The Incentive Effects Associated with Debt
We don’t find many large firms financed almost entirely with debt-type claims (i.e., nonresidual
claims) because of the effect such a financial structure would have on the owner-manager’s
behavior. Potential creditors will not loan $100,000,000 to a firm in which the
entrepreneur has an investment of $10,000. With that financial structure the owner-manager will
have a strong incentive to engage in activities (investments) which promise very high payoffs if
successful even if they have a very low probability of success. If they turn out well, he captures
most of the gains, if they turn out badly, the creditors bear most of the costs