area Area of valve body = 0.25TT (220 x 10 -3) 2 -0.25TT (54 x 10 -3 ) 2 = 35.72 x 10 -3 Force of diaphragm = Pressure x Area = 54 Kpa x10 -3 x 35.72 x 10 -3 = 1928.88 Nm Booster output force = Diaphragm force (spring pretension + rate of spring movement of piston) =1928.88 Nm ( 80 N + 12 N/m x 6.38) =1928.88 Nm 156.56 = 1772.32 Nm Driver s applied force = Applied force x pedal ratio + booster output = 80 N x 6.38+ 1772.32 Nm = 2348.32 Piston force = Booster force (pretension force = rate of spring x movement of piston) = 2348.32- (15N + 8 N/m x 6.38) = 2348.32- 66.04 = 2282.28N Pressure = Force Area of piston = 2282.28N 0.25TT D2 = 2282.28N 0.25TT (26 x 10-3 )2 = 42986.52 Pa or 4.29mpa Caliper force = Pressure x area x number of pistons = 42986.52 Pa x 0.25TT (46 x 10 3)2 x 2 = 14287.88 N Transmitted force = Caliper Force x Co efficient of friction x number of pads = 14287.88 N x 0.35 x 2 = 10001.51 N Torque = Transmitted force x Effective radius =10001.51 N x 0.125 m = 1250.18 Nm Tractive = Torque Radius of wheel = 1250.18 Nm 0.35m = 3571.97N Tractive = Tractive for 2 pot caliper tractive for 1 pot caliper = 3571.97N 1785.985N = 1785.985N My thoughts After going through and researching all types of brakes and what there application is in todays modern motor vehicles, it showed that there are many uses for different types of brakes, especially when youre driving in different situations and environments, e.g. When driving in the city, you tend to use more of the braking system and when driving in the country you need heavy duty pads. It is essential that we know how the brakes work, and it is important to use the right type of brake pads for each different driving application. Some brakes work well once they are heated up and some work well in the colder conditions. So when we go get our brake pads changed its up to the mechanic to make that call to see what pads should be used for the correct braking situation. This will save damage to the brake disc and stop it from causing further damage to anything else. My concept is to some how get a recording device or some type of sensor that has a memory in which it recalls everything that you have done in regards to the braking system and the brake pads. This will keep a record of your amount of braking you have done and also what type of conditions you have been driving in. So this could tell you that you have been driving in a cold area but doing lots of braking , so when it come to changing these pads you could just unplug the sensor and check and make your own decision upon the type of pads that will suit to your braking application. Advantages of this concept are: The temperature will always be monitored You know exactly when you need to change you brake pads You know how much you are actually using the braking system You know exactly which brake pad is suited for the application No problems of over heating You know if there are any problems in regards to damage of brakes or discs

Information Technology Outsourcing Management

What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com Information Technology Outsourcing Management What is IT outsourcing? IT outsourcing is an arrangement in which a company subcontracts its information technology related activities to be executed by a different company. In the past several decades, as the role of information technology grew in the performance of a company, the fixed cost of maintaining up and running IT facilities and staffs was increasing as well.Therefore outsourcing solution was derived from companies’ need to achieve superior performance of IT functions with minimum amount of cost. Major classifications of IT functions that companies outsource are infrastructure and applications. Infrastructure outsourcing refers to a company resolving its entire IT activities handled by a contracted vendor company on the company’s behalf.Application outsourcing stands for a company subcontracting only its core IT applications such as ERP systems, document management systems or Business intelligence applications with service provider. Benefits and Risks Althoug h it is obvious that primary cause of increasing trend of outsourcing is a cost factor, many other benefits come along with outsourcing. Outsourcing allows companies to shift their whole attention on the quality of their core activities without facing the vulnerability of poor level of IT performance.Because no matter what industry a company is in, cost and pressure of having in-house IT solutions require the company to be an expert in IT industry which is difficult to achieve for any size organizations especially for entrepreneurs and small businesses, slowing down their productivity as well as slowing down the economy. Subcontracting IT activities to a specialized vendor company is indeed a win-win situation for the both end, enabling the organization to upgrade its IT performance and providing business to the vendor company.Moreover, with outsourcing, organizations can get access to variable IT skills and knowledge which potentially can improve their efficiency, and outsourcing m akes accommodating any new IT innovations or changes in any industry easier to handle for organizations. Needless to mention the benefits of savings on investments in IT related infrastructure which can be spent towards organizations’ business expansion or something equally important. The benefits mentioned above can be substantial only if outsourcing is practiced arefully with good management. Otherwise, oversights of important issues can bring significant complications to the organizations. Based on the stories of unsuccessful outsourcing practices, the most considerable problems the organizations encounter are the lack of integration between vendor and client, hidden costs of training, miscalculation of proficiency of the vendor company, and sometimes differentiation of the client company can be compromised since the vendor company could be serving the competitor company as well.In terms of a company outsourcing its entire IT department from a service provider company, imp lementation of good collaboration and communication with each other often requires some time and patience