Sam works as a clerk for a large accounting firm. He comes into the office early one Sunday morning to settle his mind on an issue he and a colleague had been talking about. As he gets to the elevator an unfamiliar man steps out with his arms full of computer equipment. Before Sam can say anything the man clears his throat, "Don't worry, we're just replacing some of the computers."
Sam heads up to the office and spends a few hours on a client file. Just before leaving he notices that there are indeed, a few new looking pieces of equipment around and not all of them seem to be hooked up. He shrugs and heads downstairs. On his way out, Sam passes the dumpster outside and sees a computer just inside the door way, abandoned. Sam picks up the machine and takes it home with him.
Around lunchtime on Monday, Sam is summed into the HR office and summarily dismissed. He's accused of theft, despite the HR manage acknowledging that the computer he took was due to be disposed of. She warns that he has 24 hours to return the machine or he will face criminal charges of theft. Sam rushes home, only to find that his wife has disposed of the computer, and it was taken away by the local refuse service. After notifying his former employer of the situation, he finds them unsympathetic. A week later he is charged with theft.
Did Sam do something wrong? Under the Crimes Act he may have and his former employer seems to think he's a thief, or at least that he's up to no good. Regardless of where our sympathies lie, let's assume for now that Sam has deliberately taken something he knows doesn't belong to him. He's our first thief.
Kerry owns a failing furniture store in a large town. Despite the high quality of the stock and his efforts to diversify as much as his franchise agreement will allow, Kerry's client base keeps diminishing due to what he thinks is a growing interest in more exotic styles. As the staff begin to leave, Kerry gets an idea to try out some ideas on the new staff. He asks them to come in half-an-hour early to open up the store and leave half-an-hour after work, to help shut up shop. This is time he won't be paying for but he encourages the new staff with exhortations about 'teamwork' and assures them that this is more than a job, it's a family.
As Kerry gradually replaces all the staff he introduces more policies to save money. If a staff member is late to work, he docks them an hour's pay. If a small accessory goes missing, he docks the pay of the worker responsible for the area, even if he has't exhausted the possibility that the item may have been misplaced or someone may have miscounted. An honest mistake?
In this way, Kerry adds nearly $120,000 to the value of the business in the year before he decides to sell it but...not everyone is so complacent and one of his "more difficult" staff members catches on and resigns in a huff. Sandeep knows this routine and he calculates the pay stolen from him, adds up to just under $2,000 and he is furious. He contacts the police who tell him there's nothing they can do. They say it's a 'civil matter' and Sandeep will have to sue the store for his missing wages.
Meanwhile, Kerry sells the store and it's assets and closes his company.
While obviously frustrated, Sandeep wonders. If Kerry could take $2,000 from him in only 6 months. How much did he steal from 15 staff, in a year?
Kerry buys a boat.
Kommentare