Academic literature on the topic 'Swedish auditing companies'

Purpose – This paper aims to chart Swedish auditors’ likelihood of issuing going concern warnings (GCWs), and to investigate the relationship between formal auditor competence, audit fees and audit firm, respectively, and the likelihood of issuing GCWs. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data are based on annual reports and audit reports for 2,547 limited companies that went bankrupt in 2010 in the wake of the financial crisis and had filed a financial statement in the year before the bankruptcy. Findings – The findings indicate that Swedish auditors seldom issue GCWs. Moreover, there is a positive relationship between audit fee level and the likelihood of issuing GCWs, and Big 4 auditors being more likely to issue such warnings than other auditors. However, the analyses identify differences between audit firms (within the group of Big 4 firms and within the group of other audit firms) in terms of their predictions of client bankruptcies. This suggests a need for further investigation of firm-specific differences. Contrary to what was predicted, authorized auditors are not more likely to issue GCWs than approved auditors. Research limitations/implications – This paper did not investigate the impact of audit experience and tenure or the possibility that auditors may signal survival problems by resigning. Practical implications – Levying appropriate audit fees creates opportunities for thorough audits, but auditors’ formal competence based on training and qualification is not a factor that enforces audit quality. Based on the findings, the authors also suggest some clarifications of existing standards to reduce ambiguity regarding the reporting of survival problems. Originality/value – The Swedish setting is a context in which most companies are small, creditor interest in accounting and auditing is strong and auditors must issue a modified audit opinion if half of the shareholders’ equity is spent. This setting offers a unique research opportunity because the formal competence differs between Sweden’s two categories of certified auditors, and it allows exploration beyond the dichotomy of Big 4 versus other audit firms.

Internal auditing is the auditing performed by companies themselves. Previous research has put forth the idea that female chairmen in audit committees increase the internal auditing. In this study, we examine how levels of risk preference within internal auditing are influenced by the gender of the chairman in an audit committee. We also examine how the independence of a chairman affect internal auditing. We propose two hypothesizes, where the first one considers if the risk preference is affected by the gender of an audit committee chairman. The second hypothesis is stated to further question if the risk preference is affected by the independence of an audit committee chairman. The study is based on 697 observations retrieved from financial reports between the years of 2005-2013. Risk preference is measured as the proportion of audit fees that are under the direct control of an audit committee. Gender is measured through binary variables based on legal gender. Our moderating variable Independence is binary based on full independence. By using regression analysis, we find an association between gender and internal auditing, but we find a weak positive association between lower ratio of non-audit costs and independence. This act as an indication that an independent chairmen lead to an increased internal auditing.

Problem background and problematization: Since the law amendment regarding the statutory audit back in 2010, small companies have given the opportunity to opt-out auditing. The benefits of auditing have been studied and debated before, but there is a lack of knowledge regarding the internal benefits for the company. Especially if there is regional difference in perceived benefit provided by the audit.  Research question: Does private limited companies from different regions, which may be affected by a future change in legislation regarding auditing, perceive the benefits of auditing differently? Purpose: The focus is to determine whether there is any significant difference between the companies perceived internal benefit of auditing from different Swedish municipalities. This knowledge would contribute to a better understanding of how, and if, changes should be made to improve the audit profession and the contribution it has on the business environment. A sub purpose is to see if the companies perceive a benefit of auditing at all, and if they believe it to exceed the cost of auditing. Another interest aspect is to examine if a company would still have an audit, even if it is voluntary, when they consider the benefit of auditing to exceed the cost.  Methodology: A quantitative study with a deductive approach is chosen to perform this study. The practical procedure to apply this is through a questionnaire in which companies, which can be affected by a future law amendment regarding the audit requirements, is investigated.  Theory: The study is based on the agency theory. It describes the main reason and the overall benefit of auditing. Previous studies in the same subject are also the basis for this research. The population consists of over 26 000 companies of which 1000 of these are asked to answer the questionnaire. Data from 139 companies was received. Seven internal benefits have been defined through previous studies  Analysis & Conclusion: The result from the questionnaire is unreliable. The data is analyzed with three statistical methods, Chi-Square, ANOVA and a Regression Analyze. Of the seven internal benefits, only one could reveal a regional difference. The analysis of the study concludes that it is still unclear if private limited companies from different regions, which may be affected by a future change in legislation regarding auditing, perceive the benefits of auditing differently.

