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Conducting field experiments using eLancing's natural environment

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  • Aguinis, Herman
  • Lawal, Sola O.

Abstract

We propose the use of eLancing as a natural environment to conduct field experiments in entrepreneurship research. eLancing, or Internet freelancing, involves millions of people around the world and consists of websites that link individuals and organizations interested in purchasing services or commissioning people to complete some type of work with individuals and organizations interested in providing such services or performing such work. We provide a description of how to conduct practically feasible field experiments using eLancing's natural environment to investigate important substantive areas such as entrepreneurial team efficacy and how execution differs from opportunity recognition, among other areas. Using eLancing to conduct field experiments allows researchers to overcome pervasive methodological challenges as revealed by a content analysis of the 175 empirical articles published in the Journal of Business Venturing from January 2005 to November 2010. Specifically, eLancing allows researchers to improve generalizability, address the omitted variables problem, improve the operationalization of constructs, improve confidence regarding the nature of causal relationships, and address other challenges such as participant bias and selective survival. Thus, using eLancing as a methodological tool has the potential to lead to important theoretical advancements and subsequent practical applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Aguinis, Herman & Lawal, Sola O., 2012. "Conducting field experiments using eLancing's natural environment," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 493-505.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbvent:v:27:y:2012:i:4:p:493-505
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusvent.2012.01.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    14. Stevenson, Regan M. & Ciuchta, Michael P. & Letwin, Chaim & Dinger, Jenni M. & Vancouver, Jeffrey B., 2019. "Out of control or right on the money? Funder self-efficacy and crowd bias in equity crowdfunding," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 348-367.
    15. Benson, David F. & Brau, James C. & Cicon, James & Ferris, Stephen P., 2015. "Strategically camouflaged corporate governance in IPOs: Entrepreneurial masking and impression management," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 839-864.
    16. Herman Aguinis & Jeffrey R. Edwards, 2014. "Methodological Wishes for the Next Decade and How to Make Wishes Come True," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 143-174, January.
    17. Williams, David W. & Wood, Matthew S. & Mitchell, J. Robert & Urbig, Diemo, 2019. "Applying experimental methods to advance entrepreneurship research: On the need for and publication of experiments," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 215-223.
    18. Vanessa C. Burbano, 2016. "Social Responsibility Messages and Worker Wage Requirements: Field Experimental Evidence from Online Labor Marketplaces," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(4), pages 1010-1028, August.
    19. Crawford, G. Christopher & Aguinis, Herman & Lichtenstein, Benyamin & Davidsson, Per & McKelvey, Bill, 2015. "Power law distributions in entrepreneurship: Implications for theory and research," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 696-713.
    20. Allison, Thomas H. & Davis, Blakley C. & Webb, Justin W. & Short, Jeremy C., 2017. "Persuasion in crowdfunding: An elaboration likelihood model of crowdfunding performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 707-725.
    21. Sylvia Hubner & Matthias Baum & Michael Frese, 2020. "Contagion of Entrepreneurial Passion: Effects on Employee Outcomes," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1112-1140, November.

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