Field Experiments in Strategy Research

Aaron K. Chatterji (), Michael Findley (), Nathan Jensen, Stephan Meier () and Daniel Nielson ()
Additional contact information
Aaron K. Chatterji: Duke University
Michael Findley: University of Texas at Austin
Stephan Meier: Columbia University
Daniel Nielson: Brigham Young University

No 8705, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Strategy research often aims to empirically establish a causal relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable such as firm performance. For many important strategy research questions, however, traditional empirical techniques are not sufficient to establish causal effects with high confidence. We propose that field experiments have potential to be used more widely in strategy research, leveraging methodological innovations from other disciplines to address persistent puzzles in the literature. We first review the advantages and disadvantages of using field experiments to answer questions in strategy. We define two types of experiments, "strategy field experiments" and "process field experiments," and present an original example of each variety. The first study explores the liability of foreignness and the second study tests theories regarding corporate culture.

Keywords: field experiments; research methods; culture; liability of foreignness; foreign direct investment; strategy research; corporate culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D03 L10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 65 pages
Date: 2014-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cse and nep-exp
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Strategic Management Journal, 2016, 37 (1), 116–132,

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Journal Article: Field experiments in strategy research (2016)
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