This study investigates a method for identifying human capital and its effect on company valuation. We devise a measure for the efficiency of human capital based on the personnel cost. We include all companies listed in the financial and industry sector on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm in an attempt to examine human capital and its effect on firm valuation. Our results indicate that a higher efficiency of human capital has a positive effect on return on assets. However, we find that our measure can be interpreted in two ways; either as a firm?s level of human capital efficiency or its dependency on human capital, to achieve its net sales and revenue.

The global financial crisis hit hard on banking operations worldwide and the sector fell under considerable scrutiny, with particular criticism directed against the banks' own trading practices. A bank owned by the Swedish financial corporation HQ seemed to go without serious financial damage duringthe crisis.In 2008 Finansinspektionen began a review of HQ's activities and a number of shortcomings were identified. Among other things, HQ's risk management was questioned by Finansinspektionen and further how this potentially affected the valuation of complex financial products.In our paper we have chosen to highlight both national and international laws and guidelines that HQ used for their operations and study if HQ followed those laws and guidelines. We also want topresent the theoretical model used by HQ for the valuation of its European options and how HQ calculated their capital requirements ratio. Our purpose is to show how the valuation affected the capitalrequirement ratio and whether HQ followed the necessary laws and guidelines for the valuation of complex financial products.We have chosen to carry out a case study from a deductive approach.

Den senaste tiden har en mängd samarbeten, eller så kallade co-brandings, mellan olika företags varumärken vuxit fram. Avsikten är att förstärka sitt eller sina varumärken med hjälp av ett annat varumärke som är förknippat med någonting unikt. Hur bedömer man resultatet av denna co-branding? Har det egna varumärket förstärkts eller har det försvagats? För att klargöra detta resultat måste varumärkets Brand Equity mätas. Med brand equity menas det kapital som varumärket representerar.

The number of LBOs in Sweden has increased during the last years and the current market trend is positive. MostLBOs involves private companies, but a few concerns public corporations on the national share market. In this thesis we will examine the conditions of a LBO of Cloetta Fazer AB. The purpose is to study existing conditions of Cloetta Fazer AB and to examine pros and cons with the deal. Based upon information presented in the frame of reference and in the empirical part, two cash flow valuations have been carried out.

When the Internet was established in the early 1990`s the daily press got a new market to act on. Contacts with readers was strengthened through the internet and as the years went by interactivity became increasingly important ? both for editorial and audience. One of the most common and most accessible forms of interaction is polls. This paper has examined within what contexts the newspapers are using polls ? in other words in what values of news criteria?s do the articles connected to a vote belong to.

The purpose of this report is to develop a visual identity and a brand book for the company Yakobs Ram & Reklam (Yakobs Frame and Advertising). To answer the question of how a brand book should be designed for a company that manage several businesses within one brand a qualitative approach including a case study has been conducted.This qualitative method included research on brand building, logotypes, colour, design and typography and interviews with the company Yakobs Ram & Reklam and three representatives from the advertising agencies Anfang and Jerhammar & Co.In order to develop a brand manual for a company with several businesses, the study revealed that there should be a main logo where the secondary logos, consisting of the various components of the company, are linked by colour coding. In addition, the study has shown that the key elements to include in a brand book are the use of the logo, colour, typography, visual style and profile products including brochures and business cards. These findings form the basis of the brand manual and are the result of this work. As the amount of previously known facts regarding the construction of a brand book are scarce, the choice of method has been crucial and the data generated can be generalized and applied to new similar cases.

The aim of our master thesis is to study the way valuation of real estate is conducted by real estate companies. Furthermore we want to identify the factors that affect the relevance and reliability of the valuation. The reason for this is the introduction of IFRS, in 2005, and the application of the IAS 40 rules stating that real estate are to be recognized at fair value on the balance sheet. To do this we have performed a case study on 10 Swedish real estate compa-nies listed on the Stockholm stock exchange, OMX, Large Cap and Mid Cap list to see how the share value has performed in relation to the reported net asset value since 2005 and how they value their collection of properties. We also studied the assumptions made by real estate company analysts.

