9 Powerful Ways to Market Your Book

9 Powerful Ways to Market Your Book If youve recently joined the ranks of self-published authors, it doesnt take long to realize the most important rule in the game: learn to market your book and learn it well. But in a literary world thats constantly evolving- especially with digital sales on the rise- knowing how and where to market your book can be a challenge. Thats why weve gathered nine of the most effective ways to market your work and build on your success as an author.Find your reader personaIn the marketing world, this step is one of the first ones taken before putting together a plan to market a service or product. Finding your reader persona involves creating a composite sketch of who your most likely audience will be. Will it be male or female (or both)? Is there an age group your book will appeal to most? Are they in college? Working professionals? What other types of media are they most likely to consume (besides your book, hopefully)?Just as marketers use a consumer persona to help them find the best wa ys to market a clients business or product, self-published authors should have a good idea of the most likely audience their book will attract. This not only helps determine the best marketing tactics to use- it helps you narrow those tactics to direct them toward a niche market that is most likely to buy your book.Look at whats sellingAs a self-published author, you obviously want a coveted spot on Amazons bestseller list. And Amazon makes it easy to conduct your own market research by browsing through their Amazon Best Sellers, which is updated hourly.On the left side of this page, youll notice several categories you can select (travel, history, childrens books, etc.) to see the bestsellers within those categories. You can then drill down even further within those categories to find the one that most closely matches your book. For example, in the category of childrens books, youll find Action Adventure; Activities, Crafts Games; Animals; Arts, Music Photography; Childrens Cookb ooks; etc.So why do this? First, youll be able to see if theres already a book that similar to yours on the bestseller list. If so, you might need to consider ways to set it apart from the book thats already a bestseller- either in its description or in the sample chapter you provide. Also, youll be able to select smart categories for your own book, which well discuss in the next tip.Select smart categoriesIn his article How to Choose the Best Book Categories, Kindlepreneurs Dave Chesson offers detailed instructions on choosing categories for your self-published book that will help boost its sales. The process he explains involves finding categories that would fit your book but might not be as competitive as others.According to Chesson, Amazon assigns the ABSR of a book based on how many sales or downloads it has had over a certain period of time as compared to all other books on the Amazon market. A lower number means that the book is selling better than others, and a higher number means it isnt. If your book has the LOWEST ABSR of all books in a category, then you are the #1 best seller in that category. It is that simple. And of course- getting onto a bestseller list (even if its a niche category) will boost your books sales exponentially based on increased exposure on Amazon.For example, lets consider a current nonfiction Amazon bestseller by Brenà © Brown called Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Youll notice that the book has been placed in several categories and is in a different spot within each. Below are the books current rank in three categories, including:#2 in Books Health, Fitness Dieting Psychology Counseling Social Psychology Interactions#2 in Books Business Money Management Leadership Leadership#3 in Books Self-Help Personal TransformationMake your sample chapter amazingWhen a potential buyer sees your book online and is debating whether to purchase it, your sample chapter could be that final push they n eed to add it to their cart. On your Amazon page, this is what theyll see when they click Look Inside and this is your opportunity to really sell your writing.While it might seem logical to put your first chapter as your sample, keep in mind that this is your opportunity to really show off as a writer. The first chapter, which is often exposition and getting to know the main character, might not be the best sample to offer.Make your author bio shineYour author bio is another great way to market your book, particularly if you have written a novel in a nonfiction category. Most readers want to know a little about the person they are taking advice from, especially if its related to their career or hobbies. For nonfiction author bios, you should include your experience related to the subject, including any degrees, certifications, or training you might have had that would make you an expert on the topic. You should also list any relevant travel or speaking experience that has shaped you r worldview as an author.For fiction, something shorter and to the point is generally the best choice. If youve achieved any awards for your writing or have been published in any compilations, be sure to include those, as well as brief information about where you live and what you enjoy doing most. This article is a great resource for how to write your author bio and provides a lot of examples to look through when creating your own.Build an email list through lead magnetsLead magnets are incentives to sign up for something, most often an email list. This email list can then be used to keep in contact with your most likely readers and let them know about special events (such as book signings), sales, or new books coming out. Its also a way to bond with your readership and make them feel like they are an important part of what you do (because they are!).A lead magnet is your best bet to encourage as many people as possible to sign up for email from you. This incentive can be as simple as an additional free sample chapter, a free download that isnt available without first signing up, a poem, advice, or a link to a YouTube video where you address an important question that might arise about your writing. This article is a great resource for various types of lead magnets you can use. The possibilities are practically endless!Identify your influencersWhether its your family and friends, or a small social media following, your biggest fans will play a large role in helping you market your book. They can share information on their own social media accounts and tell others about how much they enjoyed your book. In fact, consider giving free copies to those who will influence others to buy your book. Its a marketing tactic that could pay off surprisingly well for you if the right influencer really likes what youve written.Create an author websiteHaving an online presence is not only important- its essential if you want to market your book and build an audience. Your aut hor website will be the primary means to do this and should offer both current readers and potential readers an opportunity to get to know you and your writing.However, make sure your author website is professional and easy to navigate on multiple devices. People are increasingly using their smartphones and tablets to access information online, so ensuring that your site is optimized for such viewing will help increase your audience exponentially.Get your book reviewedIf youve ever bought anything online- say, Amazon, for example- you know how much reviews influenced your decision. Retail marketers understand this and put a lot of effort into curating good reviews online.In addition to multiple services available for getting your book reviewed (this one, for example) you can also ask for reviews from your core fanbase (even if its just your friends and family). These reviews will go a long way in influencing others to buy your book.

