Every corporation has an economic and moral responsibility to its stockholders to perform well financially. However, the number of bankruptcies in Slovakia has been growing for several years without an apparent macroeconomic cause. To prevent a rapid denigration and to prevent the outflow of foreign capital, various efforts are being zealously implemented. Robust analysis using conventional bankruptcy prediction tools revealed that the existing models are adaptable to local conditions, particularly local legislation. Furthermore, it was confirmed that most of these outdated tools have sufficient capability to warn of impending financial problems several years in advance. A novel bankruptcy prediction tool that outperforms the conventional models was developed. However, it is increasingly challenging to predict bankruptcy risk as corporations have become more global and more complex and as they have developed sophisticated schemes to hide their actual situations under the guise of "optimization" for tax authorities. Nevertheless, scepticism remains because economic engineers have established bankruptcy as a strategy to limit the liability resulting from court-imposed penalties.

Research background: Since the first bankruptcy prediction models were developed in the 60’s of the 20th century, numerous different models have been constructed all over the world. These individual models of bankruptcy prediction have been developed in different time and space using different methods and variables. Therefore, there is a need to analyse them in the context of various countries, while the question about their suitability arises. Purpose of the article: The analysis of more than 100 bankruptcy prediction models developed in V4 countries confirms that enterprises in each country prefer different explanatory variables. Thus, we aim to review systematically the bankruptcy prediction models developed in the countries of Visegrad four and analyse them, with the emphasis on explanatory variables used in these models, and evaluate them using appropriate statistical methods. Methods: Cluster analysis and correspondence analysis were used to explore the mutual relationships among the selected categories, e.g. clusters of explanatory variables and countries of the Visegrad group. The use of the cluster analysis focuses on the identification of homogenous subgroups of the explanatory variables to sort the variables into clusters, so that the variables within a common cluster are as much similar as possible. The correspondence analysis is used to examine if there is any statistically significant dependence between the monitored factors — bankruptcy prediction models of Visegrad countries and explanatory variables. Findings & Value added: Based on the statistical analysis applied, we confirmed that each country prefers different explanatory variables for developing the bankruptcy prediction model. The choice of an appropriate and specific variable in a specific country may be very helpful for enterprises, researchers and investors in the process of construction and development of bankruptcy prediction models in conditions of an individual country.

Research background: Financial risk management is the task of monitoring financial risks and managing their impact. Financial risk is often perceived as the risk that a company may default on its debt payments. The issue of the debt, default or prosperity of the company are presented in the article as one of the ways of the risk management. A prediction of corporate default is an inseparable element of the risk management. Mainly the consequences of risk are the engine of research and development of methods and models, which enable to predict economic and financial situation in specific conditions of global economies. Purpose of the article: The main aim of the presented article is to assess financial risks of Slovak entities, realized by the identification of significant factors and determinants affecting the prosperity of Slovak companies. Methods: To conduct the research we have used the data of Slovak enterprises, obtained from annual financial reports covering the year 2015 and the calculated financial ratios of profitability, activity, liquidity and indebtedness that may affect the financial health of the company were applied in the regression analysis. Realizing the multiple regression analysis, the statistically significant determinants that affect the future financial development of the company are identified, as well as the regression model of the bankruptcy prediction. Findings & Value added: In the research aimed at the management of financial risks in Slovak enterprises, we focused on the revelation of significant economic risk factors using multiple regression. The results suggest that the most significant predictors are net return on capital, cash ratio, quick ratio, current ratio, net working capital, RE/TA ratio, current debt ratio, financial debt ratio and current assets turnover based on which the decision about the future company default can be made. These factors are significant enough to manage financial risks and to affect the profitability and prosperity of the company.

