Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) being relatively new, young and with little operating history tends to suffer from the problem of information asymmetry and ex ante uncertainty. This problem can be reduced through the use of various signals in the initial public offering (IPO) process. Hence, this study attempts to shed some light on the signalling role of prestigious auditors and underwriters and their interacted effects on IPO returns in an emerging market like India. Cross-sectional data comprising of final 286 SME IPOs issued during February 2012–March 2018 listed on the BSE SME platform and NSE EMERGE have been taken into consideration. Multiple regression analysis has been used to empirically test the signalling role. The results reveal that underwriter reputation helps in reducing information asymmetry and signals firm quality to investors. Underwriter reputation documents a positive relationship while auditor reputation lacks statistical significance. The negative relation of interaction effect of auditors and underwriters reveal that underwriter reputation plays a significant role in positively influencing investors’ perception and assisting them in taking investment decisions.

Purpose The study aims to pervade the gap in the domain of risk disclosure and gender diversity, which is comparatively uncharted. Gender diversity being a crucial element of corporate governance can deepen understanding on the issue in the backdrop of a developing country such as India, so this study aims to investigate the relationship between gender diversity on board and corporate risk disclosure. Design/methodology/approach Four measures of gender diversity, i.e. BLAU index, SHANNON index, proportion of women directors on board and female dummies, have been deployed to measure gender diversity. The empirical analysis is premised on a sample of S&P BSE 100 index pertaining to the 2018–2019 financial year; which eventually gets reduced to 70 non-financial firms after eliminating 30 financial firms. To examine the impact of gender diversity on corporate risk disclosure, hierarchical regression has been used. Additionally, two-stage least square regression analysis has been performed for checking the endogeneity issues in data and validating the findings of the study. Findings The main findings unveil that gender diversity positively impacts corporate risk disclosure. Confirming the agency theory and resource dependency theory, its alternative measures like BLAU index, SHANNON index, proportion of women directors and female dummy divulged to positively impact corporate risk disclosure. When women dummy has been used, analysis unmasked that firms electing more than one female director on board has a higher positive impact on corporate risk disclosure as compared to firms engaging only one women director on board. Research limitations/implications The study is undertaken in the Indian settings, which has its own set of legislative laws, whereas there is need to reaffirm the relationship applying cross-country analysis. Furthermore, there is huge hollowness in the domain of gender diversity and risk disclosure that calls for empirical evidence to unearth futuristic vision. Practical implications The research presents managerial implications for the managers to promote gender egalitarianism by electing higher quantum of women directors on board to achieve global standards of maintaining higher risk disclosure. Adequate risk disclosure on a gender-diverse board further assures the investors that their interest will remain intact in the organization that meets legal requirements by embracing gender equality in employment. A woman in the boardrooms incarnates transparency through divulgence of risk information, which suffices the informational needs of investors. In addition, the findings insists the regulators towards staunch enforcement of effective corporate governance practice through increasing the proportion of women directors on board as they assist in dispelling risk disclosure, which will avert sceptical ambitions of managers and deconstruct their stereotype attitude towards women. Originality/value This study is a novel contribution in expanding the risk disclosure literature by analyzing the unexplored impact of gender diversity on the extent of corporate risk disclosures in India.

