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The purpose of this paper is to improve the quality and efficacy of data collected from Muslim respondents, particularly women, through an examination of Islamic teachings and illustrated using a “conservative” paradigm of practice. The paper is designed to be helpful to researchers in designing both their projects and their data collection methods.

The paper is conceptual, in that it provides an overview of some important, often overlooked or misunderstood areas on which studies have been based and gives frameworks and also ethical pointers to researchers.

Framed to explain approaches to “conservative” Muslim women in societies across the globe, what is presented herein allows insight into all varieties of Muslim practice. This is achieved by explaining the possible objections to different methodologies and techniques of research for Muslim women at the “conservative” end of the practicing spectrum – this allowing a highlighting of ideas and ideals applicable across the spectrum.

Useful for academic researchers and also commercial researchers, potentially saving both time and money by pointing out possible errors in research design while also ensuring good ethical practice. The paper is offered to assist researchers in eliciting full and frank responses from Muslim respondents based on informed and thoughtful research design and data collection and providing possibly contextualisation(s) of what is said to enhance data analysis and interpretation.

Believed to be the first paper of its kind in English, this conceptual paper provides insight for researchers aiming to get the most useful and ethically sound outcomes for those interviewed, as well as those interviewing.

Three distinct groups of banking customers in New Zealand are identified on the basis of their preferences for different payment methods. These are profiled in terms of membership of wider lifestyle groupings, as well as their demographic and socio‐economic characteristics, and other financial behaviours. The results demonstrate how psychological profiling can help in understanding consumers’ banking behaviour and preferences in the wider context of their lifestyle, as well as suggesting strategic directions banks can adopt.

Presents the results of a survey of consumer lifestyles in New Zealand, undertaken in 1995‐96, and compares the findings with those of a previous study undertaken in 1989. Describes the research methodology – questionnaire construction, data collection (3773 questionnaires analysed), sample representation, and data analysis (k‐means non‐hierarchical clustering techniques on SPSS for Windows). Identifies seven segments of the population and their relative sizes. Categorizes these segments as: active family values people; conservative quiet lifers; educated liberals; accepting mid‐lifers; success‐driven extroverts; pragmatic strugglers; and social strivers. Records changes that have been observed since 1989, specifically in attitudes towards the self, opinions about the family, social standards, and New Zealand as a country in which to live. Points out that groups have had to be renamed as their emphasis has shifted and that numbers have swelled some groups while shrinking others – particularly noticeable is the disappearance of active family values people (and their replacement with pragmatic strugglers) and the emerging accepting mid‐lifers group. Provides an insight into New Zealand’s consumer lifestyles and indicates how change affects values and lifestyles.

The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to an area of research that has considerable potential for academic researchers in the disciplines of retailing and distribution studies.

The methodology adopted was an overview of existing literature with a view to identifying possible trends in research in the area of loss prevention.

The paper identifies an extensive body of existing literature and provides an indication of areas for future research in loss prevention.

The implications of these key issues are significant to the measurement of shrinkage in terms of the scope across the business from which shrinkage needs to be considered. This finding highlights the need to consider shrinkage as a systemic issue that extends across a business from design, through planning to operational execution. It also identifies the impact of shrinkage on increasing cost and depressing sales and considers the responsibility of management teams in addressing these matters.

This paper is an original discussion on the topic and thus of value to the academic community. It is also of value to the practitioner community as it highlights the importance of developing relationships with the academic community.

Employee theft is a significant part of retail losses from shrinkage, yet has been comparatively underexplored compared with shoplifting. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impacts of different forms of staff theft and fraud upon retail crime losses and analyse the characteristics of offenders.

The approach is based on a statistical analysis of the details (from retail records) of all staff offenders apprehended for theft by four major UK retailers over a two‐year period. The results are then compared with shrinkage losses for these retailers to discuss the implications of the findings.

Retailer concentration upon customer theft is difficult to explain given the significance of perceived staff theft on losses from crime. Only a small percentage of staff offenders were caught by retailers, but estimation problems were caused by the fact it was difficult to value the exact amount stolen over time by serial offenders. The majority of people apprehended were young and were believed to have stolen comparatively small amounts of cash or goods. In contrast, a small number of large‐scale offenders were responsible for 47 per cent of total known staff theft. Only a relatively small proportion of known staff crime involved collusion, the major losses were caused by theft of cash, major fraud losses, merchandise and refund fraud.

The implications of this study are significant for retailers. They suggest that retailers may concentrate on smaller‐scale wrongdoers rather than major frauds and that retailers may benefit from switching part of their loss‐prevention resources from shoplifting and minor staff offending to more considerable in‐house frauds.

The paper presents original data based on the characteristics of actual apprehended thieves rather than a discussion based primarily on shrinkage estimates). It presents new information for the academic community concerning the impact of different types of theft and fraud and challenges part at least of retailing conventional wisdom about “Who steals?” and “How?” It is valuable both to the academic community and to retail practitioners.

One area of concern for retailers is the impact of employee theft on retailing profit margins and operations. It is possible that the application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to the employee theft could shine some light on the problem and possibly offer some assistance to retailers. The purpose of this paper is to apply TPB to this phenomenon.

A model and series of propositions are developed. The propositions are open to empirical verification and can form the basis for a research stream on retail employee theft.

