Article ID: | iaor20071270 |
Country: | Germany |
Volume: | 1 |
Issue: | 3/4 |
Start Page Number: | 293 |
End Page Number: | 310 |
Publication Date: | Oct 2004 |
Journal: | Computational Management Science |
Authors: | Brabazon Anthony, Keenan Peter B. |
Keywords: | neural networks, heuristics: genetic algorithms |
This study examines the potential of a neural network (NN) model, whose inputs and structure are automatically selected by means of a genetic algorithm (GA), for the prediction of corporate failure using information drawn from financial statements. The results of this model are compared with those of a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) model. Data from a matched sample of 178 publicly quoted, failed and non-failed, US firms, drawn from the period 1991 to 2000 are used to train and test the models. The best evolved neural network correctly classified 86.7 (76.6)% of the firms in the training set, one (three) year(s) prior to failure, and 80.7 (66.0)% in the out-of-sample validation set. The LDA model correctly categorised 81.7 (75.0)% and 76.0 (64.7)% respectively. The results provide support for a hypothesis that corporate failure can be anticipated, and that a hybrid GA/NN model can outperform an LDA model in this domain.