Financial ratios play an important role in revealing corporate financial soundness, a role which helps to maintain the competitive position of an enterprise, with the achievement of stable development contributing to the elimination of potential financial risks. This paper aims to analyse and compare financial ratios used in the models of transition countries. The analysis focuses on the prediction of the future financial development of a particular enterprise as well as the determination of potential dependencies among the nation in consideration of financial ratios and country of origin. More than 400 prediction models of the Slovak Republic,

Abstract:The issue of the debt, bankruptcy or non-bankruptcy of a company is presented in this article as one of the ways of conceiving risk management. We use the Amadeus database to obtain the financial and accounting data of Slovak enterprises from 2015 and 2016 to calculate the most important financial ratios that may affect the financial health of the company. The main aim of the article is to reveal financial risks of Slovak entities and to form a prediction model, which is done by the identification of significant predictors having an impact on the health of Slovak companies and their future prosperity. Realizing the multiple regression analysis, we identified the significant predictors in conditions of the specific economic environment to estimate the corporate prosperity and profitability. The results gained in the research are extra important for companies themselves, but also for their business partners, suppliers and creditors to eliminate financial and other corporate risks related to the unhealthy or unfavorable financial situation of the company.

Research background: Enterprises manage earnings in an effort to balance their profit fluctuations to provide increasingly consistent earnings in every reporting period. Earnings management is legal and very effective method of accounting techniques and may be used to obtain specific objectives of the enterprises involving the manipulation of accruals. Therefore, there is a need to analyze it in the context of group of countries, while the issue of their detection in the new ways appears.  Purpose of the article: The analysis of annual earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of 5,640 enterprises from the Visegrad Four during the period 2009–2018 confirms that the development of earnings management in these countries is not a randomness. Thus, the aim of this article is to determine the existence of positive trend in earnings management and to detect the change-point in its development for each Visegrad country. Methods: Grubbs test, Mann-Kendall trend test and Buishand test were used as appropriate statistical methods. Mann-Kendall test identifies significant monotonic trend occurrence in earnings manipulation in every country. Buishand test indicates significant years, which divides the development of EBIT into two homogenous groups with individual central lines. Findings & Value added: Based on the statistical analysis applied, we rejected randomness in the managing of earning, but we determined the trend of its increasing. The positive earnings manipulation was not homogenous in the analyzed period, however, a change-point was defined. Year 2014 was identified as a break-point for Slovak, Polish and Hungarian enterprises considering the earnings manipulation. Year 2013 was detected as a change-point in Czech enterprises. The methodical approach used may be very helpful for researchers from other countries to determine, detect and understand earnings management as well as for the investors to make decisions based on a specificities of an individual country.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of consumer behavior—their expenses, investments, and financial reserves, as well as their financial and social wellbeing. As a consequence of different restrictions, consumers and their shopping patterns have changed significantly; thus, the factors that influence new purchase patterns need to be identified to help traders, retailers, and marketers develop appropriate strategies to respond to crucial consumer changes in the market. A categorical analysis (Pearson’s chi-square test) and correspondence analysis (simple and multivariate) were applied to a sample of 425 Slovak respondents to reveal the most important factors impacting consumers’ financial situations, as well as the effects on the maintenance of new shopping habits established during the pandemic period. The results revealed that consumers´ income, age, and sector of occupation play important roles in the context of new shopping patterns. These findings are in agreement with other global studies, confirming both the worldwide impact of the pandemic on consumer behavior and the importance of national studies on consumer shopping behavior in order for state authorities, traders, marketers, and entrepreneurs to be able to take necessary measures.

Earnings management is one of the most challenging, debated and controversial topics in finance and financial management. Organisational, legislative, and social norms regarding the ethics of earnings management may vary significantly, with the views of top management and economic environment playing significant roles in shaping the organisational social norm. Thus, the aim of this research is to assess if earnings management is the common practice of enterprises within V4 countries. A novel approach of the selection process to assess the ability of selected earnings management detection models was applied. To highlight discrepancies and similarities among the countries, the non-parametric alternative of analysis of variance was applied. The research confirmed that enterprises do manipulate earnings, typical is upward manipulation. Furthermore, the research unveiled the extent of manipulation with earnings in unique country samples and thus emphasised the importance of both corporate and national ethical principles and managerial decisions, which affect corporate financial reporting quality. However, it is increasingly challenging to identify various aspects and incentives which forced enterprises operating at the global level to smooth and inflate earnings to improve earnings presented in the financial statements and to misinterpret financial results.