Recommended Books

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Requiring students to read certain books can enhance their educational experience. Please list any books (and a short description) that may be valuable to encourage or require students to read. Books are separated by genre.

Advice for Faculty

Books to Improve Teaching

Books on Fraud/Ethics

  • Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower by Cynthia Cooper. This book is about the fraud at WorldCom. Cynthia was the head of internal audit and the discoverer of the fraud. The book is a bit long-winded and slow up front, but is very interesting as to how she discovered the fraud and the aftermath of the fraud. She does a great job of helping people realize how difficult it is for most people to blow the whistle and to speak up when something is wrong. The second half of the book would serve as an excellent reading for a business class on ethics.

Purpose of Life Type Books

  • Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom. This is a quick easy read about a man who returns to visit with a college professor for a few weeks before the professor dies. The professor talks about what it is like to die and gives advice to the young professional. The advice centers around the importance of love, family, and not getting caught up in the cares of the world (especially money). Provides an excellent contrast to the common thinking of business students that once they are rich they will be happy. It is a true story.
  • Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life by Eugene O'Kelly. This is also a quick easy read. O'Kelly was the CEO of KPMG when he learned he would die in 3 or so months. He sat down and wrote a list of things he wanted to do, and writing this book was one of them. He pretty much concludes that much of his life was wasted at work. He, of course, dies in the end. It is a pretty good book about life, written by a dying accountant. This is a true story.

Recreational Reading

This includes fiction books that may help to illustrate accounting concepts and principles.

  • "Netforce: The Archmede's Effect" by Tom Clancy. An interesting book describing the potential threats resulting from poor controls on information systems and segregation of duties.



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