An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the first sale of a company's stock to the public through the stock market. Once a company launches its IPO, it changes from a privately held company to a publicly traded company. Visa, AT&T, Kraft Foods, UPS, CIT Group, Conoco, The Blackstone Group, Travelers, Goldman Sachs, and Agere Systems are among the firms considered to have issued the largest IPOs in U.S. history, each selling for more than $3.5 billion. These companies, along with thousands of other companies whose stock trades in equity markets across the globe, reap the benefits of going public. The following table describes some advantages and disadvantages of going public in the United States. Identify whether each description is an advantage or a disadvantage of going public from the perspective of a company and its owners. Description Advantage Disadvantage Once a company goes public, its stock can be traded easily in the equity markets. Once a company goes public, it must disclose operating data and the number of shares that the company's officers and directors own. It is easier for a publicly traded company to facilitate merger negotiations with an established market price as compared to a privately held firm. O o Public companies have to invest a lot of resources to maintain investor relations