À la française - French Expression

la franà §aise - French Expression Expression: la franà §aise Pronunciation: [a la fra(n) sehz] Meaning: French, French-style Literal meaning: in the French manner or fashion Register: normal Notes The French expression la franà §aise is an ellipsis of either la manià ¨re franà §aise or la mode franà §aise. Because the ellipted word is feminine in both of those expressions, franà §aise remains feminine in the shortened phrase, no matter the gender or number of the noun it modifies. Remember that franà §aise is an adjective here, so it cannot be capitalized. Examples​ Je ne comprends pas tout fait lhumour la franà §aise.I dont really understand French humor. Ah, le socialisme la franà §aise!Ah, French-style socialism! Special Uses le format la franà §aise - portrait (as opposed to landscape: format litalienne)un jardin la franà §aise - formal gardenle pain la franà §aise - French breadun parc la franà §aise - formal gardenun plafond la franà §aise - ceiling with exposed beams equal in width to the spaces between themune robe la franà §aise - sack-back gown (18th-century fashion)le service la franà §aise - several dishes served simultaneously (as opposed to sequentially: service la russe) Related Expressions The same ellipsis can be made with other nationalities and peoples: lamà ©ricaine - American-style langlaise - English-style langlo-saxonne - British-style la belge - Belgian-style la suisse - Swiss-style And with places: lafricaine - African-style la caraà ¯be - Caribbean-style la parisienne - Parisian-style la provenà §ale - Provenà §al-style la savoyarde - Savoyard-style

Strategic Role of Employee Performance Recognition in Increasing Statistics Project

Strategic Role of Employee Performance Recognition in Increasing Employee Productivity - Statistics Project Example The following section will discuss the findings regarding the values of correlation coefficients for each of the pairs under consideration. Correlation coefficient has been found to be positive statistically significant at 1 % level of significance. It simply implies that with increase in the level of employee participation in management and decision making process, the level of job satisfaction increases significantly. This finding provides great support to the findings of those studies which advocated increasing employee participation for the betterment of job satisfaction among employees (Coch and French, 1949, Pfeller, 1994; Verma, 1995; Maslow 1954; Herzberg, 1966). All these studies have talked about a strong positive relationship between employees’ participation in the work place and the level of job contentment. There have been a few studies which have not found any strong connection between employee participation and job satisfaction. But the findings of the current study have once again reinforced the positive relationship between job satisfaction level and the level of employee participation. (ANY QUAN TATIVE DATA FROM YOUR SURVEYS TO SUPPORT THIS? ) (table 1 itself shows the correlation coefficient) Hence, it would not be wrong to say that in the Effort companies selected for this study the efforts that have been taken to enhance the level of employee participation have resulted in increasing the level of self actualization among the employees along with enhancing the level of enthusiasm employees, all of which in turn directly resulted in higher level of job contentment among the employees of the companies as they have now obtained higher level of self-esteem. Such a strong significant relationship between the level of participation and job statistician might have stemmed from the fact that the process of participation involves distribution of the impact of participation among all the employees

3M and its unique culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

3M and its unique culture - Essay Example The company is consistently developing new products that is set up with inter-actions with customers and at the same time creating a culture that promotes employee pride and well-being, encourages integrity, and supporting social and environment development. Systems established to institutionalize this culture among employees 3M has set aside a budget that exceeds $1 billion annually for research and development to support innovation. 3M allowed employees to do their work in their own way. The management believed that as their business expands, it becomes necessary to delegate responsibilities to workers and to encourage them to exercise their initiatives. To date, 3M has over 50,000 products that were developed through constant research and innovation. Some well known products are the sandpaper, Scotch tape, Scotchguard fabric protector, Post-it Notes, O-CelO sponges, asthma inhalers, medical and dental adhesives, and plastic sheeting. Drawbacks on such culture. In allowing employee s to experiment on their ideas, failures and mistakes cannot be avoided. But when this happens, 3M does not punish the employees because by doing so, initiatives of personnel are dampened; and they consider people with initiatives important in the organization in order to grow. Drawbacks also consist of time and expense.

