Business analysis - English

Japanese: 経営分析 - けいえいぶんせき（英語表記）business analysis 英語

It is a method of examining various documents and information inside and outside a company using analytical methods to judge the financial condition and business performance of the company. Since the core of this is the analysis of financial figures prepared and announced by the company, it is also called financial analysis or financial statement analysis. In addition, since the comparison and analysis of different corporate management is essential in recent business analysis, the term business comparison is often used in the same sense.

Business analysis is said to have originated in the United States, when banks would request balance sheets from companies they were borrowing or investing in, and analyze them in detail to find out whether the companies were able to repay their debts and whether their assets were in good condition. This is called credit analysis, and is still done in the credit department of banks today. Later, investment analysis that emphasizes the profitability and growth of companies from the investor's point of view, and business analysis to create materials for the administration of national industrial administration, were carried out, and after World War I, it developed into cost analysis and break-even analysis using detailed figures for business management purposes from the point of view of company insiders (managers). More recently, business analysis has expanded to include business analysis of departments, divisions, and affiliated companies within large companies, as well as international corporate comparisons, and with the introduction of the consolidated financial statement system, it has become essential to conduct business analysis not only of individual companies but also of the entire corporate group (including overseas subsidiaries).

[Muneya Sato]

kinds

Business analysis can be classified from various perspectives. First, it can be broadly divided into external analysis and internal analysis depending on the type of analysis entity, i.e., who the information provided is useful to. External analysis is analysis conducted for stakeholders outside the company, and examples include credit analysis conducted by creditors, investment analysis conducted by investors and traders, securities analysis conducted by securities analysts, tax analysis by tax authorities, audit analysis and business diagnosis conducted by certified public accountants and business consultants, as well as analysis accompanying various business and financial investigations conducted by various government agencies based on law. Internal analysis is analysis conducted to provide information useful for business management by the company's internal management, and since materials are easier to obtain compared to external analysis, analysis is based on more realistic and detailed data.

Next, classification by analytical purpose can be considered, and according to this, they can be divided into profitability analysis, liquidity analysis, financial stability analysis, productivity analysis, etc. Profitability analysis looks at how much profit a company is making from the capital it has invested, and it mainly consists of analyses such as the return on capital, which indicates the ratio of profit to invested capital, the return on sales, which indicates the ratio of profit to sales, and the capital turnover rate, which indicates the speed of capital turnover. Liquidity analysis looks at a company's short-term solvency, and it mainly consists of analyses such as the current ratio, which indicates the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, and the current ratio, which indicates the ratio of current assets to current liabilities. Financial stability analysis looks at a company's long-term stability (solidity), and it mainly consists of analyses such as the fixed ratio, which indicates the ratio of fixed assets covered by equity capital, and the debt ratio, which indicates the ratio of liabilities to equity capital. Productivity analysis looks at a company's productivity and sociality, and well-known examples include labor productivity, which indicates the ratio of output to labor input, and value-added productivity, which indicates added value per unit labor hour.

Next, depending on the business field that is targeted, analysis is divided into financial analysis, cost analysis, and non-financial analysis. Financial analysis focuses on the pros and cons of economic value fluctuations that arise from transactions between a company and external parties, while cost analysis focuses on economic value fluctuations that accompany production activities within a company. Non-financial analysis includes, for example, various indicators that show the degree of achievement of social responsibility, various indicators that show the degree of achievement of employee welfare responsibility, technological capabilities, corporate image, and the measurement of the results of various management activities such as rationalization, energy conservation, and target management.

[Muneya Sato]

method

Management analysis methods are divided into real number method, ratio method, trend method, etc., depending on the indicators to be analyzed and compared. The real number method is a method in which a company's figures are listed as they are without any processing and compared. In external analysis, this corresponds to the account item figures on the published financial statements. In internal analysis, this corresponds to actual cost data for each department, but standard costs and budget figures are sometimes also included in the analysis. The ratio method takes the ratio between two real numbers and uses the magnitude of the causal relationship between the two variables as a basis for judging the good or bad of the management situation. The ratio method is further divided into the relational ratio method and the component ratio method. The relational ratio method is a method of analyzing the relationship between items by showing them as a ratio, such as the ratio of profits to capital, while the component ratio method shows the proportion of each subitem against a base item of 100, and compares and analyzes the relationship between items. The trend method involves setting the figure for the base year at 100, expressing the figures for subsequent years as an index, and analyzing the fluctuations.

There are two methods for comparing corporate figures: period comparison and mutual comparison. Period comparison is a method of comparing and analyzing the figures of the same company at different points in time or periods, in other words, in a chronological manner, and is also called self-comparison. Mutual comparison is the comparison and analysis of figures of different companies at the same point in time or for the same period.

