What is a major drawback of using a randomized control trial (RCT) in corporate training evaluation?

• A. Pros: strong causality, reduced bias. Cons: ethical issues, logistical challenges, cost. Alternatives include quasi-experimental designs.
• B. RCTs are inexpensive and quick
• C. RCTs have no ethical concerns
• D. Ethics only is a concern

Answer: (A)

In corporate training evaluation, the major drawback of randomized control trials is that, despite their strong ability to establish causality, they often run into real-world barriers: ethical concerns about withholding training from some employees, logistical hurdles in implementing randomization in a live workplace, and high costs tied to design, administration, and data collection. These factors can make RCTs impractical or too resource-intensive for many organizations, prompting consideration of alternatives like quasi-experimental designs that are more feasible while still providing useful evidence.

The other options don’t fit because RCTs are not inexpensive and quick, they do raise ethical concerns, and ethics isn’t the only issue—logistical feasibility and cost matter too.