The aim of this thesis is to investigate which the main determinants of capital structure in Swedish listed firms are and to identify which incentives lies behind managers choice of capital structure determinants. Further, the study investigates whether the Post Keynesian theory and theories which incorporate behavioral aspects can be used to explain the capital structure decisions or if the traditional Neoclassical theory give an better explanation. We have used a qualitative method to analyze the determinants of capital structure and the managers incentives behind capital structure decision. We conducted a survey which was sent to 83 Chief Financial Managers and financial executives in Swedish firms listed on Mid Cap or Large Cap. The questionnaire was on-line which enabled for the respondents to quickly and convenient respond.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how social workers who worked with financial assistance perceived their work situation and the impact work-related stress had on their health and quality of work. Further, the study intended to find out if they felt that they received support from their employer that could prevent stress-related sick leave. The following two research questions were to be answered: In what way does work-related stress affect social workers? health and job quality according to their own experience? What kind of support and help experienced social workers were available within their organization? To receive answers to the questions semi-structured interviews with five social workers were conducted, analyzed and interpreted. The results showed that when social workers have a heavy case burden, high stress and a risk of deteriorated job quality occurred.

AbstractConsider a ?uid being heated from below. The heating leads to an upward convectiveforce that is counteracted by the viscous forces of the ?uid. If the convectiveforce is large enough in comparison to the viscous forces the ?uid will be put in anunstable state.

A recent development in the field of accounting has been an increasing use of fair values in financial reporting. In 2005, this development was reinforced in Sweden by the adoption of the International Financial Reporting Standards. The aim of this thesis is to discuss the problems related to the use of fair values, through a case study of the Swedish investment bank Carnegie. In May 2007, Carnegie announced that the result had been overly stated by 630 MSEK, due to the valuation of derivatives within the trading department. The empirical material consists of documents produced in the legal process between Carnegie and the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

The concept of a Sharia compliant financial system has been a frequently discussed topic among scholars, bankers and media since the 1960th. It origins from the prohibition of interest, riba, which is stated in the Quran. Islamic banking is spread across the Muslim world and also exists in some western countries. This paper will try to create an image of what Islamic banking is in theory and in practice. This will be done by looking into the different methods of interest free banking, the Quran and the annual reports of four Islamic banks in different countries.

There is a growing awareness that multinational companies have opportunities to influence political conditions. Ethical activities made by multinational companies and ?Corporate Social Responsibility? (CSR) can therefore function as a positive input in society. The primary purpose of this master thesis is to investigate CSR´s contribution to strengthen human rights, and thereby to democratization. The research questions are listed below:1.

This is a study of predictions made by the press during the financial crisis in Asia in the autumn of 1997. The study includes a qualitative, quantitative and comparative analysis of the Swedish newspapers Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet and Dagens Industri. In the last chapter a quantitative analysis of the newspaper Finanstidningen, that today no longer exists, has also been made for comparative reasons. A theoretical framework is also set in the study to explain how the predictions can affect the economy. The quantitative analysis shows that 2/3 of the texts in the traditional morning papers Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet included predictions about the crisis from an Asian or global perspective, while only 1/3 of the texts in the financial newspapers Dagens Industri and Finanstidningen included such predictions.

The concept of a Sharia compliant financial system has been a frequently discussed topic among scholars, bankers and media since the 1960th. It origins from the prohibition of interest, riba, which is stated in the Quran. Islamic banking is spread across the Muslim world and also exists in some western countries. This paper will try to create an image of what Islamic banking is in theory and in practice. This will be done by looking into the different methods of interest free banking, the Quran and the annual reports of four Islamic banks in different countries.

Many of today?s societies are built on established financial structures that are controlled by states and central banks. These structures are built on a clear perception of economic systems as established but invisible institutionalised concepts that are operated by millions of organizations worldwide. An idea of counteracting against centralized economies by introducing a currency that no state or bank controlled was developed in the beginning of the 20th century. In 2008 the idea was realised by the introduction of Bitcoin, which is a digital currency and transaction system without any centralized emitter or controlling organ.

The Swedish group contribution rules do not include a right to deduction for cross-border group contributions unless the receiving company is taxable in Sweden. There has been much discussion regarding whether the rules are compatible with EC law. On 11 March 2009 the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court ruled ten cases concerning the right to deduction for cross-border group contributions. In three of these judgments deduction for a group contribution from a Swedish parent company to a foreign subsidiary within the EEA was allowed, despite that the subsidiary was not taxable in Sweden. The main purpose of this master thesis is to analyse whether the interpretation of the Supreme Administrative Court concerning the right to deduction for cross-border group contributions is compatible with EC law.

Introduction: Analysts worldwide valuates stocks and companies by using different valuation models. The models are used to calculate how much public company?s stocks are worth and to identify whether stocks are over- or undervalued.  Objective: The objective of this essay is to study which valuation models are mainly used by financial analysts in Swedish banks. The purpose is also to study how reliable these models are considered. Method: The empirical study is based on a qualitative approach through interviews with financial analysts. The study includes both primary data (interviews) and secondary data (literature, websites and scientific articles)Theory: The theory chapter includes methods of analysis (fundamental and technical analysis), Valuation models, components of valuation and an example of a valuation with the Discounted cash flow model. Empirical study: The study includes a qualitative research that consists of interviews with financial analysts.

To be a part of the future we have to make a profit, one way to improve the profit margin is by reducing the fixed costs. This paper discusses the financial results of equipment cooperatives in crop production. Through a case study of three farms in Södermanland, we have an example of how it can look today and how it could look tomorrow. The three farms are crop-producing farms with slightly different orientation. Jursta Gård, 155 hectares, and Djursnäs Säteri, 215 hectares, have grains crop and oilseed crops as the main crops, and Nibble Gård, 340 hectares, mostly have pasturelands and some grain crops.

Background: Small businesses are key participants in the growth at the Swedish market, partly for the labour opportunities, the technology and economic development. These companies should get resources to grow, both political and economic resources. The medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase meet with problems concerning the financing of their growth. Key participants whom offer financing are Venture Capitalists.Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine Venture Capitalists demands on medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase. A comparison between the demands and how well medtech companies achieve them will be done.

The aim of this Master?s thesis is to examine the function of the budget as a means of control within an organisation in the public sector. To accomplish this, a case study has been conducted on a certain business unit within Luftfartsverket responsible for providing Air Traffic Control services. The thesis is built on a framework of contemporary theories of budgeting and includes a brief discussion of the weaknesses usually associated with the traditional budget. The conclusion of the study is that the use of budget as a means of financial control within Luftfartsverket is not efficient enough at the moment.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate analysts' and investors' possibility to compare different companies' information in accounting for goodwill under IFRS in their annual and semi-annual reports. The study was based on IAS 34 on interim reporting, IAS 36 impairment of goodwill and the comparability requirement of the financial statements. Therefore, the comparability requirements? of the IASB Framework, previous studies on the comparability after the implementation of IFRS and also the relevance of goodwill was studied. We used a qualitative textual analysis to examine whether the recognition of goodwill is considered to be comparable between our sample of companies' annual and semi-annual reports from 2008 and 2009 data.