The following series of three essays examine the impact of peer networks of investment banks, including those commercial banks that recently entered security underwriting, on investment banking activities. Specifically, I focus on underwriter and financial advisor peer networks in security underwriting and mergers and acquisitions advisory services, and examine how the structure of these peer networks affects the performance of initial public offerings, the shareholders' wealth in mergers and acquisitions, and the market share of underwriters. The results indicate that the peer relations of underwriters and advisors have significant implications along various dimensions.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 2005.

Bakgrund: Flertalet tidigare studier har undersökt fenomenet underprissättning vid börsintroduktioner utifrån en rad olika perspektiv och teorier. Däremot har ingen tidigare studie analyserat investmentbankernas direkta påverkan på utfallet och om det finns en tydlig korrelation mellan en viss typ av investmentbank och graden av underprissättning. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att, med utgångspunkt i att validera tidigare teorier och studier, undersöka alternativa förklaringsgrunder till fenomenet genom att analysera sofistikeringsgraden av de underliggande processerna bland investmentbanker och därmed bidra med en mer holistisk och nyanserad förståelse. Metod: Då studien både ämnar fastställa utbredningen av ett fenomen samt undersöka dess alternativa förklaringsgrunder, kombineras en kvantitativ och kvalitativ metodik. Studien tar avstamp i en statistisk analys, följt av en kvantitativ klassificering samt slutligen en kvalitativ datainsamling i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med strategiskt utvalda respondenter. Slutsats: Studiens resultat lyckas både styrka och motsäga befintlig teori inom området och presenterar därtill en alternativ syn på bakomliggande förklaringsgrunder till underprissättning, vilka utgår från investmentbankens egna perspektiv. / Background: Several previous studies have investigated the phenomenon of underpricing based upon different theories and from various perspectives. However, none of these previous studies have analysed the direct impact of the investment bank on the final result and if there is a clear correlation between certain types of investment banks and the level of underpricing. Purpose: The purpose of this study is, based upon validating previous theories and studies, to investigate alternative explanations of the phenomenon by analysing the level of sophistication in the underlying processes of the investment bank and by doing this, contributing to a more holistic and nuanced understanding. Method: Since this study both intends to determine the scope of, and find alternative explanations of, a phenomenon, a combined quantitative and qualitative research method is applied. The study takes its starting point in a statistical analysis, followed by a quantitative classification and finally a qualitative data collection in terms of semi-structured interviews with a strategic selection of interviewees. Conclusion: The result of the study succeeds in both strengthening and contradicting existing theories within the field and presents in addition an alternative view on the underlying explanations of underpricing, from the perspective of the investment bank.

