Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of Generational Type on Employee Theft at Kopala Mine, Zambia. Method: The data set in this study is derived from the Kopala Mine Reports for 2020: HR Admin Report, Disciplinary Report on Theft and other related offences. Frequency Tables and Cross tabulations were used to summarize the findings. Findings: The study found that 56.8% of Millennials and 40.5% of Generation Xers employees were engaged in theft and other related offences. The practical research significance is that Generational Type influences Employee Theft in the organization. Conclusion: Based on the findings above, the study concludes that Generational Type and the lifestyle employees lead and influence employee theft in workplace organizations. The study further suggests that the need for extra money to meet social needs (lifestyle) is the main reason some employees engage in employee theft.
Cite this paper
Mukhalipi, A. (2021). Generational Type and Employee Theft: A Case Study of Kopala Mine, Zambia. Open Access Library Journal, 8, e7020. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1107020.
Osborne, S. and Hammoud, M. (2017) Effective Employee Engagement in the Workplace. International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 16, 50-67. https://doi.org/10.5590/IJAMT.2017.16.1.04
Hill, S.A. and Birkinshaw, J. (2012) Ambidexterity and Survival in Corporate Venture Units. Journal of Management, 40, 1899-1931.
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0149206312445925
Musgrove, C., Ellinger, A.E. and Ellinger, A.D. (2014) Examining the Influence of Strategic Profit Emphases on Employee Engagement and Service Climate. Journal of Workplace Learning, 26, 152-171. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-08-2013-0057
Adamson Mukhalipi, (2018) Employee Discipline Enhances Employee Engagement: An Affective Shift Model Perspective—A Literature Review. The International Journal of Management, 4, 59-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206312445925
Hausknecht, J.P. and Holwerda, J. A. (2013) When Does Employee Turnover Matter? Dynamicmember Configurations, Productive Capacity, and Collective Performance. Organization Science, 24, 210-225. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0720
Bersin, J. (2014, March 15) Why Companies Fail to Engage Today’s Workforce: The Overwhelmed Employee. Forbes.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2014/03/15/why-companies-fail-to-engage-todays-workforce-the-overwhelmed-employee/#34880e894726
Conlow, R. (2017) Why Is Employee Engagement So Bad, So Often? Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-employee-engagement-so-bad-often-rick-conlow
Clark Timothy, R. (2012) The Employee Engagement Mindset: The Six Drivers for Tapping into the Hidden Potential of Everyone in Your Company. McGraw Hill Companies, New York, 53-67.
Ikurayeke, B.J., Konya, K.T. and Ejo-Orusa, H. (2019) Employee Dissatisfaction and Workplace Theft of Retail Firms in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. International Journal of Advanced Academic Research Social and Management Sciences, 5, 44-57.
Jurkiewicz, C.L. and Brown, R.G. (1998) GenXers vs Boomers vs Matures: Generational Comparisons of Public Employee Motivation. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 18, 18-37. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0734371X9801800403
Kupperschmidt, B.R. (2000) Multi-Generation Employees: Strategies for Effective Management. The Health Care Manager, 19, 65-76.
https://doi.org/10.1097/00126450-200019010-00011
Macky, K., Gardner, D. and Forsyth, S. (2008) Generational Differences at Work: Introduction and Overview. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23, 857-861.
https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904358
Smola, K. and Sutton, C.D. (2002) Generational Differences: Revisiting Generational Work Values for the New Millennium. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23, 363-382. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.147
Westerman, J.W. and Yamamura, J.H. (2007) Generational Preferences for Work Environment fit: Effects on Employee Outcomes. Career Development International, 12, 150-161. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430710733631
Yu, H.C. and Miller, P. (2003) The Generation Gap and Cultural Influence—A Taiwan Empirical Investigation. Cross Cultural Management, 10, 23-41.
https://doi.org/10.1108/13527600310797621
Cennamo, L. and Gardner, D. (2008) Generational Differences in Work Values, Outcomes and Person-Organization Values Fit. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23, 891-906. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904385
White, B. and Anexi, H.R. (2008) The Employee Engagement Equation in India.