from both sides due to the differences of cultural, geographical and preferred business practices. The fact that knowledge transfer is the most important term in IT outsourcing implies the integration process of vendor and client companies is more virtual than physical.That is why the people problems such as different interpretations of the contract, conflicts of two cultures and lack of preparation for integrated operation occur very often and if ignored, they could result negative impacts on both companies. Legal, economic, geographical and political environments of the country in which the client company outsources its IT activities are the most important but often ignored factors. When the host countries face civil war or natural disaster happens, the recovery costs the companies encounter are usually incalculable. IT outsourcing best practicesThrough weighting the positive and negative impacts of outsourcing carefully and planning the shifting process step by step, companies can successfully implement outsourcing to its daily business practices and convert it to one of its competitive advantages easily. Recommended best practices of IT outsourcing usually focus on good management and good assessment of choosing the partner. Maintaining good communication with your service provider before and after signing on the contract is also an essential part of setting up a sustainable IT solution for any company.Every company and every project has its own uniqueness therefore the service provider understands the detailed requirement is necessary. And the difficulties both side face due to the cultural and geographical differences can be resolved by committing to good communication. For example leaders of both sides should agree on set, clear objectives and stay committed to them when circumstances change. Although the cost reduction is the primary motive of outs ourcing, overdoing it can compromise the organizations’ core activities.In today’s globalizing world, importance of maintaining good IT performance is greater than ever to the organizations’ wellbeing so that pursuing the lowest cost can have its own price. The reason why is that the vendor companies are also business institutions depending on their profits therefore in order to meet the client’s cost requirement they sometimes cut corners such as hiring under qualified staffs which consequently affect the quality of the client companies’ operation.In order to make the integration process easier, the outsourcers should put effort into finding compatible service providers. It is important to make sure that your service provider has organization cultures and preferred business practices similar to yours since they will become a part of the organization. Another essential outsourcing practice is to consider the service providers’ experience and capacities to assess whether they are skilled enough to maintain your company’s operation at all times.In terms of choosing their partner, organizations also should consider any expected future changes in the market and their future expansion plans as well as their competitors’ IT performance level. Political and social environments of the countries in which the vendor companies operate, should not be out of concern. Outsourcers should always be aware of the political situation of their host countries as well as social factors that could influence the quality of employees’ job performance.It is recommended to outsourcers to keep presence of representative on-site as a middle man so that they can have some kind of coordination over the execution of the IT activities. Representatives also work as a communication bridge between partners making sure each side understand their roles and responsibilities. Legal aspects Legal aspects of IT outsourcing might be the mos t complicated issues the enterprises encounter since it involves various types of laws such as international and domestic.International common laws such as Intellectual Property, Copyrights, Patent, Trade Secret, Privacy and Information security all need to be considered when a company makes an outsourcing related decision. Any outsourcing contract addresses the tangible and intangible issues and their legal implications as well as procedures in order to avoid lack of clarity. For example pricing is very important aspect of IT outsourcing contract and any possible uncertainty related to the pricing of service should be stated on the contract.Inflation, delays, manpower and material shortages and insolvency all must be concerned and put on the contract to regulate when situations mentioned above happens. Also outsourcing contract should be flexible to adjust any changes in performance, quality, and suitable to host country’s tax law, pension laws to solve staff related matters . Intangible issues on the other hand should be carefully thought through because they pose the highest risks on the organizations’ domestic and international operation.When companies outsource their entire or partial IT function, the risk of their customers’ valuable information such as social security numbers, medical history, credit card information to be exposed gets higher as well as their own internal secret information. A company must do risk assessment of the host country’s security environment by measuring how effective the laws referred to intellectual property, copyright, digital hacking and violation of privacy are. Unfortunately laws pertaining to privacy protection are not so effective in today’s most popular IT service provider countries such as China, India and Philippine.Therefore offshore IT centers and outsourcing companies must establish strong system together to protect themselves as well as their customers. Intellectual Property and Patent laws have strong presence in USA and European countries but they differ in host countries. Illegal use of one’s IT innovation such as software, source and know-how are not the front line concerns of governments of foreign countries right now, so outsourcers usually face tremendous risk of their intellectual property stolen and used against their products in the market.US companies’ trade secrets are also totally dependent