The Effect of Purpose on Worker Sorting

Last registered on April 06, 2017

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
The Effect of Purpose on Worker Sorting
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0002150
Initial registration date
April 05, 2017

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 06, 2017, 12:38 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Harvard University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2017-04-03
End date
2017-05-31
Secondary IDs
Abstract
We explore how commitment to a corporate purpose affects job applications to the firm.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Kim, Hyunjin. 2017. "The Effect of Purpose on Worker Sorting." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.2150-1.0
Former Citation
Kim, Hyunjin. 2017. "The Effect of Purpose on Worker Sorting." AEA RCT Registry. April 06. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/2150/history/15927
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The interventions will vary messages about what the purpose of the company is to potential and hired workers.
Intervention Start Date
2017-04-03
Intervention End Date
2017-04-06

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The number of applications and the wage specified in application
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The experimental design randomizes individuals into 12 cells that vary statements on the purpose of the company.
Experimental Design Details
The experiment has a 2x3x2 experimental design.

On a labor market platform, I will vary whether or not a statement of purpose for a company is expressed. In the control, the company will not have any statement of purpose and simply describe the job. The “purpose" condition, the company will provide a statement of purpose on providing environmentally sustainable goods.

Within each of these companies, I will vary two types of treatment arms. The first arm varies the combination of cheap talk and costly signal of the belief in purpose that is given to workers. Workers will be randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) no costly signal (representing cheap talk; no statement in the case of the control company); (2) a lump sum donation to a related charity; (3) an incremental donation to a related charity based on the worker’s effort.

The second treatment arm type will vary the type of wage structure that is offered, either offering an hourly wage or an incentive scheme with bonus pay. These arms will allow me to benchmark any effects of cheap talk or costly signal that I find to a standard practice of incentive pay. Furthermore, the interactions between the wage structure and the type of purpose will enable to me explore any complementarities in management practices and company beliefs of purpose.

The experiment will create 12 job postings with these variations in messages and examine who applies to the company, and will collect outcomes prior to the job task, recording the number of job applications and the wage specified in the application.
Randomization Method
Randomization is done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Individual
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
7,200 workers
Sample size: planned number of observations
7,200 workers for the sorting experiment
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
600 workers by treatment arm
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard IRB
IRB Approval Date
2017-01-27
IRB Approval Number
IRB17-0094

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials