Background: To maintain or increase the trust in the market, companies can disclose more voluntary information in the annual reports. According to prior research the annual report is the primary source of information for small shareholders and investors. Thus, it is of interest to investigate why companies chose to report the voluntary information inquired by this group. Purpose: We investigate some company-specific factors to decide whether these determine the extent of voluntary information, particularly inquired by small shareholders and investors, in the annual reports of listed Swedish companies. We also aim to discuss underlying causes for our result.

Purpose: The aim of this bachelor thesis is to explain how advancement factors affect men and woman to advance in their careers in the accounting profession.                                Methodology: A positivist approaches and a deductive approach, with a quantitative method was used to obtain the results of the analysis. Theoretical perspective: The theory describes the career stages, audit assistant, approved auditor, registered auditor, manager and partner. Their responsibilities and what it takes to get there is explained. Theory section also describes the different advancement factors from a gender perspective. Empirical: The empirical material is based on a survey conducted in respondents who represent the five career stages. The collected data is then analyzed using statistical tests. Conclusion: The analysis shows that the identified career advancement factors that limit and stimulates the male and female auditors? career ladder.

AB Edsbyverken planerar för en ökad produktion de närmaste åren, de tror sig veta att flaskhalsen för täcklackerade produkter befinner sig i lackeringsavdelningen och då framförallt i den stora lackeringslinan. De har önskemål om en övergripande översyn av avdelningen. Den övergripande översynen har som mål att detektera och reducera/eliminera onödigt arbete genom olika åtgärder. Resultaten visar att de många bristerna beror på sviktande rutiner och en ovilja hos de anställda att ta upp brister som de upptäcker. De åtgärder som har genomförts är av en i princip kostnadsfri natur.

AimThe aim of this study is to through managers in eldercares deskriptions of the systematic qualityleadingsystem examine the implementation process of this system in the eldercare in the municipality of Halmstad.  BackgroundIn this paper the background explains elderly care and social work context, leadership in change and implementation processes. The theoretical frame illustrates Vedungs implementation theory and Webers model of bureaucracy MethodTo collect empirical data for this study, a qualitative research design was used in which eleven managers within Halmstads municipality home care management stood as respondents. ResultThe respondents highlighted a variety in the use of the systematic quality management system tool. The result describes that several obstacles were experienced in the use of the systematic quality system. ConclusionBased on the descriptions the respondents gives of the implementation process of the systematic quality management of Halmstad municipality home care management, the conclusion can be drawn that the implementation process has not resulted in the employees making use of systematic quality management in practice. The systematic quality management system that will ensure the quality of the care work is thus used to a limited extent..

The aim of this study is to examine and analyze how management control mechanisms evolve within an organization when a requirement of return on equity is imposed, as well as why the mechanisms evolve the way they do. A case study was performed on Samhall, a Swedish state-owned company, which has the aim to help people with disabilities develop by providing meaningful work. The framework provided by Samuelsson, defining five means of control in organizations was used to structure the study. Further, theories within New Public Management have been used to provide the reader with a proper background to the research area. Theories from the institutional field of organizational research have also been used to provide further depth to our analysis.

I dagens konkurrensmässiga och bitvis turbulenta och komplexa miljö som företag befinner sig i är behovet av ständiga förbättringar inte bara i produkter och tjänster utan även processer centralt. Vikten av att arbeta med förbättringsarbete inom alla delar av ett företag är idag stor samtidigt som förändringstakten förmodligen aldrig har varit större. Lean tillverkning som först implementerades av Toyota har en mängd värdefulla verktyg i verktygslådan och ett av dessa verktyg är VSM. VSM har använts som ett ovärderligt verktyg för att identifiera förbättringsmöjligheter i form av slöseri, kvalitetsbrister och för att reducera ledtider med stor framgång främst inom repetitiv icke MTO-baserad tillverkningsmiljö. ABB Metallurgi är en ledande leverantör av systemlösningar för omrörning av metallurgisk smälta och stabiliseringsutrustning för valsverk.

To be able to protect themselves from credit risk, the banks must constantly check the performance of  the companies they have lent money to. There are many mathematical models for predicting financial distress. These models use accounting-based ratios, which often are historical and not representative for the present situation. This study describes how the banks do in practice to find signals of insolvency in time and the variables they are observing for doing that.In addition to financial reports which the company sends in to the bank at least once a year, also the relationship between them and information from different information  agencies are of great importance to track  signals of insolvency. Poor profitability is the primary cause of insolvency.

