During the past year it has been made possible to buy back a company?s outstanding stock. This is done in order to change the capital structure towards a situation with less equity. A change in capital structure means a change in the cost of capital for a company and by that a change in the value for the stockholder. This Master Thesis studies the relation between capital structure and business risk.

Den offentliga sektorn har reformerats genom att adoptera principerna för New Public Management vilket har inneburit att svenska kommuner utvecklat och prövat nya organisations- och styrmodeller för att möta marknadens och organisationernas krav på ökad effektivitet. Svenska kommuner är icke vinstdrivande organisationer och har komplexa organisationsstrukturer på grund av omfattande lagkrav. Varje förvaltning skulle i sig kunna utgöra en egen organisation på grund av de varierande tjänsterna som lagen kräver att kommunerna ska tillhandahålla. Inom svenska kommuner bryts visioner, mål och strategier ned på varje nivå vilket medför en komplex styrning inom organisationen. Det huvudsakliga syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och förklara hur förvaltningar inom svenska kommuner styr sina verksamheter genom strategisk ekonomistyrning.

Den offentliga sektorn har reformerats genom att adoptera principerna för New Public Management vilket har inneburit att svenska kommuner utvecklat och prövat nya organisations- och styrmodeller för att möta marknadens och organisationernas krav på ökad effektivitet. Svenska kommuner är icke vinstdrivande organisationer och har komplexa organisationsstrukturer på grund av omfattande lagkrav. Varje förvaltning skulle i sig kunna utgöra en egen organisation på grund av de varierande tjänsterna som lagen kräver att kommunerna ska tillhandahålla. Inom svenska kommuner bryts visioner, mål och strategier ned på varje nivå vilket medför en komplex styrning inom organisationen. Det huvudsakliga syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och förklara hur förvaltningar inom svenska kommuner styr sina verksamheter genom strategisk ekonomistyrning.

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.

The aim of this thesis is to describe the development of profitability and capital structure in Swedish quoted companies during the period of 1990 to 2004. Further, the aim is to determine the relationship between profitability and leverage in order to conclude whether the choice of capital structure supports the pecking order theory or the trade-off theory of capital structure. The findings show that return on assets fluctuates between 3 and 11 percent and that return on equity fluctuates between 3 and 22 percent during the period. Further, the leverage and the cost of debt have decreased. This indicates lowered financial risk in Swedish quoted companies in the period between 1990 and 2004.

This thesis explores how remote work impacts organizational culture and identifies leadership strategies that can preserve and strengthen the culture in a remote work environment. By employing a theoretical framework related to organizational culture, remote work, and strategies, along with a methodology based on qualitative interviews, the study aims to fulfill its specified purpose. Theories such as Schein?s three levels of culture and McKinsey?s 7S Framework are applied to understand and analyze the collected empirical data. The empirical data, presented through four themes, is based on respondents? experiences and opinions regarding remote work can lead to reduced social interaction and sense of belonging, but strategic digital initiatives and adaptive leadership can help maintain organizational culture despite the lack of physical presence.

This study aims to measure the effect of accounting conservatism and to identify thebusiness activities causing firms to undervalue owners? equity. To estimateaccounting conservatism, we have followed the hypothesis that no firm over time cangenerate a return greater than its cost of equity, i.e. CAPM. Thus, if a firm in factgenerates an excess return over time, we assume that the excess return is an estimateof accounting conservatism within that firm.The hypothesis originates from the corporate valuation model ?Economic ValueAdded®? which tries to adjust for accounting bias.

SyfteSyftet med denna uppsats är att analysera vilka effekter införandet av internationellt gällande redovisningsregler har på den svenska redovisningen. Detta ska belysas genom studerandet av hur IAS 38 har påverkat redovisningen av varumärken.MetodStudiens kommer att bedrivas med en kvalitativ ansats där datainsamlingen kommer att ske genom intervjuer och skriftliga källor.SlutsatserStudien visar att implementeringen av IAS 38 ej görs på ett enhetligt sätt och att inte samma metoder för att värdera varumärken används av företagen vilket skapar problem med jämförbarheten mellan olika företag. Vidare visar studien att varumärken är en av de vanligaste tillgångarna som identifieras vid förvärv och att företagen oftast överväger en särskiljning av varumärket från goodwill vilket visar att implementeringen av IAS 38 är på god väg. Slutsatser som dras av studien är att det kommer att krävas tid och även en specialisering inom revisionsbranschen för att implementeringen av internationaliseringen ska få full effekt, vilket är att skapa enhetlighet, jämförbarhet och ett rättvisare värde på företaget på en internationell nivå..

