It's called a continuity sale, and variations of it abound all over the place. If you've ever seen or used a business punchcard -- you know, those "buy five pizzas, get one free" deals -- you've seen continuity sales at work.

Here's the thing: they work in virtually any service business to increase the number of sales you'll make.

In 1985, with the publication of Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior, University of Rochester psychologists Richard Ryan and Edward Deci launched a new theory for understanding what drives humans. Their model maintained that people are motivated by innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness to others – not, as the reigning theories of the day espoused, by inherited instincts or learned responses.

For those contemplating pursuing a search fund, or investing in one, the CES has created a practical guide to answer the most frequently asked questions. The Primer aims to provide an unbiased view of the benefits and challenges, explains the model from the entrepreneurs' and investors' perspective, and gives many operational and execution tips from previous search fund entrepreneurs.

For a complete set of career resources check out our Career Center

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Success is no longer defined as simply reaching income goals and achieving a leadership position at any cost. We also want to be happy, to feel that our life has meaning and that the work we are doing taps into our greatest talents. It’s easy enough to evaluate a job based on salary, title and perks, but judging other elements that often lead to true satisfaction can be tricky. A Career Compass can help you find those career intangibles. It points you toward your “sweet spot,” the point where three critical variables intersect: your strengths, your interests and the environment where you will flourish.

Erikson's model of psychosocial development is a very significant, highly regarded and meaningful concept.

Life is a serious of lessons and challenges which help us to grow. Erikson's wonderful theory helps to tell us why.

Here's a broad introduction to the main features of Erikson's model.

Stock options have a positive effect on firm performance when they are granted to executives, but giving options to lower-ranking employees seems to have no effect on the bottom line according to a new study.

Can a CEO—even one as talented and visionary as Steve Jobs—really make or break a corporation? Many business scholars have grown skeptical of the idea of chief executive as superhero. Cutting-edge research reveals that while some CEOs clearly do make a big difference, many are merely the most visible cogs in complex machines.

Greg Jarboe is the president and co-founder of SEO-PR and author of YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day. Guy Kawasaki asked him to help explain how to use it to enchant customers.

Left unchecked, subconscious biases will undermine strategic decision making. Here’s how to counter them and improve corporate performance.

For a complete set of career resources check out our Career Center

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Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, has met very few people who have a plan for their lives. Most are passive spectators, watching their lives unfold a day at a time. They may plan their careers, the building of a new home, or even a vacation. But it never occurs to them to plan their life. As a result, many end up discouraged and disillusioned, wondering where they went wrong.

But, he says, it doesn’t have to be this way. You can live your life on purpose. It begins by creating a “Life Plan.” This won’t insulate you from life’s many adversities and unexpected twists and turns, but it will help you become an active participant in your life, intentionally shaping your own future.

In a blog post, Hyatt shares with you how to create such a plan for your life. It consists of three sections:
* Outcomes
* Priorities
* Action Plans