Purpose - This paper focuses on Taiwanese-funded manufacturing companies operating in mainland China to analyze the factors affecting funding decision-making before and after initial public offering (IPO).
Design/methodology/approach - This research investigates the impact and usefulness of various paths in the data system by using the structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine how the overall economy aspect and the basic aspect before IPO affect the initial returns (IRs) during the IPO and the debt ratio (DR) volatility after listing.
Findings - The results show that the IR, percent change of stock index, and exchange rate volatility before IPO are negative associated with the DR after IPO. The age of IPO companies is positive associated with the DR after IPO. This research also finds that the interest rate volatility before and after IPO have no direct effect upon companies' financial strategies after IPO, but may indirectly affect companies' financial strategies after IPO through the IRs, which conform with the market information feedback hypothesis proposed by van Bommel and Vermaelen.
Research limitations/implications - This paper investigates Taiwanese-funded traditional manufacturing companies in mainland China. The paper obtains the sample from the Taiwan Stock Exchange from 1990 to 2005; electronic companies and samples lacking complete data are eliminated. Finally, the sample consists of 122 companies from traditional manufacturing sectors. The results may be applied to companies not from high-tech sectors and emerging markets only. The incentive of debt financing would be lower for IPO companies with high IRs, percentage changes of stock index, and exchange rate fluctuation before listing. The paper suggests further research can investigate IRs for establishing an optimal capital structure to minimize financing costs and appreciate company value when choosing financing strategies. The new pubic companies will infer the IR and future capital structure through market interest before listing. It suggests future research may be directed at companies from financial and high-tech sectors, and may apply the methodologies to developed economies.
Practical implications - It is suggested that IPO companies may closely examine to determine the performance of stock market, tendencies of exchange rate movement, as well as IRs in order to establish an optimal capital structure to minimize financing costs and appreciate company value. Besides, the new pubic companies will infer the IR and future capital structure through market interests before listing.
Originality/value - This research implicated that IPO companies should fully understand the stock market circumstance and exchange rate volatility tendencies. Then, the new pubic offering companies will be able to infer the IR and future capital structure through market interest to judge relative financing costs of manufacturing companies.