Goal: To describe which evaluation method is used by Swedish retailers to assess a potential retail location and to describe to what extent the retail brand effects this strategic decision. Design: Analysis of ten interviews with companies within five retail sectors in Sweden. Main study: Indication of what methods are used to evaluate a location and how a company's retail brand affects the decision. Results: Retailers use a mix of theoretical methods to evaluate the location attributes and possible profit. Most common among mixtures was an application of the analog method, residual method or the checklist method in combination with a financial assessment.

The purpose of this thesis is to deepen the understanding of our contemporary description of digital literacy using the perspective on knowledge from the Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle. I have chosen to deal with the problem using a hermeneutic approach. The method of inquiry is based on close reading of the selected literature. The selection itself has been made after a strategic selection regarding perspective on knowledge and digital literacy. It appears in the thesis that there are substantial differences but also similarities between our contemporary description of digital literacy from Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 on key competences for lifelong learning and the perspective on knowledge from the Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle.Still, the result has been possible to use for the purpose of the thesis since the problem has an answer and a deepened impression of the understandings of digital literacy..

Med företagets kapitalstruktur avses den mix av eget kapital och skulder som används för att finansiera företagets tillgångar. En faktor som anses påverka valet av kapitalstruktur är den typ av tillgångar som företaget har. En hög andel immateriella tillgångar är förknippade med en lägre skuldsättningsgrad. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan andelen bokförda immateriella tillgångar och skuldsättningsgraden hos svenska börsnoterade företag i IT-branschen. Ett delsyfte är undersöka om det finns något samband mellan affärsrisken samt företagens storlek och skuldsättningsgraden.

This essay reviews the situation for small actors in the Swedish clothing industry. In this essay we assume that loyalty is a requirement for survival on the competitive clothing market. Four small actors have been analyzed up on theories on loyalty, brand equity, relationship marketing, service marketing, quality, interactive marketing, distribution and value creating activities. The chosen actors are Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Boutique Sportif, Jenny Hellström and Ida Sjöstedt. The conclusion of the essay is that it is possible for small actors on the Swedish clothing market to build loyal relationships with their customers.

When someone dies there will always be an inheritance, an inheritance that earlier has been seen as a national concern. However, every year there are about 450 000 deaths within the European Union linked to more than one country, either when the deceased has changed his state of residence or when he has assets in another state, for example a Swedish national with a summer house in Spain. The problem is to determine which na-tional law that is supposed to be applicable to the inheritance.There are two principles that can be applicable on the choice of law, the principle of na-tionality and the principle of residency. If the principle of nationality is used the inherit-ance will be regulated by the deceased`s citizenship while the principle of residency takes aim on the deceased´s last domicile instead. Conflicts can occur between the two principles so that the legacy must be divided between two different legislations.In October 2009 the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on jurisdiction, applicable law, recognition and enforcement of decisions and authentic instruments in matters of succession and the creation of a European Certificate of Succession was presented, a regulation that will try to create harmonized rules on in-teralia the inheritance matters.

For the actors in the Swedish forest industry, it is important to have the ability to forecast the state in the privateforests. The information that comes out of the forecasts will be the base for the activities strategic direction.The aim in this exam is to survey what information that is present today as basis for forecast calculation, andeven to examine what other possibilities it might have in the future.From a limited geography and out of different time perspective forecast the felling potential in the privateforestry.With the word felling potential means regeneration felling and thinning. The exam will answer the questions:What information is needed to build a relevant forecast model?Is this information available today?Is there information to buy that would improve the forecast model?The result of this exam will be presented in form of a ”case study” showing the opportunities in the market tocreate a forecast calculation of felling potential in the private forestry within the Forest Owners’ AssociationMellanskogs wood-area Dalarna..

Transfers of joint stock companies can be executed in several ways - for example by transferring individual shares or by transferring all shares or by selling the company's assets and liabilities. It is not fully clear which rules should apply to transfers of joint stock companies. Some legal experts claim that the Sales Act (Köplagen) is applicable, while others claim that the rules for promissory notes (Skuldebrevslagen) should apply. This distinction is of great significance regarding the extent of the vendor's liability. According to Skuldebrevslagen the vendor's liability is rather limited, while Köplagen enjoins the vendor a more extensive liability.A transfer of a joint stock company brings about great economical risks, both for the vendor and for the purchaser.