Abuse and Violence against Businesses: A Study of the Triggers and Processes of Incidents

Abstract

It is recognised that certain business types attract and generate high rates of abuse and violence against their employees. Whilst previous research identifies that business types such as public houses and off licences experience a high prevalence rate of abuse and violence, little research has considered how incidents of abuse and violence are generated within business premises. This paper presents the initial findings of a piece of ongoing research that begins to explore how incidents are triggered within the business environment and how the processes of incidents generate specific results.² First, the paper develops a hypothetical framework for understanding the triggers and processes of violence against businesses. Second, a number of case studies are used to highlight how the framework may help to explore incidents of abuse and violence, and finally, it is considered what future research needs to be conducted to further develop this framework. Overall, the paper shows that though far from perfect, the framework has considerable potential in helping us to gain a more thorough understanding of the triggers and process of abuse and violence against businesses.