Abstract
Corporate failure may
be defined as the situation where a business unit becomes insolvent and
progressively moves towards bankruptcy or into liquidation. The recent
financial crisis has deteriorated dramatically the financial conditions in
which the business units operate and has a significant impact on the companies
that experience corporate failure. The going concern assumption constitutes a
fundamental accounting principle for the preparation of financial statements
and is even more important in times when global economy is facing such a
financial crisis. The independent auditor’s report attribute credibility to the
financial statements prepared by management. The purpose of this paper is to
develop a reliable model that classifies the risk of corporate failure on six
levels using financial analysis ratios. The model is developed based on
financial data of Athens Stock Exchange (ASE) listed firms for the year 2011.