Soundview Executive Book Summaries


Answers About Our Product and the iPhone
June 22, 2009, 1:40 PM
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, iPhone app | Tags: , , , , , ,

We’ve gotten a few e-mails in response to our iPhone apps. The feedback has been very positive to this point, and we’re very pleased that everyone is enjoying the apps. The one question that we receive more than any other, however, is, “When can I get a subscription to Soundview on the iPhone?”

The iPhone and its applications, as you’re aware, are constantly evolving. While we’re not at the point yet where we can offer our subscription product in this way, we’re researching it. It’s always our objective to deliver our summaries in the ways in which our subscribers want to read them. Sticking with one format for presenting one’s product is generally a means to a quick exit from the business world. You have to know when to move ahead and when to leave things in the past. Look at Kodak who announced today that they’re retiring their world-famous Kodachrome film after 74 years.

Fear not, iPhone fans. Keep your eyes on this blog and you’ll be the first to know when Soundview offers a subscription via the iPhone.

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The Apple of Our “i”
June 15, 2009, 1:50 PM
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, Internet, Strategic Management, Technology, iPhone app | Tags: , , , , , , ,

OK, raise your hand if the highlight of your week will be the release of the next version of the iPhone? I have to admit, for all of my forays into blogging, mp3s and online commerce, I’m a little behind the times when it comes to phones. My kids love nothing more than to poke fun at my heavy-handed attempts at text messaging. Feel free to raise your hand if this has happened to you as well. I’m just looking for a little sympathy.

The point is that Apple is on the verge of vaulting yet again to the front pages of news Web sites everywhere. This will no doubt have ramifications for us at Soundview. How? As you can imagine, to arrive at the 30 best business books each year, we look at thousands of submissions. I do not exaggerate. The post office and various private couriers know our address by heart. From these piles of books, we whittle our way down to the top 30. When it comes to books that deal with marketing , leadership and change management, Apple is frequently the top case study mentioned in these volumes. The company’s ability to reinvent itself from what many considered a secondary computer producer to a cutting-edge purveyor of revolutionary technology is nothing short of astonishing. So, I fully anticipate that Apple launching yet another version of the product that many felt would never fly (“Apple? In the phone business?”) will lead to more books landing on our desks. The more success Apple generates for itself, the more business authors and analysts try to dissect its methods for purposes of reproduction.

Oh, and for those of you who originally raised your hands about the iPhone release, did I mention that Soundview is offering a FREE iPhone app right now? Click on this link and take advantage of this limited-time offer while you can!

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A Bowl Full of Trouble
May 13, 2009, 3:04 PM
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, Marketing, Technology, iPhone app | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Imagine my surprise when I saw headlines like this one while trying to eat breakfast today. I’ll give you one guess as to what yellow box of cereal was sitting in front of me, as it has nearly every weekday for the past decade or more.

General Mills has its share of explaining to do in the wake of the challenge by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has taken umbrage with the food company’s claim that Cheerios can lower cholestrol. The regulator says this sort of statement,which appears to suggest that a cereal can prevent heart disease, is reserved for FDA-approved drugs.

Semantics aside, this incident proves that companies are forced to walk an ever-finer line in the promotion of their products. In times of heavy competiton, even corporate giants such as General Mills are willing to take risks to ensure that a smaller company’s product doesn’t overtake their place at the breakfast table. While regional treats remain one of the great parts of American grocery shopping, there is increased awareness of products that previously stayed local. This means that even a small food manufacturer can have a “stretch plan” of one day appearing on supermarket shelves across the country. No wonder General Mills is willing to vaguely claim its product can prevent heart disease. The anxiety caused by the competition is enough to give it a heart attack!

Sounds to me like the good folks at General Mills could do with our Business Survival Skills iPhone app. This app, one of three new apps to debut recently, includes three great summaries that are designed to help you get up and keep fighting while others are down for the count. At only $9.99, it’s a download that’s as affordable as it is informative.

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In Search of the Applicable Application
May 8, 2009, 11:56 AM
Filed under: Books in General, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Leadership, Personal Development, Strategic Management, Success, iPhone app | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

I confess that I occasionally drag my feet when it comes to adopting new technology. Between GPS systems, Web 2.0, and my cell phone, I’m wired and traceable to the point where even I wonder if Big Brother is bored with me. Still, it’s hard to deny the overwhelming appeal of certain devices.

There are a large number of people who would put their iPhones at the top of the list of devices they can’t live without. Hopefully, we’ve just added three more reasons to keep it at the top of your list.

I mentioned earlier this week about our Entrepreneurship application. If one application is good, how does a total of three new apps sound?

In addition to the Entrepreneurship app, Soundview is also debuting Survival Skills Vol. I, as well as Innovation Vol. I. Each app features three crucial titles that will help you with the app’s specific subject.

These three apps are the latest in a growing collection of Soundview iPhone apps. Click here to see the complete list!

The convenience of having these apps at my fingertips is something that I underestimated. It makes me glad that I got on board with this technology more quickly than my usual pace. Now if only I could force myself to upgrade my DVD player to a “ray” of a certain shade (For trademark reasons, I’ll let you figure out the obvious).

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