Estudos recentes, realizados principalmente no mercado norte-americano, trazem in-dícios de fatores determinantes para o resultado de longo prazo das emissões primá-rias de ações (IPOs, do inglês Initial Public Offerings). Porém, trabalhos com esse enfoque no mercado brasileiro ainda são escassos e inconclusivos, pois utilizam pe-quenas bases de dados e analisam horizontes de tempo de até dois anos. Buscando ampliar a análise de IPOs no mercado brasileiro, o objetivo desta dissertação foi es-tudar os determinantes do desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs realizadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo com horizontes de tempo de três e cinco anos após o pri-meiro dia de negociações. A amostra foi composta por 97 emissões primárias de ações ocorridas entre 2004 e 2012 para o horizonte de três anos e 77 ocorridas entre 2004 e 2010 para o horizonte de cinco anos. O cálculo de retorno de longo prazo seguiu a metodologia de Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR), ajustado ao Ibo-vespa, e os possíveis determinantes do BHAR das IPOs foram submetidos a análises multivariadas através de estimações pelo método de Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO). Os resultados levam à conclusão de que o desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs brasileiras está positivamente relacionado com: 1) a Idade das firmas, 2) o nível de Governança Corporativa, 3) o Setor e 4) o Desempenho Operacional pós IPO. Pôde-se concluir, também, que o desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs está negati-vamente relacionado com: 1) o Retorno Anormal do Primeiro Dia de negociações, 2) a Quantidade de IPOs realizadas no Ano e 3) o Percentual de Investidores Institucio-nais na emissão primária. Os testes de robustez realizados apontam para uma relação também positiva entre o Crescimento do PIB do período pré IPO com o resultado de longo prazo das ações. / Recent studies, conducted mainly in the North American market, have presented evi-dence regarding decisive factors for the long-run performance of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). However, the number of similar studies applied in the Brazilian market is yet limited and inconclusive, because they employ reduced databases and short time win-dows up to two years. Seeking to extend the analysis of IPOs in the Brazilian market, the purpose of this study was to explore the determinants of the long-run performance of IPOs held at BM&F Bovespa, with time windows of three and five years after the first trading day. The sample was composed of 97 initial public offerings occurred be-tween 2004 and 2012 for three-year horizon and 77 occurred between 2004 and 2010 for the five-year horizon. The long-run return calculation followed the methodology of Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR), adjusted to the Ibovespa index, and the pos-sible determinants of BHAR related to IPOs were subjected to multivariate analysis using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) approach. The results lead to the conclusion that the long-run performance of Brazilian’s IPOs is positively related with: 1) Age of the Firms, 2) the level of Corporate Governance, 3) Sector and 4) post IPO Operating Performance. In addition, it was noticed that the long-run performance of IPOs is neg-atively related with: 1) the Abnormal Return of the First Trading Day, 2) the IPO amount held in the year and 3) percentage of Institutional Investors the IPO. Robustness tests were performed, and their conclusions highlighted a positive relationship between GDP growth of previous IPO period with the long-run performance.

Estudos recentes, realizados principalmente no mercado norte-americano, trazem in-dícios de fatores determinantes para o resultado de longo prazo das emissões primá-rias de ações (IPOs, do inglês Initial Public Offerings). Porém, trabalhos com esse enfoque no mercado brasileiro ainda são escassos e inconclusivos, pois utilizam pe-quenas bases de dados e analisam horizontes de tempo de até dois anos. Buscando ampliar a análise de IPOs no mercado brasileiro, o objetivo desta dissertação foi es-tudar os determinantes do desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs realizadas na Bolsa de Valores de São Paulo com horizontes de tempo de três e cinco anos após o pri-meiro dia de negociações. A amostra foi composta por 97 emissões primárias de ações ocorridas entre 2004 e 2012 para o horizonte de três anos e 77 ocorridas entre 2004 e 2010 para o horizonte de cinco anos. O cálculo de retorno de longo prazo seguiu a metodologia de Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR), ajustado ao Ibo-vespa, e os possíveis determinantes do BHAR das IPOs foram submetidos a análises multivariadas através de estimações pelo método de Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO). Os resultados levam à conclusão de que o desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs brasileiras está positivamente relacionado com: 1) a Idade das firmas, 2) o nível de Governança Corporativa, 3) o Setor e 4) o Desempenho Operacional pós IPO. Pôde-se concluir, também, que o desempenho de longo prazo das IPOs está negati-vamente relacionado com: 1) o Retorno Anormal do Primeiro Dia de negociações, 2) a Quantidade de IPOs realizadas no Ano e 3) o Percentual de Investidores Institucio-nais na emissão primária. Os testes de robustez realizados apontam para uma relação também positiva entre o Crescimento do PIB do período pré IPO com o resultado de longo prazo das ações. / Recent studies, conducted mainly in the North American market, have presented evi-dence regarding decisive factors for the long-run performance of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). However, the number of similar studies applied in the Brazilian market is yet limited and inconclusive, because they employ reduced databases and short time win-dows up to two years. Seeking to extend the analysis of IPOs in the Brazilian market, the purpose of this study was to explore the determinants of the long-run performance of IPOs held at BM&F Bovespa, with time windows of three and five years after the first trading day. The sample was composed of 97 initial public offerings occurred be-tween 2004 and 2012 for three-year horizon and 77 occurred between 2004 and 2010 for the five-year horizon. The long-run return calculation followed the methodology of Buy-and-Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR), adjusted to the Ibovespa index, and the pos-sible determinants of BHAR related to IPOs were subjected to multivariate analysis using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) approach. The results lead to the conclusion that the long-run performance of Brazilian’s IPOs is positively related with: 1) Age of the Firms, 2) the level of Corporate Governance, 3) Sector and 4) post IPO Operating Performance. In addition, it was noticed that the long-run performance of IPOs is neg-atively related with: 1) the Abnormal Return of the First Trading Day, 2) the IPO amount held in the year and 3) percentage of Institutional Investors the IPO. Robustness tests were performed, and their conclusions highlighted a positive relationship between GDP growth of previous IPO period with the long-run performance.