PurposeThe study aims to measure the subscription level and examine the determinants of oversubscription of small and medium enterprise (SME) initial public offerings (IPOs) in India.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs cross sectional data to analyze 403 SME IPOs issued from Feb 2012 to May 2018 and listed on Bombay Stock Exchange's small and medium enterprise (BSE SME) platform and National Stock Exchange (NSE) EMERGE to investigate the determinants of oversubscription of SME IPOs. Hence, the study makes use of ordinary least square regression and quantile regression to test the hypotheses formulated for the determinants of oversubscription.FindingsThe main findings unveil that while issue price, pricing mechanism, listing delay negatively influence oversubscription; firm size, underwriter reputation, hot market and underpricing have been divulged to positively influence oversubscription. However, issue size emerged out to be significant in quantile regression at 25th, 50th and 75th quantiles.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study is confined to limited number of variables in understanding the factors impacting oversubscription. Future studies could include macroeconomic variables like gross domestic product (GDP), inflation rate, industry specific variable, i.e. technology/nontechnology industry, financial/nonfinancial industry for better understanding. Cross country analysis is suggested in future studies to validate the findings of current study. Future studies are advised to conduct the study examining the factors affecting oversubscription in light of COVID-19 pandemic.Practical implicationsThe findings of the present study offer implications to academicians, investors, investment advisors and regulators. It provides useful insights to researchers by listing the factors that contribute to variation in subscription levels in emerging economy like India thereby, paving the way for future researches in SME IPOs in countries with different institutional settings. For investors, the study provides additional and novel information useful for IPO valuation and informed investment decisions. In addition, the findings put investment advisors in better place to guide potential investors regarding investment in good quality SME stocks (i.e. highly subscribed stocks) in more informative manner. Last but not the least, as this study would assist the regulators in handling future IPOs in a way that augments the chances of success of SME IPOs.Originality/valueThis study is a novel contribution in widening the IPO literature by examining the relationship between pre-IPO firm actions like issue price, pricing mechanism, issue size, firm size, listing delay, underwriter reputation, hot market, underpricing and oversubscription in unexplored settings of Indian SME IPOs.

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to examine the impact of corporate governance mechanisms, i.e. board structure and ownership structure on the underpricing of small and medium enterprises (SME) IPOs in India. Design/methodology/approach Most of the extant empirical research studies have either pivoted on mainstream IPOs or SMEs IPOs in developed economies, but the present study examines 200 SME IPOs issued during Feb 2012 to April 2017. Multiple regressions have been used to examine the impact of the corporate governance mechanisms on raw return (RR). Furthermore, robustness of the results has been verified through the employment of market-adjusted excess return (MAER) as an additional proxy of underpricing. Findings The results highlight that board size, inverse of board committees, board independence, board age, board directorships positively, and top ten shareholding negatively influence RR. Further, direction of promoter ownership variable indicates curvilinear relationship with underpricing. Other explanatory variables used in model lack statistical validity. Similar results have been obtained when variables were regressed against MAER with related board members being additionally significant in model. Practical implications The findings suggest that Indian investors do take cues from board structure and ownership patterns for making investment decisions in small- and medium-sized firms. Further, the results are also helpful to top management in structuring their boards. Originality/value The present research enriches SME IPOs underpricing literature because the impact of corporate governance mechanisms on unadjusted returns is relatively under explored particularly within the context of small- and medium-sized firms.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the pattern of long-run performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) initial public offerings (IPOs) and examine the firm- and issue-related determinants of long-run performance of SME IPOs in India. Design/methodology/approach The 3 6, 9 and 12 months share returns of Indian SME IPOs is studied using event time methodologies, i.e. buy and hold returns, cumulative abnormal returns and wealth relatives on a sample of 375 SME IPOs issued during February 2012 to May 2018. Additionally, ordinary least square regression has been used to investigate the determinants of long-run performance of SME IPOs on a reduced sample of 104 because of non-availability of price observations. Findings The findings reveal that Indian SME IPOs exhibit long-run overperformance contradicting the international evidences of underperformance, and this overperformance is significantly evident using buy and hold abnormal return (BHAR). Furthermore, based on the divergence of opinion hypothesis, fads theory and windows of opportunity hypothesis, the results reveal that on one hand, issue size and oversubscription negatively affect BHAR, while on the other hand, auditor reputation, underwriter reputation, hot market, underpricing, inverse of issue price, profits prior to listing positively affect long-run performance. However, firm age, firm size, debt equity ratio, volatility and long-run performance computed through BHAR lacks significant relationship. Research limitations/implications The study relied on event time methodology of measuring aftermarket performance of one year because of the limited availability of price offerings. Hence, the study could be extended to analyze aftermarket returns over a period of three to five years to enable reaching the vivid conclusions. Calendar time methodology may also be used to compute abnormal returns. Practical implications The results based on the study provides an implication to the investors by providing them an opportunity to bank higher long-run returns by engaging in active and timely trading strategies. Nevertheless, the results also show that investors should be cautioned while taking investment decisions. Originality/value The study contributes to rising body of international literature by analyzing the larger and recent sample of IPOs issued from 2012 to 2018 listed on SME exchange.

