The Ratio Analysis of Financial Balance and Bankruptcy Risk of the Silesian Companies in Time of the Global Financial Crisis

The financial crisis undoubtedly exerted much pressure on the companies operating inPoland. Thus, it is important to undertake researches that reveal the paths and strength of financial crisis transmission with regard to the business entities. This paper presents partial results of the research dedicated to the analysis of the impact of financial crisis on the financial situation of companies operating in the Silesian Voivodship. It analyzes and discusses the general changes of the two sets of financial ratios that inform about the general financial condition of the business: the financial balance and the level of bankruptcy risk.Scientific aim: The paper aims at analyzing the changes of the financial situation and bankruptcy risk of a population of Silesian companies with regard to the improvement or deterioration. In particular, it aims at reflecting the differences visible with the application of aggregated data characterizing the population of Silesian companies as compared to the population of all companies operating inPoland.Methodology: The study is based the application of a part of authors’ self-developed method – the CFS Watch, which consists of five analytical modules. In the study, two modules are applied: the GPA Module (General Performance Assessment) with regard to financial balance and the MDA Module (Multidiscriminant Analysis) with regard to the bankruptcy risk. Grounded on the theory of financial analysis and its application for corporate finance purposes, the modules are based on the selected financial ratios that are a subject for further comparison regarding their height and dynamics of changes. The analytical modules are applied for aggregated data provided by the Polish Central Statistical Office

Konwergencja rynku kapitałowego i ubezpieczeniowego – identyfikacja czynników

The main problem presented in this article is related to the process of the convergence of capital and insurance markets. The process of convergence is understood as a kind of inter-merger under which insurers and (other) financial institutions participate each other in their markets. This process results in  the creation and application of new instruments, in this Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) that allow to transfer insurance risk to the capital market. ILS are mainly used by insurers and (other) financial institutions, while non-financial entities use them to a lesser extent.The purpose of this article is to identify the main drivers of the process of convergence.  We propose here two groups of drivers: intermarket ones (considered from the individual perspective of each market) and intramarket ones (common to both markets). Identification and systematization of these drivers enhances a better  understanding of the convergence mechanism , as well as the applicability of its effects.Przedmiotem artykułu jest proces konwergencji rynku kapitałowego i rynku ubezpieczeniowego, rozumiany jako swego rodzaju międzysektorowa fuzja, w ramach której ubezpieczyciele i (pozostałe) instytucje finansowe partycypują wzajemnie w swoich rynkach. Efektem tego procesu jest powstawanie nowych instrumentów, w tym Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS), które umożliwiają transfer ryzyka ubezpieczeniowego na rynek kapitałowy. Z innowacji tych korzystają przede wszystkim ubezpieczyciele i (pozostałe) instytucje finansowe, w mniejszym stopniu podmioty niefinansowe.Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja czynników procesu konwergencji rynku kapitałowego i ubezpieczeniowego, z wyróżnieniem czynników wewnątrzrynkowych (rozpatrywanych odrębnie dla każdego rynku) oraz międzyrynkowych (współwystępujących dla obu rynków). Identyfikacja i uporządkowanie tych czynników pozwala lepiej zrozumieć mechanizm procesu konwergencji, a także możliwości aplikacji jego efektów. 

Perspektywa CSR a cel działania przedsiębiorstwa – studium na przykładzie wybranych spółek

This paper addresses the problem of implementing CSR concept in enterprises, with regard to the way the corporate objective is defined. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the way the corporate objective is defined in the largest public companies listed in the WIG30 index. The method of content analysis is applied to analyze the reports, documents and information posted on the corporate websites. The analysis shows that companies define objectives in a very different way, referring to the category of value (understood in different ways), the financial categories and ratios or the expectations of the different stakeholders. The majority of the analyzed companies explicitly emphasize the issues of social responsibility and sustainable development. However, these objectivesare not always articulated in a direct way,which may be inadequate from the point of view of stakeholders’ information needs.Artykuł odnosi się do problemu implementacji założeń koncepcji CSR w przedsiębiorstwach w odniesieniu do sposobu definiowania i komunikowania celu działania. Celem opracowania jest zbadanie sposobu definiowania celu działania w największych spółkach giełdowych zaliczanych do indeksu WIG30. W badaniu zastosowano analizę treści komunikatów, raportów i informacji zamieszczanych na stronach korporacyjnych spółek. Przeprowadzona analiza wykazała, że spółki w bardzo różny sposób definiują cele działania, odnosząc się do kategorii wartości (w różny sposób rozumianej), wybranych kategorii finansowych czy oczekiwań różnych grup interesariuszy. Większość badanych spółek akcentowała wyraźnie kwestie mieszczące się w sferze koncepcji społecznej odpowiedzialności i zrównoważonego rozwoju. Jednak cele te nie zawsze były artykułowane w sposób bezpośredni, co nie do końca jest adekwatne z punktu widzenia potrzeb informacyjnych interesariuszy spółek

