The increasing holdings by institutional investors have raised concerns about the institutions passive investment strategies and the implications for corporate governance. A way for investors to address moral hazard and opportunistic behaviour of management is to demand conservatism in accounting practices. This paper analyses the relation between institutional ownership and accounting conservatism in the Swedish market by studying firms on the Nasdaq OMX Stockholm over a three-year period. Furthermore, the study investigates whether ownership by institutions with high probability of monitoring managers leads to higher conservatism in financial reporting. To measure accounting conservatism this study uses the asymmetric timeliness measure developed by Basu (1997).

Previous research has discussed how voluntary disclosure relates to the cost of equity capital. Theories of estimation risk support a negative association between disclosure and cost of equity capital, as empirically documented by Botosan (1997) among others. In this Bachelor thesis we investigate whether such a relationship exists on the Swedish capital market. Using the CAPM to estimate the cost of equity capital and a disclosure index based on Aktiespararen?s annual evaluation of corporate disclosure, we test a model where disclosure explains cost of equity capital.

In my project I have collaborated with Linda Larson, who is the creator behind the fashion brand Elveel. The goal was to produce an identity and a graphic profile for Elveel. The aim was that the graphic profile would act as an extension of the clothes aesthetics. I wanted to explore if I by different folding and cutting techniques, in tags and packaging, could reflect the details of the clothes expression. But also how different design elements can reflect the story behind the clothes.

This study aims to disclose how an asymmetric planogram structure of the brand with the highest actual variety may come to affect the brand itself and its category as a whole. The authors of the study feel that there is a gap still unfilled amongst previous extensive research examining how differences in either space or price vary between categories, products or brands. An in-store experiment was conducted by collecting quantitative data from daily sales, observations of customers and questionnaires. The results show that an asymmetric structure leads to customers being more attentive towards the brand, and perceives it to be more dominant over its surrounding competitors. Furthermore, results indicate that the customer perceived variety increases and we see tendencies to changes in sales..

Vi lever i en föränderlig värld där aktiemarknaden är en komplex miljö. Att fatta välgrundande beslut på aktiemarknaden är svårt för investerare, som  därmed samlar in all den information som finns tillgänglig. Den redovisning och information som företag lämnar ifrån sig är utformad genom en avvägning mellan kostnader och nytta, som kallas Cost Constraint. Ytterligare en avvägning som företag använder sig av gällande upprättandet av redovisning är att inte ge ut för mycket information och därmed ?skydda? sig från konkurrenter.Studiens huvudsakliga syfte är att kartlägga och jämföra hur investerare och banker tar beslut baserat på den redovisning som företag publicerar, som kan vara påverkad av Cost Constraint.

Bakgrund: Sedan 1988 har svenska aktiebolag haft en lagstadgad skyldighet att få sina räkenskaper granskade av en kvalificerad revisor, något som snart kommer att förändras. I en pågående utredning presenterades den 3 april 2008 ett förslag om att avskaffa revisionsplikten för 96 procent av de svenska aktiebolagen från och med 1 juli 2010. Bakgrunden till detta är att fördelar för små bolag inte anses uppväga nackdelar av revisionen.Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva förändringen hos banker i kreditbedömningsprocessen vid ett avskaffande av revisionsplikten och hur dessa förändringar kommer påverka relationen mellan bank och bolag.Referensram och teori: För att analysera det empiriska materialet har intressentteorin, principal-agent teorin och teorin om asymmetrisk information använts varav samtliga är väletablerade och beprövade teorier. Teorin om tillit är en relativt ny teori som även denhar använts i syfte att förklara betydelsen av tillit i näringslivet. I referensramen ges information om revision och dess grundläggande principer samt en beskrivning av banker som kreditgivare och deras kreditgivningsprocess.Metod: För att uppnå syftet har en fallstudie utförts bestående av både en kvalitativ samt en kvantitativ insamlingsmetod.

The modern auditor is, because of an increased complexity, dependent on the use of experts. Simultaneously different scandals have occurred where the auditor in fact have been using experts. Although the auditor is using an expert, the auditor alone is responsible for the statement that the expert makes. Research simultaneously indicates that the auditor?s use of experts is a difficult task.

