Timeshares, that wonderful relic from the 1970s, are about as popular as disco and excessive chest hair this year. Thanks to the recession, timeshare sales are forecasted to suffer their worst fall since this vacation option came on the scene more than 30 years ago. The plunge could reach 30 percent, according to Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, a trade group, and the next year and a half could be tough, as well.

In the United States, timeshare sales fell 8.5% last year to $9.7 billion. They reached their peak the year before, when sales hit $10.6 billion, according to a study by Ernst & Young. The 2008 decline was the first sustained by the industry since it started keeping score in 1975.

Over the years, Ernst & Young has developed some useful resources on the Initial Public Offering (IPO) process.

And this week the firm has released some more material: a study that tries to isolate the success factors of IPOs. Can we find the next Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT), or Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX)?

However, the study is somewhat limited (covering the offerings from the start of 2006 to the mid-point of 2007, which includes 110 companies). Also, the criteria is kind of vague.

Despite all this, let's take a look.

First of all, companies need to be seasoned. For example, the median age of a successful offering is about 8 or 9 years.