Real options analysis is a method for assigning value to flexibility in decisions, coming from uncertainty in future outcomes. This thesis ascertains to what degree this method is superior to traditional net present value analysis, with regards to ease of implementation in relation to the benefits from being able to measure the total value. Real options analysis is evaluated with a case study of the Swedish online gambling market, and conducted with the binomial framework of Copeland and Antikarov (2003). The authors find the sensible use of real options dependant on the specific situation to which it is applied, i.e. a certain degree of future uncertainty and managerial flexibility is necessary for justification of the increased workload.

This thesis explores some issues regarding estimations of the cost of capital on the Stockholm Stock Exchange through reverse engineering of the Residual Income Valuation model and through usage of the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Previous studies are in conflict of whether the risk premium changes considerably over time or not. Furthermore, the risk premium estimated by CAPM tends to be fairly stable. In this study, reverse engineering of the cost of capital implied by analysts? forecasts shows a significant difference in the risk premium over time.

Background: According to us, obtaining reimbursement of expenses in connection with a representation is a ?forgotten? process, and we therefore find it interesting to look further into. In some cases we have not claimed for compensation since we consider the process as too complicated or that we lost the original receipt. Ernst & Young (2009) say in their research that within the financial management area, Swedish operations loses billions of Swedish crowns due to bad routines. Okada and Hoch (2004) mention that if time were not considered as a resource, time would not be a hinder.

The purpose of this Master?s thesis is to investigate the legal practice of valuation in arbitration board proceedings concerning freeze-outs after non-cash take-over bids. We find that the most important method for valuing the shares offered in exchange for the shares of a target company is to take the volume-weighted average of the quoted prices of the shares offered in exchange during the acceptance period of the take-over bid. This thesis is a complement to previous studies by Peter Jennergren (1996) and by Andrea Lundqvist and Victor Ludvigsson (2007) of how the Balken case (a freeze-out case that was eventually decided by the Supreme Court of Sweden, in 1996) has affected the legal practice of valuation in freeze-out arbitration board proceedings. We have undertaken an empirical study of 48 freeze-outs between 1985 and 2006 where shares in the bidding companies were offered in exchange for shares in the target companies.

The theory that concepts that are interpreted subjectively in building care creates problems in how the concepts are defined in practice within the current governing documents and guidelines for building care. This essay has studied concepts in the building maintenance literature to investigate whether there is consensus in compliance practice within the building process. In the study, 9 concepts have been investigated through conversational interviews and questionnaires answered by practitioners with extensive experience in building care processes. In the survey, an attempt is made, to measure how big or small the consensus is between practitioners who often need to collaborate within the building maintenance process. The investigation shows that existence of the concepts in building maintenance is very common in the theoretical literature examined but is almost completely absent in the craft area. Since laws, regulations, principles, and guidelines have defined concepts to support the decisions in the building maintenance process, it can be concluded that there is a lack of practice for compliance.

This thesis aims to investigate if peer-groups based on industry classification perform as well as, or better than, peer-groups based on other measures that represent factors affecting the price-to-earnings multiple. In contrast with previous empirical studies, a solid theoretical approach is used in defining which factors, according to valuation theory, affect the P/E-ratio. The factors identified as explanatory are accounting measures, risk and growth. Furthermore, we have recognized several measures that represent these factors. These measures are tested for accuracy of prediction in terms of the P/E-ratio for peer-groups based on these measures relative to an industry classified peer-group.

Problem: How has Nordea been adapted and influenced by the change of Basel II and how have the employees reacted on the new change?Purpose: This essay has a purpose to study how Basel II has influenced the credit rating at Nordea. We also want to study how the employees have reacted to the new change.Method: To receive the information that was necessary for this study interviews were performed with the employees at Nordea. The interviews were an effective way to start a discussion and by that we received important information.Basel II is new capital cover rules that the Swedish banks have introduced. These new rules mean that it will become more important with safety when it comes to risk management and credit giving.

