the goal
"The Goal - A Process of Ongoing Improvement" written by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is described as a business novel. This was again a text assigned in one of my classes at UM, this time it was Operations Management. Goldratt uses the setting of a factory to convey principles of manufacturing. It is a surprisingly interesting read and inspires thought and application.
If manufacturing is not that appealing to you, then check out another Goldratt book "Critical Chain" which examines project management, though it is in fact basically the same principles being applied in a different context.