IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/infosf/vyid10.1007_s10796-016-9654-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A little Birdie told me: Social media, organizational legitimacy, and underpricing in initial public offerings

Author

Listed:
  • Leif W. Lundmark

    (University of Nebraska)

  • Chong Oh

    (University of Utah)

  • J. Cameron Verhaal

    (Georgia State University)

Abstract

Drawing on the organizational legitimacy literature, we propose and test a set of hypotheses arguing that social media, an artifact of information technology, serves as a mechanism for conferring legitimacy in the market for initial public offerings (IPOs). The extant literature identifies third-party authorities, such as traditional media outlets and industry analysts, as a valuable source of organizational legitimacy. Social media and micro-blogging, however, remain outside current classifications of the phenomenon. This study theoretically develops and empirically tests a new mechanism in the legitimation process: the direct interaction with potential investors and society-at-large via social media. Our findings indicate broad support that having a Twitter account, and the extent to which a firm utilizes Twitter, is associated with systematically higher levels of IPO underpricing. Moreover, we find support that social media variables external to the firm, including number of followers and retweets, also impact the level of underpricing in an IPO. In conclusion, we highlight the emerging role of social media in processes of legitimation and invite additional research at the intersection of IS and management.

Suggested Citation

  • Leif W. Lundmark & Chong Oh & J. Cameron Verhaal, 0. "A little Birdie told me: Social media, organizational legitimacy, and underpricing in initial public offerings," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-16.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v::y::i::d:10.1007_s10796-016-9654-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10796-016-9654-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10796-016-9654-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10796-016-9654-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alexander Ljungqvist & Vikram Nanda & Rajdeep Singh, 2006. "Hot Markets, Investor Sentiment, and IPO Pricing," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(4), pages 1667-1702, July.
    2. Kent D. Miller & Frances Fabian & Shu‐Jou Lin, 2009. "Strategies for online communities," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 305-322, March.
    3. Roger K. Loh & Mujtaba Mian, 2003. "The Quality of Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts During the Asian Crisis: Evidence from Singapore," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5‐6), pages 749-770, June.
    4. Monica C. Higgins & Ranjay Gulati, 2003. "Getting Off to a Good Start: The Effects of Upper Echelon Affiliations on Underwriter Prestige," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(3), pages 244-263, June.
    5. Arthurs, Jonathan D. & Busenitz, Lowell W. & Hoskisson, Robert E. & Johnson, Richard A., 2009. "Signaling and initial public offerings: The use and impact of the lockup period," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 360-372, July.
    6. Tim Loughran & Jay R. Ritter, 2002. "Why Don't Issuers Get Upset About Leaving Money on the Table in IPOs?," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 413-444, March.
    7. Aggarwal, Rajesh K. & Krigman, Laurie & Womack, Kent L., 2002. "Strategic IPO underpricing, information momentum, and lockup expiration selling," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(1), pages 105-137, October.
    8. Eero Vaara & Jeanne Tienari, 2008. "A Discursive Perspective on Legitimation Strategies in Multinational Corporations," Post-Print hal-02276724, HAL.
    9. M. Tina Dacin & Christine Oliver & Jean‐Paul Roy, 2007. "The legitimacy of strategic alliances: an institutional perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 169-187, February.
    10. Roger K. Loh & Mujtaba Mian, 2003. "The Quality of Analysts' Earnings Forecasts During the Asian Crisis: Evidence from Singapore," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5-6), pages 749-770.
    11. Michael T. Cliff & David J. Denis, 2004. "Do Initial Public Offering Firms Purchase Analyst Coverage with Underpricing?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(6), pages 2871-2901, December.
    12. Anna Lamin & Srilata Zaheer, 2012. "Wall Street vs. Main Street: Firm Strategies for Defending Legitimacy and Their Impact on Different Stakeholders," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(1), pages 47-66, February.
    13. Blake E. Ashforth & Barrie W. Gibbs, 1990. "The Double-Edge of Organizational Legitimation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(2), pages 177-194, May.
    14. Timm O. Sprenger & Andranik Tumasjan & Philipp G. Sandner & Isabell M. Welpe, 2014. "Tweets and Trades: the Information Content of Stock Microblogs," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 20(5), pages 926-957, November.
    15. Welch, Ivo, 1989. " Seasoned Offerings, Imitation Costs, and the Underpricing of Initial Public Offerings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 44(2), pages 421-449, June.
    16. Amalia R. Miller & Catherine Tucker, 2013. "Active Social Media Management: The Case of Health Care," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 52-70, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Paul M. Gangi & Allen C. Johnston & James L. Worrell & Samuel C. Thompson, 2018. "What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 20(5), pages 1097-1116, October.
