Business proposal “Airasia” Essay

The company selected for this business proposal is AirAsia Berhad (hereafter referred as AirAsia) and both the business and financial performance of AirAsia would be analysed from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2011. â€Å"The company was incorporated in 2001, as a private limited liability company both incorporated and domiciled in Malaysia. AirAsia was converted into a public limited liability company on 8th June 2004 and became listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad on 22 November 2004. The principal activity of AirAsia is providing Air Transportation Services†. The vision of AirAsia has been â€Å"to be the largest low cost airline in Asia and serving the 3 billion people who are currently underserved with poor connectivity and high fares†. AirAsia’s mission is to create a globally recognized brand in the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and sustain profitability growth with the highest quality services and technological advancements. The philosophy of AirAsia is to make flying possible for everyone. Since 2001, AirAsia had swiftly broken travel norms across the globe, where it is a leading low-cost carrier that does not need further introduction in ASEAN. With the tagline â€Å"Now everyone can fly†, AirAsia ferried 135 million guests as at 31 December 2011. Furthermore during the past decade AirAsia established successful ventures with Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, AirAsia Philippines, AirAsia Japan and AirAsia X (primarily focused on long-haul segment), allowing AirAsia to take low-cost flying to a further level with a route network that spans over 20 countries.Reasons for doing this business proposal Prior knowledge The main reason for selecting this topic is to apply prior knowledge obtained from the business and financial modules previously covered in the ACCA syllabus. Moreover, financial analysis is crucial in interpreting results disclosed in the financial statements. Availability of information Also availability of annual reports and other business sources provided me with adequate information to analyse the performance of AirAsia that further encouraged in choosing this topic. The annual reports were readily available from the company website and no time was wasted on extraction of it. Reasons  for choosing AirAsiaExtensive growth of AirAsiaIn January 2002, AirAsia had only two airplanes that had been flying to six destinations within Malaysia. During the past decade AirAsia had significantly expanded to fly over 80 destinations with a fleet of 97 aircrafts as at 31 December 2011. Hence I was motivated to find out how AirAsia managed to achieve successful growth and a healthy bottom line. Famous in South East Asia (SEA) AirAsia is one of the largest and most popular low cost airlines in SEA, which had facilitated travelling at affordable prices; which is the main reason behind passengers preferring AirAsia for both domestic and international flights. Moreover the destinations flown by AirAsia covers more hubs compared to other airlines and passengers are presented with bundled travel package options, which include air ticket, hotel accommodation, travel services. In addition, AirAsia was chosen as the â€Å"World’s Best Low-Cost Airline† awarded by Skytrax World Airline for four consecutive years (from year 2009 to 2012). Moreover, in the year 2009 and 2011, AirAsia was awarded with â€Å"Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier† award by TTG Travel Awards. Project objectives and research questionsProject objectives To analyse and evaluate the financial performance of AirAsia over a 3 year period by comparing its performance against Tiger Airways Holdings Limited using relevant financial rat ios. To analyse and evaluate the business performance of AirAsia over a 3 year period using the remaining three perspectives of the Balance Scorecard technique To assess, with reasons whether AirAsia is a worthwhile investment opportunity Research questionsHow did AirAsia financially perform in comparison with its competitor Tiger Airways? How does AirAsia’s financial performance impact on its shareholders? How was AirAsia’s business performance within the 3 years? How does AirAsia manage to sustain its ‘no-frills’ strategy and position amidst the increasing competition? Sources of informationPrimary data sourcesPrimary data refers to new data collected by a researcher relating to the issues of the study. The methods used to collect primary data involve questionnaires, observations, surveys and interviews. The researcher who collects the data is referred as primary user(s). Primary data would not be used in this project as it is time consuming to collect such data and respective information is readily available. Therefore information available  from secondary sources will be used to meet the project objectives and research questions defined earlier. Secondary data sourcesSecondary data refers to data gathered by someone else and already used for their (primary users’) purpose. The pe rson undertaking the research is referred as the secondary user, who would undertake desk or library research for the said project. The main sources of secondary data used for project are: Textbooks Textbooks were used as the main source of information as they were complied by people who have vast knowledge in the subject area and tend to be more reliable and accurate compared to other sources. The main types of textbooks referred in this project for financial analysis are ACCA BPP study materials and academic reference books such as â€Å"Accounting Principles† by Weygandt, Kimmel and Kieso and â€Å"Financial and managerial accounting† by Horngren, Harrison and Oliver. To analyse the company’s business performance, â€Å"Alignment: using the balanced scorecard to create corporation synergies† by Kaplan, Roberts and Norton had been referred to. Electronic sources E-sources were used due to convenience and effectiveness. The main e-source used was AirAsia’s website to abstract the annual reports and all information regarding the company. Additionally, Internet had been used for further reading to enhance academic knowledge and obtain relevant newspaper articles and other information about the company.

