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SCAMS & SCAMMERS: AGENTS AND THE

INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
A CAUTIONARY TALE

Virginia Pattingale
Flinders University
Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to address an aspect of risk in international education – the
relationship between agent and provider. In addition to the literature, the paper draws on
anecdotal evidence to illustrate an issue that is seldom discussed. The paper addresses
three themes: commercial integrity, ethical behavior and, risk management in
commercial relationships.

For clarity, the discussion is categorised into:


- Scams and Scammers - a sweep of the territory
- Relationships between higher education institutions and the international
education recruitment agent network
- Risk analysis and management of the agent relationship in higher
education
- Case studies
- Integrity issues in higher education generally
- Some ideas for improving integrity in those commercial partnerships.

“Among the important roles of any public sector agency is the maintenance of high
standards of ethics, conduct and fiduciary responsibility. Having a clear overall policy will
demonstrate the agency’s resolve to combat fraud and corruption wherever it is found. It
will communicate the agency’s commitment to best practice and create a holistic
framework that minimises the risks of fraud and corruption and strengthens
organisational integrity.”
(Crime and Misconduct Commission 2005, p. 2)

Universities have established processes for risk analysis and identification of fraudulent
activities. They have developed systems around examinations and assessment to
ensure integrity of students’ work. There is awareness of the issues of degree mills,
accreditation mills, plagiarism, etc. NOOSR and UK NARIC provide publications and
training for staff whose role it is to assess and verify foreign documentation for
admission into universities. As universities have become more commercially oriented,
fraud has become more prevalent. Much has been written about academic and identity
fraud in the sector but as we enter into new forms of commercial activity we encounter
new forms of fraud.

The focus here is not on student or academic fraud, but on business to business fraud
relating to the relationship between the agent and the provider. The Education Services
for Overseas Students Act 2000 together with the National Code of Practice for
Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students
(as amended 2007) (The National Code) are the key components in maintaining the

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quality and integrity of the international education industry in Australia. Standard 4 of
The National Code addresses the management of the agent relationship and identifies
that the provider must have a written agreement with an education agent if they formally
represent it, and compliance with the National Code must be spelt out in that agreement.
It also stresses that the institution must have processes for monitoring the activities of
the agents, where corrective actions and termination conditions might be required.. The
responsibility placed on institutions to adequately select, monitor and terminate these
relationships is a requirement not an option.

“Fraud in higher education is a complex matter, which by definition eludes


comprehensive data and straightforward recommendations. As mass higher education
develops across the world, and provision is increasingly commercial, international and
IT-enabled, fraud may only be expected to increase in scale, sophistication and
significance.” (Garrett, R 2005, p. 1)

The business relationship between education providers and international student


recruitment agents in Australia is confidential. This paper is based on an analysis of
publicly available information from websites, press coverage, documents and includes
some anecdotal evidence. This is not an exhaustive account of corruption and fraud in
the higher education sector, rather it touches on issues and experiences with a view to
raising awareness and developing strategies to counter the problem. Dealing with scams
and fraud in higher education is about managing risk and developing a culture of
integrity that includes the provider and its partners.

Scams and Scammers a sweep of the territory

Are scams illegal? Some do involve unlawful conduct. They are generally created by
devious and resourceful people. Fraudsters are hard to prosecute. Fraud is difficult to
stamp out and if you have become a victim, recouping your money is improbable. The
scale of the problem is highlighted by websites where scams were exposed, such as
hoaxslayer and fraudwatch international.

Scams include phishing – a form of identity theft where a fraudster pretends to be a


legitimate organisation requesting personal and financial details. This has become so
sophisticated that its victims include financial institutions. Scammers don’t just want
money, they are after identities. Personal details are more valuable than money as it is
possible to commit further identity fraud using these identities. More commonly known
are the ubiquitous “Nigerian” scams, where an unsolicited request for money comes with
a promise of a ‘cut’ of vast sums, sometimes millions, that are tied up in overseas bank
accounts. The victim assists by providing ‘advances’ to smooth the way for the funds
release. The only real money is that which the victim sends as the advance, and
generally that will be the last they will see of it. There are myriad investment frauds and
business opportunity scams, dating scams, multi-level marketing, tax fraud schemes, the
charity hoax, the student scholarship hoax, etc.

