Since 2005 all companies listed on a regulated stock exchange within the European Union are required to present their financial reports in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS). The purposes of these standards are to accomplish international harmonization of accounting rules to make financial reports more comparable. However, recent research has shown that some firms tend to use goodwill strategically in a business combination by manipulating the acquired assets and consciously allocate the intangible assets to goodwill to reduce the depreciation in the income and decrease costs. This phenomenon may reduce the comparability between financial reports and thus has an opposite effect on the purpose of IFRS and IAS.The aim of this study is to show how the companies involved in this study allocate goodwill strategically. Furthermore, the introduction of the new standards has contributed to that goodwill now is a subject for impairment test, therefore we want to show whether this affected the comparability of the companies in this study.An empirical study was conducted, based on interviews with four Swedish managers.

In order for companies to be competitive they perform different types of development projects.  Due to globalization a greater focus is added on costs, not least on costs in development projects. Project controllers are involved in development projects in order to review the financial aspects. The authors have examined the role that project controllers hold in respect of two Swedish manufacturers, Volvo CE and Scania CV. The investigation has revolved around three main issues where the authors conducted interviews with controllers that do not work in development projects and project controllers in development projects. The goal of the interviews was to gain a greater understanding of the role of project controllers, how this role will differ from those that do not work in development projects and the difficulties faced by project controllers.

Revenue is the largest post in the financial statements but is often least described. They are an important element when different companies are compared with each other. Revenue is often associated with assessment which Enron and Prosolvia is two examples of. Enron reported their incomes and assets while their costs and debts were not reported. Thus were a positive image maintained of the company when the financial position in reality were otherwise.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain which factors that affects Swedish listed companies choice of placement for the corporate governance report when the regulation gives different options.Methodology: The chosen research philosophy is positive, research strategy is deductive and methodology is quantitative.Theoretical Perspectives: As support for the dependent (placement) and independent factors agency theory, positive accounting theory, accounting choice, legitimacy-, stakeholder-, and institutional theory are used.                  Empirical foundation:The sample consists of 249 companies. The empirical data consists of the companies Annual reports and Corporate Governance reports for financial year 2011 or when split financial year, 2010/2011. Limitations: A limitation of the study is that it is based on observations from only one year why it is not certain that the results should have been the same if a comparison between several years had been done.Conclusions: The factors size and growth explain the placement of the Corporate Governance Report in Swedish listed companies..

The aim of this paper is to examine the capacity for ethical reasoning of Swedish certi-fied auditors in the five largest accounting firms in Stockholm, and also how ethics courses affect the auditors' ability to ethically statement. To calculate the auditors ability to ethical statement, questionnaire has been used. The questionnaire is based on a psychological instrument, the so-called Defining Issues Test. At the beginning of the questionnaire some questions are asked about the ethics courses. From the questionnaire a calculation was made of an average index called p-score (Principled score).

BakgrundFrån och med den 1:a januari 2005 ska alla börsnoterade bolag inom EU tillämpa IFRS. I de flesta länder råder valfrihet för onoterade bolag att tillämpa IFRS eller nationella redovisningsstandards. Det har dock visat sig att SMEs främst väljer att tillämpa de nationella reglerna, då IFRS anses för omfattande och kostsamma att tillämpa. Mot denna bakgrund tog IASB initiativet till ett förslag om ett införande av internationella enhetliga redovisningsstandards för små- och medelstora företag.SyfteDenna uppsats avser att undersöka hur redovisningsstandards som idéer sprids, vilka bärarna av idéerna är samt hur idéerna blir starka och uppnår legitimitet. Vidare avses att utreda vilka institutionella faktorer som kan förklara inställningen till införandet av internationella enhetliga redovisningsstandards för SMEs i olika länder.AvgränsningarUppsatsen avgränsas till att omfatta länder som tillhör den anglosaxiska och kontinentaleuropeiska redovisningstraditionen samt ingår i EU eller EEA.MetodSyftet besvaras genom att analysera hur IASB gått tillväga avseende SME-projektet samt genom att tolka de yttranden som inkommit till IASB avseende diskussionsunderlaget ?Preliminary Views on Accounting Standards for Small and Medium-sized Entities?.ResultatRedovisningsidéer sprids genom idébärare samt genom tolkningsprocessen där de även blir starka och vinner legitimitet.

Audit is a common concept in Sweden. This occurs in many contexts and situations and may intend a wide spectrum of areas. It might consider environment audit, amateur audit, internal auditing, external audit etc. In the business community external audit and the associated external auditor is possibly, from the general public's side, the most recognized. The external audits purposes in big features are checking limited companies economic accounting along with the board and CEO: s management.