The Life of Jesus Christ

The Life of Jesus Christ The birth of Jesus Christ to the Virgin Mary is said to have happened in a humble stable in Bethlehem, which is of some controversy. There is belief that the Christian Monks miscalculated the actual time and date that Jesus was born. It has been stated that Jesus, born in Bethlehem as told in the Old Testament, could have been born in or near Nazareth in the town of Galilee. With that, some scholars have dated Jesus’ lineage back as far as Adam, the son of God, as well as King David and Abraham from the Old Testament. With the birth of Jesus, nothing else is told about his childhood until he reached the age of twelve. It is said that he found himself lost from his parent during Passover in Jerusalem, when found by his parents; Jesus was in the Temple discussing the Torah with the rabbis. The rabbis were astonished in Jesus’ comprehension of the Torah and the answer he had provided them to their questions. There is little said about Jesus’ climb to manhood, he is about thirty when it is told about his Baptism by John in the Jordan River for his preparation for the Kingdom of God. After the Baptism, Jesus then began to gather his first disciples, having them leave their processions and human attachment to follow him. Jesus taught that the spiritual treasures were far more fulfilling than the material riches of the earth, that prayer to God for help will hem them find what they seek. Jesus’, Or the Messiah as he was called by his disciples, began performing miracles in his travels such as; turning water into wine, healing the sick, resurrecting the dead and the widely know, walking on water. Jesus taught that everything was possible with God and that god was forgiving to those who are willing to repent their sins. In Jesus’ travels he finds himself back to Jerusalem, the place where Jesus knows will bring about his end, but continues. Jesus is then put on trial and Crucified on the hill called Golgotha, also know as the Place of the Skulls. It is at the Crucifixion that Jesus’ disciples became fearful and took to hiding till the word of Jesus’ Resurrection. The resurrection was seen as a victory for Jesus, making his followers believe that he was God sent down into human form to guide them to the Kingdom of God. The Life of Muhammad Muhammad, unlike Jesus, was a prophet that was sent out by Gods angels to spread his word. Mohammad’s mother and father passed away when he was very young and was taken care of by his protective uncle. Muhammad had been noticed by a Christian Monk that identified the marks on his body as that of a prophet. When Muhammad reached the age of twenty three, a woman named Khadijah offered to marry him and became his biggest supporter as he began his teaching of Allah. It is said that angels in human form would come to Muhammad giving him the word of god, which at first, Muhammad was opposed to accepting. The teachings that Muhammad was told to preach publicly, were rejected by the Qurayshites at Ka’bah, and Muhammad was ridiculed and stoned for preaching these beliefs. It is said that after this public preaching, Muhammad and his followers were banished for three years to a desolate place to struggle for their survival. At the age of fifty, also know as his â€Å"Year of Sorrows†, Muhammad lost his beloved wife and protective uncle. With his strongest backers gone, the persecutions increased when he returned to Mecca, thus causing him to accept an invitation to Yathrib to assist in solving their social and political problems. This movement caused the Meccans to feel threatened by Muhammad, causing the Meccans to wage war against Yathrib or al-Medina. After several battles, Muhammad was able to negotiate a truce between the two cities. In 630 ce, Mohammad returned to Mecca, with a following so great that the Meccans did not fight and began to accepted Muhammad as a prophet. Muhammad, using Qur’anic revelations, emphasized that the traditions of Abraham are the religious unities of Jews, Christian and Muslim belief systems. With Mecca reclaimed, Medina was kept as the political and spiritual base of Islam, allowing campaigns to spread the faith to Africa and Persia. The Death of Jesus Christ After the Crucifixion of Jesus, many that followed him became fearful and hid from the Jews, spending that time in hiding mourning instead of continuing Jesus’ preaching’s. His death was thought to be the end of the religion as had happened to numerous other messianic religious cults. With his death, the belief that Jesus was God in human form was crushed till his resurrection from his tomb. The Death of Muhammad Muhammad’s death had little impact on Islamic religion because he was and still is considered just a man. There was no thought that Muhammad was anything more than a man that was a servant to God, helping spread God will to those around him. The humble life that Muhammad led is what allowed the continued strength of the religion, the non discriminatory way about him is was every Muslim strives to be. Muhammad may not have been God, or a Messiah, but the way in which he led his life is still a very important part of how the Muslim religion works. Good Muslins try to live in the footsteps of Muhammad as though he was just man as they are, instead of a God. The Worshipping of Jesus Worshippers of Jesus believed that he was the Messiah and Savior for humanity, even though Jesus himself refused to be considered in that way. Communion, the sharing of bread and wine, and Hymns are just a few way that Jesus has been worshipped. The Mass is a gathering of Christians to, in prayer and preaching, remembering Jesus Christ and all the suffering he did for the good of humanity, and then is praised with music and hymns. The sharing of the bread and wine are for the remembrance of Jesus, the bread a sign of his body and the wine of his blood, the comer is thought to bring Jesus in them. The cross, from which Jesus was crucified from, is the centerpiece of the Christian faith as a reminder that Jesus had sacrificed himself for the good of humanity. The Death of Muhammad Mohammad’s followers would have done anything and everything for him, if Muhammad would have let them. Worshippers of Muhammad were told that worshipping him would discrimination, God would not was his servants to consider themselves as superior to another. It wasn’t till after Muhammad’s death that he was worshipped for the way that he led his life, which true Muslims try to model their own lives. Muslims now face Mecca for their daily prayers on the urging of Muhammad, and remember the trial and tribulations he endured for God. Christianity Today In modern day Christianity, many different views of the bible have formed as well as doctrines. These four doctrines would be; the Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant and other Catholics, and Restorationists , all having a slightly different version of worship. In some aspects, Christianity has taken on some of the Muslim belief as far as discrimination. The cross is still a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity, and there is now a place for a Christian to confess their sins for forgiveness. Aspects of Christianity have had to do a certain amount of changes to conform away from the skepticism today. Islam Today The Muslim religion today, minus a few setbacks early on, still holds true to the teachings of Muhammad. The changes in the Muslim culture have set on some changes to help those less fortunate, to help increase the right of equality and kindness. The Qur’an is still used as the Muslim scriptures and adhered to as it was when Muhammad taught them. Islam has rejected Christianity as a brothering religion and women are returning to being veiled in public. References all information came from Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living Religions (6th ed. ). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Cango Wk 4 Swot

