EXPOSURE: Inside the Olympus Scandal, by Michael Woodford. Portfolio, 2012, 272 pp., $27.95 (hardcover)
Michael Woodford had it all: a multimillion-dollar salary, luxury apartment, chauffeur-driven cars and other perks as president of Olympus Corp. Why then did the Englishman decide to throw away his successful 30-year career at the Japanese corporate icon to blow the whistle on his fellow directors?
"Exposure: Inside the Olympus Scandal" is Woodford's own version of events surrounding his decision to investigate allegations made by an obscure Japanese publication of massive fraud at the health care and electronics giant. Following the release of a Japanese version, this English-language memoir of one of Japan's biggest business scandals is for more than corporate governance experts, with its fascinating tale of good versus evil.