{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/99002"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/99002","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Analysis of the relationship between size and returns in private equity","abstract":"We study in this paper the relationship between the size of funds and the related performance in the Private Equity industry. We show that for top quartile funds, an increase in size is associated with a decrease in performance. Furthermore, we show that this increase in fund size is also associated with an increase in performance of the lowest performing funds, leading to a less volatile spectrum of returns for larger fund sizes. Following this first analysis, we use System Dynamics techniques to visually represent the industry and hypothesize that these decrease in returns are led by manager's lack of focus, the increased competition for these deals and an increase in risk-taking. The main driver we identify as responsible for this increase in fund size over the past decade is due to the increase in management fees in absolute value. Finally, we discuss potential strategies enabling fund managers to balance this desire to increase management fees whilst protecting the high returns sought by Limited Partners investing in their funds.","abstract_html":"We study in this paper the relationship between the size of funds and the related performance in the Private Equity industry. We show that for top quartile funds, an increase in size is associated with a decrease in performance. Furthermore, we show that this increase in fund size is also associated with an increase in performance of the lowest performing funds, leading to a less volatile spectrum of returns for larger fund sizes. Following this first analysis, we use System Dynamics techniques to visually represent the industry and hypothesize that these decrease in returns are led by manager's lack of focus, the increased competition for these deals and an increase in risk-taking. The main driver we identify as responsible for this increase in fund size over the past decade is due to the increase in management fees in absolute value. Finally, we discuss potential strategies enabling fund managers to balance this desire to increase management fees whilst protecting the high returns sought by Limited Partners investing in their funds.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Limal, Emmanuel (Emmanuel Arnaud Michel)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Sloan School of Management.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Mark Kritzman."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015","date_published":"2015","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:14Z","subjects":["Sloan School of Management."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/99002","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Mark Kritzman."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Sloan School of Management."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.other","label":"Dc Contributor Other","values":["Sloan School of Management."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Limal, Emmanuel (Emmanuel Arnaud Michel)"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2015-09-29T18:57:43Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-09-29T18:57:43Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2015"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sloan School of Management."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/99002"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.M. in Management Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2015.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-41)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["We study in this paper the relationship between the size of funds and the related performance in the Private Equity industry. We show that for top quartile funds, an increase in size is associated with a decrease in performance. Furthermore, we show that this increase in fund size is also associated with an increase in performance of the lowest performing funds, leading to a less volatile spectrum of returns for larger fund sizes. Following this first analysis, we use System Dynamics techniques to visually represent the industry and hypothesize that these decrease in returns are led by manager's lack of focus, the increased competition for these deals and an increase in risk-taking. The main driver we identify as responsible for this increase in fund size over the past decade is due to the increase in management fees in absolute value. Finally, we discuss potential strategies enabling fund managers to balance this desire to increase management fees whilst protecting the high returns sought by Limited Partners investing in their funds."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M. in Management Research"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Analysis of the relationship between size and returns in private equity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Mark Kritzman."],"dc:contributor.department":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:contributor.other":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:creator":["Limal, Emmanuel (Emmanuel Arnaud Michel)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2015-09-29T18:57:43Z"],"dc:date.available":["2015-09-29T18:57:43Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2015"],"dc:description":["Thesis: S.M. in Management Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2015.","Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-41)."],"dc:description.abstract":["We study in this paper the relationship between the size of funds and the related performance in the Private Equity industry. We show that for top quartile funds, an increase in size is associated with a decrease in performance. Furthermore, we show that this increase in fund size is also associated with an increase in performance of the lowest performing funds, leading to a less volatile spectrum of returns for larger fund sizes. Following this first analysis, we use System Dynamics techniques to visually represent the industry and hypothesize that these decrease in returns are led by manager's lack of focus, the increased competition for these deals and an increase in risk-taking. The main driver we identify as responsible for this increase in fund size over the past decade is due to the increase in management fees in absolute value. Finally, we discuss potential strategies enabling fund managers to balance this desire to increase management fees whilst protecting the high returns sought by Limited Partners investing in their funds."],"dc:description.degree":["S.M. in Management Research"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/99002"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Sloan School of Management."],"dc:title":["Analysis of the relationship between size and returns in private equity"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:21:14Z"}