Identifying unsound firms in Italy: An attempt to use trend variables

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Abstract

The aims of the present study are (i) to develop a predictive model, using discriminant analysis to forecast the solvency of Italian firms and (ii) to compare the ability of this model with that of a second one in which static ratios have been replaced by values that take account of their own trends. The results obtained by considering the trends of ratios over three years are encouraging and indicate that the second model not only performed better than the first, but also better than any other model using the balance sheet data of Italian firms.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    These indices reflect six different aspects of firm structure and performance: liquidity, turnover, leverage, operating structure and efficiency, size and capitalization, and, finally, profitability.13 The indices have been calculated as three-year, two-year and one-year averages.14 Other indices (totally or partially based on nonbalance-sheet data) have been calculated to control additional firm characteristics such as: market share (firm sales/industry sales), strength and proximity of competitors,15 export status, subcontracting status, group membership, size, location in a macro area (South and Islands, Centre, North-West, North-East) and share of sales to the most important three customers (only for the 1995–97 database).

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This article reports the main points and results of a study which is a revised version of the author's MA thesis (1982). Special thanks are due to Alison M. Kerruish (UCNW Bangor - U.K.), Marco Onado (Universita di Modena — Italy) and Ignazio Visco (Research Department of the Bank of Italy) for their helpful comments on the original work.

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