The European Union has been working to promote equality between women and men for a long time. Despite this, Sweden still have a gender segregated labor market where men generally has the leading positions. According to European law the member states shall promote gender equality and to take all appropriate measures. Statutory gender quotas for company boards is one such measure that some of the European member states have implemented in national law. The Swedish law has no provisions governing gender quotas and therefore the purpose of this study is to explain how gender quotas for company boards relate to current law, both of European law and national legislation.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine whether institutional ownership has an influence on CEO compensation in companies where the institutions have invested. In order to fulfil the purpose of the thesis a quantitative study was carried out within the Swedish corporate context where we have studied Swedish institutional investors and companies quoted on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Our period of study was the financial year of 2007.The empirical questions at issue is; Was there a connection between Swedish institutional ownership and the size of the CEO compensation, and, does Swedish institutional ownership lead to a certain type of CEO compensation in terms of structure?Our results did not suggest that an increased institutional ownership neither leads to a certain type of salary level nor a certain kind of salary structure. These results contradict earlier American research, which has been done within this area and has previously shown a secured connection.The reasons for our results may be many and it is difficult to state any concrete conclusions to why we received differing results.

The purpose of the thesis is to map the meaning of ?international competence? in Swedish company boards of directors. The study is divided in a qualitative part and a quantitative part. The qualitative study consists of a discourse analysis where variation in interpretative repertoires are identified to enhance the understanding of the nature of reasoning related to the meaning and importance of the issue at stake. The discourse analysis is conducted on an empirical material from 27 interviews with decision makers in recruitment processes to Swedish company boards of directors.

Since 1987 until November 2010, the entrepreneurs who choose to conduct its? company in the Swedish corporate form aktiebolag had no opportunity to evade or deselect the mandatory audit. The only choice that really was there to make was to which audit firm they would turn to and the Swedish auditor?s position was rather unchallenged. Today the circumstances are different and the small businesses have been given a chance to take charge of their own situation now being able to remove the auditor.

Idag använder sig många textilföretag av långa leverantörskedjor över stora avstånd samtidigtsom företagens omgivning ställer allt högre krav på dem i samband med sociala frågor. Dethar resulterat i ett allt större behov av att kunna kontrollera företagens produktion. På grundav det har uppförandekoder blivit allt vanligare. Uppförandekoder är ett sätt för företagen attförsäkra sig om att deras produkter tillverkas på ett socialt ansvarstagande sätt. Dock finns detflera frågetecken i samband med om uppförandekoder verkligen fyller sitt syfte.Syftet med uppsatsen är att utvärdera hur fyra svenska textilföretag arbetar meduppförandekoder för att minimera de sociala problem som finns i deras leverantörskedjor.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), även kallad hållbar utveckling och ansvarsfullt företagande, var en term som började användas i slutet av 60-talet. Det är en arbetsmodell där syftet är att få företag ta ansvar för verksamheten och uppmuntra till en positiv inverkan på miljön, marknaden, samhället och anställda. CSR fungerar som en inbyggd självreglerande mekanism, genom vilket ett företag kontrollerar och håller sig uppdaterade beträffande de aktiva lagarna inom internationella normer och etik. Boliden lägger stort fokus och engagemang inom CSR- relaterade frågor. Blan annat har Boliden stärkt företagets CSR- engagemang genom att starta projektet Evaluation of Business Partner (EBP). Ett av huvudmålen med EBP är att höja standarden och öka medvetenheten angående mänskliga rättigheter bland sina affärs- och samarbetspartners.

Syfte: Vi vill öka kunskapsmassan kring huruvida konsumenters tolkningar av logotyper ligger i linje med kreatörers tankar. Metod: Induktiv ansats, kvalitativ metod i form av 16 konsumentintervjuer och 3 expertintervjuer. Den information vi har erhållt har legat till grund för våra senare delar. Teoretiska perspektiv: Corporate identity och visuell identitet, vidare har områden som färg, teckensnitt och symboler studerats. En empirisk studie om logotyper har också legat till grund i vårt teoriavsnitt.

