B. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
The student will read and study Occupational Fraud and Abuse, Joseph T.
Wells, (ISBN 1-889277-08-8). Topics covered in this study are as follows:
Definition of "Fraud"
Company Attributes That Contribute to/Deter Fraud
Asset Misappropriation
Motivation
Internal Controls and Other Techniques for Detection and Prevention
The "Big Picture"
First Meeting:
Scan a newspaper - Buffalo New, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, USA
Today, Wall Street Journal - and accumulate a minimum of 5 articles dealing with
fraud. These can range from the Little League team that falsified the age of the
star pitcher to the Fastows and Enron. These will provide the beginnings of a
"Fraud Scrapbook" that you will keep throughout the study.
Identify an area that you are interested in examining in depth - identity theft,
Medicare/Medicaid fraud, financial statement fraud, for example - and submit the
topic to the mentor for approval.
Subsequent Meetings:
Continue reading selected chapters of Occupational Fraud and Abuse Select
additional articles on the topic of fraud to share with the members of the group.
Prepare an outline for the research paper on the approved topic you have
chosen. Be prepared to demonstrate that you have begun the research process
- bring note cards, articles, or other materials with you to discuss with the mentor.
Submit a five to ten page research paper on the approved topics. Include an
annotated bibliography. Prepare a presentation discussing your research to
share with the mentor and other students, if applicable.