on mutual trust and written agreements between two parts. There is no law enforcement system in the host countries to back up such written agreements. Basically, US companies pursuing offshore outsourcing as an IT strategy must consider domestic and international laws extremely and craft their outsourcing contracts focused on to minimize any risks they may encounter in unfamiliar legal environment. Sources: http://www. infoworld. com/d/adventures-in-it/13-best-practices-it-outsourcing-034? age=0,0 http://blog. everythingcu. com/2006/02/12/the-m any-downsides-of-outsourcing/ http://www. cio. com/article/40380/Outsourcing_Definition_and_Solutions A Legal Perspective on Outsourcing and Offshoring, Sam Ramanujan; Sandhya Jane Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge; Mar 2006; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global Outsourcing best practices Outsourcing and Offshoring: The New IS Paradigm? , William R King Journal of Global Information Technology Management; 2005; 8, 2; ABI/INFORM Global www. wikipedia. com

Definition and Examples of Plain English

Plain English is  clear and direct speech or writing in English. Also called plain language. The opposite of plain English goes by various names: bureaucratese, doublespeak, gibberish, gobbledygook, skotison. In the U.S., the Plain Writing Act of 2010 took effect in October 2011 (see below). According to the governments Plain Language Action and Information Network, the law requires federal agencies to write all new publications, forms, and publicly distributed documents in a â€Å"clear, concise, well-organized† manner that follows the best practices of plain language writing. Based in England, the Plain English Campaign is a professional editing company and pressure group committed to eliminating gobbledygook, jargon and misleading public information. Examples and Observations Plain English, it turns out, is the product of craft: an understanding of the readers needs, the translation of alienating jargon, establishing an easy pace that readers can follow. Clarity of expression comes most of all from a clear understanding of the topic or theme you are writing about. No writer can clarify for the reader what is not clear to the writer in the first place.(Roy Peter Clark, Help! for Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces. Little, Brown and Company, 2011) Plain English (or plain language, as its often called) refers to: The writing and setting out of essential information in a way that gives a cooperative, motivated person a good chance of understanding it at first reading, and in the same sense that the writer meant it to be understood. This means pitching the language at a level that suits the readers and using good structure and layout to help them navigate. It doesnt mean always using simple words at the expense of the most accurate or writing whole documents in kindergarten language . . ..Plain English embraces honesty as well as clarity. Essential information should not lie or tell half-truths, especially as its providers are often socially or financially dominant.(Martin Cutts, Oxford Guide to Plain English, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 2009) Plain Writing Act (2011) The federal government is rolling out a new official language of sorts: plain English. . . .[President Barack] Obama signed the Plain Writing Act last fall after decades of effort by a cadre of passionate grammarians in the civil service to jettison the jargon. . . .It takes full effect in October, when federal agencies must start writing plainly in all new or substantially revised documents produced for the public. The government will still be allowed to write nonsensically to itself. . . .By July, each agency must have a senior official overseeing plain writing, a section of its website devoted to the effort and employee training under way. . . .It is important to emphasize that agencies should communicate with the public in a way that is clear, simple, meaningful and jargon-free, says Cass Sunstein, a White House information and regulation administrator who gave guidance to federal agencies in April on how to put the law into place.(Calvin Woodward [Associated Press], Feds Must St op Writing Gibberish Under New Law. CBS News, May 20, 2011) Plain Writing As for plain English writing,  think of it as having three parts: - Style. By style, I mean how to write clear, readable sentences. My advice is simple: write more the way you talk. This may sound simple, but its a powerful metaphor that can revolutionize your writing.- Organization. I suggest starting with your main point almost all the time. That doesnt mean it has to be your first sentence (though it can be)--just that it should come early and be easy to find.- Layout. This is the appearance of the page and your words on it. Headings, bullets, and other techniques of white space help your reader see--visually--the underlying structure of your writing. . . . Plain English is not limited to expressing only simple ideas: it works for all kinds of writing--from an internal memo to a complicated technical report. It can handle any level of complexity. (Edward P. Bailey, Plain English at Work: A Guide to Writing and Speaking. Oxford University Press, 1996) Criticism of Plain English As well as the arguments in favour (e.g. Kimble, 1994/5), Plain English also has its critics. Robyn Penman argues that we need to consider the context when we write and we cannot rely on a universal principle of plain or simple English. There is some evidence that Plain English revisions do not always work: Penman quotes research including an Australian study which compared versions of a tax form and found that the revised version was virtually as demanding for the taxpayer as the old form (1993), p. 128).We agree with Penmans main point--that we need to design appropriate documents--but we still think that all business writers should consider the recommendations coming from Plain English sources. Unless you have clear contrary evidence, they are the safest bet, especially if you have a general or mixed audience. (Peter Hartley and Clive G. Bruckmann, Business Communication. Routledge, 2002)