Behavioral Finance and IPOs: The African Case

The problem of the initial public offering (IPO) has generated a lot of interest in the scientific community. To describe the phenomenon, the scientific literature has long explored economic, financial and accounting factors. This book explores new avenues to better understand the IPO decision. The author bases his arguments on the principle that the IPO is a very complex strategic decision that is not taken suddenly, nor ex-nihilo. It must be carefully thought out, which involves a cognitive process that must be understood in order to effectively address the problem of the development of the West African financial market, which has only 47 companies, after more than three decades of existence. It draws on Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behavior to show how the manager can be influenced by subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, attitude toward the IPO, and vision in his or her IPO decision making.