Some of the most fantastic are the false nation’s scams. The Principality of New Utopia
founded by Oklahoman, Howard Turney (aka His Highness Prince Lazarus). This is, in
fact, a number of abandoned Gulf of Mexico oil platforms lashed together over a reef in
the Caribbean. It claims to have a University with a Medical School specialising in
research into longevity. Prince Lazarus has had a long connection with longevity drug

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scams. Often they exist only in cyberspace to sell worthless company and business
registrations, bank licences and ‘citizenship’ to gullible victims.

The lesson is, don’t believe everything you read and if it looks too good to be true it
probably is. One of the main tips from a lengthy list, available at
www.scamwatch.gov.au. is to use your common sense. But if it is simply a matter of
‘common sense’, why do scams succeed?
“Firstly, a scam looks like the real thing,” and “Secondly, scammers manipulate you by
‘pushing your buttons’ to produce the response they want. It’s nothing to do with you
personally; it’s to do with the way individuals in society are wired up emotionally and
socially.” (www.scamwatch.gov.au 2007)
It is said that our best response to scams is not to respond, don’t answer, delete it,
destroy it, hang up.

Relationships between higher education institutions and the international


education recruitment agent network

Universities work in a global market and the agent network provides a valuable service
in this context. Few universities have the human, capital and time resources to operate
effectively in multiple markets. Agents work alongside websites, brochures, academics
and international office staff in marketing institutions. Agents follow up, promote in
market, host visits, counsel potential students and represent universities in a legitimate
and legally binding relationship.

These partnerships are usually with privately owned business, ranging in size from
single individuals to large networked agencies acting in multiple countries for multiple
institutions. Some have networks and sub-agency arrangements stretching the capacity
of single institutions to monitor, review, reward or expose agents. We see the outcome
of students arriving in Australia, but how much do we know about the route they took to
get here? What do we know about their encounter with our partner and service provider?
Did the agent charge the student $2,000 to put in an application? Did they correctly
advise about the amount of English language study the student would need to meet the
entry requirements into the course? Did they steer the student away from a course at
one University because another University pays a higher commission?

The Australian government makes universities, and other educational institutions,


responsible for ensuring that agents, preserve our reputation as quality institutions with
high standards of ethical behaviour and trustworthiness. The institution is vulnerable by
its reliance on agents. Due diligence, regular review, constant communication and at
times censoring action must be part of this relationship. This is a significant business to
business relationship and there is a great deal at stake.

In her article titled Foreign students don't come cheap, Milanda Rout claims that
“Universities are spending more than $64 million a year paying offshore agents
commission to recruit international students as the battle for the overseas market
intensifies.” (Rout 2007, p. 23)

The interconnection between skilled migration and international education should not be
underestimated. The commercial nature of both is a driver for cross-selling with many
education agents also acting as migration agents and vice versa. Universities and

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agents are aware that demand for certain courses of study has resulted in ‘product’
development for specific migration markets. This raises questions, about ‘selling’
graduate outcomes, notably, achieving employment in the ‘skilled migration professions’.

It is in the interest of the education sector in Australia to preserve the reputation of


‘Brand Australia’. I advocate sharing information between institutions, communicating
about best and worst practice. Networks such as the Australian International Directors
Forum (AUIDF) have the potential to share and act on this information, but there is
natural hesitancy to act as the industry’s watchdog and whistleblowers. We recognise
academic fraud as a pervasive negative influence in the industry but other unethical
behaviour associated with international student recruitment could have serious effects
on the credibility and trustworthiness of institutions, their products, services and
outcomes.

