Background: At the turn of the year 2004/2005, IAS 19 replaced Tryggandelagen (TrL) and RR 29 as the accounting standard in Swedish concerns. This introduction was associated with a certain apprehension for the possible changes in the companies? pension liabilities and equity.Purpose: To illustrate the difficulties of the introduction of IAS 19 by observing how it differs from TrL, and what kind of problems these differences can cause.Procedure: Individuals who are well up in, and work with pension liabilities have been interviewed. After this follows an example of the calculated pension liability of a company, to illustrate the differences between the calculations according to TrL and IAS 19. To conclude the chapter, a comparison between a number of companies from the Stockholm stock exchange is made to establish their various actuarial assumptions.Method: The essay mainly follows the qualitative research method, since this method is more appropriate when the substance in the matter is based on detailed differences and opinions.Results and conclusions: The introduction of IAS 19 has taken time and been an expensive matter, although the expenses weren?t as great as feared.

This thesis aims to investigate the information effects of fair value accounting in Nordic real estate companies. As a consequence of the mandatory IFRS adoption in the European Union in 2005, listed Nordic companies are allowed to recognize investment property at fair value in accordance with IAS 40. Theory suggests that fair value accounting should lower information asymmetry. Therefore, this study aims to examine correlation between fair value accounting of investment property and information asymmetry on the stock market. To investigate this, we use bid-ask spread as a proxy for information asymmetry and examine Nordic real estate companies before and after the implementation of IFRS.

Background: Since the start of the twenty-first century it has become very important for companies to act in a responsible manner, in guides of CSR. The idea is that companies have more responsibilities than to achieve a higher profit for their shareholders. They should also care about the society and act in a responsible way.Problem discussion: Problems concerning CSR are that the internal part of the sustainability work has not encountered the same level as the external part of the sustainability work. Companies are today struggling with implementing CSR into their business strategies.Research questions:1. What does a company has to consider when working with CSR? 2. How can management control systems help the implementation of CSR into the organisation?Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to examine what a company has to consider when working with CSR and how management control systems can help the implementation of CSR into the organisation.

A degree thesis about quality control and assurance in construction. Made in cooperation with Wästbygg. An analysis was made of the self-monitoring control that is conducted during the construction. The data was collected from interviews from personnel employed by Wäsbygg as either work-leader, project-manager or quality- and environmental-coordinator. During the study there was also a review of the literature in the subject.

The connection between accounting and taxation goes back to the 1920s laws of the named areas. A proposal has now been brought forward, the so-called SamRoB-investigation, which means that the connection between accounting and taxations should be decoupled.The authors? aim with the study is to investigate what a possible decoupling between accounting and taxation, i.e. the formal connection and the untaxed revenues, implicates for the auditor´s work.A research has been done by interviewing two authorized auditors and one authorized consultant of accounting to get a view in how the auditor?s works could be affected.

Abstract: Private equity used to be synonymous with tremendous yields and rates of return. However, the private equity market trembled in 2008, due to the financial meltdown caused by the worldwide credit crisis. Considering the current low number of exits within the private equity industry, the purpose of this thesis is to examine if there has been any change in how private equity firms control their portfolio companies since the inception of the crisis. One private equity company and two portfolio companies have been studied. The case study is prepared from interviews with senior directors in the portfolio company and investment managers in the private equity firm.

Background: Budgets has always been a main factor for the management of organisations. Yet, lately has the role of budgets been increasingly questioned. But how is an organisation managed without budgets and what other alternatives can be used? And can these instruments work more effective?Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to describe how non-budget management distinguish compare to traditional management and how to design an effective non-budget system of management. Furthermore we intend to explain the reasons to such management and to present a model for how such a management can be performed.Research method: Empirical material has been performed based on seven interviews with persons within Svenska Handelsbanken.

Background: Small- and medium- sized businesses have during a long time had difficulties in raising long-term funding from external financiers, a reason for this is that these companies may have more information about their own business than the bank has. One way to reduce this problem is to hire a certified public auditor or a certified accounting consultant. Much has changed in recent years in the accounting profession. Mandatory audit has been abolished for small- and medium-sized businesses, which has led to major changes. Auditors are now not mandatory for these companies, which opens up the market for accounting consultant´s.

External forces have significant impact on organisations. This study analyzes the implications of one type of external forces in aid-focused NGOs through two qualitative case studies where it is investigated if Sida?s reporting requirements have the intended effects: learning and control using a theoretical framework where it is recognised that the requirements may also result in dysfunctional behaviour: decoupling and colonisation. The study shows that when the demands are the result of institutional pressure rather than an ambition to generate learning and control, the demands tend to be unrealistic and the NGOs therefore decouple the formal fulfilment of the demands from the actual activities. It is argued that a partnership, which incorporates trust and dialogue, is a prerequisite, not only for learning, but also control.