How to Make Almost Anything Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How to Make Almost Anything - Essay Example It has also provided industrial and business policy makers a specific structure for the ongoing debate and knowledge sharing process of â€Å"Digital fabrication†. Digital Fabrication is very different from traditional manufacturing method because it integrates the computer-assisted designs with the traditional manufacturing process. Digital Fabrication will have a massive impact on automobiles, consumer products, life sciences and the entire manufacturing sector because it will able to integrate all the aspects of science and technology in one single dimension unlike the traditional method of manufacturing tools and technology. (Easton, 2008) The digital fabrication indeed presents a digital revolution. Digital fabrication will allow future 3-D printers to build complete functional systems with no needs for parts to be assembled. The potential of the digital fabrication booming is undoubtedly huge. One of the most important reasons why it will be successful in the future is because it will allow for the development of low-cost, domestically produced manufacturing facilities, which are also capable of building a huge range of highly advanced products. (Hopkinson & Dickens, 2006) Digital fabrication brings mobility and flexibility to the conventional method of fabrication where materials and tools were used manually in a cumbersome manner and it took a huge amount of time. Although digital fabrication draws on the same thoughts and insights that had led to the idea of communication and computation, however it is much quicker and sharper than the conventional approach. Digital fabrication allows people to design products wherever needed to be produced. This method will challenge traditional business models of business, arts, medicine and education. Not only that, but it will revolutionize the concept of science and technology to a huge extent. According to Stephens

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction in a Bank

Employee Motivation and Job Satisfaction in a Bank Introduction This research is on the effects of employee motivation and job satisfaction to CIMB Bank Berhdad. CIMB Group is the second largest in terms of providing financial services in Malaysia, and is one of the leading banking groups in Southeast Asia today. Listed in the Malysian stock exchange since 1987 the company was formerly known as Bumiputra-Commerce Holdings Berhad. The CIMB Group became the third largest company listed on the Malaysian stock exchange on November 20, 2009. During this time its market capitalisation was listed at about a RM46.6 billion, and it also has substantial investments in Indonesia and Thailand with its Bank CIMB Niaga and the CIMB Thai. The CIMB group gives financial products and services which spans different areas in the banking industry. The company does business through its three corporate entities which are the CIMB bank, its investment arm CIMB Investment and an Islamic bank CIMB Islamic. The company provides services to a very diverse customer base. It actually serves everyone from large corporations in the region, local companies, small entrepreneurs, individuals with high profitability, and it even has savings programs concerning pensions for old people and savings accounts for children. CIMB group is a big company that employs 36,000 banking staff and employees. As an indicator of success CIMB groups earnings amounts to 80% of the gross domestic product of the whole ASEAN region and its operations services about 58% of the population in the region. Its retail banking operations have expanded to 1,150 branches making it the largest banking company operating in the region. Problem Statement This research on CIMB BANK BERHAD will identify the factors that affect the motivation and job satisfaction of employees in CIMB BANK BERHAD. This research also seeks to identify the strategies use to ensure employee motivation and job satisfaction and what is its effects. Objectives of the research These objectives pay attention to the problems and objectives that are selected to clarify the intended information and also be able to derive specific information that are not limited by the previous questions. This study intended to get the suitable data to help in building the proper assessment. This includes: To determine methods that CIMB BANK BERHAD practice to inspire or motivate their employees. To determine the accomplished strategies by CIMB BANK BERHAD in giving job satisfaction to their employees. To create an appropriate solution for CIMB BANK BERHAD problems. Scope of the Study The scope of the study is relied on the employees of CIMB BANK BERHAD. This focuses on determine which factors create desirable influence to their employees towards satisfaction. And to know what factors of independent variables that could have the greatest impact on employees satisfaction.-studying the factors that lead to employees loyal with CIMB BANK Significance of the Study This research was created to comprehend the significant factors of employees fulfillment to enable efficiency, quality, service, and loyalty to CIMB BANK. Definition of Terms Job Satisfaction Employee Motivation Herzbergs motivation-hygiene theory Maslows hierarchy of needs Research Hypothesis Hypothesis 1 H1: This study shows that adequate salary or monetary income plays a major role in allowing employees to be satisfied in their jobs. H0: There is no significant relationship between salary and job satisfaction Hypothesis 2 H1: This study shows that work recognition plays a role to have a sense of importance and motivates employees to work diligently. H0: There is no significant relationship between work recognition and job satisfaction. Hypothesis 3 H1: This study shows giving professional growth to employees such as trainings, seminars, etc. allows employees to have mental growth which they apply to their daily duties as employees. H0: There is no significant