Sanierungscontrolling unter Berücksichtigung der Fortbestehensprognose für österreichische kleine und mittlere Unternehmen in Krisenfällen

Austrian enterprises in crisis have to overcome a wide spectrum of challenges when it comes to restructuring and surviving on the market. The fact that around 5.000 enterprises go into bankruptcy within one business year shows the importance of developing and applying suitable restructuring measures that are able to cope with problems arising in crises. Before it comes to insolvency, the status of the ability to pay as well as the term ‘over-indebtedness’ related to prospects’ prognoses plays a major role.
This dissertation focuses on restructuring controlling and tries to elaborate gaps concerning prospects’ prognoses and tries to offer possible solutions. Aspects of restructuring controlling with a special focus on the prospects’ prognosis for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) located in Austria should be treated therefore. As a basis, major definitions concerning the topic are presented before treating the first research question that tries to figure out the distinction between restructuring controlling within the enterprise in crisis and controlling processes within economically successful enterprises. After this, the second research question deals with the identification of gaps concerning the corporate restructuring recovery planning and how deficiencies can be dealt with.
Gathering the needed information to answer these questions implies a mixed-method approach to the topic. Therefore, literature and related facts and numbers, as well as conducted expert-interviews build the basis for this paper. As the Austrian Commercial Code (UGB) as well as the Austrian Insolvency Act provide numerous rules concerning companies in crisis, the prognosis of positive prospects plays a major role in surviving. Hence, this prognosis is focused in the main part of the thesis. Simultaneously, practical outputs in form of an enlarged version of the prognosis are presented.
All in all, it can be stated that there are differences in controlling within companies in crisis and economic independent companies. Restructuring controlling tends to show project character and has a clear focus on recovery. This structure may be derived from the legal framework. It therefore uses many operational tools and operates in a modest time frame. In many SME there is a lack of basic understanding for controlling and therefore a misleading picture of recovery controlling can be found.
Through this thesis, a clearer definition of controlling can be recommended. To survive financial crises the most important aspect is the effective implementation of restructuring measures. Therefore, this thesis recommends enlarging the legal framework – the Company Reorganization Act (URG) – when it comes to prospects’ prognosis.