In the IPO context Leland and Pyle (1977) establish
a simple model of capital structure and financial
equilibrium in which entrepreneurs seek
financing of projects whose true characteristics are
known only to them. Allen and Faulhaber (1989)
assert that an important issue in signalling models
is whether the signal being examined would be
used if the firm had a wider choice of available
signals. IPOs can signal their quality with several
variables other than price such as underwriter
choice (Booth and Smith, 1986) and auditor
(Titman and Trueman, 1986). Allen and Faulhaber
(1989) argue price is likely to be just one of several
signals used to convey information. Ownership
retention is frequently cited as a prime signal of an
IPO’s quality (Jog and McConomy, 2003).
Gonedes (1978), for example, argues IPO managers
will use their ownership retention as a signal
to complement voluntary disclosures (such as that
related to intellectual capital) made in the prospectus.
By retaining a higher ownership percentage
post-listing, pre-IPO owners signal to investors the
firm’s quality by accepting greater risk rather that
diversifying their interests by retaining less interest
in a single entity.