SammanfattningTitel: Redovisningsinformationens betydelse vid kreditbedömning av små och medelstora företag.Nivå: C-uppsats i företagsekonomi.Författare: Annelie Engström och Christian Mattsson.Handledare: Ann W Dörner.Datum: Juni 2012.Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur kreditgivare använder sig av redovisningsinformation vid kreditbedömningen av små och medelstora företag.Forskningsfrågorna är:Stämmer redovisningsinformationen överens med kreditgivarnas behov av information vid kreditbedömning av små och medelstora företag? Vilka delar av redovisningsinformationen är viktiga vid en kreditbedömning av små och medelstora företag? Metod: I denna studie används en mixad metod vilket innebär att en kvantitativ metod används vid insamling av data och en kvalitativ metod vid analyseringen av data. Empirisk data har samlats in med strukturerade frågeformulär med fasta svarsalternativ som skickats ut till respondenterna. Sekundärdata har sökts fram ur relevant litteratur, artiklar och tidigare undersökningar.Resultat och Slutsats: De flesta kreditgivare är nöjda med den information som ges. Balans- och resultaträkning är de viktigaste rapporterna vid en kreditbedömning.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Bankkrisen under 1990-talet och den globala krisen mellan 2007 -2009 har kommit som en kalldusch för de svenska storbankerna, Handelsbanken, Nordea, SEB och Swedbank, vilket har lett till betydande kreditförluster. Kreditförluster är den vanligaste orsaken till bankernas ekonomiska problem vid en finansiell kris då återbetalningsförmågan hos kredittagare försämras, samtidigt som det talar för att finansiella kriser är ett återkommande fenomen idag.Syfte: Syftet med detta examensarbete är att se vilka åtgärder i kreditprocessen som gjorts efter finanskriserna i de fyra svenska storbankerna samt även se hur tidigare gjorda åtgärder stod sig under den senaste krisen. Vår ambition med uppsatsen är att de resultat vi får fram ska kunna användas av bankerna i kreditprocessen så att de påverkas mindre vid framtida eventuella kriser.Metod: Uppsatsen grundar sig på en kvalitativ metod med respondenter med gedigen erfarenhet och ansvarspositioner inom storbankernas kreditprocesser och praktisk kunnighet gällande storbankernas påverkan av finansiella kriser.Slutsats: De svenska storbankernas kreditprocesser stod sig bra under den senaste globala krisen i jämförelse med bankkrisen under 1990-talet, orsaken till det är de åtgärder som gjordes i kreditprocessen efter bankkrisen inom banken. Kreditprocessen har under de senaste 20 åren gått från en delvis oprövad och snabb kreditprocess till att idag vara en mer sofistikerad och tungarbetad kreditprocess som ställer högre och strängare krav på kredittagarna. För att få kreditprocessen helt vaccinerad mot finanskriser anser vi att det behövs mer mod och integritet hos kredithandläggare för att på bästa sätt kunna förmedla den rådande situationen på ett korrekt och snabbt sätt..

The attention on environmental issues has never been as huge as today. The climate is changing and more and more evidence suggest that the cause behind climate changes is an increase of carbondioxide into the atmosphere. The increase in turn is considerd to be an act of human activity. Therefore some companies have decided to become climate neutral and implement information technology in their business in order to reduce their emissions. This thesis has three aimes: to calculate a small company´s carbondioxide emissions, study whether or not information technology could help to reduce these emissions and furthermore find out why some companies decided to become climate neutral and describe the concept climate neutral.

Consumers today leave a fragment of information when they pay with their debit and credit cards. The aim of our work is to investigate ways to design a concept of a system in which digitally stored information that today is fragmented among several different holders, can be assembled into a system and made available to consumers. In our study of how a system for financial flow of information should be designed, we intend to study the present situation and the attempts made to alter it into a more informative reality. We intend to investigate the flow of information when a consumer pays by card, and the possible solutions regarding the design and transportation of digital receipts. A majority of the information of our digital consumption is today handled digitally.

Practitioners of financial statement analysis are dependent on key ratios in a multiple number of situations, one in particular being equity valuation. A lack of historical benchmarks, and knowledge regarding the time series behaviour of such ratios, has been identified regarding Swedish companies. Therefore, this study sets out to provide such data and knowledge. Companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange are examined over the period 1979-2009 where the sample is divided into nine industry groups. Historical values for eight common key ratios are documented with regards to median, mean, standard deviation and percentiles.

Background: With the removal of audit requirement for companies in Sweden from the first of november 2010, a lot of companies has chosen not to keep the audit requirement. So far 57 percent of the small companies has chosen to keep the audit, in spite of that they don´t need to which led us to the problem statement: Which are the factors that affect a small limited company to choose to keep the audit, in spite that now there is a possibility to choose not to use audit anymore?Purpose: The purpose of the essay is to examine why small limited companies choose to keep the audit, in spite that now there is a possibility to choose not to use audit?Method: This research founds itself in a qualitative study with a deductive research approach. We have been studying secondary data in books and articles and preformed 29 phone interviews with small ltd company owners in Sweden. The selection consisted of 14 companies with credit debts and 15 companies without credit debts.

The aim of this study is to examine the investment decision process for investments that arise due to strategic changes and are of strategic importance to the company. At the foundation of this study is the previous research in this area, done by King (1975) and Bower (1970), which examines the investment process on a more generic level. At the core is the investment decision process pertaining to Projekt X, an investment performed by NordiCorp. Having conducted a case study including six interviews with employees from various parts of the organization, combined with a large number of internal documents, the process regarding the investment decision was carefully illuminated. The results show that in many regards, this process follows the more generic investment process.

To implement an ERP-system is not an easy process. The success of the implementation depend on many different variables. The most important one is perhaps the requirement process, to define what the organization wants and expects from the system. In this study, the advantages of a process mapping are examined, in relation to the phase where the requirements are expressed in an ERP-implementation. The conclusion is that a process mapping generates an increased communication with the supplier of the ERP-system, hence the business knows their processes and thereby what they want from the system.