“The ‘buying of academic success’ can in fact constitute a strong disincentive for
students to learn and cast doubt on the quality of diploma and degree holders; the
selling of ‘university seats’ can damage the reputation of academia as a whole;
plagiarism or the manipulations of research results can harm the development of the
academic corpus; and more globally speaking, academic fraud can endanger the
credibility and usefulness of the assessment systems in place and the value of academic
degrees, promoting distrust about the academic enterprise at large. Moreover, it can put
at risk the education export industry, which has become a major business in countries
such as Australia. Unfortunately, public authorities often feel powerless to address these
acute problems.” (Hallak & Poisson 2007, p. 234)

Risk analysis and management in higher education

“Risk management is an integral part of good management practice. It is not an ‘optional


extra’, to be considered in isolation. It should permeate the agency’s activities as an
operational philosophy.”
(Fraud and Corruption Control, Guidelines for Best Practice 2005, p. 12)

According to this document these are the following steps that should be taken in a risk
management approach:

- Identifying risk
- Analysing risk – using qualitative risk, management matrix – significance,
likelihood and frequency of risk
- Evaluating risk
- Treating the risk
- Monitoring the process via regular evaluation
- Communicating and consulting with stakeholders
- Recording the outcomes
- Implementing the risk management approach eg. a risk management
committee and plan
- Developing a fraud and corruption management policy.

Marcus Turner, of the NSW Department of Commerce, investigates the link between
reputation risk management and corporate governance. He asserts that it is possible to
turn this issue into an advantage by leveraging risk management for a reputational edge.

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He argues that a robust risk management program engaging all stakeholders can
influence the achievement of organisational objectives and will develop the organisation
the reputation of being at the top of it’s game. Conversely, not having a transparent risk
management strategy to protect the organisation’s reputation can prove reckless. There
is a reputation risk to an institution which fails to protect its logo and testamurs from
illegal use. Imagine if this story below were to arise out of an internet generated ‘hoax’
using a real university’s logo, Vice Chancellor’s signature, university seal, etc. A bit of
downloading and an understanding of Photoshop can generate potentially disastrous
results on the image and reputation of an institution. Even though the university is fake,
the story made international news and this case detracts from the validity of gaining a
university degree.

“In another case two American men conducted a fraudulent university, ‘Trinity Southern
University’. In a sting operation, officials from the Pennsylvania Attorney-General’s Office
paid US$398 for an MBA Degree which was awarded to a cat called ‘Colby’, including a
transcript of results which indicated that the cat had earned a 3.5 grade point average
(The Commercial Appeal 2004, ‘MBA for cat busts fake degree sales’, 11 December:
A5)” in (Smith 2005 p. 4)

Case Studies

Most agents are honest and have the interests of the students and partners in mind.
There are rogue agents who have behaved unscrupulously including those who charge
forward fees to students who are then unable to leave that agency, because their money
is locked in. Or those who tell students they will only need five weeks of English, when
they really need more than 30 weeks. International office colleagues have shared case
studies from their own experiences of fraud in the workplace revealing just a taste of the
range of activities confronting the industry. These gaps in integrity are not only found
among agents and students, but also among staff.

International Draft Scam. A prospective international student approached a University


to enrol as a student. An international draft for tuition fees was forwarded, payable to the
University. The draft was banked. A number of days later the international student
contacted the University advising that due to a family tragedy they would no longer be
able to attend the University and consequently requested a refund of the fees already
paid (the figure was close to $10,000). The revenue staff became suspicious and looked
into the request. Meanwhile the bank contacted the University to advise that the draft
had been dishonoured and appeared to be fraudulent. Clearly the intent was to have
received the refund prior to the University being notified of the fraudulent draft.