Performing a SWOT analysis technique would be very beneficial at this point and will serve as the baseline to elaborate on a strategic plan for the organization. CG consultants have been monitoring CanGo’s processes for quite sometime, and we have developed the following preliminary SWOT analysis: Strength: ?Purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) would help to improve the warehouse, by purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system it is a great solution for CanGo’s handling inventory in a more effective and efficient manner. ?CanGo has had tremendous growth over the past couple of years. CanGo has also been recognized for as one of the fastest growing small business in the Hudson Valley. CanGo is continually looking to venture out into other areas, in an effort of improving the overall organization. Weaknesses: ?One of the biggest issues is the fact that CanGo does not have a Vision and Mission Statement. Without a vision and mission the organization does not have a clear direction of the organization. ?CanGo is also missing a Strategic plan, without a strategic plan there is no roadmap for growth and prosperity. Strategic planning will help you foresee and react quickly to market changes and opportunities. CanGo should conduct these strategic plans routinely, by doing so it helps you to see opportunities earlier and set up contingency plans so threats are minimized. ?Lack of a system analysis and programmer is also a weakness for CanGo, in general a system analyst would ensure that the requirements set forth by the business are captured and documented correctly before the solution is developed and implemented. Currently this is not happening for CanGo, so this is an area that needs to be addressed, without it CanGo would not have the knowledge of understanding how present and future business needs will impact the olutions and the implementation process. Opportunities: ?Investing in an in-house database that incorporates into an automated storage and retrieval system ASRS. Fully automated and integrated storage systems are the ultimate in warehouse management and efficiency. They allow for complete integration of the company’s ERP software with warehouse retrieval storage system. Order picking is optimized and controlled. ?CanGo would also benefit from updating their website to reinforce corporate and brand identity, this would help their existing investment in marketing go further. This would allow for CanGo to advertise services and products, build customer relations through personalized services, they could also benefit by conducting market research through their website. The internet is a great opportunity for your business to compete on a much more level playing field with much larger businesses. Threats ?CanGo faces losing business from their website to other websites due to their web search taking too long, where the competition’s website is optimized and produces the results quicker Recommendations Issue 1: Marketing to the right customers and consumers is vital to every business. A company needs to know how to market to a certain target to attract their customers so they can sell their goods and create a profit from their inventory. CanGo built their success onluck and they never bothered to get into the details of how their company became successful. They are lacking important and vital information to keep their company successful. Since there is no marketing department in CanGo, I would suggest for them to hire an outside company to conduct their marketing research; I believe that they would benefit from this. The upper management of CanGo should research the company that would best fit the job; perhaps choosing a company that specializes in the same industry as CanGo. There are many advantages to hiring an outside research company; they would be able to determine who the target customers are, where these customers are located, how to reach the target customers and exactly what type of product or services they are looking for. Once the marketing research company determines all of these issues, CanGo would be more effective in marketing their product. Issue 2: The fact that no one is tracking where the work is and who is supposed to be working on what can lead to many problems. Some employees may be doing more work than others because they are efficient and everything seems to land on their desk while others may be receiving credit for work they are not doing. In the video we saw that Nick was tasked out with creating a process flow chart, but he passed it on to someone else, and that some one pass it down to two more people. I believe in fair and equal work between team members so they should break down the work prior to initiating any task. There is nothing wrong with helping your teammates but not do the work for them. Passing work like that can also lead to it getting misplaced. They should use a flow chart to track where the work is. A Gantt chart or a document flow chart seem like a perfect fit for this occasion. The document flow chart will trace the process flow chart document through the system to avoid it getting lost. Losing information can also lead to the loss of secret or personal information. It can be very costly and time consuming to redo all the work that was lost. No one wants to redo what he or she already did. Issue 3: CanGo has been experiencing issues where customers are browsing the website and even selection items to purchase and placing them in their check-out cart; however the customers are leaving the website without making their purchases. It appears that the customers are experiencing issues regarding making purchases from the website. CG consultants have a number of recommendations to enhance the shop experience on CanGo’s website. One of the reasons may be due to trust. With internet connection, people want instant gratification. If your sale process is not hassle-free, many customers will go elsewhere. In order to keep customers coming back and to making purchases, CanGo needs to make sure that it is easy to navigate throughout the website, such as making sure that when a customer click on an item it loads up in a timely fashion, time counts, when shopping on websites. Other things that could enhance the website are having a clean and professional design; your home page has a huge impact on visitors. I would also include a search box that is user friendly, this way customers can locate items that they are interested in quickly. Online customer service is another feature that would enhance business, if customers wanted to chat about checkout problems, this could prevent cart abandonment. Not only can live support help customers figure out your site, locate products or ask questions, live chat can be reactive, where the system triggers a chat invitation based on user behavior. Last but not least there should be links to social networks, such as (Facebook, Twitter, etc. , all of these functionalities would enhance the customers visit to your website more inviting and pleasurable. Issue 4: At CanGo, there is an increase in customer complaints and returns, and before they bring in a new ASRS system and spend more money, they need to correct the customer issues beforehand. If customers are not satisfied with CanGo products or the way they are handling the ordering process, then complai ning is a good way for CanGo to realize they are doing something wrong, so they can fix it. In order to keep loyal CanGo customers as well as gain more, the company needs to address where the customers complaints are coming from. This could be from the website not being user-friendly or the customer is not getting enough feedback and going through with the purchase. If the customer does go through with the purchase, then CanGo seems to be getting more returns of the merchandise bought through the website. What CanGo needs to do is to start at the beginning to to look at the company through the eyes of the customer, and they need to figure out the best way to have the customer feel great and good about their purchases from step one of the buying process to the final purchasing stage of the process. Issue 5: Website optimization is very important to online businesses, when a customer makes a search on the website they do not want to have to wait long periods for the results. To improve the issue with the long search times they need to optimize their website and use website compression, this will allow the website to run much faster and produce the quicker results that the customers are wanting. Issue 6: To solve is issue with where the employees that are pickers will go once the ASRS system is implemented is simple, they can look at areas that have performance and possibly quality issues and they can place these employees there as opposed to terminating them. By placing these employees in these â€Å"problem† areas, this can increase the productivity of these areas increasing more work flow. Reference Monique. (2012, January 23). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://upandrunning. bplans. com/2012/01/23/the-benefit-of-market-research/ Best practices for speeding up your web site. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://developer. yahoo. com/performance/rules. html CanGo Video Week 34. (2012, November 11). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Harris, D. (n. d. ). Types of Flow Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from eHow: www. ehow. com/about_5061018_types-flowcharts. html CanGo Videos Weeks 34. 2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Center for simplified Strategic Planning. (2011, November). Simplified strategic planning. Retrieved November 2012, from The best ways to reward employees: www. cssp. com/http:;www. entrepreneur. com/article/753340 CanGo Videos Weeks 34. (2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Top 10 Things Customers Expect from Your Online Store. (2012, 11 20). GetEelastic. Retrieved fro m http://www. getelastic. com/customer-expectations/ Cango Wk 4 Swot Performing a SWOT analysis technique would be very beneficial at this point and will serve as the baseline to elaborate on a strategic plan for the organization. CG consultants have been monitoring CanGo’s processes for quite sometime, and we have developed the following preliminary SWOT analysis: Strength: ?Purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) would help to improve the warehouse, by purchasing an automated storage and retrieval system it is a great solution for CanGo’s handling inventory in a more effective and efficient manner. ?CanGo has had tremendous growth over the past couple of years. CanGo has also been recognized for as one of the fastest growing small business in the Hudson Valley. CanGo is continually looking to venture out into other areas, in an effort of improving the overall organization. Weaknesses: ?One of the biggest issues is the fact that CanGo does not have a Vision and Mission Statement. Without a vision and mission the organization does not have a clear direction of the organization. ?CanGo is also missing a Strategic plan, without a strategic plan there is no roadmap for growth and prosperity. Strategic planning will help you foresee and react quickly to market changes and opportunities. CanGo should conduct these strategic plans routinely, by doing so it helps you to see opportunities earlier and set up contingency plans so threats are minimized. ?Lack of a system analysis and programmer is also a weakness for CanGo, in general a system analyst would ensure that the requirements set forth by the business are captured and documented correctly before the solution is developed and implemented. Currently this is not happening for CanGo, so this is an area that needs to be addressed, without it CanGo would not have the knowledge of understanding how present and future business needs will impact the olutions and the implementation process. Opportunities: ?Investing in an in-house database that incorporates into an automated storage and retrieval system ASRS. Fully automated and integrated storage systems are the ultimate in warehouse management and efficiency. They allow for complete integration of the company’s ERP software with warehouse retrieval storage system. Order picking is optimized and controlled. ?CanGo would also benefit from updating their website to reinforce corporate and brand identity, this would help their existing investment in marketing go further. This would allow for CanGo to advertise services and products, build customer relations through personalized services, they could also benefit by conducting market research through their website. The internet is a great opportunity for your business to compete on a much more level playing field with much larger businesses. Threats ?CanGo faces losing business from their website to other websites due to their web search taking too long, where the competition’s website is optimized and produces the results quicker Recommendations Issue 1: Marketing to the right customers and consumers is vital to every business. A company needs to know how to market to a certain target to attract their customers so they can sell their goods and create a profit from their inventory. CanGo built their success onluck and they never bothered to get into the details of how their company became successful. They are lacking important and vital information to keep their company successful. Since there is no marketing department in CanGo, I would suggest for them to hire an outside company to conduct their marketing research; I believe that they would benefit from this. The upper management of CanGo should research the company that would best fit the job; perhaps choosing a company that specializes in the same industry as CanGo. There are many advantages to hiring an outside research company; they would be able to determine who the target customers are, where these customers are located, how to reach the target customers and exactly what type of product or services they are looking for. Once the marketing research company determines all of these issues, CanGo would be more effective in marketing their product. Issue 2: The fact that no one is tracking where the work is and who is supposed to be working on what can lead to many problems. Some employees may be doing more work than others because they are efficient and everything seems to land on their desk while others may be receiving credit for work they are not doing. In the video we saw that Nick was tasked out with creating a process flow chart, but he passed it on to someone else, and that some one pass it down to two more people. I believe in fair and equal work between team members so they should break down the work prior to initiating any task. There is nothing wrong with helping your teammates but not do the work for them. Passing work like that can also lead to it getting misplaced. They should use a flow chart to track where the work is. A Gantt chart or a document flow chart seem like a perfect fit for this occasion. The document flow chart will trace the process flow chart document through the system to avoid it getting lost. Losing information can also lead to the loss of secret or personal information. It can be very costly and time consuming to redo all the work that was lost. No one wants to redo what he or she already did. Issue 3: CanGo has been experiencing issues where customers are browsing the website and even selection items to purchase and placing them in their check-out cart; however the customers are leaving the website without making their purchases. It appears that the customers are experiencing issues regarding making purchases from the website. CG consultants have a number of recommendations to enhance the shop experience on CanGo’s website. One of the reasons may be due to trust. With internet connection, people want instant gratification. If your sale process is not hassle-free, many customers will go elsewhere. In order to keep customers coming back and to making purchases, CanGo needs to make sure that it is easy to navigate throughout the website, such as making sure that when a customer click on an item it loads up in a timely fashion, time counts, when shopping on websites. Other things that could enhance the website are having a clean and professional design; your home page has a huge impact on visitors. I would also include a search box that is user friendly, this way customers can locate items that they are interested in quickly. Online customer service is another feature that would enhance business, if customers wanted to chat about checkout problems, this could prevent cart abandonment. Not only can live support help customers figure out your site, locate products or ask questions, live chat can be reactive, where the system triggers a chat invitation based on user behavior. Last but not least there should be links to social networks, such as (Facebook, Twitter, etc. , all of these functionalities would enhance the customers visit to your website more inviting and pleasurable. Issue 4: At CanGo, there is an increase in customer complaints and returns, and before they bring in a new ASRS system and spend more money, they need to correct the customer issues beforehand. If customers are not satisfied with CanGo products or the way they are handling the ordering process, then complai ning is a good way for CanGo to realize they are doing something wrong, so they can fix it. In order to keep loyal CanGo customers as well as gain more, the company needs to address where the customers complaints are coming from. This could be from the website not being user-friendly or the customer is not getting enough feedback and going through with the purchase. If the customer does go through with the purchase, then CanGo seems to be getting more returns of the merchandise bought through the website. What CanGo needs to do is to start at the beginning to to look at the company through the eyes of the customer, and they need to figure out the best way to have the customer feel great and good about their purchases from step one of the buying process to the final purchasing stage of the process. Issue 5: Website optimization is very important to online businesses, when a customer makes a search on the website they do not want to have to wait long periods for the results. To improve the issue with the long search times they need to optimize their website and use website compression, this will allow the website to run much faster and produce the quicker results that the customers are wanting. Issue 6: To solve is issue with where the employees that are pickers will go once the ASRS system is implemented is simple, they can look at areas that have performance and possibly quality issues and they can place these employees there as opposed to terminating them. By placing these employees in these â€Å"problem† areas, this can increase the productivity of these areas increasing more work flow. Reference Monique. (2012, January 23). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://upandrunning. bplans. com/2012/01/23/the-benefit-of-market-research/ Best practices for speeding up your web site. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://developer. yahoo. com/performance/rules. html CanGo Video Week 34. (2012, November 11). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Harris, D. (n. d. ). Types of Flow Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2012, from eHow: www. ehow. com/about_5061018_types-flowcharts. html CanGo Videos Weeks 34. 2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Center for simplified Strategic Planning. (2011, November). Simplified strategic planning. Retrieved November 2012, from The best ways to reward employees: www. cssp. com/http:;www. entrepreneur. com/article/753340 CanGo Videos Weeks 34. (2012, November 19). Retrieved from DeVry University: www. devryu. net Top 10 Things Customers Expect from Your Online Store. (2012, 11 20). GetEelastic. Retrieved fro m http://www. getelastic. com/customer-expectations/

