Title: Competition for small audit firms ? a qualitative study on possible competitive strategies and how the upcoming changes will influence competition on the audit market    Subject: Auditing Tutor: Margareta Paulsson  Authors: Per Dahlström and Martin Holmberg Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding how smaller auditing firms use competitive strategies and why. The result aims to work as a support for owners and leaders of audit firms as they make decisions of how to compete in the future. We would also like to explore how smaller audit firms view the change of the mandatory audit, that is, our intentions are also to examine how they think the consequences on the market will be and their view on its affect on the competition of the market.    Methodology: Our methodological approach was characterized by a hermeneutic approach in order to explain and understand why the smaller audit firms do what they do. Our approach is a combination of inductive and deductive as it allows us to develop an understanding of the subject, then gather our empirical data and from that draw valid conclusions.

Purpose: This paper aims to describe the socialization process that audit associates experience within an auditing firm that is included in the Big 4-sphere. Our purpose is also to describe which attributes that characterize the organizational identity, and how these attributes are reflected in the self-image of the associates. Furthermore, we seek to explain how the socialization process has influenced the organizational identification. This subject is of interest since the business of auditing is facing higher demands from regulators and politicians, due to the bankruptcy of HQ-bank among others during the financial crisis in the beginning of the 21st century. Earlier research claims that the socialization process of recruits, especially in the initial state of the employment, has a major impact on their future values and attitudes in their job performance.

Auditing demands knowledge in many diverse areas. To be able to provide all this knowledge it is necessary for the auditor to have access to persons with special skills. Through these contacts the auditor builds up a business network that brings support in the daily work. Our purpose with this study is to find out how auditor?s network in big auditing firms is organized and to show how they use their network.

Bachelor thesis in business administration with emphasis in accounting and auditing. Spring term 2011, Mälardalens Högskola.Authors:Jim Hansson, Filip Sahl and Pererik Sewerin.Advisor:Lennart Bogg.Key words:Abolition of Mandatory auditing, optional audit, auditor, audit.Title:The role of audit in a credit review - impact from the creditor's perspectiveBackground:As of November 1st2010, auditing became optional for micro companies in Sweden. This leads to an opportunity for about 70 % of the joint-stock companies to choose whether or not to keep their auditors. Creditors are affected by this as they may receive a less trustworthy base to make a good credit review if many companies choose to proceed their accountings without the control of an auditor. Creditors have the option to require that companies are to be reviewed by auditors, while authorized accounting consultants may be a possible substitute as a quality control for the accountings.Purpose:The purpose of this thesis is to examine what impact optional audit has had in credit processes so far and look into alternative forms of reviews for businesses.Problem definition:? Does auditing simplify for the creditors in a credit review? ? Is there some kind of accounting that could be a substitute for the audit?Method:The study is qualitative in character through six interviews.

Auditing demands knowledge in many diverse areas. To be able to provide all this knowledge it is necessary for the auditor to have access to persons with special skills. Through these contacts the auditor builds up a business network that brings support in the daily work. Our purpose with this study is to find out how auditor?s network in big auditing firms is organized and to show how they use their network.

AbstractIn 1998 the Swedish legislation was sharpened, and active educationalists were legally bound to report any suspicion of child maltreatment. Nevertheless, there are a number of unrecorded cases of maltreated children, and research reveals that less than half of these children are reported to social services (Olsson, 2001). The purpose of the present study was to illustrate the problems with the mandatory reports in schools, as well as to study how educationalists proceed when they suspect that a child is maltreated. The method consisted of semi-structured interviews with five educationalists. The results revealed complex problems regarding educationalists mandatory reports.

This study examines how a company adapts its operating control when the environmental circumstances are changing. This is a case study with a qualitative approach which is based on interviews. The main purpose is to examine how an accounting firm adjusts its operating control in order to meet the abolishment of the statutory auditing. Another purpose is to describe how the abolishment of the statutory auditing will influence or have influenced the choice of measures in the balanced scorecard. The question this study aims to examine is: How do audit firms adapt its operating control in order to meet changes in the environment? This question lead to a second question which the study also aims to examine and is How is the abolishment of the statutory auditing influencing the accounting firms goals, measures and focus in the balanced scorecard? The conclusion of this study shows that the abolishment of the statutory auditing has had an influence on the balanced scorecard.

The purpose of the study is to examine what effects the law has on principals? approaches to mandatory reporting of child maltreatment (Social Services Act 14:1§). Moreover, the aim is to study if the regulation gets the impact intended. To respond to the purpose, legal science methods in the form of sociology of law were employed aided by qualitative semi-structured research interviews. The interviews comprised six principals in six different schools in the Stockholm area.

