Controlling Unlawful Organizational Behavior: Social Structure and Corporate Misconduct

by Diane Vaughan

Diane Vaughan reconstructs the Ohio Revco case, an example of Medicaid provider fraud in which a large drugstore chain initiated a computer-generated double billing scheme that cost the state and federal government half a million dollars in Medicaid funds, funds that the company believed were rightfully theirs. Her analysis of this incident—why the crime was committed, how it was detected, and how the case was built—provides a fascinating inside look at computer crime. Vaughan concludes that organizational misconduct could be decreased by less regulation and more sensitive bureaucratic response.

Genres: Sociology

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1985

Reviews

[Savannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not well-written. The entire first chapter is in passive voice and thoroughly annoying.
The style and content of each chapter also feel disconnected. While the content is decent the author suffers from lack of evidence in making her argument, especially in terms of tying her argument back to her case, Revco. Additionally, at the end she argues that regulation increases unlawful organizational while providing almost no evidence period as well as no evidence from her case. Finally, her overall solution for organizations to conduct self-surveillance is not a structural solution to what she argues is a structural and cultural problem.