This paper seeks to investigate whether there is a positive relationship between bonus as a part of total executive compensation and lower accounting quality among Swedish companies. In this study, accounting quality is defined as the degree by which a company's Earnings are subject to Earnings management. To detect Earnings management accrual-based modified Jones model is applied to companies listed on the Large-, Mid- and Small-Cap lists on the Stockholm stock exchange during 2011. We find a statistically significant positive relationship between bonus as a part of total executive compensation and lower accounting quality. Thus, in line with prior research, our results suggest that managers, interested in maximizing their bonus, will select income increasing accruals to manage Earnings upwards.

In line with Sloan (1996) but on European data (STOXX 600) we are investigating whether stock prices reflect information about future Earnings contained in the accrual and cash flow components. The extent to which current Earnings performance persists into the future Earnings performance is shown to depend on the relative magnitudes of the cash and accrual components of current Earnings. Moreover, we still find a significant positive excess return (Jensen?s alpha and size-adjusted return) by replicating Sloans (1996) hedge portfolio by taking a long position in the stock of firms reporting relatively low levels of accruals and a short position in the stock of firms reporting relatively high levels of accruals. However, we find no evidence of negative excess returns for companies with relatively high accruals, this somewhat lower the total excess returns for all the portfolios.

In line with Sloan (1996) but on European data (STOXX 600) we are investigating whether stock prices reflect information about future Earnings contained in the accrual and cash flow components. The extent to which current Earnings performance persists into the future Earnings performance is shown to depend on the relative magnitudes of the cash and accrual components of current Earnings. Moreover, we still find a significant positive excess return (Jensen?s alpha and size-adjusted return) by replicating Sloans (1996) hedge portfolio by taking a long position in the stock of firms reporting relatively low levels of accruals and a short position in the stock of firms reporting relatively high levels of accruals. However, we find no evidence of negative excess returns for companies with relatively high accruals, this somewhat lower the total excess returns for all the portfolios.

The purpose of this essay is to investigate if the companies listed on Nasdaq/OMX Stockholm Large Cap use the Earnings management phenomenon Big Bath Accounting to a greater extent when a change of management (CEO) is made.Management tends to use Earnings management when there is a bonus plan linked to the result of the company. To gain maximum bonus the management will try to manipulate the result in a way that in a long term maximize their utility. Through the Earnings management technique Big Bath the management is given the possibility to take one large cost as a one-time expend, even though the cost is supposed to run over several financial years. This, of course, within the legal framework. A big bath may occur when there is an impairment of goodwill, tangible and/or intangible assets or larger provisions for future expense, or both of them at the same time..

Sammanfattning Uppsatsens titel: The Post-Earnings-Announcement-Drift - På den svenska marknaden. Seminariedatum: 2008-06-02 Ämne/Kurs: NEKM01 ? Examensarbete magisternivå 15hp Författare: Stefan Setterlund Handledare: Hossein Asgharian Fem nyckelord: The Post-Earnings-Announcement-Drift, Earnings momentum, anomalier, oförväntade vinster, likviditet. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om fenomenet the postEarnings-announcement-drift (PEAD), eller Earnings momentumsom det också brukar benämnas som, finns på den svenskaaktiemarknaden. Detta för att se om man eventuellt kan bilda envinstgivande lång/kort strategi genom att utnyttja dessa välkändaanomalier.

A multivariate cross-sectional model is used in this thesis to proxy for expected Earnings and to estimate return on equity for 214 companies over the period 2009-2013, using Swedish data. The model, which has never been tested on Swedish data before, is first confirmed to function as a forecasting model for expected return. Furthermore, the model is evaluated through a comparison with two univariate models based on the assumption that return on equity follows a mean reversion process. Forecast accuracy is calculated as the difference of estimated returns and actual returns. The results show that the univariate models' forecasts are superior to the multivariate model's..

Background: Goodwill has always been frequently discussed and a lot of scientific research has been done regarding factors that affect companies? impairment of goodwill. Previous research has concluded that companies reporting low results are more prone to do impairments of goodwill than companies reporting better results which possibly can be seen as a form of Earnings management.Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to examine if goodwill impairments occur to a greater extent among Swedish listed companies when the companies are reporting lower Earnings. A subsidiary purpose is to see if there has been an improvement since 2008 regarding the size of reported goodwill in comparison to equity in the years 2009-2011. And to analyze the development of the companies goodwill impairments in relation to reported goodwill.Methodology: Three quantitative studies have been performed for the years 2009-2011 where all the listed companies on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm have been included.

Resultaten visar på att abnormal Earnings model är en mertillförlitlig modell i förhållande till dividend growth model. Dettafrämst då abnormal Earnings model grundar sig på mer tillgängliginformation samt att tillväxträntan i dividend growth model harkonstaterats vara orealistiskt hög. Analytikers prognoser tenderaratt vara optimistiska i början av undersökningsperioden 2000-2002. Perioden 2003-2007 präglas mer av pessimistiskavinstprognoser. Marknadens riskpremie fluktuerar mindre underperioden 2005-2007, vilket kan förklaras utav införandet av IFRSår 2005..

This is a study to see the relationship between Earnings per share and dividends during a period of both boom and depression. The study will focus on companies listed on Stockholm stock exchange and see if they follow theories from the past and if the dividend is smooth over times with a fluctuant economy. To see this we had this problem:Is it a relationship between Earnings per share and dividend during a fluctuant economy, also if there is a difference between the different Caps on Stockholm stock exchange?We studied 163 stocks of the 293 listed stock on Stockholm stock exchange during a period of 8 years. The study is focused on the time period between year 2005 and year 2012.

