Healthsouth: The Wagon to Disaster
Aaron Beam has produced an accessible and fascinating story about his experience as co-founder and the first CFO of HealthSouth. Those interested in corporate fraud or business ethics can learn from the lessons he conveys. This book truly has the potential to save others from similar mistakes for which Mr. Beam has paid dearly. --Dr. Linda Trevino, Penn State UniversityOf all the CEO's accused of misdeeds in recent years--at Enron, Worldcom and elsewhere--by far the most interesting is former HealthSouth CEO Richard Marin Scrushy. A charismatic leader, Scrushy could get employees to follow him either through charm or encouragement, or outright intimidation. In this book Chief Financial Officer Aaron Beam paints a vivid portrait of Scushy in the years before HealthSouth started cooking its books to meet Wall Street expectations. For those who have followed Scrushy's amazing career--from humble beginnings in Selma, Alabama to the creation of a Fortune 500 company, to accusations of fraud and his eventual acquittal of charges that he orchestrated the fraud at HealthSouth, Beam's first-hand account of life with Richard Scrushy is indispensable. - --Greg Farrell, Wall Street Correspondent, The Financial TimesThis is the perfect book for the business student. People assume that they could never be entangled in these kinds of financial debacles, but this book personalizes the story and shows how each business person needs to have an impeccable personal moral compass. Careers and livelihoods ride principally on your reputation for integrity. - --Dr. Peter Ricchiuti, Professor, Tulane University