Web Scams. An agent in country Y involving University X where the agent set up a
website with the following URL. http://www.universityX.countryY.com
The website linked directly to the agent’s own website. Suddenly the other agents in
country Y started to complain because it looked like this was the ‘official website of
University X’ directing the enquiries straight to the agent. The other agents assumed that
the agent was getting preferential treatment but in fact he had simply purchased the URL
and used it for his own purpose. There is nothing illegal in his action. It does, however,
compromise University X who went to great lengths to ensure that the agent change the
website and stop using the University name in the URL. The agent complied and they
are still partners.

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Another agent set up a website using information and logos of multiple Universities
creating the impression that this agent represents these institutions. None of the
Universities have a formal relationship with this agent. Because the agent is not an
authentic agent, there is little the Universities can do about the problem. It has proven
difficult to protect the logos from being downloaded, or used in electronic forms.

Misrepresentation Scam. The case of the University who found one of their agents
complaining to them about their apparent visit to his province in China. He complained
they were advertising interview sessions to students and had not consulted him about
the new agency they were working with. The advertisements claimed that
representatives from the University would be there to discuss courses and take
applications (and application fees, no doubt). Further investigation found that a local
company, not an agent of the University, was indeed advertising these sessions in local
newspapers, using the University logo downloaded from the internet and hiring Russians
to act as Australian counselling staff.

An agent sent a student to the University. The student enrolled in a BA, but was puzzled
that none of the topics included fashion design. The student explicitly wanted to study
fashion design and was told by the agent that a BA at this University was a great fashion
course. The University helped the student into another university and paid the airfare to
get him there.

Double Dipping Scam. An agent is accused of double dipping on commissions. He sent


a second invoice for the same student, in the same course. The University had a system
of paying on invoices for multiple students with a grand total. They did not have a clear
way of recording against the students name what was paid and when. The second
commissions were paid. The agent did it accidentally in the first instance but when it
wasn’t discovered they tried again successfully and then, of course, it became a
lucrative habit. It was exacerbated by the fact that sometimes the invoices would arrive
months after the student had commenced and the University was not good at tracking its
payments over time. A response to this was to set up a new system of a unique invoice
number for each student. This has resolved the problem. The University was also
concerned that perhaps one of the staff who had sole responsibility for paying
commissions may have been working by prior arrangement with the agent. An audit by
an outside consultant identified that a key risk to the University was having a single
person responsible for this commission payment task.

Conflict of Interest. A University’s marketing staff person asked permission to sign up a


close relative as an agent. At no stage did they alert the University that the agent was
related to them even though the agent was operating in their marketing region and there
was a conflict of interest. The scam was discovered but the staff person claimed to be
innocent of all knowledge of how this could have happened and spun a range of
increasingly unbelievable stories around the matter, consistently denying a conspiracy.
Only after extensive investigation and confrontation, involving the University’s Human
Resources section, the Unions and provision of irrefutable written evidence did the staff
person accept that there was something untoward. At this point, even though the saga
had drawn out over two months, the staff person’s last resort was to claim that the
relative had misled them and that they were shocked and appalled. The staff person was
married to the agent and lived with them at the business address.

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Theft. The Agent who takes a non-refundable upfront payment from all students for the
services that the universities provide free, eg. airport pickup, orientation and
accommodation support.

The implication of these few examples is that fraud takes many forms and evolves over
time. Discovery by one institution could be shared to assist others in avoiding the same
pitfalls.

Integrity issues in higher education

Much has been written about academic fraud and the forms it takes and solutions to it.
There are experts in the field of degree mills and identity theft. There are techniques for
identifying fraudulent documents but they are barely keeping up with technological
developments to create them. The resourcefulness and determination of those who want
to scam the system means that degree mills and accreditation mills are a growing
phenomenon.

Hallak and Poisson identify the following as examples of the types of fraud and
corruption opportunities within the higher education industry. Degree mills, exam
scandals, fake degrees, institutionalised cheating, plagiarism, expensive tutorials as
prerequisites for entry or success, leakage of examination papers, nepotism, bribery,
impersonation, smuggling foreign information into exams, cellular phone assistance,
collusion among candidates, intimidation by supervisors, purchase of papers over
internet, admissions fraud, scoring malpractice, bribery of academic authorities,
falsification of results, illegal changing of rankings on admissions lists, sale of seats, fake
credentials, manipulation of CVs and fabrication or falsification of research results and
data, to name just a few.

