The Necessity and Characteristics of Concern Analysis

Abstract

The analytical methodology of business management, and in particular, of individual accounting statements, is frequently discussed in domestic literature, together with the calculation of applicable, interpretable and assessable indicators, and also the key aspects of the analysis. Bearing that in mind, the question arises whether these indicators can be applied, and with what corrections, to the assessment of performance at concern level in relation to subsidiaries often pursuing quite different activities, or to the analysis of the company group’s operations. Concern-level analyses, in relation to certain market stakeholders including, in particular, own-ers, potential investors and creditors, are needed also because in addition to examining the individual companies, it is concern-level analyses that enable risk assessment which may be based on consolidated financial data and may shed light on the reliability of the company group, the standard of its business management, and consequently, on the risk level of economic processes. In order to an-swer the research question, a model group of companies was set up using the experiences of a previous questionnaire-based survey on businesses that operate in the food economy and that fall under the scope of consolidation. The changes induced in the data of in-dividual annual accounting statements by the individual steps of the consolidation processes were examined using the methodology of conventional balance sheet analysis. The results of the examination demonstrate that due to the complexity of company groups, the most marked change in the structure of assets and liabilities is caused by capital consolidation, however, debt consolidation may also have a significant effect thereon. Debt consolidation, filtering out the interim results, and revenue/expenditure consolidation have an impact that significantly depends on the complexity and intensity of internal relations between the members of the company group. Filtering out interim results and revenue/expenditure consolidation are typically more significant in company groups with a vertical structure, and induce decisive changes in the equity of the company group.