Strategic Management direction Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management direction - Case Study Example This product is known as "Funds Master". Mr. Phillip Hardeep owns the 60 percent of the total share of the company, while the other 40 percent is owned by the internal stakeholders, Ruth Simmons and David Jones, who are also working with Phillip Hardeep in this software company as the main marketing person and software engineer respectively. The additional side product sold by the company is the use of Internet facility wireless card which can be allotted to the customers coming to stay in hotels. The product Funds Master's selling performance was doing fine since the time of the company's establishment, until, its sale started to fall back within the time period of last two years because there is a competitive product in the market that is launched and taken care of by a multinational organization. Mr. Phillip Hardeep fears that the competitive software program of the multinational corporation has affected the sales and reputation of their company's product, "Funds Master"; and has lower down the sales graph of eventually. Now, the main task of this research report is to study and evaluate the strategic management direction for the guidance of the company and its future strategies so that Hardeep software company could improve its performance and position in the competitive marketplace by taking advantage of all those strategic planning, concepts, tools and models. Part#1 - Strategic & Functional Analysis of Hardeep Software Understanding Strategic Management Strategic management is a principle, science and art through which the management of a company implements, formulates, and evaluates cross-functional decisions and enables the organization to achieve its highest targeted and long-term decided objectives. With the help of strategic management, the management of the company successfully specifies its policies, procedures, values, goals, target markets, mission, vision, aims and objectives, plans, projects and programs, roles and responsibilities, timelines, and available resources along with the partner companies or stakeholders. It is considered to be the highest level of managerial activity through which the company determines its current and future position in the marketplace (Lamb, p27, 1984). Understanding Key Dimensions of Strategic Management - Strategic Planning, Strategic Tools & Strategic Models Strategic planning can be considered as the subsidiary branched tool and technique of strategic management which helps the management of the company to perform better and complete the given task with remarkable progress. The main focus of strategic planning is to emphasize on the energy provided to complete a task. Thus, it helps the company and its employees to give-in their best efforts and perform a good job in order to attain the targeted goals and objectives of the company. Strategic planning also assists the organization by guiding the right direction according to the changing environment. In short, strategic planning is a well-planned and disciplined policy or procedure to construct significant assessments and actions that

