Books by YSB Professor Sungkyu Sohn of Accounting and Professor Il Im of Information Systems have been nominated as Best Research Books by the Yonsei University Office of Academic Affairs. The books are The Role and Application of Accounting Information in the Capital Markets and Insights on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Professor Sohn’s book is his seventh book on topics such as accounting institutions, the environment, policies, and strategies. His audience in the new book includes accounting professors, CPAs, CFOs, internal auditing committees, government employees in auditing organizations, and college students. It is based on his experience with the Korean Accounting Association’s Accounting Advancement Forum, work in auditing committees, and participation in  symposiums and seminars. All but two of his books are his sole authorship.

“Writing a book is a solitary task that requires self-motivation since there isn’t a deadline or anyone to pressure you,” Professor Sohn said. “Nevertheless, while there are various roles professors can take on, like actively participating in social activities or focusing on writing academic papers, I believe my strength is in writing books. He hopes the latest book will advance the field of accounting. “One accounting firm reviewed the book and, judging that this book is helpful for partners, made a group purchase,” he said. “I hope this book will contribute to the development of accounting studies and industry.”

Professor Il Im’s Insights on the Fourth Industrial Revolution focuses on providing a framework for insights on the specifics of technological advancements that have become collectively called the Fourth Industrial Revolution. These include artificial intelligence, IoT, virtual/augmented reality, self-driving automobiles, 3D printers, and big data. Professor Im presents two concepts, “virtual” and “‘material,” and suggests that the rapid changes under way are being driven by the increasing integration of the “virtual” and “material.” With these concepts in mind, he makes predictions for the future of information and communications technology and how to view developments in the field.

“Information systems is a familiar concept to information technology professionals, but not to average readers. To explain the fundamental concepts of IT, I used the concepts of virtual and material,” Professor Il Im said. “I defined and developed these concepts in order to apply them to explain various phenomena stemming from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”