https://www.gpstrategies.com/solutions/organizational-performance/leadership-training-programs/
Deal, J., Altman, D. and Rogelberg, S. (2010) Millennials at Work: What We Know and What We Need to Do (If Anything). Journal of Business and Psychology, 25, 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-010-9177-2
Wong, M., Gardiner, E., Lang, W. and Coulon, L. (2008) Generational Differences in Personality and Motivation: Do They Exist and What Are the Implications for the Workplace. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23, 878-890.
https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810904376
Zemke, R., Raines, C. and Filipczak, B. (2000) Generations at work: Managing the Clash of Veterans, Boomers, Xers and Nexters in Your Workplace. AMACOM Books, New York.
Hung, K.H., Gu, F.F. and Yim, C.K. (2007) A Social Institutional Approach to Identifying Generational cohorts in China with a comparison with American consumers. Journal of International Business Studies, 38, 836-853.
https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400288
Mannheim, K. (1972) The Problem of Generations. In: Altbach, P.G. and Laufer, R.S., Eds., The New Pilgrims: Youth Protest in Transition, David McKay, New York, 101-138.
Abramson, P.R. and Inglehart, R. (1995) Value Change in Global Perspective. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.23627
Inglehart, R. and Norris, P. (2003) Rising Ride: Gender Equality and Cultural Change around the World. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511550362
Rogler, L.H. (2002) Historical Generations and Psychology: The Case of the Great Depression and World War II. American Psychologist, 57, 1013-1023.
https://doi.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0003-066X.57.12.1013
McCrae, R.R. (2002) Cross-Cultural Research on the Five-Factor Model of Personality. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 4.
https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1038
Deci, E.L. and Ryan, R.M. (1985) Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Springer, Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
Blattner, J. and Walter, T.J. (2015) Creating and Sustaining a Highly Engaged Company Culture in a Multigenerational Workplace. Strategic HR Review, 14, 124-130. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-06-2015-0043
Bowen, D.E. (2016) The Changing Role of Employees in Service Theory and Practice: An Interdisciplinary View. Human Resource Management Review, 26, 4-13.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2015.09.002
Mowbray, P.K., Wilkinson, A. and Tse, H.H.M. (2014) An Integrative Review of Employee Voice: Identifying a Common Conceptualization and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 17, 382-400.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12045
Tewksbury, R. and Mustaine, E.E. (2001) Lifestyle Factors Associated with the Sexual Assault of Men: A Routine Activity Theory Analysis. Journal of Men’s Studies, 9, 153-182. https://doi.org/10.3149%2Fjms.0902.153
Brantingham, P.L. and Brantingham, P.J. (1993) Nodes, paths and edges: Considerations on the complexity of crime and the physical environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 13, 3-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80212-9
Clarke, R.V. and Cornish, D.B. (1985) Modeling Offenders’ Decisions: A Framework for Research and Policy. Crime and Justice, 6, 147-185.
https://doi.org/10.1086/449106
Niehoff, B.P and Paul, R.J. (2000) Causes of Employee Theft and Strategies That HR Managers Can Use for Prevention. Human Resource Management, 39, 51-64.
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-050X(200021)39:1%3C51::AID-HRM5%3E3.0.CO;2-5
Kulas, J.T. Mcinnerney, J.E., Demuth, R. and Jawunski, V. (2007) Employee Satisfaction and Theft: Testing Climate Perceptions as a Mediator. Journal of Psychologys, 141, 389-402. https://doi.org/10.3200/JRLP.141.4.389-402
Krishna Moorthy, M., Somasundaram, N.R., Arokiasamy, L., Nadarajah, G. and Marimuthu, M. (2011) Study on the Workplace Theft Behaviour of Employees in Supermarkets in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research, 3, 272-277.
Krippel, G.L. (2008) Employee Theft and the Coastal South Carolina Hospitality Industry: Incidence, Detection and Response. Tourism and Hospitality Research Journal, 8, 226-238. https://doi.org/10.1057%2Fthr.2008.22