CASE STUDY tree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

CASE STUDY tree - Essay Example It will also help Joan overcome the exceptional situation she is put in. There are various vital points that Joan needs to establish in order to justify her decision to follow the recommendation made by one of her officers that the 16-year-old mentally retarded boy should be provided with a community based treatment. She has to prove all her arguments valid to the reporter and therefore the following points may be put across in justification of the decision. May go about finding fault with the decision taken and rearrange the entire policy in a way that an experienced and more efficient officer is given the responsibility of the entire activity regarding the matter wherein he plays a key role. Although all these are possibilities, the chief probation officer should take the most innovative and judicious steps to see the plans of Joan are carried forward and realized as such an action alone could help the specific case to be resolved. Therefore, he needs to act with extra maturity and consciousness. The recommendation made by the probation officer in relation to the specific case of the 16-year-old child may be criticized on various levels. However, when the facts about the specific case are considered, these criticisms prove to be without any room. There is no situation in which the officer is making an escape from the responsibility. Many often the longevity of probation officers is treated as reason for stress and/or burnout and they â€Å"are more likely to leave the position or try to avoid additional work.† (Peak, 2001). Conversely, the recommendation of the officer is not based on any such reasons. It is a correct recommendation to make considering the given facts. It is particularly notable that the recommendation and the decision with regard to the specific case must be followed through and if any type of

Exploring the Wonders of Outdoor Learning Dissertation

Exploring the Wonders of Outdoor Learning - Dissertation Example † Introduction Children are very impressionable. They learn from anything and everything that they are exposed to. It takes a responsible adult to provide meaningful and relevant activities from which children will learn important concepts and skills necessary for their growth and development. Guiding them in the learning experiences they will encounter in their lifetime is a primary role of parents, teachers and other adults concerned for the welfare of children. This includes provision of a stimulating learning environment that promotes their optimal development, safety and well-being. This research will be useful for teachers, parents, caregivers and other adults involved in the care and education of young children. Their young wards are at the stage when they are curious, physically active and restless to find out more about their world. This research attempts to bring light to the topic of outdoor play and provide ideas to adults on how they can use outdoor play to support the children’s over-all growth and development. Play & Learning There are many existing views on the concept of learning and development. The Start Right report defines learning as â€Å"the development of children’s capacity and motivation to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes, to make sense of their world and to operate effectively within it† (Ball, 1994, p.103). ... From these definitions, it is clear that the point of view of the child is considered, with adults playing as support instead of a domineering dictator of what they think children should learn. More important than what children learn is how they learn it. Children must be encouraged to enjoy what they do while learning and that practitioners make it possible by making learning tasks interesting, worthwhile and relevant for the children (The Open University, 2003). Edgington (1999) posits that children learn best in an environment that makes them feel secure and confident enough to develop their own ideas with open-ended experiences. They actively engage in learning by partaking of fun, play-based hands-on experiences while adults around them challenge and extend their thinking. Physically, the learning environment gives enough children space to move and be themselves. Children are in their best disposition when they are at play. It is one thing that comes so naturally to them and is a time when they can freely be themselves. Play has been known to be highly beneficial for children as it develops many skills while they learn and have fun. Kanooga (2012) claims that: Play time provides kids with a safe way to experiment and learn about the real world without all the risks associated with the real world. Play time is actually productive time proven to develop talents, character, social skills, language skills, creativity, emotional strength, intellectual capacity and self-discipline (para.2). Children can play alone or with peers; with toys or without; indoors or outdoors. It is such a flexible activity that they can do anywhere, anytime. Adults should keep in mind that children are curious, explorative and active and may get into accidents while they play.