Today, there are a number of different models and methods used to estimate the equity value of a company. A common tool for valuating stock prices is the usage of different multiples. This is a method used to determine the value of a company, by examining and comparing the financial ratios of relevant peer groups. The disadvantage with this method is that it does not take all the important aspects, such as risk, investments and capital structure, into consideration. However, this study investigates if the key value, called discounted cash flow (DCF), can be integrated with the valuation of the multiples.

The paper investigates the role of packaging within brand management of FMCG food companies and their attitude towards packaging. This study enhances the understanding of how FMCG food companies actually work and strive to work with packaging..

Reaching out with a specific message to consumers is the idea of marketing. Advertising is among the most common elements when it comes to marketing a product or a service. There are various ways to provide marketing with a message. A relatively new way that has become larger in marketing is to provide marketing with emotions. It has been shown in several studies that emotions can have a direct or an indirect effect such as ad-attitude and brand-attitude, and that is what our essay is about.

Purpose: The aim of the thesis is to identify principles of valuation and to reach a solution for how Statens järnvägar can present their leased railroad vehicles in the future.Methodology: The authors have done a case study through a qualitative approach. Interviews have been done with Statens järnvägar, Näringsdepartementet and Riksrevisionen. Annual reports from Banverket and Luftfartsverket have been studied.Theoretical perspectives: The regulations that rule the authorities are a base for the study.Earlier researches done within the subject are presented in this section.Empirical foundation: The empirical foundation of this study consists of primary- and secondary data. The primary data is collected from the interviews that have been done, whilst the secondary data is composed of annual reports, regulations and various other documents.Conclusions: The authors have come to the conclusion that the method of valuation that Statens järnvägar choose, depends a lot on the vehicles hypothetical future. It is difficult to say that only one of the methods would be the correct one..

The purpose of this essay was to examine the packaging design´s communications related to the colloquially brand's symbolic capital and how they became meaningful through experience and perceptions that led to the identification processes in the consumer society. There were eight interviews of snuff users who became my main collections materials. My theoretical framework was discourse psychology´s emphasis on language and Bourdieu´s concept provided important tools in the analysis of the material.I could highlight that packaging design and the brand had influenced the informants and given them symbolic beliefs and what it meant to sniff a certain brand. Color, brand awareness and price were crucial in choosing where the informants attributed themselves the cans symbolic values to their identity. It could be inferred high and low status perceptions based on stereotypes in the design itself..

Since year 2005 the accounting has changed for public companies because of the new international standards, IFRS. IFRS 3 provides a single international accounting treatment for acquisitions and has broadened the definition of intangible assets. By IFRS 3 goodwill is defined as the excess of the cost of acquisition and is separated from intangible assets. Now goodwill must be annually tested by an impairment test. There are many valuation issues to considerate when it comes to deciding the value of goodwill.

Thesis purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the interdependencies within the process of partner selection in the fashion and design sector and the emanating criteria for finding the ideal co-branding partner in order to use co-branding as a strategic brand activation tool. Methodology: Multiple Case Study Theoretical perspective: Brand Building and Brand Activation, Relationship Marketing, Strategic Alliances, Affinity Partnering, Co-Branding, Consumer-Brand Relationships Empirical data: Interviews with expert consultants and company representatives (adidas, BMW, BMW MINI, Diesel, H&M, Opel, Philips, Sharp, Volkswagen) Conclusion: Partner selection depends decisively on the different co-branding aims and incorporates the crucial step when using co-branding as a tool for strategic brand activation. The co-branding aim and the corresponding partner lead to various types of relationships, which, in this study, are anthropomorphized to connect the world of marketing and branding to real life. Fashion and design brands have proven to be particularly eligible as co-branding partners for brand activation due to their innovative and trend-oriented nature..

Uppsatsens huvudsakliga syfte är att öka förståelsen för hur varumärkeskapitalets dimensioner påverkas av en nedåtgående vertikal brand-extension. Med en kvantitativ metod och en experimentell undersökning, med 440 svarande studenter, har vi belyst området. Experimentet baserades på en fiktiv lågprislinje för ett starkt varumärke inom dagligvaruhandeln, i vårt fall Uncle Ben?s. Den teoretiska referensramen kommer från områdena varumärkeskapital och brand-extension.