relationship between professional growth to employees creativity and development. Literary Review Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory Frederick Herzbergs two factor motivation hygiene theory categorizes incentives as being either hygiene factors or motivators. Hygiene factors are potentially dissatisfiers†factors associated with the job itself but not intrinsic to it. These factors such as salary, job security, administration, interpersonal relations, if not adequate could operate to dissatisfy someone but would not necessarily motivate someone when adequate. On the other hand, motivator-factors are directly intrinsic to the job itself and critical in the process of doing the job, including sense of achievement and recognition by colleagues, level of felt responsibility and empowerment are keys to real motivation (Herzberg, 1959). What is essential to understanding this concept is the distinction made between a motivator and a satisfier. A satisfier is that factor which, when fulfilled, is enough to get the employee to come to work at all. On the upper end, a motivator is that which actively drives the employee to go beyond the minimum standard of simply showing up. Herzberg promoted such concepts as Job Enrichment, Job Enlargement, and Job Rotation as potential motivators that worked well for those operating at the higher levels of Maslows need hierarchy. It is important to keep in mind that once an individual has thoroughly pursued a motivator, it is likely to become a hygiene factor, and the search for motivating factors continues. Herzbergs Motivation-Hygiene Theory According to Herzberg, factors causing work satisfaction (motivators) are rather in connection with the content of work, while those causing dissatisfaction (hygiene) are in connection with work environment. Good examples of the first factors are taking responsibility, career advancement, recognition and the possibility to develop (achievement), while salary, status, inter-personal relations, company policy and administration as well as work conditions are examples of factors of dissatisfaction Hull and Read confirm that quality relationships, that key factor in excellence, are dependent on high levels of trust. Yet building trust is a major challenge for many Australian organisations. Research suggests that a trust deficit has emerged. A loss of trust can be devastating to organisational performance. When people no longer have confidence in management, productivity falls, turnover rises, gossip spreads, cynicism sets in, and initiative evaporates. But trust is a long term proposition, the result of countless management decisions made over a long period that help employees feel secure about their own and the organisations future. Like confidence in the quality of our graduates it can be lost in an instant yet take years to regain. Hull and Read suggest that workplace trust has two dimensions â€Å" our views of ourselves (self worth) and our views of others. Hull and Read believe these were sustained in their research. Hull and Read interviewed hundreds of employees at all levels of the selected organizations. From this one central factor emerged â€Å" the quality of relationships at work, which concretely manifests itself in the bond between co-workers, friends and colleagues. They note that there is a relationship between excellent workplaces and how this is shaped by the trust and respect among the employees. But building and maintaining a good working relationship is not easy and it requires cultivating a long lasting connection between the one supervising the group and the groups members. In examining research from the Australian Quality Agency the authors noted that Australian workplace cultures, in their focus on people, differed from other cultures. High quality workplace relationships were, in turn, supported by a number of other factors. Four factors were particularly important. The first was the quality of leadership. In excellent workplaces leaders at all levels were aware of the impact that their behaviour has on the way people feel about the workplace and their job. They recognise that their behaviour sets the example. Leaders who behaved as a captain/coach were particularly valued. These leaders were available providing support when needed but not getting in the way when they were not. Good leaders choose their approach to suit the different needs of their staff, helping out when there was a crisis and allowing trial and learning when there was not. This is in keeping with Australias egalitarian ethos supervisors in excellent workplaces often choose not to display the trappings of their position. Most importantly they inspired trust. The research demonstrated, too, that essential to quality leadership is the communication of clear values that become intrinsic to the way business is done. They influenced the way people related to each other thereby in turn helping to generate the quality working relationships. In this environment the inevitable dilemmas, conflicts and competing priorities can be immediately and openly discussed. In excellent workplaces managers really do practice what they preach. Excellent workplaces, too, are marked by a sense of common goals and objectives where workers support each other and show respect for one another. People have the skills to do their jobs and seek to develop these skills further. They have the confidence to have a say about how the work is done. They are encouraged by a management style that is open to new and different ways of working and values diversity. This is not seen as a way to exercise power but rather to add value. People are encouraged to operate with some autonomy. Of course some managers feel uncomfortable with giving their employees a high degree of independence but it is a feature of excellent workplaces. Excellent workplaces are also safe workplaces, where people care for the well being of their colleagues and are committed to safe practices â€Å" not just formal policies and manuals. In such environments