This document discusses initial public offerings (IPOs) and investment banking. It provides an overview of private placements versus public offerings for companies raising capital. The advantages of going public include access to financial resources, increased liquidity, and widespread publicity, while the disadvantages include ongoing reporting costs and difficulty with insider dealings. Various financial institutions in Turkey are involved in the IPO process, primarily through intermediation and portfolio management activities. Between 2002-2009, the most common IPO methods in Turkey were stand-by underwriting and best-effort underwriting. An example is provided comparing two Turkish companies' IPOs that used different underwriting approaches.