Using the Self-Organizing Map as a Visualization Tool in Financial Benchmarking

Abstract

In this paper, we illustrate the use of the self-organizing map technique for financial performance analysis and benchmarking. We build a database of financial ratios indicating the performance of 91 international pulp and paper companies for the time period 1995–2001. We then use the self-organizing map technique to analyze and benchmark the performance of the five largest pulp and paper companies in the world. The results of the study indicate that by using the self-organizing maps, we are able to structure, analyze, and visualize large amounts of multidimensional financial data in a meaningful manner.