The purpose of this paper is to investigate analysts' and investors' possibility to compare different companies' information in accounting for goodwill under IFRS in their annual and semi-annual reports. The study was based on IAS 34 on interim reporting, IAS 36 impairment of goodwill and the comparability requirement of the financial statements. Therefore, the comparability requirements? of the IASB Framework, previous studies on the comparability after the implementation of IFRS and also the relevance of goodwill was studied. We used a qualitative textual analysis to examine whether the recognition of goodwill is considered to be comparable between our sample of companies' annual and semi-annual reports from 2008 and 2009 data.

Introduction: The auditor's going-concern warnings express the quality assurance of information and if these are wrongly based, the stakeholders become deluded. Previous research has shown that auditors do not have any major difficulties in identifying companies that are financially distressed to the extent that they risk receiving a going-concern warning. International studies on the determinants of going-concern warnings have instead focused primarily on the auditor's decision regarding companies that are already in bad shape financially. Auditor grounds for issuing a going concern warning may be linked to factors related to the client, the auditor, the audit firm, the relationship between the client and the auditor and the environment. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out what specific factors that affect the auditor issuing going concern warnings for financially distressed companies.

Bakgrund och problem: Enligt IFRS Föreställningsram är Årsredovisningens huvudsakliga intressentinvesterare. För att attrahera riskkapital från investerare är det angeläget att bolagets finansiellaställning är god. Detta kan skapa incitament för bolaget att anpassa sin finansiella ställning för attmöta investerares krav. För att uppnå detta kan bolag använda sig av olika redovisningstekniskametoder, beroende på hur årsredovisningen skall framställas. Merparten av dessa metoder, vilkasyftar till att framställa den ekonomiska ställningen som bättre än verkligheten, går underbenämningen Designad redovisning, där Big Bath Accounting ingår som en del.Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka om det finns statistiska belägg för tillämpning av den teoretiskadefinitionen av strategin Big Bath Accounting på NASDAQ OMX Stockholmsbörsens Large Cap.Avgränsningar: Studien avgränsar sig till att undersöka företag, som per 2009-04-01 fanns noteradepå NASDAQ OMX Stockholmsbörsens Large Cap.

Background: At the turn of the year 2004/2005, IAS 19 replaced Tryggandelagen (TrL) and RR 29 as the accounting standard in Swedish concerns. This introduction was associated with a certain apprehension for the possible changes in the companies? pension liabilities and equity.Purpose: To illustrate the difficulties of the introduction of IAS 19 by observing how it differs from TrL, and what kind of problems these differences can cause.Procedure: Individuals who are well up in, and work with pension liabilities have been interviewed. After this follows an example of the calculated pension liability of a company, to illustrate the differences between the calculations according to TrL and IAS 19. To conclude the chapter, a comparison between a number of companies from the Stockholm stock exchange is made to establish their various actuarial assumptions.Method: The essay mainly follows the qualitative research method, since this method is more appropriate when the substance in the matter is based on detailed differences and opinions.Results and conclusions: The introduction of IAS 19 has taken time and been an expensive matter, although the expenses weren?t as great as feared.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to see if there are higher restructuring expenses under the item provision for the first year when a new president takes office.Method: The study was done by a quantitative study. Financial statements have been examined for companies listed on the OMX Stockholm Stock Exchange, Large Cap. We have examined all the companies? annual reports between the years 2002-2008. We have looked at the experience of restructuring and other expenses that occur in the context of CEO change.

Accounting has been critized for being one of the leading factors in the latest financial crisis. One of the primary problem areas was identified as delayed recogonition of losses on financial instruments. Consequently, a new impairment model is being developed and is to be namned expected loss model. The difference from the present model, incurred loss model, is that it takes losses into consideration on an much earlier level. Even though the model may be theoretically feasible, in practice it may implicate a number of issues.

Background: Sweden?s membership in the EU affected the Swedish accounting regulation. Three EU-directives was implemented in the Swedish accounting regulation. This also meant that the concept "true and fair view" was introduced in the new "Årsredovisningslagen". The concept is not clearly defined and therefore the interpretation may differ amongst accountants.

Goodwill är en immateriell tillgång som funnits inom redovisningen de senaste hundra åren. Hur goodwill ska behandlas diskuteras flitigt av forskare och yrkesverksamma. Från och med 2005 beslutade EU att alla noterade företag i unionen skulle följa IASB:s standarder vid upprättandet av sin koncernredovisning. Med de nya reglerna följde att goodwill ska värderas till verkligt värde och årligen testas för nedskrivningsbehov. Denna värderingsmetod innehåller subjektiva bedömningar av företagsledningen, vilket kräver transparens av företagen i sin redovisning av koncerngoodwill med information om hur nedskrivningsprövningen har utförts.

