Risk management has become a key ingredient for businesses all over the world. High Reliability Organizations (HRO) has distinguished themselves as experts in this area. By continuously focusing on improving their ability to manage risks they?ve been able to successfully avoid catastrophes in environments where normal accidents can be expected due to complexity and risk factors.The aim of the thesis is to improve the risk management at Apotekens Service by applying theories from HRO and safety culture. In July 2009, following the re-regulation of the Swedish pharmacy market, Apotekens Service AB was appointed national pharmacy infrastructure supplier for the Swedish health care system.

Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a quality control system created by the European Union (EU) to protect integrity of certain food and drinks that are produced in a specific area in a unique way. By protecting these products, the EU can certify that the traditional region-specific methods of food and drink production are preserved. The EU countries that follow such a system are mostly from Southern Europe. For instance in France, the PDO system has helped improve the income for farmers, boosted the rural development and assured protection for farmers against the abuse of their brand and the selling of their products by outsiders. In Sweden, there are no PDO products yet, instead there is Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) and Traditional Speciality Guarantee (TSG) that are not as protective as PDO.

The first of May 2007, a decision from the Swedish Board of Fisheries about a Swedish prohibition of eel fishery got legal force. This prohibition is one of the most challenged decisions that the Swedish Board of Fisheries has taken. In the town Karlskrona in the southeastern part of Sweden the prohibition has got a lot of attention in local media. Early in the debate, it was clear that the actors active in the archipelago of Karlskrona were against the prohibition. The aim with the master thesis is to investigate different actors' opinions and view of the prohibition of eel fishery, today's management of the resource and how the actors' think that the communication between the actors involved in the management of eel and eel fishery works and what need to be changed to be able to develop a sustainable management of the eel in the future.

Prior studies have shown that earnings management can be used either to inform or to mislead investors about the future performance of a company. However, few studies have examined the impact of earnings management on forecasting return on equity (ROE). The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether the ability to forecast next year's ROE is improved when taking earnings management, measured as discretionary accruals, into account. This is examined by comparing a forecast model that takes the magnitude of discretionary accruals into consideration with a model that does not. The study is based on companies that were listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange during 2002-2012.

An increasing number of automotive supplier companies are investing in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in order to gain cost advantages. This has happened in a rapid pace since many of these countries did not have any foreign direct investments (FDI) at the turn of the century. The problem now is for how long these countries will be able to maintain the low costs. One purpose was to create a model of country advantages for automotive supplier companies when relocating further production to CEE. This dissertation was written in cooperation with the Trelleborg Group.

The aim of this study is to investigate the problematisation of the swedish railwaysector during the early 1990?s from a New public management-perspective. The method of approach is a ?What is the problem represented to be?-analysis as advocated by Carol Bacchi. By applying this method to the official investigation aimed at providing suggestions for increasing competition in the railway sector it has been shown that the process of deregulation has strong connections to the ideas and models suggested by the New public management-ideology of organisational theory. .

Banks have been some of the biggest operators on the market of business customers financing. When the Swedish Förmånsrättslagen was changed 2004 the banks became more restrictive to allow traditional bank loans. The change made it more difficult for customers to get their loans granted. For that reason customers had to find other forms of financing. Factoring is an alternative that means companies can mortage/sell their claim on customers to finance companies.

Shareholder value has its origin in the American corporate governance system and has been the subject of great debate over the last few decades. The proponents claim that it creates economic efficiency while the critics argue that maximization of shareholder value jeopardizes the long term survival of companies. However, the debate in Sweden already seems to have forgotten the question of how embedded the ideology really is and what´s leading its way. This study show that shareholder value has developed and been established in Swedish companies between 1995 and 2005. The study has found evidence that suggests that the development can primarily be linked to board networks and international exposure.