Organizational resilience as a response to the energy crisis: Systematic literature review

In this paper, we provide a literature review on the topic of organizational resilience, in relation to the energy crisis. The concept of organizational resilience refers to the capability to respond and adapt to shocks. Undoubtedly, the recent energy crisis may be considered an external shock, as it has raised energy prices and exerts a significant pressure on decision makers. Although the energy crisis has impacted organizations significantly in recent months, there is little knowledge on how companies should respond to this threat. Thus, to fill in this research gap, we apply the method of a systematic literature review (SLR), combined with text mining tools, to map the topics covered by 124 works in the field. Based on our results, we uncover several important gaps in the existing studies. We also provide suggestions on relevant future research directions that could broaden the scope of the management of energy crisis, in line with the concept of organizational resilience.Web of Science162art. no. 70

Does non-financial reporting regulation increase diversity and equal opportunity disclosures? Evidence from Poland

Purpose: The main aim of our study is to verify whether the implementation of non-financial reporting regulations, following the adoption of Directive 2014/95/EU, in-creased disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Polish listed firms. We study whether the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures differ significantly if we compare the information presented in companies’ non-financial reports in the pre-Directive period (2016) and the post-Directive period (2018). Methodology/approach: Guided by Clarkson et al. (2008), as well as by the Global Rerporting Initiative (GRI) standards, we have applied manual content analysis, using the coding scheme that is useful in capturing the types of disclosures. We implement Wilcoxon signed ranks test to verify the statistical significance of the differences be-tween the diversity and equal opportunities disclosures in the pre- and post-Directive periods. Findings: Our evidence suggests that disclosures on diversity and equal opportunities in Poland significantly increased after the implementation of the Directive, but the patterns of the prevalence of disclosure types have remained stable. Research limitations/implications: This evidence is provided for a relatively small sample of Polish listed firms (N=19) that issued CSR/sustainability reports in 2016 and 2018, which could be considered a limitation of our study. Nevertheless, our study has practical implications within the impacts of the regulatory framework of companies’ reporting schemes, as far as diversity and equal opportunities (DEO) disclosures are concerned. Originality/value: Our evidence fills an important gap within the studies that review the implementation of the Directive in developing European economies. At the same time, it provides evidence within the emerging field of studies that compare the various types of disclosures before and after the implementation of the EU Directive, which is relevant for revising the impact of regulatory frameworks on non-financial reporting

Non-life Insurance Markets in CEE Countries - part II: Polarisation and Concentration

The paper discusses the performance of non-life insurance markets in the eight CEE countries that overcame transition in the 1990s and accessed European Union in May, 2004. A closer attention is given to the evaluation of two aspects of the general performance of non-life markets - polarisation and concentration. It was found that the polarisation of non-life markets between the analysed countries and other European Union members diminishes slowly. However, the concentration of non-life markets still remains high or moderat

Non-life Insurance Markets in CEE Countries - Part I: Products' Structure

The course of the development of non-life insurance markets in CEE countries differs in many aspects from the Western-European countries. This study shows how these changes performed in the eight CEE countries, that overcame transition in similar time and accessed the European Union in May, 2004. In this paper (as the first part of the study) wider attention was given to the changes of products' structure of non-life markets. It was found that motor third party liability insurance still remains the most relevant insurance line in the non-life markets of the examined countries

The Concept of Risk Capital and Its Application in Non-Financial Companies: A Sustainable Dimension

The prime purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of risk capital and advocate for its implementation in the management of non-financial companies. The paper is kept in the discursive tone, as the problem is new, and it first requires to establish the conceptual framework for further empirical considerations. With reference to the origins of the concept of risk capital (related to its understanding in financial institutions), the paper discusses the utility of risk capital for the management of risk in non-financial companies, with the recognition of the sustainable dimension of risk capital. The discussion is framed within the corporate finance approach. In the applicative dimension, the paper identifies the universe of the sources of risk capital and proposes a taxonomy of these sources. It considers both the well-established traditional sources, as well as the state-of-the-art solutions that are in the early stages of their adoption for the needs of corporate end-users. The conclusions address the possible areas of tensions and of the inclusion of risk capital in the decision-making process, as well as the areas of further empirical research within