External forces have significant impact on organisations. This study analyzes the implications of one type of external forces in aid-focused NGOs through two qualitative case studies where it is investigated if Sida?s reporting requirements have the intended effects: learning and control using a theoretical framework where it is recognised that the requirements may also result in dysfunctional behaviour: decoupling and colonisation. The study shows that when the demands are the result of institutional pressure rather than an ambition to generate learning and control, the demands tend to be unrealistic and the NGOs therefore decouple the formal fulfilment of the demands from the actual activities. It is argued that a partnership, which incorporates trust and dialogue, is a prerequisite, not only for learning, but also control.

Although previous research conclude that mergers and acquisitions do not always lead to improved profitability or increased shareholder return, the number and size of M&A?s is steadily increasing. In this thesis we examine why an acquirer pays a price higher than the market value. Can accounting data explain the size of the premium? 618 European transactions between 1997 and 2008 are examined and relationships between the targets? accounting data and the premium is analysed through statistical regressions.

In recent years there have been major changes in the accounting field and the question of what is fair and accurate reporting is always a relevant issue. Defining the concept of true and fair view and to find an accurate synonym is difficult, still it may be considered that there is an implied meaning of the concept in the business of accounting. In 2004 BFN started the development of K2, a simplified regulatory framework for small companies. The purpose of K2 is to facilitate the accounting and reduce the administrative burden for these companies. In Sweden, 95 percent of all companies belong to the category of small companies and are allowed to use the new and simplified regulations, K2.

Strategin Big Bath Accounting betecknar situationer då VD upprättar externredovisning efter förutbestämda mål och medvetet ändrar företagetsredovisningsmetoder. Artiklar som ifrågasätter företags externa redovisningförekommer regelbundet i svensk affärspress. Journalister diskuterar med storskepsis sanningen kring vissa börsbolags redovisade resultat. Uppsatsen syftartill att undersöka om denna strategi förekommer bland företag påStockholmsbörsen. Big Bath Accounting operationaliseras i denna studie tillnedskrivning av goodwill vid VD-byte eller vid negativt resultat.

Inledning: Enligt IAS 19 ska diskonteringsräntan för bestämmande av pensionsskulden bestämmas utifrån räntan på företagsobligationer. Om det saknas en fungerande marknad för företagsobligationer ska räntan på statsobligationer användas. Efter finanskrisen år 2008 ökade räntespreaden mellan dessa två räntor och det uppstod ett problem för länder utan en fungerande marknad för företagsobligationer, däribland Sverige.Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur svenska börsbolags diskonteringsräntenivå har påverkats av finanskrisen år 2008. Samt vad detta har för konsekvenser på boalgens finansiella rapporter och dess annvändare.Metod: Undersökningen studerar korrelationen som sambandsmått för att mäta hur diskonteringsräntan förhåller sig till soliditeten i svenska börsbolag som redovisar förmånsbestämda pensionsplaner.Referensram: Denna del av undersökningen består av en genomgång av relevanta delar av regelverket (IFRS) samt centrala redovisningsbegrepp och principer.Teori: Teorin består av teoretiska resonemang kring accounting choice, accounting disclosure och earnings management.Resultat & analys: Undersökningens resultat visar att det finns en svag korrelation mellan och diskonteringsränta hos svenska börsbolag med förmånsbestämda pensionsplaner. Dessutom visar resultatet att svenska börsbolag inte längre har en diskonteringsränta i nivå med statsobligationsräntan.Diskussion: Diskussion förs kring hur svenska bolag förhållit sig till regelverket och redovisningsprinciper vid beräkning av sina pensionsskulder samt hur detta har påverkat intressenterna av den finansiella rapporten.Slutsats: Utifrån funna resultat kan slutsats dras att efter finanskrisen har bolag med en låg soliditet valt en högre diskonteringsränta.

SummaryBackground: Management control is important for all kinds of activities, both in trade and industry and in the public sector since you must economize on scarce resources. There are nevertheless many different views on management control, which have changed with the times. With regard to the public sector in Sweden, the management control systems have changed radically the last half century, especially from the 1980s, due to depressions and increased focus on effectiveness. New approaches have been taken by many municipalities and county councils, both in Sweden and internationally, where the former management control systems have been abandoned in favour of result control, target costing, and activity-based-costing, for example. Another new approach has been the Balanced Scorecard, which was introduced by Kaplan & Norton in a pioneering article in 1992.The Balanced scorecard is a multidimensional tool, originally intended to be used in trade and industry, but with regard to its nature, it has been adopted even by many non-commercial organizations, especially in Sweden.