The model incorporates certain individual difference factors that are likely to influence intentions to engage in retail theft. The model proposes that variables such as organizational commitment and an employee's moral norm are likely to have an impact on retail theft.

The propositions stemming from the model have to be tested empirically. The model incorporates certain individual difference factors that are likely to influence intentions to engage in retail theft. There are additional individual and external factors that will have direct and indirect on the variables in the proposed model.

Before efforts can be undertaken to stem employee theft, retail managers need to understand the phenomenon. The application of the TPB to this phenomenon is a step in that direction. It can provide insights to retail management on the nature of employee theft and who is likely to engage in it. In addition, information can be obtained for use in human resources efforts such as pre‐employment screening.

Prior work on retail employee theft has not applied the TPB in an effort to understand the phenomenon. This is an initial effort to do so.

Employee theft is a large problem for firms of all sizes, particularly small businesses where profit margins are often slim. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of current and previous employees regarding their advice for detecting and preventing employee theft.

The study presents and analyzes the responses and ensuing discussion to questions posed to 79 individuals in three college‐level entrepreneurship courses. Using a controlled internet discussion board, an interactive dialogue developed among the study participants. The relationship of these findings to the existing literature on employee theft and how these findings support and expand the scholarship base is examined.

According to the qualitative research findings, a majority of participants in the study recommend implementation or increase usage of video surveillance, and better control systems and record keeping. Other recommendations include better hiring, using a “ringer” on staff, raising salaries, offering free products for employees, and other advice. Some of these findings correspond to previous research on employee theft, while some results offer new and expanded advice for managers.

Limitations of the study are stated, and recommendations are made for further qualitative and empirical research of employee theft in follow‐up to these findings.

The employees surveyed in this study recommend that greater surveillance and managerial diligence in control of the operations is needed to decrease employee theft. This advice is from the “inside” by current and former employees who have inside knowledge and first‐hand experience as witnesses to employee theft in businesses today.

The methodology used for the research in this study is innovative and fairly recent, because it involves the use of controlled discussion groups on the internet which allow for thorough scrutiny by the research and greater freedom by participants to compose their perceptions. In addition, study participants also may have perceived a higher level of anonymity and confidentiality using this medium, which may result in more accurate findings that traditional surveys or in‐person research methods.

Measures and measurement systems must reflect the context to which they are applied, requiring that the contextual issues relating to retail shrinkage must be identified as a necessary precursor when measuring shrinkage. Without considering these issues any decision on which method of shrinkage measurement to employ will be uninformed, arbitrary and at best intuitive. The objective of this paper is to scope out and summarise the contextual issues surrounding retail shrinkage in Europe's grocery sector and to offer a view on the implications of these issues to shrinkage measurement.

The methodology adopted was a scoping study of the key issues that influence shrinkage measurement, drawing these from prior research and exposing these findings to the informed opinion of a review panel for critique and to highlight areas for further investigation.

The findings from the study were to identify a range of contextual issues relating to shrinkage and to summarise these issues into four categories, namely: stewardship and performance improvement; cost reduction and sales improvement; local effects of systemic issues; and the detailed nature of retailing.

The implications of these key issues are significant to the measurement of shrinkage in terms of the scope across the business from which shrinkage needs to be considered. This finding highlights the need to consider shrinkage as a systemic issue that extends across a business from design, through planning to operational execution. It also identifies the impact of shrinkage on increasing cost and depressing sales and considers the responsibility of management teams in addressing these matters.

This paper is theoretically original and thus of value to the academic community. It is also of value to the practitioner community in grocery retailing where shrinkage and its measurement is of worldwide strategic importance.

Employee theft is a major component of retail shrinkage. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of two methods, internal control and random inspections of the locations at which employees work, to deter employee theft. An inspection strategy is designed in which retailers try to minimize their costs while trying to prevent employees from stealing.

We employ an analytical approach. The employees are assumed to be strategic, i.e. they respond to the decisions made by the retailer, and likewise the retailer is strategic. Consequently, game theory is used to model their interaction, and to obtain the best decisions for both the retailer and employee after taking into consideration the other's actions.

The solution of the game depends upon various parameters such as the cost and effectiveness of random inspections and of the internal control system. The paper determines the optimal frequency of inspections, the total budget to be spent on inspections and the total expected retail shrinkage due to employee theft. The paper also shows the extent to which an effective internal control system and the recruitment of honest employees can benefit retail organizations in preventing losses due to employee theft.

The paper provides normative guidelines for decisions such as the frequency of inspections. Retailers can limit employee theft but eliminating theft altogether turns out to be too expensive if the goal is to minimize organizational losses. The retailer should try to reduce inspection costs and increase their effectiveness. Adding honest employees helps the retailer, but note that adding just a few is not beneficial because organizational losses remain unchanged, but adding a larger number qualitatively affects the equilibrium outcome and lowers organizational losses. The paper describes when investing in better internal control systems is appropriate.

The underlying assumption is of strategic retailers and employees. This gaming analysis brings a new perspective to examining retail crime problems than has been hitherto the case. This work follows in the tradition of the economics of crime literature, which views crime as a rational choice decision made by potential offenders. The study examines employee crime in the context of retail organizations, and provides several new insights. Although the idea of random inspections is not new, features of the retail environment such as internal control system, employee dissatisfaction and the ability to recruit honest employees have no direct parallels in the economics of crime literature, and are being touched upon for the first time.