By identifying effects that a buyout-firm has on management control systems in its portfolio companies, the aim of this thesis is to explain how such effects differs between the companies and finally to explain why the effects differs even though the companies are owned by the same buyout-firm. The study is conducted as a qualitative case study based on interviews with representatives from the studied buyout-firm and three of its portfolio companies.By analyzing the empirical findings with frameworks and theories within management control systems and value creation, we cannot only identify effects that are common for all portfolio companies but we can also observe differences between the portfolio companies.The identified effects that are common for all portfolio companies are: increased internal reporting burden, increased perceived risk of getting laid off among managers and co-workers and replacement of the board immediately after acquisition.The effects that are observed only for two portfolio companies are: increased focus on short-term planning, higher financial targets, replacement of company management upon acquisition and moving of decision authorities to higher organizational levels. Differences are observed although the portfolio companies are owned by the same buyout-firm due to: differences in management and co-workers equity stake in the portfolio companies, differences in business complexity and differences in planned exit-horizon..

The purpose of this Master?s Thesis is to examine the information use and information behavior of the scientists at the company ?Forskningsbolaget?. For this purpose an Information Audit was carried out using both interviews with six managers and a questionnaire, which was sent out to the entire population of 213 scientists. After finding out what information the scientists use and how they obtain it the aim was to answer the question of to what extent the company?s Information Centre can meet these needs.

Human capital is professional service firms' most valuable resource and its quality is closely linked to the quality of its services. The purpose of this study is to investigate how professional service firms appraise their employees. A comparative study between an architecture firm and a management consulting firm is conducted with the aim to identify and explain similarities and differences in performance appraisal. Two qualitative case studies are performed and interviews as well as documents are used to explore the area. The thesis builds on a critical perspective and it has an explorative approach.

This essay examines the expected impact of the statury audit exemption in Sweden from anauditor perspective and any conscious changes made on the accounting firms to meet the abolition.The theoretical framework is divided into three parts where the first deals with the concept of audit, who the stakeholders are to revised information, the auditor's function from an agent and positive accountingtheoretical perspective and the expectation gap of what an auditor cando and what the client expect audit to be. The second part deals with the audit exemptions and effects in Denmark and England. The last section addresses the current debate, studies and statements by FAR SRS, small businesses, banks and the tax authority.The essay is essentially inductive with a phenomenological operator perspective. The thesis has a qualitative approach with four respondents who are authorized or approved as an auditor with extensive experience, active on four different accounting firms. The questionnaire is divided into two parts where the first part consists of a number of very open questions and the other part of more structured questions in order to obtain comprehensive answers.The survey shows that a number of new services, certifications and authentication degrees are to be expected in Sweden aswell.

Title: The auditors? choice of negotiation tactics with the client. Has a transformative leadership and self-efficacy any impact on the choice?Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business AdministrationAuthor: Patrick Fransson, Sara EskilssonSupervisor: Jan SvanbergDate: 2015 - 05 Aim: Previous studies indicate different results regarding which tactic the auditor usually use in negotiations with the client. Therefore, this study describes factors that may affect the auditors choice of tactics, that not previously been explored in relation to the tactics that are examined in this study.

The Swedish government decided in 1996 that the governmental authorities are to implemementenvironmental management systems. Each year, the Swedish Environmental ProtectionAgency compiles the authorities? reports on their environmental management systems. Thecompilation shows that not more than 20 % of the authorities perform environmental audits.This study aims to investigate the authorities? view of internal environmental audits, the incentivesof performing them.

Syfte: Syftet med vårt examensarbete är att försöka identifiera och analysera hur revisorer definierar revisionskvalité och hur de förvissar sig om att de genomför revision med hög kvalitéMetod: För att nå fram till ett resultat har en abduktiv ansats med en kvantitativ metod använts för denna explorativa studieTeoretiskt perspektiv: Studien utgår ifrån befintlig teori och vetenskapliga studier men även resultatet av våra pilotintervjuer som använts för att urskilja faktorer som kan förklara vårt syfte. Teorier som använts är professionsteori, institutionell teori och byråkulturell teoriEmpiri: Det empiriska materialet grundar sig på en enkätundersökning som vänder sig till Sveriges revisorer i FARs medlemsregister. Det empiriska materialet har analyserats av statistiska testerResultat: Analysen påvisade att de faktorer som har den största positiva påverkan på revisionskvalité är expertis tillsammans med revisorns kompetens.

Revisorers roll har utvecklats genom tiden, från att ta hand om bolagets räkenskaper och gekonsulttjänster till sina kunder till att idag endast granska väsentliga poster och företagetstransaktioner samt hitta felaktigheter i redovisningen. Far menar med revision att revisorn som enoberoende part granskar bolagets årsredovisning och bokslut i syfte att fastställa omredovisningen ger en rättvisande bild av företaget till externa intressenter såsom investerare,banker etc.Syftet med undersökningen är att undersöka hur förväntningsgapet mellan småföretagare ochrevisorer ser ut. Vi har även tänkt ge förslag på hur förväntningsgapet kan minska samt få enuppfattning om vad det var som förorsakade förväntningsgapet, som till slut kan hjälpa oss attuppnå en bättre förståelse på problematiken. För att åstadkomma syftet med uppsatsen har vigenomfört kvalitativa intervjuer med tre revisorer och två ägare till två småföretag.Vår slutsats är att småföretag har bristande kunskap om vad revisorers uppgift och roll innebär.Exempel på deras bristande kunskap är att revisorn kan allting och löser alla företags ekonomiskaproblem, samt att revisorn kan samtidigt bokföra och revidera företagets räkenskaper. Det finnsflera saker som kan anses ha påverkan på förväntningsgapets uppkomst.