a culture of safety, including the psychological safety of a respectful workplace, develops that all staff are able to share. None of these factors operates in isolation. Together they build a culture that further enhances the quality of working relationships. The research suggests that excellent workplaces must have all fifteen drivers present although they combine in unique ways. There is a form of hierarchy with one set of factors building upon. Adult learners are often characterized as learning-oriented and goal-oriented. Based on the results of this study, these characteristics seemed to be related to the satisfaction-dissatisfaction profiles of e-learners. The most frequently stated satisfying factors were learning-oriented factors such as interesting and relevant learning content, effective teaching methods, instructors expertise, and effective learning activities; and the most frequently stated dissatisfying factors were goal-related factors such as unclear directions or expectations that caused confusion or frustration while trying to accomplish their goals. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Current risk organization theory and standards have the same opinion that risk and taking risk are not necessarily negative for development. Alongside the threat that a risk might entail more often than not this risk situation also provides opportunities. Managing chance through the risk procedure is often seen either as an not obligatory extra, or as only for advanced practitioners, or as just plain wrong. Why is this? This paper draws on human motivation theory (Maslow) and the latest ideas in information science (memetics) to explain the discrepancy. It also proposes practical solutions to promote management of opportunity within the risk process. Maslows hierarchy of needs? seeks to explain human motivation, and proposes a layered series of motivators ranging from survival to self-actualisation. Applying this framework to risk management reveals why individuals and organisations think first about threats, and why they see opportunities as optional extras to be addressed later if at all. Memetics suggests that ideas (or memes?) can be seen as packets of information which self-replicate like genes. According to this theory, the risk is bad? meme appears to be better adapted to the current environment maslows hierarchy of needs diagramthan the risk includes both threat and opportunity? meme. The paper describes how to motivate project teams and organisations to address opportunity based on Maslows theory, and how to enhance the competitiveness of the threat-plus-opportunity meme through memetic engineering. Over ten years ago, a debate arose within the project risk management community concerning the nature of the types of risk to be managed within the scope of the project risk management process (summarised in Hulett etal, 2002). Until then project risk had been seen as exclusively negative, defined in terms of uncertain events which could result in loss, harm, delay, additional cost etc, with risk? being synonymous with threat?. This definition reflected the secular definitions found in non-technical dictionaries (for example Collins, 1979). From the late 1990s project management professionals began to realise that there were other types of uncertainty that mattered. Sometimes good things might occur on a project which would result in saved time or reduced cost, or which would enhance productivity or performance. Such opportunities? could be brought under the existing definition of risk by simply expanding the types of impact to include positive as well as negative effects. This resulted in a change in approach by a number of organisations, including the Project Management Institute (PMI ®). The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK ® Guide, 2000 Edition) adopted a definition of project risk as an uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, has a positive or negative effect on a project objective.? (Project Management Institute, 2000). This broader definition has been retained in the current PMBoK Guide and PMIs Combined Standards Glossary (Project Management Institute, 2004, 2005). It is also reflected in a number of other leading standards, both in the project management area (for example Association for Project Management, 2004, 2006) as well as in more general risk standards (Australian/New Zealand Standard, 2004; Institution of Civil Engineers et al, 2005; Institute of Risk Management et al, 2002; Office of Government Commerce, 2007). The forthcoming ISO risk management standard is also expected to adopt a similar position. The use of the project risk process to manage both upside and downside risk is not only embodied in a wide range of standards, but it has been described in textbooks as good practice? (for example Chapman Ward, 2003; Hillson, 2004; Cooper et al., 2004; Hillson Simon, 2007). There are a number of benefits available to those who include opportunities in the risk process (see figure 1). The first potential explanatory framework for why organisations might find it hard to address opportunities as part of their risk management process comes from the work of Abraham Maslow on human motivation, as encapsulated in his hierarchy of needs? (Maslow, 1943, 1987). He postulated that humans are motivated by the drive to satisfy needs, of which there are a variety of different types. However not all needs are equal, and Maslow arranged the various needs in order of their pre-potence? or influence over people. This ordering is usually represented as a pyramid, with the higher needs? at the top and base needs? at the bottom. There are several alternative versions of Maslows hierarchy of needs, one of which is shown in figure1. A key feature of Maslows hierarchy of needs is his contention that people are driven to satisfy lower needs before higher needs exert any influence. So for example, the most basic needs of air, water, sleep and food must be met first, and are the over-riding concern of each