AirAsia, Malaysia’s homegrown budget airline, has decided to do away with its fuel surcharge and to commemorate the announcement, the company is offering half a million (500,000) free tickets for local and international destinations to its passengers.

It became the first commercial airline in the world which made the decision to remove fuel surcharge.

The free tickets are offered to those who are traveling next year, between 22 June 2008 and 24 October 2008, while the applicable booking period will end this coming Sunday.

Both immediate-distance (AirAsia) and long distance (AirAsia X) flight tickets will no longer impose the fuel surcharge from now on, which in the past cost the passengers an average of RM47 per person. Now, the passengers will only pay the ticket price, airport tax and admin fees.

The check-in baggage handling fees will also remain.

Tony Fernandes, the airline’s head honcho, has long regarded the fuel surcharge as a necessary evil and an element that can destroy AirAsia’s business. He, however, did not confirm if the surcharge could ber reimpose once the global fuel price undergoes another round of hike.

Here are 5 useful business plan free samples made available to the users online:

Note: All external links are working fine during the publication. We’re not liable in case the link breaks at the time of your reading.

1. Jolly’s Java and Bakery, JJB (Bakery)

Jolly’s Java and Bakery is a newly set up bakery shop in the town of Washington, United states, offering a wide range of coffee and pastry products. The main target market is the middle-level income group, urbanites, working professionals, tourists and small to medium size business owners.

2. Abonda (healthy and contemporary food)

Abonda restaurant will be run by Kundo Inc., operating in Massachusetts, US as a medium size restaurant serving its customers healthy and contemporary food. The inception of Abonda is aligned with the increasing awareness among the public on good dieting as well as balanced, healthy eating habit.  The company intends to grow by opening more and more outlets.

3. Zara Restaurant and Lounge (ethnic food)

A concept for exotic and ethnic-oriented food, driven by careful analysis and delicate research. The founders of the new restaurant, however, are not new in the business, with the top management’s 20 years of related experience in opening over 80 restaurants. The plan includes a contingency plan in case the execution is derailed from its original, intended goals and objectives.

4. Studio67 (organic food restaurant)

Studio67 is a newly established, medium sized restaurant having a goal to provide a wide variety of organic food to its customers. Its main man behind the operation is no stranger to organic ingredients and recipes, while the management team’s track records are not bad either. The lonely rich, young customers and the hippies with taste for organic food and ethnic cuisine are the restaurant’s main customer group.

5. The Pasta House (Italian food)

The planning to set up The Pasta House involves the takeover or acquisition of an already running restaurant by the name of JD Drews, in which the owner is interested to sell off. The premise is chosen due to a variety of factors, including relatively cheaper rent cost, and vibrant commercial activities in the surrounding areas. Once running, The Pasta House can accommodate up to 170 customers at any one time.

5 steps to getting your recruitment agency or headhunting business up and running:

1. Define your market/niche

Are you starting a recruitment business for a specific market or niche (e.g. SAP, legal management position or account) or for general recruitment (cover all fields and sectors)?

Are you limiting your headhunting business to local talents, or will go the extra miles to include foreigners or expatriates?

Defining your recruitment market is the first step towards establishing the framework of your overall operation.

2. Iron out all the legal requirements

Get in touch with the HR Ministry and discuss about all the requirements needed to fulfill by your end. Find out any licensing (and fees), if any, that you need to get your business kicking off. Depending on which region, country or state you’re in, the requirements, fees and legal obligations might differ. Make sure you get all things right. The company registration, premise set up, council permit, documentations and so on must be completed before you start your very first day of operation.

3. Establish how you operate

What would be your blueprint of recruitment flow? How do you get a recruiting assignment? Will you be doing it yourself, or assign a sales personnel for it? How do you conduct interview and find out which candidate would be suitable for a certain position? Where would you be conducting the interview? Hotels? Restaurants? Your own office? Think of the cost associated with each, and find out which one works best for you.

What are your terms and conditions? Will you be charging the fees to the client on contingency basis (which means you do the job first and only get paid upon successful hiring), or retainer basis (you’d require some fees regardless the search is successful or not. Not advisable for a start-up, but useful for future, once your business has grown)? How much you’re charging your clients? All these must be properly documented and should always be at your disposal whenever requested by the client.

4. Strategize how you’d grow

A recruitment company can start as small as a one-man operation, but once your business hits the growth path, then it’s time to add the extra hands and use the power of leverage. How do you see your business grow? Will you be expanding into other job territory or market? Or would you grow vertically by maintaining similar area but hire more staff to do the administrative work? Think how you can maximize profits and reduce costs.

How’d you continue to penetrate the market and establish your company as a recruiter of choice? What are your strategies to add the volume of your talent base? How would you source for candidates and recruit people? Networking? Websites? Blogging? Newspaper? Radio advertising? Yellow pages?

5. Make your first call

Don’t waste much time and start making calls to prospective clients and candidates. Get your first assignment and conduct your first interview. In an increasingly competitive recruitment industry, fun awaits you.

Accenture was named as the employer of choice in the Australia HR Award 2008 announced last week on 30 October 2008 in Sydney.

Apart from the multinational consulting firm, Teachers Credit Union, Sparke Helmore Glen Eira City Council also won similar award for 3 other separate cateogies.

Accenture bagged the Full Circle Feedback Award (company with more than 1,000 employees) and was credited for its swift and impressive implementation of strategies in attracting and retaining talents and top employees.

The firm, which has specialization in a wide range of consulting fields, including business, entrepreneurship, goverment, technology and IT, consistently demonstrates its forward thinking to move the company towards the top of the corporate ladder. With groundbreaking training and development methods, Employees working with the firm are often considered the best in the business and are highly sought after in the job market.

The top employer of choice award is organized annually by the Human Resource magazine, Australia’s largest publication in the field of HR, and is sponsored by Aon Consulting.