Using Information of Cash Flows to Predict Financial Distress

企業發生財務危機，不僅使其經營陷入生死關頭之掙扎，更影響眾多投資人、債權人的利益，對於整個經濟環境亦造成一定的衝擊。因此，如何提早察覺企業之危機，以減少社會成本，實值得我們深入研究。本研究主要目的為評估現金流量表揭露之資訊，於預測企業財務危機的有用性。本研究欲探討現金流量資訊是否為預測企業財務危機的良好指標，於建構企業財務危機預警模式之際，加入現金流量的財務指標是否會比僅以傳統財務比率建立之預警模式，更具預測能力。本研究採用配對樣本設計，在我國上市公司中共選取了35家危機公司與68家正常公司。並利用Logit迴歸分析分別建立現金流量模式、應計財務模式與綜合模式，得到以下結論：一、在財務危機發生之前一至三年，本研究所使用的應計基礎財務比率並非皆適合用來區分危機公司與正常公司。二、除了營業活動現金流量相關比率具有顯著的區別能力外，部分投資與融資活動現金流量相關比率亦提供額外的財務危機警訊。三、現金流量比率預警模式之預測力表現不遜於應計基礎比率模式；但在應計基礎比率中加入現金流量比率，並未顯著提高模式的預測能力。The objective of this study is to assess the usefulness of cash flow disclosures in the prediction of financial distress. This study also determines whether cash flow ratios are good indicator of financial distress and whether adding cash flow ratios in prediction model can improve the predictive ability of the model employing conventional accrual-based ratios.Using a matched pair design, this study examines a sample of 35 distress firms along with 68 non-distress firms. Also, a logistic regression analysis is used to establish the financial distress model with and without cash flow variables respectively, in order to test the hypotheses developed by this study and to derive the conclusion.The findings of this study are as follows.1. During the period between 3 years to 1 year before financial distress, the accrual-based ratios used in this study aren't all good predictor in financial distress model.2. The discriminate ability of operating cash flow data is significant. Also, the investing and financing cash flow data provide additional information in the prediction of business distress.3. Cash flow ratios provide a superior measure for the prediction of financial distress over accrual-based ratios. However, no significant evidence shows that using cash flow ratios in conjunction with accrual-based ratios can improve the overall predictive power of accrual-based ratios alone