individual, even more important than being safe or feeling self-esteem. Once these are satisfied a person is free to be concerned about other things. As each level of hunger? is met (with literal physical hunger at the lowest level), higher needs emerge which require satisfying. Maslow divided his hierarchy of needs into two groups, with deficiency needs? towards the base, and growth needs? (or being needs?) at the top. Deficiency needs are those which must be satisfied, and without which a person might be said to be deficient or needy?. The individual does not necessarily feel anything positive if these needs are met, but feels anxious if they are not. When these needs are met, they are removed as active drivers of behaviour. Deficiency needs are mostly physical and emotional. Growth needs by contrast are those which add to a person, which are not necessarily required for a healthy existence, but which make a person more fully rounded and complete. This type of need is psychological and spiritual, and they form more enduring and permanent motivators. How is this relevant to the question of why individuals and organisations might find it difficult to implement opportunity management as part of an integrated risk process? Assuming that Maslows hierarchy of needs is as valid for organisational motivation as it is for individuals, this framework would predict a strong preference for actions which satisfy deficiency needs?, and that these would take precedence over actions which target growth needs?. Translating this to the risk domain requires an understanding of which risks relate to the different types of needs. Deficiency needs are about survival, ensuring that the essentials are available to maintain life. In the organisational risk context, this naturally leads to a focus on threats. A threat is any uncertain event or condition that, if it occurs, will have an effect on objectives which is negative, unwelcome, harmful, adverse etc. According to Maslow, both individuals and organisations will be motivated to address these risks as the highest priority. For individuals, the concern is to avoid problems, save face, protect ones reputation etc. At the organisational level, this is the realm of business continuity and disaster recovery, which aim to protect the business and ensure corporate survival. Deficiency needs are also addressed by operational risk management and health safety, since these are also about feeding and protecting the corporate organism. At project and tactical levels, the need to tackle deficiency needs is also likely to be strongly influential, with a focus on dealing with threats to achievement of project objectives. By contrast, opportunities would appear in Maslows hierarchy as growth needs, being those uncertainties that, if they occurred, would have a positive, welcome, helpful effect on achievement of objectives. Such growth needs exist in such areas as marketing and business development, as well as strategic decision-making, and they also exist at project level in the form of project opportunities. While these are undoubtedly good things, and in themselves they are clearly worth pursuing, Maslows hierarchy of needs predicts that there is likely to be less motivation to satisfy these higher needs than there is to address more basic deficiencies. In other words, given a limited amount of time, effort or resources (which is the normal situation in most projects), an organisation will be driven to address threats before opportunities. If the environment is perceived as threatening, then the need to remove or minimise threats will always take precedence over the option of exploiting opportunitie s, since the drive to survive is stronger than the attraction of growth. Maslows hierarchy of needs seems to explain why both individuals and organisations are motivated to deal with threats before opportunities, since threats operate at the lower levels of the hierarchy and threaten deficiency needs, whereas opportunities exist at the higher levels and are seen as lower priority. A second useful framework for understanding the current reluctance to adopt an inclusive approach to risk management is the recently-developed hypothesis of memetics (Brodie, 1996; Blackmore, 2000). This wasintroduced by Richard Dawkins as a development of the selfish gene? approach to biology (Dawkins, 1989). Dawkins proposed an extension of this idea, applying it to information theory, postulating the existence of a hypothetical meme? as a self-replicating unit of information, analogous to a gene, which drives human behaviour and culture. From this initial innovation, the ideas of memetics mirror genetics, with such principles as survival of the fittest, competitive adaptation, mutation, replication, propagation etc. Whitty has applied the memetic approach to project management and found it to be a useful paradigm to generate new insights (Whitty, 2005). A meme is defined as a package of informational content, approximating to an idea or concept, which exists in the human brain or mind, and which seeks to replicate by transfer to other brains or minds. It is the basic unit of cultural transmission, and culture can be seen as the sum total of all memes. Clearly there are very many memes currently in existence, all of which are competing for the limited resources of human attention and absorption into current culture. The most successful memes are those which are best adapted to the environment in which they operate, which leads them to replicate and become dominant. Dawkins argues that dominant memes are not necessarily beneficial to human individuals or society, and that harmful memes can take root in the same way that viruses can cause pandemics. The important feature which determines the persistence of a particular memeis its competitive advantage when compared to the other memes against which it competes. Having created this hypothetical framework, it is possible to develop an approach called memetics?, analogous to genetics, to describe how memes operate. The