Reference no: EM132253816
THE PROBLEM
Staff crime is a substantial problem for retailers, but receives rather less research than shoplifting (Speed, 2003). In the same vein, there has been little research on employee theft in Zambia especially in the hospitality industry. The only evidence available is from newspaper and online publications suggesting the scourge is common place. The following examples will suffice. ‘‘The Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested a Bank employee and two others for money laundering activities involving over K200 million’’ – Lusaka Times ‘‘The Drug Enforcement Commission has arrested two bank employees for money laundering involving over US$40,000’’ - Zambian Reports ‘‘A Stanbic Bank employee has appeared in the Mazabuka Magistrates court charged with five counts of theft by servant involving K250, 000’’ - Lusaka Voice. ‘‘Five Zambia National Service (ZNS) employees have been charged with theft by public servant of various amounts, amounting to a total of K887,643, in various incidents, reported the Post’’ – Zambian Weekly Mwanza Hotel has not been spared from this vice and an undisclosed sum by way of piece meal thefts have been lost while measures to prevent this vice do not seem to be considered seriously by management. The bulk of employee theft research in the literature globally is centered on the causes of employee theft with the hope of identifying appropriate prevention strategies (Greenberg, 1997). Potential causes cited in the literature included perceptions that theft was appropriate (Shapiro et al., 1995), low self-control, (Van Wyk et al., 2000; Gibson & Wright, 2001), inequity (Sieh, 1987, 1993), personality characteristics (Terris, 1979; Terris & Jones, 1980), environmental design (Carlson, 1990), marginal status of employees (Tucker, 1989), perceptions about the likelihood of getting caught (Hollinger & Clark, 1983), and strain (Van Wyk et al., 2000). Looking at some of these causes, elsewhere, employee theft has been prevented or minimised by way of observation mirrors, use of guards, closed circuit television, and electronic article surveillance which provide some protection against employee theft. In other places additional precautions against employee theft are required and they take the form of accounting for received inventory, surprise inspections and audits (Cole, 1989; Dawson, 1993; Lin et al., 1993; Liddle, 1995; Greenberg and Barling, 1996). Very little is known in terms of what the theft profile is like and the measures that may have been put in place to prevent employee theft. If counter measures are not in place, these piece meal employee thefts may accumulate into huge sums and the Mwanza Hotel may shrink and collapse. Based on the above problem statement;
1. Construct, using the W and H model, three research questions from the problem below one of which MUST be an overarching question and post these on the portal.
2. From the three research questions, state or highlight what your overarching research question is and post your work embracing the three research questions by Wednesday 20.00 hours. This will give you ample time to read and understand your friends' works.
3. As from tomorrow to Tuesday, at 21.30 hours, you can then decide which of the three friends research questions in the group you would like to appraise. I would like you to do so by reworking each of your friend's research questions. Explain to them briefly why you have reworked the research questions.