Tepper School of Business
Book List Recommendations from Dale Hershey
BOOK LIST
Harr, J. 1995. A Civil Action. Vintage. ISBN 0-679-77267-7. Paper. 494 pages.
True story of a down-at-the heels lawyer who represented estates of children allegedly killed by pollutants buried on the property of Beatrice Foods in Woburn, Mass. (John Tarvolta played the lawyer.)
Sen, A. 1999. Development as Freedom. Anchor. ISBN 0-385-72027-0. Paper.
In lectures before the World Bank, this Nobel Prize economist asserts that "expansion of freedom is . . . the primary end and . . . the principal means of development."
Jeter, L. W. 2003. Disconnected: Deceit and Betrayal at Worldcom. Wiley. ISBN 047142997x
Personalities and factors that led to WorldCom's rise and dramatic fall--such as the failed Sprint merger in 2000 and the revelation in June 2002 of overstatement in earnings, culminating in the largest bankruptcy in history.
Toffler, B. L & J. Reingold. 2003. Final Accounting: Ambition, Greed and the Fall of Arthur Andersen. Broadway Books. ISBN 076-791-3825.
Ethical and managerial problems at a leading international accounting firm, arising from its internal "culture," that blinded it to the consequences of the deceptions of a major client, Enron.
Prahalad, C. K. 2005. The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits. Wharton School Publishing. ISBN 0-13-146750-6.
The "poverty penalty" can be overcome by harnessing the entrepreneurial and buying capabilities of the world's billions of poor people. "If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up."
Stiglitz, J. 2003. Globalization and Its Discontents. Joseph Norton. Paperback. ISBN 0-393-32439-7.
The views of a Nobel Prize winning economist--that globalization is a positive good but that the World Bank, the IMF and the World Trade Organization should show more openness and flexibility.
Partnov, F. 2003. Infectious Greed. Henry Holt. ISBN 0-8050-7267-5.
Argues that financial markets are out of control. Trading in derivatives is beyond regulation and provides opportunities for hidden manipulation.
Kessler, D. A. 2001. A Question of Intent: A Great American Battle With A Deadly Industry. Public Affairs Books. ISBN 1891620800. 400 pages.
Food and Drug Administration battle with the tobacco industry. Is tobacco, containing nicotine, a "drug"?
Friedman, B.M. 2005. The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth. Knopf. ISBN 0-679-44891-8.
This sweeping historical study presents convincing evidence that economic development brings tolerance, social mobility, commitment to fairness, and dedication to democracy. Economic stagnation leads to their opposites.
Carson, R. 1962. Silent Spring. Mariner Books, 40th Anniversary Edition. Paperback. ISBN 0-61825305-x; ISBN 0-618-24906-0.
The classic study of the effects of DDT and other pesticides on the natural environment, an inspiration for the environmental movement.
McLean, B. & P. Elking. 2003. The Smartest Guys in the Room: the Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron. Portfolio. ISBN 1-59184-008-2.
Recognized as the best book on the Enron scandal, providing a detailed account of the company's rise and fall and analyzing the shortcomings of management decisions by Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling.
Chernow. R. 1998. Titan: A Biography of John D. Rockefeller. Random House. ISBN 0-679-43808-4.
A masterful biography of the richest man in US history, and how he got his riches. Rockefeller's monopolizing methods were a basis for Sherman Act regulation.
Berners-Lee, T & M. Fischetti. 1999. Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web by Its Inventor. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 0062515861.
Much market theory posits that commercial motive underlies economic development. Berners-Lee, on the contrary, has resisted the commercial exploitation of the web. Consider his motivations. What makes him tick?
Lowenstein, R. 2000. When Genius Failed. Random House. ISBN 0-375-50317-x.
Account of the collapse of Long Term Capital Management, inflicting losses on finance academics who invested in financial futures.
Davis, D. 2002. When Smoke Ran Like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle Against Pollution. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01521-1.
Economic disaster in Donora, Pennsylvania—its causes and resistance to doing anything about them. Professor Lave is a hero.
Friendman, T. 2005. The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 13-9780-374-29288-1.
This is another installment in Thomas Friedman's anecdotal elucidation of globalization. Globalization 3.0, as Friedman calls it, is driven not by major corporations or giant trade organizations like the World Bank, but by individuals: desktop freelancers and innovative startups all over the world (but especially in India and China) who can compete--and win--not just for low-wage manufacturing and information labor but, increasingly, for the highest-end research and design work as well.