The Swedish Tax Agency is a government authority whose mission is to collect taxes and fees for financing the public sector and welfare in Sweden. Under the last decade the tax gap in Sweden has been constant and small businesses with a max turnover of 25 millions Swedish crowns are the biggest group in the tax gap. In the government inquiry about abolishment of statutory audit for small businesses (2008) there has been laid some proposals that the Swedish Tax Agency should get new control tools and increased rights to control small businesses tax accounts. In the science some controversies exists about tax authority?s ability to get taxpayers to pay taxes and fees to the society through using deterrence and compellence control methods versus more service? This ground has guided us to our presentation of a problem: ?How the Swedish Tax Agency works with influencing small businesses behaviour through preventive actions and controls?? The purpose of this study is to research and understand how the Swedish Tax Agency works in their control activities to influence small businesses behaviours regarding taxes and fees.

Since January 1st 2008, companies have the opportunity to become certified by the new common customs system Authorized Economic Operator (AEO). This opportunity is presented so that authorities together with operators are trusted to ensure that it is the correct cargo that gets transported. Attends Healthcare AB (Attends) has decided to implement this certification. To qualify there are a number of criteria that needs to be met. The aim of this thesis is to verify if Attends can meet the required criteria.

The accounting of today results in reports that are valued according to one kind of value.There are advocates who recommend that the accounting should be expanded by one orseveral columns, which would enable that other methods of valuation could be used. In thisessay we examine how the ?multi column reporting? can alter the outcome of a financialanalysts? valuation procedure.In this essay we used existing theories about the financial analysts? usage of information toreach the lack of information we found and which we aim to erase whit this essay. To do thiswe studied decision theories and theories regarding information processing, and by interviewswith three financial analysts. After we collected the information needed for the analyses, wethen also compared the results of the interviews with related theories.The theories about decision in this essay concern whether a decision is based on rationality,bounded rationality or irrationality.

The arm?s length principle has existed in Swedish law since 1928 but has previously been given little attention. In 2007, documentation requirements were introduced, and the government began to do tax audits regarding transfer pricing. This thesis examines how the documentation requirements and tax audits affect the application of the arm's length principle. The research consists of nine interviews with a total of ten people at the tax authority (Skatteverket) and audit- and consulting agencies. The results of the interviews are analyzed using the agency theory. Many companies are risk averse and prefer having correct transfer pricing instead of taking on challenging strategies that can be risky in case of an investigation by Skatteverket.

 BakgrundI november 2010 avskaffades revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag i Sverige. Anledningen till lagändringen var att regeringen ville sänka kostnaderna för små bolag, samt att regeringen ville att Sveriges lagstiftning skulle harmoniseras med EU:s lagstiftning. Regeringen menade att bolagen efter revisionspliktens avskaffande skulle använda den insparade kostnaden till att köpa andra tjänster från revisionsbyråerna.SyfteSyftet är att beskriva hur den avskaffade revisionsplikten för små företag har förändrat kundunderlaget och tjänsteutvecklingen för några utvalda revisionsbyråer. Vidare är syftet att beskriva vilken betydelse revisionsbyråerna anser att revisionen har för de små företagen.MetodI uppsatsen har en kvalitativ metod använts. Intervjuer med 6 olika revisionsbyråer i Sundsvall har genomförts.

Bachelor thesis, Controller, Program of Master of Science in Business and Economics, School of Business and Economics at Linneaus University in Växjö, Sweden, Course Code: 2FE13E:3, Spring 2012 Authors: Jacob Cedergren, Adam Pettersson, Hampus SkelterwijkSupervisor: Anders JerrelingTitle: The ERP-systems impact of the management control - a case study of VIDA AB Original Title: Affärssystemens påverkan på ekonomistyrningen - en fallstudie på VIDA ABBackground: New technology has given businesses new opportunities to use and store information and the current information systems has changed the way of working in more or less all sectors and operations. ERP-systems have been one of the most important IT innovations in the past decade. The potential of a properly implemented ERP-system is great because it has got the ability to link the company?s different areas together. Despite its many advantages, there are several examples of cases where the acquisition and implementation has been a total failure.

Bakgrund: Med eskalerande miljöhot är det självklart att alla ska bidra till ett värnande om miljön och en hållbar utveckling.Företag kan, frivilligt, utföra hållbarhetsredovisningar för attlegitimera sig inför sina intressenter. Ett bestyrkande frånoberoende part gör hållbarhetsredovisningen, som liggerutanför traditionell redovisning, mer trovärdig.Syfte: Syftet med fallstudien är att, utifrån en grundmodell och enutvidgad modell inom hållbar utveckling granska tre företags hållbarhetsredovisningar, för att i analys och slutsats urskilja om hållbar utveckling kan uppnås genom hållbarhetsredovisningar.Metod: FallstudieResultat: Med lagar som grund i all redovisning, tillsammans mednormgivande riktlinjer som exempelvis GRI, toppat med företagens vilja att konkurrera och marknadsföra sig via redovisning av miljö- och socialt ansvar, kan resultatet bli att en uppstramning av lagen i nuläget är onödig..