Garrett makes a point that as higher education institutions worldwide receive less
income from the state, competitive pressures may encourage admissions abuse and, by
extrapolation, other types of behaviour that may be considered to be unethical, to
secure funds.

“An important aspect of ‘borderless’ higher education is the increasing commercial


interest in post–secondary education as a business and a market. Not only has the
volume of commercial activity grown in recent years, but the range has widened and cut
across what might be called the ‘core business’ of non-profit higher education teaching
and learning. What was missing was a substantive attempt to assess the significance of
different business models and gauge the balance of competitive and service
relationships”. (Garrett 2004, p. 11)

So why do students want false documents that they know give them credentials they
have not earned? It is often an economic decision. Drivers include, competition for jobs
and professional appointments, the globalisation of the education and the labour market,
and the difficulty in verification of foreign credentials. Advances in new technologies,
including the internet enable fraud in new ways. It is hard to catch scammers, theirs is a
commercial imperative too.

“If these are counterfeited or altered, they can form part of a chain of documents used to
perpetrate a wide range of financial crimes, false student identity cards can be used (in

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conjunction with other documents) to obtain birth certificates, drivers’ licences, passports
and then to open bank accounts.” (Smith 2005 p. 2)

Academic fraud can include the use of false documents leading to even worse criminal
activity. Tracking and identifying academic fraud is in the public interest and identity
fraud is a particular concern. You can buy a fake degree from even the most reputable
institutions such as Harvard and Yale. These fake degrees are often sold as ‘joke
degrees’ but they can be used for purposes that escalate into higher order criminal
activity. Universityies use text-matching software eg. SafeAssignment as a detection and
educative tool and provide a clearly articulated policy on the internet. Universities
subscribe to NOOSR and UK NARIC for identifying documents and qualifications that
verify foreign credentials. These provide training courses for admissions staff on
detection of fraudulent documents. In Degrees of Deception, UK NARIC assert, that
fraudulent documents are not new but over the past 15 years it has become a worldwide
problem. The trade is now global and security measures are inadequate to curb it. The
increased commercial value of academic qualifications, eg.credentialism is a major
driver. Fake degrees are highly marketable.

Some ideas for improving integrity in those commercial partnerships

The “virtuous triangle” construct (Hallak & Poisson) for improved transparency and
accountability are reflected by the axes described below:
- Creation and maintenance of regulatory systems
- Strengthening of management capacities
- Enhanced ownership of the management process.

“The triangle should include a learning environment that values integrity, well designed
governance with effective, transparent and accountable management, and a proper
system of social control of the way the sector operates and consumes resources.”
(Hallak & Poisson 2007, p. 25)

I have taken some of the ideas that Hallak and Poisson developed for good practice in
dealing with academic fraud and applied them to managing the agent relationship. Some
of these ideas incorporate what we, in universities, already do and some that we should
consider doing.

- Adherence to The National Code particularly in the appointment,


monitoring and review of agents.
- Develop policy that clearly stipulates what is tolerable and what is not.
- Increase measures to detect fraud – mystery shopper students,
questionnaires for students about agent performance, fees charged, and
services delivered.
- Integrity regularly assessed –look at conversions, applications. If agents
are charging application fees to students with low conversion rates – take
action.
- User friendly information on recruitment procedures – make it clear to
students what they should expect from our agents – make it clear what
they should NOT expect.
- Rewarding agents for best practice, productivity and integrity and greater
acknowledgement of ethical agents.

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- Industry sharing of information about unethical agents and strategies for
ensuring good practice.
- Agent training.
- Accrediting agents in a similar way as Migration Agents are accredited
and public notification of agents that are de-registered like migration
agents.