PurposeThe study aims to explore the unexplored domain by examining the impact of risk disclosure on corporate reputation in an emerging economy, like India, characterized by huge information asymmetry and uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachIn total two measures of corporate reputation, i.e. market capitalization and excess of market value over book value have been deployed to measure reputation. Automated content analysis has been executed to measure the extent of total risk disclosure. The empirical analysis is premised on a sample of S&P BSE-100 index spanning over the period of ten years from 2009–2010 to 2018–2019; which eventually gets reduced to 58 nonfinancial firms. In order to unearth the risk–reputation relationship, a panel regression technique has been employed.FindingsThe main findings unmask that corporate risk disclosure has a positive bearing on corporate reputation. Substantiating legitimacy theory, its alternative measures like market capitalization and excess of market value over book value divulged to positively influence corporate reputation.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has certain limitations: since there is no standard method of measuring reputation, the results may vary subject to the changes in proxies of corporate reputation. The study also analyzed S&P BSE 100 index in India, and future research needs to approach a larger sample and in other emerging economies to fill up enough empirical evidence in this domain.Practical implicationsThe findings provide insight into the managers on making higher divulgence of material risk information for augmenting corporate reputation. In other words, it indirectly propels the firm to exhibit higher risk information for building reputational capital. From the investor's standpoint, they should admire such firms which dispel more risk information and should have positive outlook toward them, which in turn prompts them to disclose more risks.Originality/valueThis study is unique as it is the first longitudinal study examining the impact of risk disclosure on corporate reputation in Indian settings. It, thus, assists in furthering the risk disclosure literature where there is hardly any study that comprehensively looks into risk–reputation liaison among Indian nonfinancial companies.

The purpose of this article is to examine the influence of female directors on the underpricing of small and medium enterprise (SME) initial public offerings (IPOs) in an emerging country like India which is relatively a fruitful setting to investigate. The research in relatively underexplored area is undertaken using a sample of 403 SME IPOs issued between 2012 and 2018. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression (mean regression) and quantile regression (QR, median regression) has been used to examine the signaling role of female directors on listing day performance of Indian SME IPOs. The results unveil that presence of female directors on IPO board reduces the underpricing. However, the negative relationship lacks statistical association between the variables. Similar results have been obtained when proportion of female directors instead of female dummies is used to gauge the impact on underpricing. The study highlights the need to increase the proportion of women directors on board to break the ‘glass ceiling’ and capitalize their talent for improving IPO performance. The extant research investigating the impact of female directors has largely been concentrated on larger companies in developed countries. Thus, the present research contributes to the literature by examining its influence in context of IPOs of smaller firms which needs effective signals to communicate true quality to investors thereby gaining societal legitimacy.

The present article aims to examine the impact of underwriter reputation on underpricing and long-run returns of small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) initial public offerings (IPOs) over a 12-month period in an emerging country like India on a sample of 403 IPOs issued from 2012 to 2018 and subsequently listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) small and medium enterprise (SME) platform and National Stock Exchange (NSE) EMERGE. However, the migration of 27 SME IPO companies to main platform has resulted in reduced sample size of 376 IPOs for measuring long-run performance. The current study has utilized ordinary least square regression technique to investigate the concerned relationship. The robustness of the findings has been further ensured by checking for endogeneity bias using two-stage least square regression (2SLS). The results unveil that while underwriter reputation positively influences underpricing of SME IPOs, it has no significant impact on their long-run performance. This analysis may provide some meaningful information for policymakers responsible for reforms of Indian equity market. For SME issuers, the findings may provide some insights on the importance of hiring reputed underwriters in IPO process. The results may further assist the investors in improving their equity valuation and taking informed investment decisions.