This paper examines the long-run aftermarket performance of Swedish IPOs between 2000- 2016, including two market downturns (the burst of IT and housing bubble). The main objective is to investigate whether performance is explained in terms of firm maturity, which is the main contribution to existing literature. Hence, the final sample of 96 IPOs is ranked by the level of RE/TA ratio, a categorization defined by the life-cycle theory of dividend payouts proposed by DeAngelo et al. (2006). To assess the long-run performance of the different IPO portfolios, two methodologies are applied: BHAR and the Fama-French Three Factor regression. The main finding is that the Swedish IPOs underperform their benchmark reference portfolios 12, 24 and 36 months after the offering. Young IPOs, with low RE/TA, outperform on a one- year basis while no significant results were found for old IPOs with high RE/TA. On a longer term, young IPOs underperform their benchmarks while old IPOs outperform three years after the initial issue. There is no support that younger IPOs exhibit a higher level of underperformance in comparison to older IPOs in the long-run.

Bakgrund: Palliativ vård har sin grund i ett palliativt förhållningssätt som karakteriseras av en helhetssyn på människan där inriktningen är att lindra istället för att bota. God palliativ vård innebär regelbunden symtomskattning för att förebygga, identifiera och lindra patientens behov. Till hjälp kan patienten använda symtomskattningsinstrumentet Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) som hjälper patienten till att uppmärksamma sin situation, symtom och besvär samt eventuella problem. Syfte: Syftet var att beskriva patienters upplevelser av att använda symtomskattningsinstrumentet Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (IPOS) inom palliativ vård. Metod: Metoden var en allmän litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ ansats baserad på åtta vetenskapliga artiklar som analyserades med Fribergs analysmodell. Resultat: Från analysen framkom fyra kategorier som beskriver patienters upplevelser av att använda IPOS: Möjliggör symtomskattning, Förbättrad kommunikation, Svårigheter med symtomskattning och Känsla av oro.  Slutsats: Patienterna upplevde att IPOS gav positiva erfarenheter. De upplevde att IPOS möjliggjorde egen symtombedömning, insikt i sin egen sjukdom och livssituation. IPOS skapade även en förbättrad kommunikation mellan patient och sjuksköterska.