    2. Domingo, Ribeiro-Soriano & Piñeiro-Chousa, Juan & Ángeles López-Cabarcos, M., 2020. "What factors drive returns on initial coin offerings?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    3. Kawaljeet Kaur Kapoor & Kuttimani Tamilmani & Nripendra P. Rana & Pushp Patil & Yogesh K. Dwivedi & Sridhar Nerur, 2018. "Advances in Social Media Research: Past, Present and Future," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 531-558, June.
    4. Paul M. Gangi & Allen C. Johnston & James L. Worrell & Samuel C. Thompson, 0. "What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel Delphi study of organizational social media risk," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-20.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Leif W. Lundmark & Chong Oh & J. Cameron Verhaal, 2017. "A little Birdie told me: Social media, organizational legitimacy, and underpricing in initial public offerings," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 1407-1422, December.
    2. Tiziana La Rocca, 2021. "Do prestigious underwriters shape IPO pricing? A meta-analytic review," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 573-609, April.
    3. Klova, Valeriia, 2017. "IPO underpricing: What about the shipping sector?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 42, pages 95-115.
    4. Patrick M. Corrigan, 2022. "Does an initial public offering (IPO) issuer's Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee calculation method predict pricing revisions and IPO underpricing?," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), pages 1114-1147, December.
    5. Dominik Rueede & Karin Kreutzer, 2015. "Legitimation Work Within a Cross-Sector Social Partnership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(1), pages 39-58, April.
    6. Markus Reihlen & Jan‐Florian Schlapfner & Monika Seeger & Hannah Trittin‐Ulbrich, 2022. "Strategic Venturing as Legitimacy Creation: The Case of Sustainability," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 417-459, March.
    7. Riccardo Ferretti & Antonio Meles, 2010. "Underpricing, wealth loss for pre-existing shareholders and the cost of going public: the role of private equity backing in Italian IPOs," Venture Capital, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 23-47, September.
    8. Jay R. Ritter & Ivo Welch, 2002. "A Review of IPO Activity, Pricing, and Allocations," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(4), pages 1795-1828, August.
    9. Paul B. McGuinness, 2016. "Post-IPO performance and its association with subscription cascades and issuers’ strategic-political importance," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 291-333, February.
    10. Cook, Douglas O. & Kieschnick, Robert & Van Ness, Robert A., 2006. "On the marketing of IPOs," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(1), pages 35-61, October.
    11. Fisher, Greg & Kuratko, Donald F. & Bloodgood, James M. & Hornsby, Jeffrey S., 2017. "Legitimate to whom? The challenge of audience diversity and new venture legitimacy," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 52-71.
    12. Vakrman, Tomas & Kristoufek, Ladislav, 2015. "Underpricing, underperformance and overreaction in initial pubic offerings: Evidence from investor attention using online searches," FinMaP-Working Papers 35, Collaborative EU Project FinMaP - Financial Distortions and Macroeconomic Performance: Expectations, Constraints and Interaction of Agents.
    13. Jaggia, Sanjiv & Thosar, Satish, 2004. "The medium-term aftermarket in high-tech IPOs: Patterns and implications," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 931-950, May.
    14. Butler, Alexander W. & Keefe, Michael O'Connor & Kieschnick, Robert, 2014. "Robust determinants of IPO underpricing and their implications for IPO research," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 367-383.
    15. Silvia Rossetto, 2013. "IPO activity and information in secondary market prices," Annals of Finance, Springer, vol. 9(4), pages 667-687, November.
    16. Benson, David F. & Brau, James C. & Cicon, James & Ferris, Stephen P., 2015. "Strategically camouflaged corporate governance in IPOs: Entrepreneurial masking and impression management," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(6), pages 839-864.
    17. Banerjee, Suman & Dai, Lili & Shrestha, Keshab, 2011. "Cross-country IPOs: What explains differences in underpricing?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(5), pages 1289-1305.
    18. Reber, Beat, 2017. "Does mispricing, liquidity or third-party certification contribute to IPO downside risk?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 25-53.
    19. Feng, Xunan & Johansson, Anders C., 2016. "Judging a Book by Its Cover: Analysts and Attention-Driven Price Patterns in China’s IPO Market," Stockholm School of Economics Asia Working Paper Series 2016-39, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm China Economic Research Institute.
    20. Jones, Steven L. & Yeoman, John C., 2014. "Initial uncertainty and the risk of setting a fixed-offer price: Implications for the pricing of bookbuilt and best-efforts IPOs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 194-215.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v::y::i::d:10.1007_s10796-016-9654-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.