The purpose of this essay is to investigate whether the implementation of the Solvency II directive will create a competitive advantage for the Swedish insurance companies compared with other insurance companies in Europe.Therefore the theoretical perspective illustrates the specific requirements and risk culture of the insurance industry and defines the critical success factors for a successful implementation of the directive. The empirical foundation is built on the QIS 5 reports for Sweden and Europe, interviews with the financial services and If insurance company as well as information from a seminar organized by KPMG. The analysis shows that the Swedish insurance companies meets the capital requirements of Solvency II by a large margin and that they are accustomed to risk management and reporting requirements from the traffic light model. This implies that the three critical success factors for a successful implementation of Solvency II are met, although with some limitations, and that Swedish insurance companies could possibly have a competitive advantage.     .

The insurance industryis challengedby major changesthrough internationalizationand thusgrowingcompetitionwithmore optionsand greater availabilityfor customers.Solvency II, a new regulatoryframework and anew standard forinsurance companies,is therefore implemented in a steptowardsa more competitive Europeaninsurancemarket. Solvency II will result in extensive structural changes for many insurance companies. Newstandards andinternal models must also be implemented by the companies. Solvency IIhasa tightening effect on theSolvency capital requirements forinsurance companies. At the same time it also leads tomajor changesandincreased demandon risk management andinternal control, alongside with demands fordisclosure of informationto the market.

Background: In 1998 it was stated that Swedish municipalities would report the pension liabilities according to the mixed model where the pension liabilities before 1998 was moved from the balance sheet. The mixed model has been criticized by economists for not showing the total pension liabilities. To remove some of the liabilities in the municipalities balance sheets means that the Solvency improves. Some municipalities have decided to go against the municipal accounting law and recognize all of the pension liability as a liability according to the full funding model. When two accounting models are being used the comparison of the municipalities' financial statements is much harder.Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to study the reason why some municipalities apply full funding model rather than the mixed model.

Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och analysera sju kommuners soliditetsutveckling under 2006 till 2010 samt analysera om ett samband finns mellan låg soliditet och genuin sårbarhet. I uppsatsen används en blandning av kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod för att få en djupare förståelse kring kommuners soliditet och dess soliditetsutveckling. Insamlad sekundärdata kommer från böcker, artiklar, uppsatser och lagar. Primärdata samlades in vid en intervju samt genom sju kommuners årsredovisningar.Ett lågt antal invånare i en kommun behöver inte resultera i en låg soliditet. En befolkningsminskning behöver inte leda till en minskad soliditet.

Bakgrund: 1 januari 2013 kommer Direktivet (2009/138/EG) för Solvens II att implementeras. Detta kommer ske samtidigt inom Europeiska Unionen (EU) och kommer leda till en harmonisering av försäkringslagstiftning i medlemsstaterna. Tidigare svensk lagstiftning, Försäkringsrörelselagen (2010:2043), kommer med andra ord att anpassas till det nya regelverket. Regeländring kan komma att påverka svenska försäkringsbolags bedrivna kapitalförvaltning.Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om svenska försäkringsbolag utifrån rådande lagstiftning kan bedriva en, enligt finansiell teori, rationell kapitalförvaltning och om möjligheten till att bedriva en rationell kapitalförvaltning kommer att förändras i och med implementeringen av Solvens II.Genomförande: En genomgång av dagens regelverk, Försäkringsrörelselagen, samt Direktivet (2009/138/EG) för Solvens II kommer att presenteras. Utöver detta har fem stycken intervjuer med svenska försäkringsbolag genomförts.Slutsats: Dagens lagstiftning ger inte möjligheter till att bedriva en rationell kapitalförvaltning fullt ut.

Even if the main purpose is to decide if the companies profitability and financial position is a determining factor for its growth, the purpose is to determine if there are any differences between big and small companies in there economical positions then they grow, in the selected industry. This thesis is mainly a quantitative study. The selected industry for the study is extraction of turf. The financial measurement that most clearly differ the growing companies from the not growing companies or the companies that didn?t change there amount of employees was the returns of the companies own capital.