Building design from Australia to the required standards of Article

Building design from Australia to the required standards of architectural design - Article Example From this research it is clear that the fore ground shows tall towers and a pylon, probably a memorial pillar or a communication booster mast. The middle ground shows an impression of a sophisticated transport system, with roads and a roundabout with people walking on foot. Perhaps this is an appropriate explanation of the title of the architecture, â€Å"Walking Melbourne†. The background shows a densely occupied city centre, full of tall buildings. It shows a curvature with a panoramic sky view on the background, giving an impression of a long distance towards the background. From the foreground to the background, a viewer can easily notice that the buildings are tilted. The architecture of Bayden Goddard Design provides a collection of uncountable buildings from the front to the background. Incidentally, all buildings use one colour. This does not present an elegant image of a city. The designer did not make a proper mixture of colours for one of the side shows of the build ing. From the use of colours, the image of the building architecture does not show natural colours but with the application of additional artificial light. The colour mix is especially difficult for a colour-blind person to judge. The side show displays the use of a dominant colour being black or probably dark blue. This is an impression of darkness from the background, and it makes a reader think that some features are hidden. Bayden Goddard Design shows one of the designs with skyscrapers on the background. It creates an impression of the back of a modern building. The back is a traditional structure that does not match the sophisticated view of the former picture. The colour grey here displays an old and worn out construction whose colour has probably faded away. The colours are not consistent in the various designs. For example, comparing a single feature such as the sky, shows different results, some are too dark, almost becoming black, while others are extremely too light, alm ost white (McCartney 23). Second Critique: Perspective The perspectives of the building in some of the pictures are difficult to analyse, owing to their tilted nature. It is difficult to make an accurate estimation of the dimensions of the construction from the angles of viewing. A viewer can easily think that the building is under demolition or under new development. From the perspective, a viewer cannot approximate the distances, or even identify the side that is longer than the other. He or she can not estimate the height of the building with accurate precision. A good architectural design should be able to present dimensions in a simple way with easily recognizable dimensions for the viewer to identify from the view the length, the width and the height of the construction. The tilt also cheats the eye about the exact shape of the construction, whether it is a cuboidal shape or a pyramid construction. Third Critique: Proportion One of the shows of the building shows the building of two storeys, comparing very closely to the tallest towers in the city centre. The architecture makes a viewer overstate the height of the architectural construction. Secondly, the buildings appear to be in contact with the sky. The height disappears into the sky however short the building is in reality. Proportionality is a critical feature for analysing an architectural design. In one of the design pictures, it is not easy to ascertain

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring Essay

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring - Essay Example He was not alone in his undertaking. A hero archetype always has supernatural help and Frodo got his from the Gandalf who helped keep him safe during his journey; he also had supernatural help from Elrond who healed him after he got stabbed by a Ringwraith. He proved himself a worthy hero many times during his journey, by surviving the stabbing from the Ringwraith, by surviving being skewered by the troll in the caves of Moria, and by resisting the growing influence of the ring. He could have chosen to take the ring for himself and give up destroying it all together, but he did not. He could have delivered the ring to Sauron so that he could relieve himself of the enormous burden and responsibility of being ring bearer, but he did not. He chose to trudge on through dangerous forests, rugged mountains, deep dark caves, while evading and surviving attacks from orcs, trolls, the Urukhai, goblins, Ringwraiths, and other villains sent by Sauron and Saruman. A hero archetype usually suffer s an unhealable wound. Frodo suffered such wound in the hands of a Ringwraith. As Elrond later said to Gandalf, Frodo’s wound would never really heal. And beyond the wound that he suffered, the trauma and the burden of his perilous journey will stay with him for years to come. Frodo’s experiences are universal to mankind because they portray very real and very human struggles. Beyond the wizards, the elves, the orcs, the goblins, and other mythological characters in the movie, is our personal struggle between good and evil. We constantly face moral and ethical dilemmas in our lives, and there is no real need to go through cataclysmic events in order to overcome these dilemmas. Frodo’s need to destroy the ring can relate to humanity’s struggle to destroy evil. This struggle is often seen in our wars, our fight against terrorism and tyranny, our battles with power-grabbing and scheming

Readers response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Readers response - Essay Example The term â€Å"coy† informs the reader that the young woman is not an easy catch. In other words, she is not easily carried away. Besides suggesting that the word â€Å"coy† could mean a â€Å"sweetheart â€Å" or a â€Å"lover†, it could also be the equivalent for a lady, manager or a courtesan. The lady in â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† plays a kind of a cat and mouse game with her suitor in being shy and artfully demure and at the same time being playfully hesitant. She is well aware that the young man’s motivation is more of a carnal desire for her than true love. He urges her time and again to take advantage of the moment saying â€Å"sport us while we may† telling her that dallying was not a good idea because youth passes quickly. He presses his case on telling her that the luxury of time is not with them for â€Å"time’s winged chariot is ever racing along’ and before they realize it, youth would have passed them by and only their graves would remain. From the lady’s point of view, it is understood that her lover is not motivated by true love but by sheer carnal desire for her. She doesn’t seem to want to succumb to his charms and passion. Though her lover seems impatient and desperate, yet she does not relent. Though the lover suggests that time and their youth is passing them by and they should take advantage and enjoy the pleasure of each other presently, yet she stalls on this fact and does not want to give into his passions. The silent female in this poem tries to be quite tolerant to her suitor and does not encourage his advances. She seems to be somewhat unhappy and dejected by the fact that his key motivation behind his advances is not that of love but of lust or carnal desire and passion. She would rather prefer that his desire for her would be centered on pure love than on fleeting passions. This beautiful poem by Andrew Marvell – â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† has both crude and shocking imagery and gross

