Small Business Owners' Strategies to Mitigate Employee Theft

Ineffective strategies and a lack of internal controls to address employee theft can negatively impact small businesses. For most small business owners impacted by employee theft, the loss of resources could be detrimental, and in some cases, force the business closure. Grounded in Cressey's fraud triangle theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies successful small business owners use to deter employee theft behaviors. The participants comprised 8 small business owners in southeast Florida who successfully used strategic internal controls to deter employee theft and enhance employee trust in the workplace.