These ideas, rewards and penalties, reinforcement of regulatory systems, using


computerised systems, external audits, engagement of our stakeholders and staff in the
development and implementation of policy and processes resonate with our universities.
The complexity and multiple manifestations of poor practice can be addressed by
focussing on certain elements of the commercial relationship between the institutions
and the agent relationship. A priority for international offices is to develop guidelines and
policy around this territory.

How widespread is this problem? Is a coordinated approach of interest? Should action


be taken at the political level? In March and April of 2007, the 7.30 Report investigated
the “trade in international students” and screened a three part series on the subject
(excerpt below). The issue of accreditation for the education agents was raised. It was
pointed out that anyone can hang up a shingle to become an education agent and that
the industry has sought a national register of education agents. The government’s
position is clear.

HEATHER EWART: For the past 18 months university vice-chancellors, TAFE colleges
and the peak body representing private operators have been lobbying the Federal
Government for rules and regulations to stamp out rogue education agents. At the
moment, the Government puts the onus on university and college operators to ensure
their agents are doing the right thing and has no intention of changing this approach.

JULIE BISHOP, EDUCATION MINISTER: Because the vast majority of them are located
overseas, Australian laws don't cover them, so what we do is regulate the providers. We
make the providers responsible for the acts of the agents.

By contrast, in Australia, The Register of Migration Agents, lists registered individuals


(not organisations) who are the only people authorised to provide immigration assistance
except where exemptions are provided for. This is a public record. The Authority is
required to publish decisions in relations to agents who have been cautioned, cancelled,
suspended or barred. All registered migration agents must meet qualification
requirements for registration, be of good character and abide by the Migration Agents
Code of Conduct. The code encapsulates many of the ethical principals that we would
ask of our education agents. Principals, including informing clients of their fee structure
and holding in the clients account, money paid by the client until the services are
completed. There is a section on complaints and a procedure for dealing with them and
a section on termination of services. Education agents in Australia and offshore have no
such Code of Conduct or even a register of agents. Each institution has its own
selection, monitoring and review procedures and each has their own agreement, setting
out the roles and responsibilities of the parties. Is this enough?

Is training or self-regulation the solution? Parents and students trust the agents to deliver
a service as most of them have little experience of what to expect or do. The agent’s
reputation is just as important to their business as it is to ours. Those who do the wrong

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thing can ruin their own reputation and influence the reputation of the institutions they
represent and the industry as a whole. The students may not be aware that what the
agent is acting dishonestly or that the level of service provided is not commensurate with
the money paid, but word of mouth spreads quickly. All partners need to embrace an
ethical approach in the supply chain and act scrupulously.

Professional International Education Resources (PIER) provides the Education Agent


Training Course (EATC). Student counsellors and agents can undertake the training,
free online. The industry acknowledges this valuable resource and some encourage their
international office staff to undertake it. The training incorporates:

- Australia, the AQF and Career Trends


- Legislation and Regulations
- Working effectively in International Education
- Professional Standards and Ethics.

The ethics module is salient to this discussion. Examples are provided of unethical
practice in dealings with students, institutions and with the education industry. An
agent/counsellor gains a statement of attainment by successfully completing an
assessment. They are then listed as “Qualified Educational Agents/Counsellors” on the
PIER website. They can, under certain circumstances, become de-listed. Paula
Dunstan, (PIER) Manager said that, “Institutions and students alike can view this list and
see if their agents are listed. This is as close as anyone has come to regulating the
agents”.

Another approach to the development of skilled and ethical agents is the Association of
Australian Education Representatives in India (AAERI). Formed in 1996, their goal is to
assure credibility and integrity in the industry in India. They have developed a “Code of
Ethical Practice”, “which stipulates that they must provide services to students in a
manner which reflects the established practices of Australian education and training
institutions and which safeguards the interests of prospective students on the other.”
Http://www.aaeri.org/home.htm
These trained and registered agents have agreed to be fair and honest in their dealing
with students, so we should have greater confidence in their level of service.

