Making the Grade (But Not Disclosing It): How Withholding Grades Affects Student Behavior and Employment

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Floyd, Eric; Tomar, Sorabh; Lee, Daniel J.
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California San Diego; Southern Methodist University; University of Delaware
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2023.4816
• 发表日期: 2023
• 关键词: accounting; ECONOMICS; microeconomic behavior; education systems; LABOR; organizational studies; INFORMATION

摘要

We study the effects of grade nondisclosure (GND) policies implemented within master of business administration (MBA) programs at highly ranked business schools. GND precludes students from disclosing their grades and grade point averages (GPAs) to employers. In the labor market, we find that GND weakens the positive relation between GPA and employer desirability. During the MBA program, we find that GND reduces students' academic effort for a given course by approximately 4.9% relative to comparable students not subject to the policy. Consistent with our model, in which abilities are potentially correlated and students can substitute effort toward other activities in order to signal GPAfocused abilities, students participate in more extracurricular activities and enroll in more difficult courses under GND. Finally, we show that students' tenure with their first employers after graduation decreases under GND.