EMPLOYEE THEFT AND EFFICACY OF CERTAIN CONTROL PROCEDURES IN COMMERCIAL FOOD SERVICE OPERATIONS

Estimates suggest that theft is responsible for one third of business failures and may be quite prevalent in food service. This study examined employee deviance and theft in food service operations and, in a limited number of settings, the efficacy of certain managerial policies and procedures in reducing or preventing the incidence of theft. Results indicate that older employees were less likely to participate in theft-related activities. Also, employ-ees were more likely to engage in unacceptable activities that were more likely to be within the context of their job and where more of an opportunity was perceived. In most cases the respondents believed they were less involved than other employees. The amount reported to be stolen by employees was more than twice that estimated by managers. Some of the poli-cies and procedures designed to control and safeguard the assets offood service operations do not appear to have the desired effect