Theses and dissertations

This collection includes both ASU Theses and Dissertations, submitted by graduate students, and the Barrett, Honors College theses submitted by undergraduate students. 

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The exit of private equity after IPOs: evidence from secondary equity offerings

Description
This dissertation provides an analysis of the effects of public secondary equity offerings by private equity sponsors at portfolio firms that have become publicly traded entities via initial public offerings. Such secondary offerings were rare prior to 2000, but in recent years have become an increasingly common form of financial…

This dissertation provides an analysis of the effects of public secondary equity offerings by private equity sponsors at portfolio firms that have become publicly traded entities via initial public offerings. Such secondary offerings were rare prior to 2000, but in recent years have become an increasingly common form of financial activity. A large sample of these offerings is analyzed within the framework of corporate finance theory, taking into account that they allow a private equity sponsor to sell off a large, controlling block of common stock to dispersed investors. This work provides a basis to draw conclusions about the effects of these secondary offerings on shareholder wealth and the implications for the firm's subsequent operating performance (profitability). The results show that that there is a significant decline in portfolio firm value at announcements of secondary offerings by private equity, and that such offerings are not a precursor of future underperformance. Instead, there is greater share liquidity and higher industry-adjusted performance after these secondary offerings. Moreover, the proportion of portfolio firms that subsequently become bankrupt is significantly less than that of benchmark firms. There is no evidence of an effect of the size of the secondary offering on the magnitude of the change in share price, but the reputation of private equity sponsors has a significant effect on the share price reaction. Overall, the evidence from these secondary equity offerings suggests that private equity successfully prepares portfolio firms for exit from private equity control, implying that the market can expect that the stand-alone public firm will operate effectively after the change in ownership structure associated with the exit of private equity.
ContributorsDong, Qi (Author) / Sushka, Marie E. (Thesis advisor) / Slovin, Myron B. (Thesis advisor) / Stein, Luke C.D. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Innovator Sorting and Firm Size

Description
This paper examines the link between firm size and innovation. Given that innovation is highly reliant on human capital, the ability to attract, motivate, and retain high quality inventors is a key determinant of firm innovation. Firm size may affect these abilities, and small firms are known to account for…

This paper examines the link between firm size and innovation. Given that innovation is highly reliant on human capital, the ability to attract, motivate, and retain high quality inventors is a key determinant of firm innovation. Firm size may affect these abilities, and small firms are known to account for a disproportionate share of aggregate innovation. I therefore investigate the role that sorting of inventors across firms plays in explaining this disparity. Talented inventors may find employment at a large firm less attractive due to the relative absence of growth options and a lower ability to link compensation to performance. Using inventor-level patent data, I construct employment histories for inventors at U.S. public firms. I find that the most productive inventors are disproportionately likely to move to small firms, while the least productive inventors disproportionately remain at large firms. These results cannot be explained fully by small firms' superior growth opportunities. In addition, productive innovators' turnover in small firms is sensitive to the level of option compensation. Taken together, this evidence is consistent with inventor sorting explaining part of the firm size innovation gap.
ContributorsChi, Yung-Ling (Author) / Lindsey, Laura A. (Thesis advisor) / Tserlukevich, Yuri (Committee member) / Stein, Luke C.D. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016