Thesis advisor: Thomas Chemmanur / My dissertation consists of three chapters. In the first chapter, I analyze the impact of firms' innovation success on their corporate financial policies. I hypothesize that innovation success reduces the information asymmetry facing firms and, through the information channel, affects their capital structure and dividend policies. I measure innovation success using the quantity and quality of patents. I show that firms with higher innovation success face lower information asymmetry, measured using analyst coverage, dispersion, and forecast error. Further, I show that firms with higher innovation success have lower leverage ratios; have a greater propensity to issue equity rather than debt; and have lower dividend payout ratios. I establish causality using instrumental variable analyses with patent examiner leniency as an instrument for patent grants. In the second chapter, co-authored with Thomas Chemmanur, Xuan Tian, and Qianqian Yu, we analyze the impact of trademarks in entrepreneurial firms' success. We hypothesize that trademarks play two economically important roles for entrepreneurial firms: a “protective” role, leading to better product market performance; and an “informational” role, signaling higher firm quality to investors. We develop testable hypotheses based on the above two roles of trademarks, relating the trademarks held by private firms to the characteristics of venture capital (VC) investment in them, their probability of successful exit, their valuations at their initial public offering (IPO) and in the immediate secondary market; institutional investor IPO participation; post-IPO information asymmetry; and post-IPO operating performance. We test these hypotheses using a large and unique dataset of trademarks held by VC-backed private firms. We establish causality using an instrumental variable (IV) analysis using trademark examiner leniency as the instrument. For private firms, we find that the number of trademarks held by the firm is positively related to the total amount invested by VCs and negatively related to the extent of staging by VCs. We show that the number of trademarks held by a firm increases its probability of successful exit (IPOs or acquisitions). Further, for the subsample of VC-backed firms going public, we show that the number of trademarks held by the firm leads to higher IPO and immediate secondary market firm valuations; greater IPO participation by institutional investors; a lower extent of information asymmetry in the equity market post-IPO; and better post-IPO operating performance. In the third chapter, co-authored with Thomas Chemmanur and Jinfei Sheng, we develop testable hypotheses and empirically analyze the effects of outside investors having access to soft information such as online employee ratings from the Glassdoor website on firms' financing and investment policies. We find that higher online employee ratings are associated with larger equity issue announcement effects; a greater propensity to have positive announcement effects and to issue equity rather than debt to raise external financing; higher investment expenditures; greater equity issue participation by institutional investors; and better long-run post-issue operating performance. We establish causality using a difference-in-differences methodology relying on the staggered adoption of anti-SLAPP laws across U.S. states. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Finance.

The Nordic markets have in recent years been flooded by IPOs, which have attracted the attention of investors seeking to capitalise on the IPO market. Previous studies on the IPO market have found strong evidence of underpricing, which is increasing in good market conditons. Using a sample of 448 IPOs, this thesis have examinated how the IPOs in the Nordic region perfrom in the aftermarket during one year, dependent on the market conditon at the time of the issuance. The IPOs in the sample have been divided into subgroups based on the market condtion at the time of the issuance, and a totalt of three different defitnions of how the market conditoion is defined have been used. The abnormal return of the IPOs have furthermore been calculated against two alternative benchmarks to streanghen the validity of the result. The result of the study indicates that the underpricing of IPOs in the Nordic region is lower compared to other larger economies. Evidence have also been presented which show that the market condition at the time of the issuance greatly affects the return of the IPOs.

Combining agency theory and the resource-dependence perspective as well as signalling theory, this thesis examines the role venture capitalists (VCs) and founders play with respect to both structural board characteristics and board capital in terms of experience and prestige and whether these are linked to performance. It claims that VCs and founders shape the governance system of the firms going public and are influential in the professionalisation of the ventures especially in terms of human and social capital of its board of directors. It also argues that the board of directors represents a signal of firm quality in the initial public offering (IPO) market and should thus be linked to performance. Similarly, according to the venture capital certification hypothesis, being funded by VCs signals a firm¿s quality and potential. In order to assess these claims, this thesis employs a unique sample of matched venturecapital- backed and non-venture-capital-backed entrepreneurial IPOs that floated either on the London Stock Exchange¿s Official List or the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Extending previous research this thesis employs more fine-grained measures and introduces new conceptually relevant variables in the analysis. The findings indicate that VCs and founders are influential in shaping corporate governance of IPO-stage ventures both from an agency and resource-provision perspective. Findings from the examination of governance and professionalisation characteristics with respect to IPO short-run performance (underpricing) indicate that it may the involvement of prestigious auditors that signal firm quality while a founder bias discount seems to exist. While evidence is found that VC involvement (and to a lesser extent director/board characteristics) is related to post-IPO market performance, this seems to depend on the time period following the IPO examined, whereas auditor prestige shows a positive association in all of these time periods. / Bradford University School of Management