Deciding between accumulating shares and cash
If you're a shareholder in a company, you most likely won't have a say in whether you receive a cash dividend or a stock dividend. The board of directors determines how to issue the dividend and how much to pay.
However, if you work for a company that offers to pay bonuses in shares, you may need to decide between taking your compensation in equity or cash. Equity-based compensation can be beneficial because it has the potential to grow in value. Cash normally loses value due to inflation. To be fair, company stock could also decrease in value -- it's not guaranteed to appreciate.