The biggest risk is to the reputation of the organisation. It is too late when an institution
is caught up in a situation of corruption, poor practice and mishandling. It is naïve to
assume that every one has the same attitude about integrity. As Locke suggests, best
practice companies understand that their reputation is an economic asset and needs to
be actively managed. There is a need to engage management as well as staff in the
process of protecting and enhancing that reputation.

Butler, asserts that concepts such as risk management need to engage employees as
essential component of reputation management and communication. A proactive
approach is to know your staff and partner’s core values as these are integral to your
institution’s reputation. Protocols and procedures around selection and appointment of
staff and agents to ensure our values are known and understood leads to better partners
and staff. Credibility, honesty and ethics are all interconnected and staff and agents can
contribute to the development of better systems and procedures and improve the
organisation’s resistance to fraud and corruption.

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“In the long run, curbing corruption requires changing the attitudes and behaviors of both
the operators and users of the educational system, with a view to improving
transparency and accountability in the management of the system, mobilizing society
against corruption and, hopefully, paving the way for deep social transformation.” (Hallak
& Poisson 2007, p. 283)

A national register of education agents would be a valuable and important construct for
this industry and a key element of the industry’s reputation risk management. Perhaps it
could be a self-selecting list generated by the education agents themselves. It should be
underpinned by ethics training and a declaration of their commitment to a code of ethical
conduct. A code of conduct for education agents and a public record of who have
committed to best ethical practice would go a long way toward enhancing the Australian
education industry’s reputation for integrity and quality of service. As we have seen, a
reputation for robust risk management can be effectively leveraged.

References

Butler, B, 2007, Engaging Employees In Reputation Management Strategy: Aligning


Internal and External Communication, 2nd Annual Managing Reputation Risk
Conference, Melbourne, 22-23 March 2007

Cohen, D, 14 Oct 2005, in an article titled ‘A tarnished Reputation, The Chronicle of


Higher Education , (52.8), University of Newcastle, Australia

Degrees of Deception, A comprehensive Guide to Counterfeit Educational Documents,


Published by UK NARIC (ECCTIS Ltd) Oreil House, Cheltenham, UK , 2007

Ewart, H 2007, Tertiary industry demands Governmen action over student recruitment
trade, 5 April 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Transcripts
(c) 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Fraud and Corruption Control Guidelines for Best Practice March 2005 (Crime and
Misconduct Commission, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 2005)

Garrett, R 2005, Fraudulent, sub-standard, ambiguous- the alternative borderless higher


education, Issue 24 July 2005 The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education,
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Garrett, R 2004, Global Education Index 2004, Part 2. Public companies- relationships
with non-profit higher education, The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education,
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Hallak, J. & Poisson, M., Corrupt schools, corrupt universities: What can be done?
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United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

Hawthorne, L., 2007, Outcomes- language, employment and further study, Discussion
Paper, for a National Symposium: English Language Competence of International
Students, August 2007, commissioned by Australian Education International in the
Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST)

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Immigration Advisers Welcome Licensing Law
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Locke, L, 2007, Reputation and Issues Management , at the 2nd Annual Managing
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NSW Public Accounts Committee Inquiry into Academics’ Paid Outside Work in (2004)
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0734766319

Rout, M 2007, Foreign students don't come cheap, 29 August 2007, The Australian p 23.

Smith, R. G 2005, Identification processes in the higher education sector: risks and
countermeasures, Trends & Issues in Criminal justice No.305,December 2005
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Schemo, D. J 2007, In Study Abroad, Gifts and Money for Universities, The New York
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Turner, M, 2007 Investigating the Critical Link between Reputation Risk Management
and Corporate Governance, Regulations and Compliance Standards at the 2nd
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<www.aaeri.org/home.htm>

<www.auqa.edu.au/gp/search/detail.php?gp_id=2819>

<www.scamwatch.gov.au>.

Australian International Education Conference 2007 12


www.idp.com/aiec

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