Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2003 in the subject Business economics - Banking, Stock Exchanges, Insurance, Accounting, grade: advanced, Warsaw University (Faculty of Economic Sciences), language: English, abstract: European integration will have a real influence on the shape of the financial market in Poland and in other former socialistic countries which undergone the transformation. To stop the tendency of weakening of Polish stock exchange it is important to recognize mechanisms influencing the decisions of companies about the public sale of shares. Decision of companies about the entry on the stock exchange is driven with the expectation that it will help them in the realization of the particular goals. There are many primary reasons for issuing shares, among other to gain the capital on investments, to acquire prestige, to increase sale etc. In Poland till now the entry on the stock exchange of some companies was a method of the privatization, however this process extinguishes. Going public companies will be owned by private businessmen. Hence, very important is to recognize the original mechanisms of initial public offering (IPO). The analysis of IPO effects, enforced with the use of panel models points, that thanks to funds from going public the company realize investment projects and use resources in compliance with declared destination, i.e. on investments, and not on the debts repayment. Public companies do not change their previous capital structure, the debts after the entry on the stock exchange grow to the level from before IPO. Listing on the stock exchange raises the size of the company, but lowers the rate of its growth and decreases the profitability. Findings from research confirm hypotheses that companies go public from the opportunistic motives and then by the way they realize investment programmes.