Even if the main purpose is to decide if the companies profitability and financial position is a determining factor for its growth, the purpose is to determine if there are any differences between big and small companies in there economical positions then they grow, in the selected industry. This thesis is mainly a quantitative study. The selected industry for the study is extraction of turf. The financial measurement that most clearly differ the growing companies from the not growing companies or the companies that didn?t change there amount of employees was the returns of the companies own capital. It was also the returns of the companies own capital there the main difference existed between the big and the small companies.

Corporate failures pose a problem for banks, investors, customers, employees andinsurers. With a multivariate discrimination method, the study aims to find the specificfinancial ratios that most accurate reveals a company's financial health, which is ofinterest to all of the above parties. The data consist of 1042 Swedish small enterprisesand 30 different financial ratios between the years 2005?2007. The result shows thatbankrupt firms three years before bankruptcy have a disadvantaged capital structurewith poor Solvency and high debt.

We have been able to draw some conclusions based on our research. First we haveconsidered that the publisher is dependent on a large network and to work closelywith their customers. We can see that the competition in the music industry hasgenerally increased, the technological progress has created new opportunities, and asa result of this, new players have joined the music industry. We have been able todraw conclusions in the fact that more companies and songwriters start up their ownpublishing company, resulting in an increased competition for the individualpublisher.We can also see as a final result that music is used in lots of different contexts andthat the publishers thereby are offered a wide range of business opportunities, but thatthe Solvency of the customers has become lower. With this knowledge, we canconclude that the publisher?s power and revenues will increase, and that the publisheras an actor has been given a more important role in the industry.

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.

Year 1996 a new law was introduced in Sweden, the law of corporate restructuring, what purpose was to help companies in financial distress. Now, nine years later the procedure hasn?t been successful. This is what this thesis is trying to find out.This thesis main question is: What distinguishes the companies that have filed for a corporate restructuring, according to the financial position?The purpose of this thesis is to find out if key ratios can be used to distinguish the companies that filed for corporate restructuring.

Leverage buyout?s is an opportunity for companies, who can strengthen its market position by expanding its operations, and it add?s value to the company. At every LBO, copmanies make different values of the target company to finally come upp to a final bid. The final bid may in many cases be made of a surplus value, which is the differens between the value of the net-assets and the final bid. This we call goodwill and it has been a target in many discussions.

Background: Within real estate companies assets according to IFRS/ IAS 40 should be valued at fair value, to compare with previous valuation criteria according to which real estate should valued at cost. Two models can be used within IAS 40, these are value at cost and fair value. When valued at cost the real estate value in the balance sheet should be specified at cost. The method chosen by the company should be used for all real estate within the company except for the premises used by the company. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to analyse and evaluate how real estate companies experienced the problems that arose when converting to IAS 40, and to analyse the effects on the companies key ratios as a result of the change of accounting method.

In this report the two authors, and project contributors alike, describe their work withdeveloping a solar cooker intended for usage in the developing countries of the world.Specifically, the work aims at developing a new, solar heat driven cooking device, possiblybased upon the current product. This should, in comparison to the current product, be lighter,easier to transport and to produce. Also, the new product?s production mustn?t be more costlythan today and the included materials and components must be obtainable from within theBolivian national borders where the product is currently produced. During the project, certainadvantages with a more efficient, and, above all, a more moderately priced product, werediscovered.

SammanfattningSyfte och frågeställningarSyftet med studien var att undersöka vad elever i årskurs sex har för föreställningar om ämnet idrott och hälsa, om ämnets innehåll och omständigheter kring det.Hur ser föreställningarna om idrott och hälsa-läraren ut?Hur ser föreställningarna om ämnets innehåll och kunskapskrav ut?Hur ser elevernas föreställningar om begreppet hälsa ut?Hur ser föreställningarna om elevbeteendet under lektionerna ut?MetodFör att ta reda på detta gjorde jag djupgående intervjuer med tio elever som går i årskurs sex på en sex till nioskola. Studien är gjord ur barns perspektiv med en fenomenologisk ansats.ResultatStudiens resultat är att en idrott och hälsa-lärare är för eleverna en vuxen som tar ansvar genom att inte tillåta dåligt beteende på lektionerna, en coach som peppar dem och en atlet som kan visa övningar och föregå med gott exempel. Eleverna anser att ämnet idrott och hälsa går ut på att man ska röra på sig och ha roligt. Man ska lära sig att träna, äta rätt och röra på sig samt få kunskaper om hälsa, livsstil och ideal.