SammandragProblematisering: Tilla?ter kvinnliga revisorer en la?gre ma?ngd av Earnings management a?n sina manliga kollegor? En va?ldigt liten del av den befintliga kvantitativa forskningen inom Earnings management har fokuserat pa? om det finns skillnader i hur kvinnliga respektive manliga revisorer va?ljer att begra?nsa Earnings management i ett fo?retag. Dessa underso?kningar har gjorts i la?nder som enligt World Economic Forum (WEF, 2013) rankas bland de ho?gsta i va?rlden na?r det kom- mer till ja?msta?lldhet, och det finns da?rfo?r en osa?kerhet ifall deras empiriska resultat kan appliceras i andra la?nder. A? andra sidan finns det forskning som tyder pa? att sociala strukturer sa?som ja?m- sta?lldhet pa?verkar inte bara skillnaderna mellan kvinnor och ma?n utan ocksa? synen pa? resultat manipulering.

SammandragProblematisering: Tilla?ter kvinnliga revisorer en la?gre ma?ngd av Earnings management a?n sina manliga kollegor? En va?ldigt liten del av den befintliga kvantitativa forskningen inom Earnings management har fokuserat pa? om det finns skillnader i hur kvinnliga respektive manliga revisorer va?ljer att begra?nsa Earnings management i ett fo?retag. Dessa underso?kningar har gjorts i la?nder som enligt World Economic Forum (WEF, 2013) rankas bland de ho?gsta i va?rlden na?r det kom- mer till ja?msta?lldhet, och det finns da?rfo?r en osa?kerhet ifall deras empiriska resultat kan appliceras i andra la?nder. A? andra sidan finns det forskning som tyder pa? att sociala strukturer sa?som ja?m- sta?lldhet pa?verkar inte bara skillnaderna mellan kvinnor och ma?n utan ocksa? synen pa? resultat manipulering.

Bakgrund och problem: Årsredovisningar har till syfte att redovisa information om företagets finansiella situation. Om det finns felaktigheter i denna information påverkar det företagets intressenter. Idag finns det möjligheter för vd:n att påverka resultatet via olika tekniker i den riktning som han/hon anser är lämplig.  Det kan finnas olika anledningar bakom dessa aktioner och en som uppmärksammats är att vd:ns relation till styrelsen kan ha inverkan på användandet av Earnings management. I denna studie har vår avsikt varit att undersöka om det finns något samband i användandet av Earnings management och vd:ns inblandning i styrelsen.Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka om Earnings management förekommer i större omfattning i företag där vd:n är invald i styrelsen än företag där vd:n inte är med i styrelsenMetod: Studien har använts sig av en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi, där utgångspunkten har varit en deduktiv forskningsansats. I insamlandet av data har vi använt oss av en metod som heter innehållsanalys.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between Earnings Management (EM) and certain characteristics of management forecasts, among a sample of Swedish listed companies. The forecast characteristics studied are: 1) Forecast venue: How explicitly is the forecast presented? 2) Forecast precision: How detailed is the estimated number? 3) Forecast measure: Which measure(s) are forecasted? We use a sample of 68 annual management forecasts, obtained from year-end reports between the years 2007-2011. EM during the forecasted year (2008-2012) is estimated using the cross-sectional modified-Jones model. The forecast characteristics are then related to the degree of EM during the forecasted period.

SammandragProblematisering: Tilla?ter kvinnliga revisorer en la?gre ma?ngd av Earnings management a?n sina manliga kollegor? En va?ldigt liten del av den befintliga kvantitativa forskningen inom Earnings management har fokuserat pa? om det finns skillnader i hur kvinnliga respektive manliga revisorer va?ljer att begra?nsa Earnings management i ett fo?retag. Dessa underso?kningar har gjorts i la?nder som enligt World Economic Forum (WEF, 2013) rankas bland de ho?gsta i va?rlden na?r det kom- mer till ja?msta?lldhet, och det finns da?rfo?r en osa?kerhet ifall deras empiriska resultat kan appliceras i andra la?nder. A? andra sidan finns det forskning som tyder pa? att sociala strukturer sa?som ja?m- sta?lldhet pa?verkar inte bara skillnaderna mellan kvinnor och ma?n utan ocksa? synen pa? resultat manipulering.

Ämnesord: Earnings management, loan loss provisions, konstaterad kreditförlust, Basel II,kapitaltäckning, bank, noterade, onoteradeBakgrund och problem: Justering av resultatposten loan loss provisions är ett vanligtförekommande verktyg för Earnings management inom banksektorn. För att öka stabiliteten inombankväsendet så infördes kapitaltäckningsregleringarna Basel I år 1988 och år 2007 uppföljarenBasel II. Den senare antog en mer principbaserad roll och innebar en ökad kontroll och tillsyn avbanker. Det är därför intressant att studera huruvida Basel II har haft någon effekt på redovisningenskvalitet och därmed lett till reducerad Earnings management.Syfte: Studiens övergripande syfte är att undersöka effekterna av genomförandet avkapitalregleringen Basel II på resultatposten loan loss provisions och Earnings management inomdet svenska bankväsendet. Vidare studeras noterade samt onoterade banker för att utröna om detföreligger en skillnad i dess sätt att hantera loan loss provisions.Metod: För att uppnå syftet med studien så har en kvantitativ metod tillämpats.