An accounting issue that has received attention is the issue of identification of intangible assets in acquisitions. This is because the company's result can be different depending on how much the company chooses to identify intangible assets separated from goodwill. As the practice for identification of intangible assets lacks clarity, companies are able to account for this in different ways. In this study, the manner in which identification of intangible assets are managed by companies listed on Swedish multilateral trading facilities and the manner in which companies distribute the purchase sum on net tangible assets, intangible assets and goodwill in comparison with listed companies is examined. The study emanates from a systems approach and is descriptive.

Examensarbete, civilekonomprogrammet, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet, ekonomistyrning, 4FE03E, VT 2013Titel: Lean Productions påverkan på ekonomistyrningen - En fallstudie inom Gnutti   Powertrain ABBakgrund: Allt mer konkurrensutsatta marknader har inneburit att företag sökt nya sätt att utveckla och effektivisera sina verksamheter. Detta har resulterat i att många företag valt att införa produktionsstrategin Lean Production. Flera forskare har påvisat att den traditionella ekonomistyrningen inte är anpassad till och lämplig för företag som använder produktionsstrategin Lean Production. Detta har inneburit att den traditionella ekonomistyrningen måste förändras och utvecklas för att kunna stödja de förändringar som den nya produktionsstrategin ger upphov till. Därmed blev det intressant att studera ett enskilt fallföretag för att identifiera om och hur detta företag har förändrat sin ekonomistyrning till följd av användandet av Lean Production. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utifrån det enskilda fallet Gnutti Powertrain AB bidra med en förståelse för hur ekonomistyrningens utformning och användning påverkas av användandet av den avancerade produktionsstrategin Lean Production.

Transfers of joint stock companies can be executed in several ways - for example by transferring individual shares or by transferring all shares or by selling the company's assets and liabilities. It is not fully clear which rules should apply to transfers of joint stock companies. Some legal experts claim that the Sales Act (Köplagen) is applicable, while others claim that the rules for promissory notes (Skuldebrevslagen) should apply. This distinction is of great significance regarding the extent of the vendor's liability. According to Skuldebrevslagen the vendor's liability is rather limited, while Köplagen enjoins the vendor a more extensive liability.A transfer of a joint stock company brings about great economical risks, both for the vendor and for the purchaser.

Sustainability questions that concern the subjects of environmental and social aspects are increasing in today?s society, and therefore the sustainability report is a way for companies to show their work with sustainability development by working with a clear report and follow up. As the first country in the world, Sweden has decided, as from the financial year of 2008, that all governmental owned companies should present a sustainability report according to the guidelines of GRI. The aim of this essay was to identify and analyze actual events from a sustainability aspect for Vattenfall, from a medial perspective during the time period 2005-2009. We made a content analysis of one company?s sustainability reports during a time period of five years and we connected this to the medias reports of the company from the same period, to see if there were any connections between the subjects that media had elucidated.

Allt eftersom världen blir mer globaliserad ökar konkurrensen på marknaden. Detta sätterpress på företag vilket leder till stora behov av effektivisering. Företaget Toyota har verkatframgångsrikt på marknaden, detta har medfört att deras verksamhetsstrategi fått storuppmärksamhet. På grund av dess resurssnåla och effektiva tillvägagångssätt kom dennaverksamhetsstrategi att kallas Lean. Lean berör alla delar i en verksamhet, en del företagbörjar endast tillämpa Lean-produktion.

The aim of this paper is to examine the capacity for ethical reasoning of Swedish certi-fied auditors in the five largest accounting firms in Stockholm, and also how ethics courses affect the auditors' ability to ethically statement. To calculate the auditors ability to ethical statement, questionnaire has been used. The questionnaire is based on a psychological instrument, the so-called Defining Issues Test. At the beginning of the questionnaire some questions are asked about the ethics courses. From the questionnaire a calculation was made of an average index called p-score (Principled score).

Title: The component approach - From the harmonization process as a background to the perception of benefits and costs as effects.Authors: Elin Börjesson & Emma KarlssonTutor: Titti EliassonKey concept: Harmonization, Component approach and Benefit/CostBackground: With IFRS for SME's as a basis, the Accounting Board developed K3 which shall apply from financial year 2014. Upon introduction of the K3 companies will be forced to apply the component approach. When K3 with the associated component approach went out for consultation it resulted in a debate where some actors opposed the imposition of a requirement and not an option. It was questioned whether the costs with the component approach would be greater than the benefit of the implementation.Formulation of the problem: How is the introduction and use of the component approach seen by different operators from a benefit-, cost perspective?Aim: The aim of this essay is find out how the introduction and use of the component approach is seen by different operators from a benefit-, cost perspective.

Partner in a close company is taxed under special rules for private companies. This is to avoid a fiscal revenue conversion. Partner as having a major influence in the company and take out what is really earned income as dividends and thus be taxed at a significantly lower rate. The purpose of the close company rules is that a partner in labor income is taxed in the same way that an employee?s income.The problem that arises when one partner in a closely held company leave a shareholders contribution to the company which aims to raise the threshold for the shares discussed in this paper.