Monthly Archives: November 2011

Mobile Business Book Summaries

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In August I blogged about Chuck Martin and his book The Third Screen, which discussed the enormous effect mobile devices and m-commerce are having on all aspects of business.

Martin states, “The third screen, the mobile device, is a game changer. It enables customers to communicate directly with each other and share information and opinions in real-time and on location. The third screen revolution is about dramatic technological and behavioral change.”

In Soundview’s ongoing pursuit to provide our content in the most effective and convenient forms possible for our subscribers, we’ve been adding additional mobile formats as demand dictates. So I thought it might be helpful to provide an overview here for those that are looking for business content for their smartphone, e-book reader or tablet.

Currently we provide our summaries in eight formats:

  • PDF – for computer’s and e-readers. This is the best format for printing summaries as well.
  • Kindle – obviously for the full series of Kindles®.
  • ePub – this is great for e-readers like Sony®, Nook® and iPad®.
  • Mobile – this is a simplified PDF for BlackBerry®, Android®, iPhone® and iPod Touch®.
  • LIT – this works on Pocket PCs and PCs that use Microsoft Reader®.
  • Palm – for those still using the Palm Pilot® devices.
  • MP3 – audio summaries and author interviews are in this format.
  • iPad – this works on iPads, PCs and Macs and includes our text and audio summaries, author interviews, and video content all in one package.

Because of the many variables in using these devices, we also provide a complete guide to viewing and downloading our content on all devices. This is organized by operating system and device. If you’re looking for business content for your mobile device then you’ll definitely want to check us out. Here’s a link to a free sample summary in all eight formats to try out for yourself.

Enjoy, and let me know how you like the sample.

Book Review: Escape Velocity

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by Geoffrey A. Moore

If you read our recent post about Soundview’s publication of the summary of Stephen Wunker’s Capturing New Markets, you’ll recall that we discussed the difficulty of attempting to continue on a single path of success. In fact, this tendency to become ruler of a single domain can create a situation of diminishing returns. To combat this problem, Soundview has a new summary that makes an excellent companion to Wunker’s book. In Escape Velocity: Free Your Company’s Future from the Pull of the Past, author and tech industry expert Geoffrey A. Moore attempts to help executives stand up to the pressure of repeating their current success story.

One would assume that with Moore’s feet firmly planted in the tech world that his book would be the latest in the steady stream of books that heap praise on Apple and Google and instruct readers to “simply” do what they do. To his credit, Moore recognizes that, for example, an insurance company in Wisconsin can’t base its economic future on developing the insurance equivalent of an iPad. Readers who would hesitate to pick up Escape Velocity for fear that it won’t apply to their businesses should lay those doubts to rest. Moore does an excellent job of structuring his book to launch from its tech industry base into strategies that are applicable to a variety of fields.

At the heart of Moore’s strategy is, as he puts it, a “framework of frameworks.” He instructs readers on the mastery of five powers: Category, Company, Market, Offer and Execution. As with his earlier work Dealing with Darwin, Moore provides numerous tips to give your company both a path to progress and, perhaps of more importance, a way to stand out from the competition.

To get your copy of the Soundview Executive Book Summary of Escape Velocity, visit Soundview’s Web site: Summary.com.

Bring On the Next Boom

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As we read the latest news about the financial crisis in Europe and the deficit stalemate in the United States, it’s hard to imagine that there could be a financial boom coming anytime soon. So how do we plan for the future?

Jack Plunkett, author of The Next Boom, believes that there is another boom coming, knows what to look for to predict it, and knows how companies should be planning now to prepare for it. It seems like wishful thinking until you see the hard facts and extensive research that Plunkett provides to back up his claims.