November 1, 2010 the audit requirement in Sweden for small and medium enterprises was abolished, after many years of discussion. This essay aims to examine the effects of the abolishment of the audit requirement on credit. The intention is to draw conclusions about how the possible negative effects of the abolishment of the audit requirement could be prevented.The study has been made using a qualitative method to get a clearer and broader explanation that leads to deeper understanding. It includes an interview with creditors from one of the largest banks whose position represents a large group of lenders. In addition to the lender, two auditors with years of experience have been interviewed.Analysis of collected data has shown that there are both advantages and disadvantages of abolished Mandatory auditing.

Bakgrund och problem: Den 1 november 2010 beslutade regeringen att avskaffa revisionsplikten för småbolag. Lagändringen kring revisionen har diskuterats omfattande både före och efter reformen. Regeringen bedömde i sin utredning att förslaget om fri revision kommer att innebära att småföretagare kommer säga upp sina avtal med revisionsbyråerna, revisorer kommer att inrikta sig mot andra tjänster, rådgivning kommer få ökad betydelse och antalet revisorer kommer att minska. En annan studie, gällande framtiden, genomfördes och de kunde konstatera att branschen kommer att förändras i framtiden, nya krav kommer att ställas och revisionens roll blir mindre betydelsefull.Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och analysera hur aktörer inom revisionsbranschen ser på förändringen.Metod: Studien har utgått ifrån en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer där personliga intervjuer genomfördes i tre olika revisionsbyråer.Resultat och slutsats: Samtliga respondenter har olika syn på att revisionsplikten avskaffades där de generellt kan se både det positiva och det negativa med reformen. De revisorer som ingick i denna studie upplever inte att reformen i sig utgör ett hot mot revisionen.

The aim of this study was to examine the experience, knowledge and attitude to mandatory reports of mistreatments amongst first line managers and assistance nurses in municipal elderly care. The following questions were at the center of the analysis: how do the different professional groups view having to report their own organization? How can various factors affect the mandatory reporting of mistreatments? What knowledge do the different professional groups have of mistreatments and mandatory reporting? A qualitative research method was used to examine these questions in the form of semi structured interviews and a small document study. The interviews were carried out with assistance nurses and first line manages in elder care, we interviewed four respondents from both professional groups. The interviews were then transcribed and coded with help of a content analysis.

Background for the research problems: Small companies are very important for the economic stability and development, something which the economic crises in recent years have underlined. Therefore it?s important to minimize administrative costs for smaller companies and also in other ways facilitate their further development. For these reasons accounting has been simplified and auditing abolished for smaller companies in many countries. In Sweden auditing for small companies was abolished nearly three years ago.

Background for the research problems: Small companies are very important for the economic stability and development, something which the economic crises in recent years have underlined. Therefore it?s important to minimize administrative costs for smaller companies and also in other ways facilitate their further development. For these reasons accounting has been simplified and auditing abolished for smaller companies in many countries. In Sweden auditing for small companies was abolished nearly three years ago.

The aim of this study was to examine the experience, knowledge and attitude to mandatory reports of mistreatments amongst first line managers and assistance nurses in municipal elderly care. The following questions were at the center of the analysis: how do the different professional groups view having to report their own organization? How can various factors affect the mandatory reporting of mistreatments? What knowledge do the different professional groups have of mistreatments and mandatory reporting? A qualitative research method was used to examine these questions in the form of semi structured interviews and a small document study. The interviews were carried out with assistance nurses and first line manages in elder care, we interviewed four respondents from both professional groups. The interviews were then transcribed and coded with help of a content analysis.

The purpose of this work was to research how baby nurses define the concept child maltreatment and how they conduct themselves to mandatory reporting.The central questions were; How do the baby nurses interpret the concept child maltreatment and which children do they consider comprehending the concept?What are the reasons that children are maltreated according to the baby nurses opinions?Do the baby nurses apprehend that they meet children that are maltreated in their work?How do the baby nurses interpret the mandatory reporting and what course of action do they use when they suspect child maltreatment?Nine baby nurses were interviewed. The material was analyzed with the help of a phenomenological method.The participators idea of the concept child maltreatment was focused on observing signs from the child and concrete actions from the parents. The outcome of this concept is that the participators categorization is neither or nor. The participators knew about the mandatory reporting and they did a further interpretation because they focused on the risk of the child.