Science in the community-Morrisons Essay Example for Free

Science in the community-Morrisons Essay A bit about Morrisions Morrisons is the UK’s fourth largest food retailer with over over 450 stores. The products sold are mainly groceries and food a unique point is that they source and process most of the fresh food that they sell though their own manufacturing facilities; in fact they have the most people preparing food in their stores than any other supermarket. The business started in 1899 as market stall by Bradford Morrison and has gradually expanded to be what it is now in 2011. How Morrison’s Contributes to the economy Morrisons does a lot of things which contribute to the economy. One of this is that it creates 124,000 jobs all around the country. It has provided over 1 million training days and provides skills for its workers if they wish to move up they professional ladder as 30% of senior management started on the shop floor. This contributes massively to the economy as it causes a multiplier affect; if people have jobs then they have money to spend on other businesses which benefits these other businesses. The fact that they have money now means they can pay more tax which is also inclusive of businesses who pay more tax if they make more profits. This tax can then be used of critical services such as education and health and the boost in successful business lead to a better economic growth which is something this economy needs right now due to the depression and job cuts. Morrisons are also encouraging healthy, balanced lifestyles by labelling products with nutritional information and giving tips on healthy eating This is important to the economy as healthy eating reduces the chances of health problems in the future which saves our more of our tax money which means the money could be going to something which would be more beneficial to the economy. How Morrisons manages its waste material Morrions actively watches its energy consumption and make sure it promotes efficient energy measures. In regards to waste they monitor chain waste from cradle to death to make sure it meets duty of care responsibilities. Morrisons like to make sure they have a little waste as possible so they have a lot of rules and targets regarding their waste one of them being to produce zero waste direct to landfill from stores by 2013 and another one being to have 10% package reduction on own brand packaging by 2012. They also have their own bags for life to reduce the need of new plastic bags being used which reduces the amount of plastic bags needed to be made. In fact as a result of this 631 million carrier bags have been saved. Use of ICT in data management A lot of ICT is used in Morrisons for all sorts of functions some of them being: Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) Bar codes Self scanning stores Electronic funds transfer at point of sale Energy management systems Electronic Point of Sale EPOS is a self contained, computerized equipment which undertakes all the task of a store checkout counter. It allows payments by bank and credit cards. It verifies transactions, it can provide sales reports, it coordinates inventory data and performs many other services which were normally provided by employees in the earlier years. Bar Codes A barcode is a series of vertical bars of varying widths, in which each of the digits zero through nine are represented by a different pattern of bars that can be read by a laser scanner. This is found on every product at morrsion and is what the EPOS scans. Self scanning stores Self-scanning checkout, also known as self checkouts is an automated process that enables shoppers to scan, bag, and pay for their purchases without the need for human assistance. Electronic funds transfer at point of scale EFTAPOS allows customers to pay for their shopping using a debit or credit card instead of cash. The money is taken electronically from the customers bank account and paid to the supermarkets account. Energy management systems An energy management system (EMS) is a system which uses computer-aided tools to monitor, control, optimize performance and conserve energy around Morrisons. Technological Development Costs to the retailer Benefits to the retailer EPOS Expensive to set up and maintain Staff need to be trained- costly and time consuming More efficient- more customers can be served whilst customer service is improved because things like more eye contact and friendly can be used Better accuracy with adding up totals Bar Codes Scanners cannot read barcodes which are crumpled sometimes making the work harder. Employees have to be trained on how to work barcodes which takes time More efficient, lots of products can be scanned in little time. Self scanning Stores ICT is prone to issues especially with self checkouts. They can sometimes end up being more time confusion than advertised Reduces the amount of jobs available which is bad for the economy More time efficient for both customers and employees as more can be done in a shorter period of time Gives customers more options which could attract them to Morrison even more EFTPOS Lots of money has to be spent on the security of networks Expensive to set up Customers don’t have to carry lots of money around which would be more prone to being lost Energy Management Systems Expensive to set up and train staff Expensive to maintain Reduces cost for Morrisons as it saves money on energy Better business reputation as people will know Morrisons is being energy effieicnt which could increase overall business Demand on transport and communication systems Morrisons has 455 stores nationwide so deliveries are made all around the UK to these superstores mainly by lorries which travel along all the main motorways such as the A14 and the M11. Lots of key products such as produce are delieved to many different stores everyday so this puts a lot of demand on lorries as the main transport system. Planes and ships are also used for many items brought oversees such as bananas and this too is a regular occurance which put strain on those transport systems. Morrison also has a lot of demand with communication systems as they use all forms of communications including phones, email and letters which it uses for its customers, suppliers and shareholders. This is because things like shopping can now be done online, or through the phone so there is no need to always go to a store. Shareholders can also be far off making it hard to communicate face to face which is which there is such demand with phones and letters. Effects on the community and the environment The main effect Morrisons has had on the economy and the effect they pry themselves one is their encouragement of healthy fresh foods. They promote at 50 fresh foods every week as well as labelling nutritional information and giving information on healthy eating. This has helped to make the community a lot more healthy which leads to less health problems. Every year they also support a national charity, this year they are supporting Help the Hospices and they managed to raise  £3.1 million. The chief executive said â€Å"The partnership with Morrisons has been a huge success and we are absolutely delighted to have raised over  £1.3 million for hospice care. This is a fantastic achievement and is testament to the dedication of Morrisons colleagues, who have really taken the hospice cause to their hearts.† Morrisons has also affected the wider community by linking up with one foundation and stocking its products of which 100% of profits go towards building vegetable gardens, sanitation blocks and water pumps in places like Africa and Asia. Morrisons are very concerned about the environment so to a lot of things to minimise their effect on it. They try to minimise their emissions and carbon footprints and they also recycle as much as they can encouraging their customers to do so also. They are the first supermarket to be awarded the carbon trust standard. Bibliography Date Website Used for 18.11.11 http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate-Old2/Corporate-Social-Responsibility/Environment/Preventing-waste/ How Morrison’s prevent waste 18.11.11 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/electronic-point-of-sale-EPOS.html Definition for EPOS 21.11.11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_management_system Definition of energy management system 22.11.11 http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate/Corporate-responsibility-2011/Society/Good-neighbours/Supporting-the-local-community/ How morrisons supports the community Having finished it yet high but ill finish it by the weekend and reupload it in a workshop lesson if that’s ok.