Plunkett points to three emerging trends that will lead to the next boom:

  1. A soaring global population – While some countries have seen their population growth decline, others like the U.S. are seeing continued growth. Statistics show that the U.S. could reach a population of 1 billion by 2100 to 2120. The growing worldwide population, especially among the middle class, will provide the engine for economic growth.
  2. Sweeping changes in consumers, demographics and education – There could be a tripling of trade world-wide by 2030 to $27 trillion, due to the growing needs of the populations of emerging countries like China and India.
  3. Emerging technologies, centered on health care, wireless communications, biotechnology, nanotechnology and energy – As Africa joins India and China at over 1 billion people, innovations in biotechnology will have to take place to feed this growing population. And that’s just one example of the emerging technologies that will be needed.

Plunkett’s point as he expands on these trends, is that all of these developments will create another world-wide economic boom. If his predictions pan out, then companies need to be preparing now for what’s coming.

We’ve invited Jack Plunkett to join us for our next Soundview Live webinar, Bring On the Next Boom, to hear more about these trends and what we need to do now to prepare for the future. Please join us on December 1st to hear more, and to ask your questions of the author.

Using Your Brain to Work Smarter

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The brain is an amazing organ, and in a recent edition of our Executive Edge newsletter, we looked at how you can take advantage of the unique characteristics of the brain to work smarter. While it might seem obvious that we must use our brain to work smarter, what this article talks about are the techniques that can help us take advantage of the processes of the brain in new ways.

Right Brain vs Left Brain – In A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink states that in the Information Age, the left brain has ruled with its sequential, logical, analytical way of thinking. But as we enter the Conceptual Age, there is a need for more right brain thinking, which is nonlinear, intuitive and holistic in nature. So to succeed in this new age people must develop their creative side.

Nurturing Your Brain – In Brain Rules, John Medina discusses what we need to do to nurture and protect our brain so that it can work at full potential. Sleep is especially important for proper brain function, as the brain needs to process the events of the day and complete learning tasks while the body rests. Stress is a great danger to the brain, as the chemicals released during stressful times can do damage to brain functions. So for best performance we need plenty of sleep and to learn ways of reducing the effects of stress.

Managing Your Emotions – When put in difficult situations, we tend to intuitively react with our emotions, such as fear or anger. So executives must learn how to control their emotions in order to manage effectively. As the authors of The Brain Advantage explain, this may include practices like stepping back from a situation to calm emotions before responding.

Thinking Less – The Brain Advantage also discusses the findings of brain researchers which show that people with higher intellect and/or more experience actually show lower brain activity. They found that this is because smarter, more experienced people can shift to auto-pilot, allowing their subconscious to take over. Experience allows routine work to take less thinking.

These are just a few examples of how our understanding of the brain can help us work smarter, taking advantage of the strengths of our mind and avoiding the weaknesses. You can read the complete Executive Edge report by subscribing to it directly, or receive all Executive Edge reports free as part of our Soundview Premium Subscription.

Book Review: Capturing New Markets

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by Stephen Wunker

The fight to stay alive in today’s marketplace can be all-consuming for many companies. Achieving quarterly growth, keeping shareholders happy and delighting one’s customer base are activities that leave little time for exploration and development. However, without concerted efforts to discover and capitalize on the growth opportunities presented by new ventures, businesses will inevitably succumb to the law of diminishing returns. The method to find and master the opportunities of the future is the subject of the latest book to be summarized by Soundview Executive Book Summaries: Capturing New Markets: How Smart Companies Create Opportunities Others Don’t by Stephen Wunker.

Wunker has extensive expertise in the area of developing markets. He is the managing director of consulting firm New Markets Advisors. He also worked closely with Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen on the creation of his innovation consulting practice. Capturing New Markets gives readers the equivalent of a personal consultation with Wunker. He progresses through the material in a manner that brings order and clarity to the hazy prospect of understanding new markets.

One can’t-miss section of the book is Wunker’s excellent answer to a common question: “How can we discover a market that doesn’t yet exist?” Wunker guides readers through the process of gauging a market’s value. He also provides a set of eight signs that an industry has the potential to quickly grow. This combination of succinct explanation with strategic takeaways gives Wunker’s book a level of strength that puts it ahead of more theoretical books on the subject of future markets.

To download your copy of Capturing New Markets in any of Soundview’s multiple digital formats, visit Soundview’s Web Site at Summary.com.