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The purpose of this paper is to provide evidence for the ongoing significant underpricing of European property IPOs.

The paper provides recent evidence on underpricing for a comprehensive data set of 105 IPOs of European property companies. It starts with an overview of evidence and explanations for the underpricing of property IPOs and evidence for the cyclical nature of IPO activity. It then goes on to describe the methodology and data collection process. The results on initial returns are summarised.

The paper finds that the current IPO market for property shares has been shown to be hot according to common definitions. Additionally, it is safe to say that the hot property securities market has caused to some extent a hot IPO market with property indices averaging 10.69 per cent during the 100 days prior to the IPO compared to 4.65 per cent for the general equity market indices. However, the recovery in Western European property markets and lack of quality property stock in Eastern European countries has created a large financing need for property companies which can be met by going public. Thus, supply side aspects are more likely than market‐timing characteristics to be the major driver behind the current hot IPO market.

The paper provides evidence for an ongoing significant underpricing of European property IPOs and offers an explanation for why it is appropriate to classify the property stock market as a hot market.

Outsourcing has become part of organizational strategy for achieving efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to examine outsourcing and public universities’ performance in Nigeria, the mediating effect of trust.

The study used 353 respondents as sample size drawn from 12 public universities across the six geo-political zones of the country. The study used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using ADANCO 2.0.1.

The study found significant relationships between outsourcing and quality of teaching and research (core activities) and outsourcing and the quality of other activities (non-core). Also, the study found a significant relationship between outsourcing and low-cost. While the study supports the position of transaction cost economics and relational theories, in contrast, it has not supported the core competence theory. Generally, the study found that outsourcing significantly affects public universities’ performance in Nigeria, and trust partially mediates the relationship.

The study, such as any other research, has limitations. The study is only limited to public universities and the research has not included students in its survey.

Managers of public universities are always looking for ways to reduce costs and enhance the quality of their activities. This study has demonstrated the relevance of outsourcing activities in Nigerian Public Universities. Therefore, managers should focus on outsourcing in areas that have not been outsourced but have the potentials of efficiency and effectiveness if outsourced. Furthermore, the study broadens the understanding of promoting an environment of trust in outsourcing; therefore, managers should encourage trust with their vendors to achieve the desired outcomes of outsourcing.

This study examines the mediating effect of trust on the relationship between outsourcing and public universities’ performance in Nigeria empirically, drawing on the core and non-core activities of the universities. The study has contributed to the discourse on outsourcing and public universities’ performance in Nigeria. The study also unveiled the contribution of outsourcing activities in public universities in Nigeria, and how trust as a uni-dimensional construct mediates in achieving outsourcing that contributes to the public university system. Finally, the study also contributed to the understanding that universities can outsource some of their core competences and achieve performance.