term memetic engineering? can be used to describe attempts to manipulate memes in order to produce a desired outcome. While the basis for memetics is challenged by many as entirely hypothetical and unproven, the memetic paradigm offers useful insights into many aspects of human behaviour and culture, including management of risk. Solutions from Maslow Taking Maslows model first, there are three ways in which an organisation might proceed if it wishes to adopt the broader risk approach including management of opportunities equally alongside threats. Ensure effective threat management. The first is simply to make sure that all the lower-level motivators are fully satisfied all the time, allowing the organisation to move on to the higher levels. In other words, a risk process which deals effectively with threats will result in an organisation which is confident and relaxed, and which feels secure in its ability to handle both foreseen and emergent negative events and circumstances. Once these more basic deficiency needs are met, the organisation will feel free to release energy and resources to address the growth needs represented by opportunities. Develop conscious opportunity management. A positive focus within the organisational culture on the benefits available from proactive management of opportunities will create a motivational force to counter that of the lower-level need to deal with threats. If management express a requirement for projects to identify and capture opportunities, and reward such behaviour visibly, then teams will respond appropriately. Making management of opportunities both explicit and required will maximise the chances of this approach being adopted. By emphasising the value of the higher growth needs, their motivational value can be increased, even if the lower-level deficiency needs are not all met. Practice emotional literacy. Maslows hierarchy of needs is not universally accepted, and some researchers and practitioners believe the linear hierarchy oversimplifies human motivation (for example Wahba Bridgewell, 1976). The reality of human motivation is like to be much more complex. Studies of disadvantaged communities where deficiency needs are clearly unmet often find unexpectedly high levels of contentment and fulfilment, indicative of the higher needs being met. For example the Kingdom of Bhutan is renowned for its high Gross National Happiness (GNH), introduced as a key national measure by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 (Kinga et al., 1999), despite its low development status. Maslows hierarchy of needs seems to explain why both individuals and organisations are motivated to deal with threats before opportunities, since threats operate at the lower levels of the hierarchy and threaten deficiency needs, whereas opportunities exist at the higher levels and are seen as lower priority. A second useful framework for understanding the current reluctance to adopt an inclusive approach to risk management is the recently-developed hypothesis of memetics (Brodie, 1996; Blackmore, 2000). This wasintroduced by Richard Dawkins as a development of the selfish gene? approach to biology (Dawkins, 1989). Dawkins proposed an extension of this idea, applying it to information theory, postulating the existence of a hypothetical meme? as a self-replicating unit of information, analogous to a gene, which drives human behaviour and culture. From this initial innovation, the ideas of memetics mirror genetics, with such principles as survival of the fittest, competitive adaptation, mutation, replication, propagation etc. Whitty has applied the memetic approach to project management and found it to be a useful paradigm to generate new insights (Whitty, 2005). A meme is defined as a package of informational content, approximating to an idea or concept, which exists in the human brain or mind, and which seeks to replicate by transfer to other brains or minds. It is the basic unit of cultural transmission, and culture can be seen as the sum total of all memes. Clearly there are very many memes currently in existence, all of which are competing for the limited resources of human attention and absorption into current culture. The most successful memes are those which are best adapted to the environment in which they operate, which leads them to replicate and become dominant. Dawkins argues that dominant memes are not necessarily beneficial to human individuals or society, and that harmful memes can take root in the same way that viruses can cause pandemics. The important feature which determines the persistence of a particular memeis its competitive advantage when compared to the other memes against which it competes. Having created this hypothetical framework, it is possible to develop an approach called memetics?, analogous to genetics, to describe how memes operate. The term memetic engineering? can be used to describe attempts to manipulate memes in order to produce a desired outcome. While the basis for memetics is challenged by many as entirely hypothetical and unproven, the memetic paradigm offers useful insights into many aspects of human behaviour and culture, including management of risk. Solutions from Maslow Theoretical framework, population sample, data collection, data analysis The researcher visited the different libraries for journals, articles and studies needed for the research. The researchers gathered time-series data from different Banking institutions to assure of its validity and consistency. The researchers would also gathered different news and articles regarding the past events that involves or has consistent customer interaction as its main issue. It would tackle evidences of how proper services, awareness serves as the means affect the profit and increase the margin for more clients. The researcher has also researched data of the banks that have similar situations with CIMD The researcher would gather data from 2007-2009 to be able to assure consistency and reliability. This study will took place within