Religion Essays Diversity of Religious Cultures

Religion Essays Diversity of Religious Cultures The impact of immigration greatly affected the diversity of religious cultures and traditions in Australia The impact of immigration greatly affected the diversity of religious cultures and traditions in Australia. It dramatically increased in some groups and causes a decline in others, because of the introduction of new denominations. Before 1945, Australia was predominantly a Christian based society, lacking diversity. The impact admidst the Second World War led to an increase in the Orthodox churches and several branches of Christianity. The abolishment of the White Australian Policy (1970s) meant that Australia was freely open to various peoples from other countries seeking migration to Australia. As a result of this more Africans, Asians and Middle Easterns were able to migrate, most of which brought new religious denominations such as Islam, Hindiusm, Buddhism etc. Prior to 1945, Australia’s religious landscape was mostly dominated by Christians- mostly Catholics and Anglicans. Even within Christians, Anglicans dominated more in numbers as they were supported by the government and held some social authority. However, the aftermath of WW2 with the refugees seeking new lives enabled Jews to come to Australia- which contributed in increasing the number of Jewish adherents in Australia. Also, the slogan ‘populate of perish’ in the 50s- 60s enabled other Europeans to immigrate to Australia, hence increasing the number of Orthodox Christians. Although since 1945, Christianity still outnumbered other religions in Australia, the drop of the White Australian Policy in the early 70s allowed immigration from non- Christian countries such as: Asia, India, Africa and Middle East- bringing religions Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam into Australia. This not only shapes the current religious landscape of Australia having diverse religions other than Christianity, but also effected the rate of Christianity to drop to 67.9% out of the whole population of Australia. Changing patterns of religious adherence 20 percent of Australians are non religious From 1996-2001 > dramatic increase in Islam, Buddhism, Hindu and Judaism Due to the abolishment of the white Australian policy immigration increased. After 1976 the Methodist church seized to exist. After 1976 the two new Christian denominations arose in Australia > Pentecostal church the uniting church in 1981. Christianity as the major religious tradition Originally migration came from Irland / Britain Immigration 14 orthodox denominations in Australia Abolishment of white Australian policy. Denominational switching Within protestant or Anglican denominations people are very prepared two switch denominations. 1991 the church life survey shows that 29% of people had switched in the last 5 years. Reasons for switching is because; New comers joining or rejoining after a number of years. Rise of new age religions: New Age teachings became popular during the 1970s Often use mutually exclus ive definitions for some of their terms A free-flowing spiritual movement Secularism: the belief that religion should not be involved with the ordinary social and political activities of a country. from 1788 to the present day, regular church attendance has increased from 10% to 20%. People who associate themselves with no-religion in the census rose from 7% in 1971 to 16% in 2001. The ANU survey showed 42% of responses believed religion was not important. Outline changing patterns of religious adherence from 1945 to the present using census data There have been significant declines in the number of Christians regularly attending religious services. This decline is most evident in the Anglican Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Uniting Church. The drop in the figures for these three denominations represents both a decrease in the percentage of those who are affiliated with that denomination as well as a decline in actual numbers over the last decade. The proportion of Orthodox Christians in Australia grew rapidly after the Second World War and has remained quite constant over the past decade. Roman Catholics have continued to increase both numerically and as a percentage of the population, and have overtaken Anglicans as the largest denomination in Australia. Pentecostal figures have demonstrated strong growth both numerically and as a percentage of the population since the 1960s. In the last ten years however, this steep ascent appears to have slowed down and reached a plateau. The significant drop in the numbers of people regularly attending religious services should be read in conjunction with the substantial trend in the increasing numbers of people writing No Religion or Religion Not Stated in the census. The figure for religions other than Christianity, on the whole, appears to be steadily increasing from a fairly small base. Buddhist figures have grown at a steady rate from 1972 onwards and is now the largest religion other than Christianity in Australia. Hinduism has maintained steady growth. The numbers of Muslims in Australia have also increased dramatically since 1945. In 2001 the proportion of Jews was similar to that recorded in 1947. Christianity as the major religious tradition The significant decline in the number of Christians regularly attending religious services, especially in the Anglican, Uniting Church and Presbyterian denominations, can be attributed to the aging population, the lack of migrant intake and the general dissatisfaction impacting on other mainstream Christian groups. Roman Catholics are continuing to increase numerically, though not at the rate of the population because of its younger membership and substantial migrant intake. The significant increases in the Pentecostal figures can be attributed to factors such as the lively nature of its worship, its emphasis on contemporary music, the strong sense of community and spiritual support it provides, the charismatic leaders which lead the congregation and the clear cut answers it provides for times of uncertainty. Pentecostalism is an evangelical (fundamentalist and focused on conversion) and charismatic (a strong emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit) strand of the Christian religion. The slow down in the increase of Pentecostal figures in the last 10 years can be attributed to the revolving door syndrome which recognises that large numbers of Pentecostals remain with the Church for a relatively short period of time and because many Pentecostals were encouraged by their leaders to write Australian Christian Church rather than Pentecostal on the 2001 census. Immigration Changed Australia from being mono-cultural, mono-faith to multi-cultural, multi-faith. Since World War 2 and the lifting of the White Australia policy there has been much more diversity in migration and an accompanying increase in the diversity of religious groupings. Migration after World War 2 led to increased number of Catholics from countries such as Italy, Malta etc. This also increased numbers of Orthodox Christians from Greece and Eastern Europe. After the ending of the White Australian policy in 1972 migration developed from a larger range of countries bringing a wider range of religions. Migration has led to significant increases in the numbers of people who are Buddhist, Muslims, Hindus and Jews. Buddhists came from Indo-Chinese countries Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and in more recent times Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. Muslims came from countries such as Indonesia, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq, Bosnia. Increases have also occurred in Christian denominations where there is a large non-Anglo population Orthodox (Eastern Europe) and Catholic churches (from predominantly Irish to include Mediterranean, Eastern European, Asian, South American, African members). Increased presence of a variety of religious groups has also led to a greater appreciation of this diversity. Denominational switching The vast majority of people affiliated with religious groups in Australia were born into that religion. The phenomena of swapping between denominations or groups of the same religious tradition is known as denominational switching. Denominational switching is more common in Protestant Churches than in the Catholic Church. The majority of Pentecostals have moved from another Protestant denomination to join the Pentecostal group. Pentecostal is the term used to describe Christian denominations which have a strong emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit (speaking in tongues, healing, prophecy etc). They are often relatively small groups which provides for more personal interaction, they also have lively worship. Pentecostalism is the fastest growing Christian group. Most Pentecostals have switched to the group from another Christian denomination. Many leave again after about 2 years this is known as the revolving door syndrome. Rise of New Age religions Census figures show a considerable level of dissatisfaction with traditional religious groups. Alongside this dissatisfaction is an indication of a strong and growing longing for a spiritual dimension to life. New Age is an umbrella term which refers to a range of alternative and/or pseudo-religious groups that people are attracted to. New Age religions are characterised by their adoption of elements of Eastern religions and their subsequent rejection of traditional Western views, and the fact that it favours creation centred spirituality. Some examples of new age religions are feng shui, yoga, tai chi, astrology, tarot cards, numerology etc. Many people uphold traditional religious beliefs and practices but supplement them with new age elements. Secularism Secularism is the belief that religion should not interfere with or be integrated into the public affairs of a society. There are multiple factors which have contributed to the decline of religions relevance for the integration and legitimation of modern life. The increasing pluralism and materialism of society alongside societys increasing individualism and dissatisfaction with traditional religions are major reasons for secularisation. This trend is most evident in the significant increase in the number of people responding No religion in the census alongside an overall decline in the Christian figures recorded in the census.