The optimal conditions for taking a company public, as well as the circumstances for reversing this decision, are analyzed.First, a model of the entrepreneur's decision to go public is used to define the value function of the firm and to derive its properties.In the model, the timing of the...

We study the dynamics of initial public offerings (IPOs) by examining the tradeoff between an entrepreneur's private benefits, which are lost whenever the firm is publicly traded, and the gains from diversification. We characterize the timing dimension of the decision to go public and its impact...

We study the dynamics of initial public offerings (IPOs) by examining the tradeoff between an entrepreneur's private benefits, which are lost whenever the firm is publicly traded, and the gains from diversification. We characterize the timing dimension of the decision to go public and its impact...