In the year of 2005 the international standard IAS 40 came in to use in Sweden, this lead to an opportunity for the corporations to choose either to evaluate their investment properties according to the historical cost accounting principal. The model contains the obtaining price with reduction for the planned writing off. The alternative that IAS40 offers is the fairvalue principal, which evaluate the investment properties by consideration of the income versus outcome and surrounding factors for every accounting periodSince the fairvalue is buildt on numbers the corporations them self choose what to publish and for how long the value depreciation should be lasting before it should be taken up as an unrealized value change in the reporting material. This means that there is a big chance that the evaluation can be distortedSince we just recently have had strong cyclical variation and are on our way from an excess boom into a weak economic climate, this will be the first study performed about fair value in a weak economic climate since the adoption of IAS40.The purpose of the essay is to find out how well the booked value of investment properties owned by corporations listed on the Swedish stock market accord with the fairvalue that the market and the Swedish property index indicates on. To be able to test this connection we gathered information from the corporation?s annual reports which we compiled to see how the market comprehends.

This study aspires to find an answer to what makes a negotiation for peace successful. In our pursue to do so we have chosen two cases to compare with each other through a set of different theories. The theories we believed could be relevant were ripeness/readiness, asymmetry, the strategies of mediation, intra-state conflicts and personal actors.The case-study consists of two negotiations that both took place in Camp David. The first one was between Egypt and Israel, 1978, and serves as the example of a successful negotiation. The second case was, again, with Israel but the counterpart was Palestine and took place in year 2000.

The most common reason for a horse owner to seek veterinary care for their horse is related to the musculoskeletal system. Assessment of the horse's movement pattern is essential in the equine veterinary work. How uniformly veterinarians evaluate the lame horse may have both diagnostic and prognostic significance, such as follow up examination by the same or different veterinarian. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there are between-veterinarian differences in assessing lameness in the same horse. In total 12 veterinarians evaluated 80 video sequences of 4 horses with induced lameness and made an evaluation of the affected limb as well as the degree of lameness.

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.

Since 1983 the people of Sri Lanka has endured an ongoing Civil war, however the intencity has varied over the years. The aim of this theses is to examine what influence the asymmetric relationship between the Sri Lankan goverment and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has on the process of negotiating a solution to the civil war. I am also examining whether the asymmetical relationship has changed over time and if these changes have had any effect on the process.To analyze the asymmetries I divide them into material and non-material. I measure the material asymmetries in economic and military resourses, and to measure the non-material I use indicators such as commitment, alternative, controll and legitimacy.The results show that the asymmetrical relations between the parties in Sri Lanka have changed since the 1990s. Factors like 9/11 and the recurrent suicide bombings by the LTTE has had a great influence on the singalese-tamil relationsship.

Introduction:By insight in the company and by monitoring the management, the board has an important function in creating trust in governance of the company. Furthermore, the board reduces the asymmetry of information between the owners and the management, which also is the function of the auditor, by auditing how the board governs the company and the accounting. In case the board does not effectively monitor the management, the auditor has to extend its monitoring, which increases the owners agency costs through the audit fee. The board composition can affect how effectively the board practices the monitoringProblem: How is the audit fee affected by the board composition?Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explain how the board composition affects the audit fee.Method: The study uses a quantitative method, where the data was collected from the annual reports of 112 limited companies listed on the NASDAQ OMX Large and Mid Cap lists on January 2, 2012.

Background and problem - Integrated reporting is a hot topic today and is predicted to be the future of companies? external reporting. In December 2013 a new framework on integrated reporting was released and one part of the framework concerns governance and how it supports the organization?s value creation. A recent study on integrated reporting in Sweden showed the area of governance to be poorly reported.

There have been significant changes in the agricultural sector during the past 20 years (Jordbruksverket, 2008). The development of today is towards deregulation and adaption to global market conditions. As farmers try to adapt to the changed and more competitive market conditions investments are often necessary (LRF Konsult et al, 2012). Loans to agriculture and forestry businesses have increased to record levels and debt has doubled over the past years. The financial turbulence of the past years has contributed to an increase of the meaningfulness and willingness of the banks to be able to understand and handle risks associated with agriculture and forestry (Breiding, 2010).