This thesis follows a qualitative method and aim to describe firms? international business at an emerging market seen from a network perspective. The purpose of the thesis is to study in what way business relations and networks influence the process of internationalization and describe the way in which companies handle the external network in relation to acquisitions. Further does our purpose include analyzing if a firm?s network may be the main factor for why international business occurs.

In April 2008 an official report, SOU (2008:32), was presented. In that report it was suggestedthat the statutory audit for approximately 96 % of the Swedish companies was to be abolished.The report suggests that the new regulations should apply to all limited companies thatare below two of three limits that have been suggested: a) a balance-sheet total of 41,5 millionSEK; b) a net turnover of 83 million SEK or; c) less than 50 employees. The regulations aresuggested to come into force July 1, 2010. According to the Swedish laws that regulate thelimited companies, Aktiebolagslagen 10:11, should all limited companies regardless of sizehave an chartered accountant or otherwise approved. The purpose of the audit is to create atrust towards the figures that the company shows and also to act as an assurance towards thirdparties (Collis, 2003; Strenger et al, 2008).

AbstractThe control of quality standard ISO 9001 has made the internal audit to be experienced as police authority and paragraph control. Because of that, motivation for internal auditors is low. To counteract the experience, there is a possibility to integrate internal audit with improvements in company?s processes. Theory has shown that a qualified and competent auditor can provide information that can help the organization's managements to make the right decisions that will improve product quality and result in new customer contracts.An opportunity to observe an internal and external audit at one of the case companies gave rise to this study.

AbstractPurpose:The purpose of the study is to describe the internationalization process of one firm when in a country culturally diverse from the firm?s original market.Methodology/approach:The study is a single case study which examines one firm?s internationalization process when entering the Chinese market. The approach has been an empiric interaction between empirical and theoretical data.Findings:The theory of the Uppsala model was applied to the case-company to test the model?s completeness. The authors found weaknesses and added three more aspects to the model.

A large proportion of businesses around the world is today ISO 9001 certified and is consequently conducting internal audits on a regular basis. It has however not been possible to conclude that internal audits always add value to the organisation, despite the large utilisation of this tool. Some authors, e.g. Alic & Rusjan (2010) and Wealleans (2000), mean that there are possibilities that internal audits may be used as a value-adding improvement tool. This has led to the emergence of this master?s thesis.The purpose of the case study was therefore formulated to examine how internal quality audits can be made more effective and used as an improvement tool.

This bachelor thesis aims to analyse the effects of changes in management control systems following acquisitions, and deduce whether or not these effects are in line with the acquiring firm's objectives of the acquisition. Through a case study of technician consultant firm Energo, acquired in 2010 by ÅF, the study assumes the perspective of the acquired firm. Data has been collected through in-depth interviews at Energo and ÅF and complemented by internal documents to enrich and validate specific facts and statements. Data was then arranged and analysed through Otley and Fierriera's (2009) framework Performance Management Systems to understand how management control systems were constituted before the acquisition, what changes were made following the acquisition, how this process was accomplished and how it was experienced, in order to come to conclusions about the effects of these changes. The study concludes that the changes in Energo's management control system following the integration with ÅF, had significant effects on the outcome of the acquisition, primarily as it led to a high rate of Energo's employees resigning.

Internkommunikation är något som finns i alla företag och förefaller vara en viktig del av ett företags ekonomistyrning då ledare med hjälp av internkommunikation mer effektivt kan samordna personal att sträva mot företagets mål. Då det behövs mer forskning kring hur företag med hjälp av internkommunikation kan bli mer effektiva är syftet med studien att skapa en förståelse för hur företag kan använda sin internkommunikation som en del av sin ekonomistyrning. Studien har genomförts som en fallstudie med intervjuer på ett tjänsteföretag som är en del av en större koncern och visar på vad ledare kan behöva ta hänsyn till när de ska utforma kommunikationsstrategier. Vidare har studien med utgångspunkt i Agentteorin och Attention-Based View of the firm tagit fram en förenklad modell för att försöka förklara sambandet mellan dessa teorier, det vill säga hur relationen mellan informationsasymmetri och personalens förmåga att rikta uppmärksamhet mot information ter sig. Modellen visar att detta kan påverka företags internkommunikation och därmed även effektiviteten i dess ekonomistyrning vilket är studiens bidrag till ekonomistyrningsområdet.Nyckelord: Agentteori, Attention-Based View of the firm, ekonomistyrning, informationsasymmetri, informationskanaler, informationsöverflöde, internkommunikation.