CIMB BANK BERHAD in Malaysia. Participants will be selected according to their desire to participate in this study. Narrative data will be generated from all researched studies such as journals, articles, academic references, etc. The data analysis will Quantitative research enables the researcher to generate new theories from gathering descriptive data about the research topic. Quantitative research process involves the result of a certain procedure. The type of qualitative research studies undertaken are ethnographical, which refers to the description of a phenomenon from a cultural group or society, grounded theory, which focuses on real life settings and phenomenological which describes different experiences. Quantitative research is used to identify the specific effect which leads to using statistical evidence and appropriate statistical tools. It is also used for intervention studies and randomized control trials, which is the gold standard, ob servational and cohort studies. The quantitative approach is applicable to smaller sample group to generate rich data. Hopkins (2008) defined quantitative research method in the following words, In quantitative research your aspire is to settle on the relationship flanked by one thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent result variable) in a population. Isolated research design is either evocative (subjects usually measured once) or new (subject for assessment before and after a treatment). A evocative study establish only relations between variables.?Hopkins (2008) defined quantitative research method in the following words, In quantitative research your aspire is to settle on the relationship flanked by one thing (an independent variable) different (a dependent or outcome variable) in a population. Quantitative research design are either evocative (subjects usually measured once) or new evocative study establish only relations between variables.? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology used in the study is an analytical survey that measures consumer satisfaction of CIMB BANK BERHAD. The analytical survey through the use of statistics and data measures the correlation of consumer satisfaction with company measures that ensure employee satisfaction and delivers customer service. This research explores the possible correlation of customer satisfaction with factors such as employee motivation, company values, services rendered, and policies affecting its efficiency. In order to carry out the analytical survey, a questionnaire was developed that measures the level of customer satisfaction for CIMB BANK BERHARD, how the company is perceived by costumers, and what factors affect its customer service. The interview recipients of the study were composed of a cross-sectional group that represents different consumers from different age groups, sexes and income level. Interview questions were also distributed among employees and managers of CIMB BANK BERHARD and their response was correlated with the responses culled from the customers of the company. The survey also used open ended questions that is unstructured and which was administered personally by the researcher to ensure rapport, and elicit immediate responses from the interviewees. The data gathered was analyzed by determining the level of customer satisfaction, and what aspect of customer satisfaction cuts across different income and age groups. The survey also analyzed the response of CIMB BANK BERHARD employees and managers to questions pertaining to their role

Myths, Dreams and the Epic of Gilgamesh :: Epic of Gilgamesh Essays

The Epic of Gilgamesh, a masterpiece of world literature, is considered to be one of the oldest epics in the world. It is called an epic, but it is really a myth. In order to be able to understand a myth, it is necessary to have an historical point of view from two perspectives, so to speak, an outer and an inner one. The outer one concerns the necessity to understand the historical form in which the archetypes appear, the historical background to which the myth is related - in our case, the Babylonian culture and religion. The inner aspect concerns the essential problems of the time, with which that particular epoch struggled consciously, or in which it was unconsciously involved. Although this is primarily a scientific task, I believe that it is nevertheless a matter of immediate necessity for us to understand such documents humains in relation to our own life, for all the ages live in us, and we cannot really understand ourselves unless we know our spiritual roots. What particular age and what spiritual contents are evoked in us by the unconscious is, to a certain extent, a question of individual fate. Since Western culture is based to a great extent on Judaism and Christianity, Babylonian culture as one of their roots may be looked upon as of immediate psychological interest to us all. The archetypes live in their realm, beyond time and space. This builds the bridge of understanding between men of all ages, and makes it possible to realize that we ourselves with our essential problems are bound up in the continuity of the eternal problems of mankind, as they are mirrored in myths. But the form in which the archetypes appear, their garments so to speak, depends on the historical conditions: the symbols in which they appear change. In the human being these changes correspond to the development of human consciousness. Thus the myths, in my opinion, represent not only eternal archetypal events, but a certain level of the development of human consc iousness. During my work on this remarkably rich material this connection thrust itself more and more into my mind, so that I should like to define it as the basic idea, as the starting point of my attempt to explain this myth. It was only in 1872 that scholars first became aware of this myth, when the English Assyriologist George Smith made public "The Chaldean Account of the Deluge," as he titled his translation of the eleventh tablet of the epic.