The expectation gap is the definition of the differences between what the interests expects from the auditor and what the auditor delivers. A number of studies have been done regarding the expectation gap and generally they point at the existence of an expectation gap.In our paper we want to discover and see how strategies are used in the process to reduce the expectation gap from three levels. The levels we treat are auditors, audit bureaus and the profession. We have chosen to examine the strategies used by the three levels to reduce the expectation gap to following interest groups, owners, management/board of directors, and creditors.The purpose with our paper is to create understanding about how auditors, audit bureaus and the profession use strategies in the process to reduce the expectation gap.With existing theories as ground we have construed and developed our own theory about which thinkable strategies the three levels can use.We have interviewed auditors, representatives from bureaus and a spokesman for the profession. In the examination we have used telephone interviews with questions based on our operationalization.

This essay deals with the topic options costs and whether such costs would arise for smaller companies now when they have the opportunity to choose not to have an auditor. Small companies are defined as companies that fulfill at least two of the following three criteria?s: less than 1,5 million SEK in balance sheet, less than three employees and turnover less than 3 million SEK. The decision regarding internal revision does not only affect the company itself but also other parties such as the taxation authority, banks and others that can be influenced by the decision. This essays main focus is on the influenced parties, especially the taxation authority and the banks as these have been highlighted in debates in media and because the small companies themselves may have difficulties to foresee the consequences of the new changes. The opinions from accounting companies will be considered in the essay as they can be considered as experts regarding the different aspect within this area.

Operationsavdelningen på Hallands sjukhus Varberg har genomfört ett förbättringsprojekt för att se hur flödet med att ge lokalbedövning (blockad) inför operation kan optimeras. Projektets mål var att spara tid på operationssalen genom snabbare byten, förbättra miljön för patienter och personal och samtidigt säkerställa fortsatt god patientsäkerhet och gott bemötande.Jag har valt att göra en fallstudie av projektet för att se hur förbättringsarbetet fungerat och hur gruppens förståelse utvecklats. Jag har gjort en deskriptiv undersökning och utgått från ett kvalitativt angreppssätt. Informationen har samlats in genom deltagande observationer av gruppens arbete och utvärdering av dokumentation.Som lösningsmetod har jag utgått från PDSA-hjulet, (Plan, Do, Study, Act) och tillämpat ett antal olika förbättringsverktyg för att analysera och beskriva verksamheten.I projektplaneringen har jag använt Tonnquists projektmodell. Resultatet har utvärderats genom tidmätningar, en loggbok som förts under testperioden och en enkät för att samla in medarbetarnas synpunkter.

In 2011 the International Accounting Standards Board issued amendments to IAS 19 Employee Benefits. The new standard is effective from January 1st 2013 and one of the largest changes in the standard is the elimination of the corridor method. Through the corridor method companies had the possibility to defer actuarial gains and losses resulting from their defined benefit obligations (pension obligations) and leave them unrecognized off the balance sheet. According to the new standard companies reporting under International Financial Reporting Standards will have to recognize all actuarial gains and losses immediately in other comprehensive income. The aim of this thesis is to examine how the financial key ratios of Swedish listed companies will be affected by the elimination of the corridor method.

High quality within a Lean production system begins with standardised work, which creates stable processes able to generate predictable output. If nonconformity from the standard procedures occurs, routines are needed to analyse, correct and prevent the nonconformity from occurring again. In that way, the nonconformity can be a trigger for continuous improvements toward more stable processes. In takted production lines, where the operator follows a standard sequence with tasks set to be completed within the takt time, a nonconformity leads to downtime in the operator?s sequence, and no value is added.

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.

SammanfattningPlatsgjuten stomme för flerfamiljshus är en vanligt förekommande produktionsmetodmed stora upprepningseffekter. NCC har som målsättning att årligen minska sinabyggkostnader och öka effektiviteten i produktion. Med verktyget TekniskaPlattformar kan standardiserade och väl beprövade lösningar användas med minskadekostnader i projektering och ökad kvalitet i produktion som resultat. Då fleraforskningsrapporter har visat att slöseri i byggproduktion är vanligt förekommandehar NCC utvecklat ett planeringsverktyg, Projektplanering. Det syftar till attproduktionsprocessen ska fungera bättre gällande tidplanering, samordning,engagemang och kunskapsåterföring.

The pension audit has been a hot topic for the listed companies for the last years. New rules have been applied which have caused discussions and difficulties for the companies. EU?s ministry of council accepted the so called IAS 2005 Regulation on the 7th June 2002. This means that all companies listed on the stock market must follow IAS regulations in their consolidated accounts latest 2005.