It generally takes 10 to 12 years for a new drug to hit the market. The pharmaceutical industry invests huge sums in these early stages of research and development. In spite of the rapidly rising research and development expenditures fewer and fewer blockbuster drugs are being developed. Longer lead times and aggressive generic post-patent competition have narrowed the timeframe for the pharmaceutical companies to profit on their investments.In the face of these threats the pharmaceutical industry has developed a battery of strategies to prolong market exclusivity and to maximize return on investment. These emerging strategies are commonly known as Life cycle management (LCM), which actually is more of a concept than a method.

Ever since Sweden joined EU on the 1st of January 1995 the auditing is regulated not only by our Swedish laws but also by EG:s directives. In the fourth directive the member states are given a possibility to dispense small companies from the duty to audit the accounts. It is up to every member state to decide whether they want to dispense the small companies or not and today Sweden is one of few member states who does not. The purpose of this essay was to describe how lenders and Skatteverket will act in case of a dispensation for small companies from the duty to audit the accounts. The study has been carried out by interviewing four lenders and Skatteverket. The study shows that the lenders and Skatteverkets acting in case of a dispensation for small companies from the duty to audit the accounts will part from each others. While the lenders stand before a big change Skatteverkets work will be next to unaltered. Half the lenders think that they will continue to demand that the companies? accounts be audited.

Ever since Sweden joined EU on the 1st of January 1995 the auditing is regulated not only by our Swedish laws but also by EG:s directives. In the fourth directive the member states are given a possibility to dispense small companies from the duty to audit the accounts. It is up to every member state to decide whether they want to dispense the small companies or not and today Sweden is one of few member states who does not.The purpose of this essay was to describe how lenders and Skatteverket will act in case of a dispensation for small companies from the duty to audit the accounts. The study has been carried out by interviewing four lenders and Skatteverket.The study shows that the lenders and Skatteverkets acting in case of a dispensation for small companies from the duty to audit the accounts will part from each others. While the lenders stand before a big change Skatteverkets work will be next to unaltered.Half the lenders think that they will continue to demand that the companies? accounts be audited.

Background: The importance of creativity and innovation is frequently stressed in modern literature on management. The significance of innovation gives entrepreneurs the reason to prior to the commencement of a relationship with a venture capitalist, obtain necessary insights regarding the influences such a relationship may have, in terms of innovation. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to scrutinise the influence of venture capital firms on their portfolio companies regarding their ability to be innovative. Delimitations: The intent is to study the impact of a venture capitalist from the viewpoint of its portfolio companies. In other words, what the portfolio companies have perceived as changes is our main area of concern, rather than what the venture capitalist has perceived as change.

The increased specialisation and complexity in products and services has created the need for Swedish companies to focus more on their core businesses. This has resulted in them opting to buy services and products that lie outside of their core business from consultancy businesses or other types of suppliers. When companies describe their offers in internal and external marketing it is done often in terms of company or service attributes that are not based on customer value or offered value for the customer. The reason for this is that companies have not adapted their services to the different needs of their customers. As a result of this, they run the risk of offering the same services as their competitors and communicate values that the customers either do not understand or experience as value adding. By using the theory on the data collection from the case company we have an understanding and shown how the customer values can be developed from a service company?s internal and external prerequisites and competitive advantages.

From July 2005 on, the new Swedish Corporate Governance Code will be applied gradually by companies listed on the stock exchange or any authorized financial market in Sweden. The Code has been drawn up in order to clarify and to improve the self-regulation in Swedish companies. The need for codified self-regulation standards has been considered as urgent due to negative trends on the market such as the last few years? corporate scandals in domestic and international trade and industry. The sought-after consequence is to clarify the mission framework for corporate directors.Ch.

This thesis studies the concept of balance in the management control systems (MCS) of a small Swedish company within the IT-sector. The aim is to evaluate the importance of balance and dynamics in MCS and investigate which factors affect them. The frameworks used are Simons (1994) four levers of control, and the five-factor model for balance and dynamics by Mundy (2010). The small IT company - the object of the case study - has grown extensively in the last years and needs to develop more formal MCS without losing efficiency and creativity in their fast-moving industry. The case study reveals that balancing MCS is important also in smaller companies with less formal MCS.