Aim of the thesis: The aim of this thesis is to describe and gain a deeper understanding of how companies use communication as a tool to overcome the gap between the company and the consumer. The aim is also to clarify some of the factors contributing to this gap.Method:  This thesis has been made from a qualitative approach with quantitative influences. The qualitative primary data collection was gathered through six in-depth interviews with companies in Gothenburg either selling organic and fair-trade produced clothes or marketing towards sustainable consumption. The quantitative part consists of a consumer questionnaire given to 100 women in the inner city of Gothenburg.  Frame of references: Related researches within the field of the subject are presented in the beginning of this chapter. Further theories presented are the consumer?s awareness and the consumer´s responsiveness to CSR.

Issuing convertible bonds for financing purposes has never become widespread practice amongst Swedish companies, in spite of the instrument being common in international markets. Economic theory based on efficient markets suggests that companies should gain no financial benefits from using convertibles and the Swedish situation could be interpreted as in line with this reasoning. However, there are Swedish companies that have chosen to issue convertibles and the Swedish market therefore seems both supportive and contradictory to the existence of benefits of convertible bond financing. Little research concerning the Swedish market has been conducted and the purpose of this explorative thesis is thus to enhance the understanding of the Swedish market for convertibles. This is achieved by conducting in-depth interviews with six listed Swedish companies that have recently issued convertible bonds.

The ongoing harmonization process aims to incorporate IFRS regulations into the Swedish accounting. As a consequence investment property?s starting from 2005 may be valued using the fair value method, in accordance to IAS 40. This involves major changes for listed property enterprises that from now on can value a large extent of their assets to fair value. All parties don?t appreciate this progress, opponents to fair value have expressed great concern that fair value don?t work in practice.

The purpose of this study was to examine what previous research says about children?s experiences living in a low-income family. Its aim was to found out what children themselves say about their life living in a low-income family and what consequences, practical and emotional, low-income environment has on children. More specifically our aim was to find out how children themselves experienced their situation compared with their peer?s economical situation.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between financial risk and ESG scores in order to assist investors in making investment decisions. We investigate the hypothesis that there is a relationship between the ESG score of a company, and the financial risk in terms of volatility in the relevant company?s share price. The paper is grounded in sustainability reporting and financial risk. With the world facing significant changes and natural disasters, there is an urgent need for action to mitigate environmental impacts to avoid devastating consequences.

Purpose:To concretize the various factors on students' theses that are perceived valuable and can contribute to corporate profitability. In our investigation, we want to strengthen the understanding of a "win-win-situation" of cooperation between students and businesses.Methodology:In this study, we have chosen a qualitative approach in which five personal interviews with various organizations that are active in a knowledge intensive industry. A semi-structured questionnaire was used in our interviews.Theory:Our theoretical framework has two broad areas. Introductory chapter is based on theories of research development in Sweden with theories that emphasize the value of collaboration and knowledge. The second chapter deals with a theoretical outlook on value and how this can be applied in marketing.Conclusion:The study shows a diversity of values within three broad categories.

Rapporten beskriver det som gjorts i ett kandidatexamensarbete av två KTH studenter undervåren 2012. Innehållsmässigt behandlar rapporten företags ansvarstagande för hållbarhet inommiljön, det vill säga en del av Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR. Efter undersökningen om CSR, bestämde vi oss för att fördjupa oss inom miljöområdet. Målet var att analysera skillnaden mellan tillverkningsföretag och tjänsteföretag då det gällde miljöarbetet. Gruppen intervjuade endast Atlas Copco och TeliaSonera som fick besvara frågeställningen om just de två företagen - Hur sammanfaller/skiljer sig det egna initiativarbetet mellan tillverkningsföretag och tjänsteföretag för att minska dagens miljöpåverkan? För att kunna besvara frågeställningen började gruppen med att samla information.

The recent development in society?s structure has given rise to a more complex reality for the Swedishbanks. There is an increased pressure from external stakeholders for the banks to take a greater socialresponsibility in society; the bank must therefore focus on both direct as well as indirect effects of itsactions. The term corporate social responsibility implies that the company does not only focus on itsfinancial status but also on values such as ethics and environment. These commitments are crystalized,more or less clearly, in the banks? lending policy?s, whom are entirely defined by the banksthemselves.The nature of the abstract CSR expression gives rise to uncertainty, both in regards to the banks ownefforts towards social responsibility but also for the external stakeholders, for which it can be quitedifficult to understand what commitments are actually made.This study aims to investigate how the Swedish banks public statements, with regards to their lendingpolicy, correlates with the actual actions carried out by the banks.