[Muneya Sato]

"Latest Management Analysis" by Masao Matsumoto and Shigeo Aoki (1982, Chikura Shobo) " "Management Analysis" by Eiichi Furukawa, 3rd Edition (1980, Dobunkan Publishing) " "Management Accounting Theory" edited by the Yokohama City University Accounting Research Department (1979, Dobunkan Publishing)"

[References] | Comparison of management

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

分析的方法によって企業内外の諸資料や諸情報を検討し、企業の財政状態および経営成績の良否を判断する手法をいう。その中心をなすのが、企業が作成し発表する財務数値の分析であることから、財務分析、財務諸表分析ともよばれ、また最近の経営分析では異なる企業経営の比較・分析が不可欠であるため、経営比較も同じ意味に用いられることが多くなってきている。

　経営分析は、アメリカにおいて銀行業者が、融資先や投資先である企業の債務返済能力や財産状態の良否を知るために貸借対照表の提出を求め、これを詳細に分析したことに起源するといわれる。これは信用分析とよばれ、現在でも銀行の審査部で行われている。その後、投資家の立場からする企業の収益性や成長性を重視するような投資分析、国の産業行政運営の資料をつくるための経営分析などが行われるようになり、第一次世界大戦後には、企業内部者（管理者）の立場からする業務管理目的の詳細な数値を使用した原価分析や損益分岐点分析などへと発展した。さらに最近は、大規模企業内部の部門や事業部、関連会社の経営分析から国際間の企業比較までに及ぶとともに、連結財務諸表制度の導入とともに、個別企業のみならず企業集団（在外子会社も含む）全体の経営分析を行うことが必要不可欠になってきている。

［佐藤宗弥］

種類

経営分析は種々の観点から分類できる。まず、だれに役だつ情報を提供するか、という分析主体の種類に応じて、大きく外部分析と内部分析に区分される。外部分析とは、企業外部の利害関係者のために行われる分析であり、債権者が主体となる信用分析、投資家や取引業者が主体となる投資分析、証券アナリストが主体となる証券分析、税務当局による税務分析、公認会計士や経営コンサルタントが主体となる監査分析・経営診断などのほか、各官庁が法に基づいて行う各種の業務・財務調査に付随する分析があげられよう。内部分析とは、企業内部の経営管理者の経営管理に役だつ情報を提供するために行われる分析であり、外部分析に比べると資料が入手しやすいため、より現実的かつ精細なデータに基づく分析が行われる。

　次に分析目的別の区分が考えられるが、これによると収益性分析、流動性分析、財務安全性分析、生産性分析などに分けられる。収益性分析は、企業が投下した資本に対してどれだけの収益をあげているかをみるもので、利益と投下した資本との割合を示す資本利益率、売上高に占める利益の割合を示す売上高利益率、資本の回転速度を示す資本回転率などの分析が中心をなしている。流動性分析は企業の短期的な支払能力をみるための分析で、流動資産の流動負債に対する割合を示す流動比率、当座資産の流動負債に対する割合を示す当座比率などの分析が中心となる。財務安全性分析は企業の長期にわたる安全性（堅実性）をみるもので、固定資産が自己資本でまかなわれている割合を示す固定比率、負債の自己資本に対する割合を示す負債比率などの分析が中心となっている。生産性分析は企業の生産性および社会性をみるもので、産出量と労働投入量との割合を示す労働生産性、単位労働時間当りの付加価値を示す付加価値生産性などがよく知られている。

　次にいかなる業務分野を対象にするかによって、財務分析、原価分析、非財務分析に区分される。財務分析では、企業と外部との取引により生ずる経済価値変動の良否が対象とされ、他方、原価分析では、企業内部の生産活動に伴う経済価値変動が対象とされる。非財務的分析としては、たとえば社会的責任達成度合いを表すような各種指標、従業員福祉責任達成度合いを表すような各種指標、技術力、企業イメージ、合理化・省エネ・目標管理など各種管理活動の成果測定などがあげられる。

［佐藤宗弥］

方法

経営分析の方法は、分析・比較すべき指標に何をとるかによって、実数法、比率法、趨勢(すうせい)法などに分けられる。実数法は、企業数値をそのままなんら加工せずに列挙し、比較する方法である。外部分析にあっては、公表財務諸表上の勘定科目数値がこれに相当する。内部分析では、各部門別の実際原価データなどがこれに相当するが、ときには標準原価や予算数値も分析の対象に加えられる。比率法は、二つの実数間の割合をとって、2変数間に存在している因果関係の大小をもって経営状況の良否の判定資料とするものである。比率法はさらに関係比率法と構成比率法とに分けられる。関係比率法は、利益と資本の比率のように項目相互の関係を比率で示して分析する方法であり、構成比率法は、基準項目を100として、その内訳項目の占めている割合を百分率で示し、項目相互の関連を比較・分析するものである。趨勢法は、基準年度の数値を100として、それ以降の年度の数値を指数で表示し、その変動を分析するものである。

　また、企業数値の比較方法には期間比較と相互比較とがある。期間比較は、同一企業の数値を異なる時点または期間について、いわば時系列的に比較・分析する方法で、自己比較ともいう。相互比較は、異なる企業間の同一時点または同一期間の数値を比較・分析するものである。

［佐藤宗弥］

『松本雅男・青木茂男著『最新経営分析』（1982・千倉書房）』▽『古川栄一著『経営分析』3訂版（1980・同文舘出版）』▽『横浜市立大学会計学研究室編『管理会計論』（1979・同文舘出版）』

[参照項目] | 経営比較

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Management philosophy - Keieirinen (English spelling) management philosophy

>>: Diversification of management