Fargo, N.D. – Gerrard Macintosh, chair and professor of marketing at NDSU, and Charles D. Stevens, professor of management, co-wrote the journal article, “Individual Differences in Opportunistic Claiming Behavior.” It will be published in the 2013 Journal of Consumer Behaviour.

“Service-oriented companies often financially compensate customers as one means of responding to bad customer service. Generally, research shows that when service failures occur, customers seek fair compensation,” Macintosh said. “However, some customers may demand higher compensation and in some cases seek compensation in excess of the amount of their actual loss. Our research investigates why some customers are more likely to seek higher compensation or to act opportunistically.”

Macintosh and Steven’s results show that two individual difference variables, conflict style and social value orientation, influence the amount claimed and opportunistic behavior. “Service businesses can enhance their abilities to resolve service failures by understanding different customer motives and perspectives,” Mcintosh said.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.