It! is! necessary! for! large! companies! to! understand! and! be! able! to! adapt! to! the! industrial! transformation! towards! an! increasing! focus! on! energy! efficiency,! which! takes! place! today.! The!Energy!Efficiency!Directive!(EED)!issued!by!the!European!Union!has!enlarged!the!focus! on! working! with! energy! efficiency! within! large! companies.! Further,! the! Swedish! government! has! introduced! the! law! about! energy! auditing! in! large! companies,! which! is! based! on! the! EED.! These! regulations! encourage! companies! to! develop! a! management! system!that!includes!requirements!on!conducting!energy!audits!and!propose!costDeffective! measures.! ! Energy! efficiency! is! already! an! important! aspect! within! many! companies! environmental! work,! however! a! more! developed! and! systematic! approach! to! energy! efficiency! than! most! companies! already! have! is! needed! in! order! to! fulfill! the! legal! requirements.! The! Company! investigated! in! this! study! is! one! the! worlds! leading! technology! companies! with! more! than! 9000! employees! in! Sweden.! Currently,! they! have! energy! as! a! significant! aspect! in! their! environmental! work! according! to! the! international! management! system! standard! ISO! 14001.! Today! they! are! also! developing! their! energy! work! by! conducting! energy! audits! in! order!to!comply!with!the!new!legislation.!This!gives!a!more!detailed!view!of!the!energy!use! and! potential! improvements! that! can! be! done,! but! in! order! to! ensure! continual! improvements!over!a!long!period!of!time!further!measures!are!needed.!! ! Within! this! study! it! was! investigated! what! measures! a! large! company! needs! to! implement! in! order! to! increase! their! energy! performance! and! comply! with! the! legislation.! By! a! literature! review! focusing! on! management! systems! as! well! as! interviews! within! the! Company,! a! complementary! study! with! two! companies! covered! by! the! EED! and! three! expert! interviews,! five! key! factors! were! identified.! These! factors! are;! top! management! commitment,! awareness,! goals,! measurements! and! evaluation.! A! model! was! then! developed! aligning! these! factors.! Further,! concrete! proposals! for! action! to! manage! these! factors! were! presented.! By! increasing! focus! on! these! key! factors! and! implement! proposed! measures! companies! will! increase! their! energy! performance! and! also! make! the! organization!aware!of!how!actions!affect!a!company’s!energy!performance.!

Sammanfattning Problem: Den första november år 2010 avskaffades den lagstadgade revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag i Sverige. Syftet med detta var möjligheten för ökad kostnadseffektivitet och valfrihet för bolagen. Lagförändringen mötte dock motstånd från bland annat Skatteverket som befarade en ökad arbetsbörda och sämre kvalitet på bolagens rapporter. Syfte: Syftet med undersökningen är att bidra till en djupare förståelse för konsekvenserna lagförändringen haft på små aktiebolag och Skatteverkets kontor i Örebro. Metod: Insamling av data har skett genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med fem små aktiebolag i Örebro samt Skatteverket i Örebro. Aktiebolagen var verksamma både före och efter avskaffandet av revisionsplikten och valdes ut genom en alfabetisk ordnad lista över aktiebolag. Empirin har sedan analyserats genom nyckelorden kvalitet, kontroll, arbetsbörda och kostnadseffektivitet. Slutsats: Lagförändringen har ännu inte påverkat aktiebolagens kostnadseffektivitet eller arbete. Skatteverket har fått en viss ökad arbetsbörda men kvaliteten på redovisningen är den samma som innan. Undersökningen resulterar dock i vetskapen att de små aktiebolagen behåller revisorn tack vare rådgivarrollen och kunskapen denne besitter. Behovet av revision verkar alltså mer bero på vilka kunskapsluckor bolagen måste fylla med avseende på redovisning och rapportering än vad som är lagstadgat. Nyckelord: Revisionsplikt, små aktiebolag, Skatteverket
Abstract Background: The first of November 2010 the statutory auditing was abolished for small companies in Sweden. The reason for this was to give the companies the opportunity to reduce costs and increase their level of freedom of choice. This was met with resistance from the Swedish tax agency, who feared an increase of their workload and a decrease of the quality of the companies’ financial reporting. Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to find a deeper understanding of the consequences that the abolished statutory auditing brought to small companies and the tax office in the city of Örebro. Method: The empirical findings have been collected through semi structured interviews with five small companies and the tax office in Örebro. The companies were active before as well as after the abolishment of statutory auditing and were selected from an alphabetical list. The empirical findings were analysed through the terms quality, control, workload and cost efficiency. Conclusions: The abolishment of statutory auditing has not yet affected the small companies in terms of cost efficiency or workload. The Swedish tax agency has noticed some increase of their workload, but there has been no change in the quality of the companies’ financial reporting. The essay concludes that small companies keep an auditor due to the advisory role and the knowledge the auditor possesses. The need for the companies to consult an auditor seems to a greater extent depend on what knowledge about financial reporting the companies lacks rather than what is required by law. Keywords: Statutory auditing, small companies, Swedish tax agency

Det är nödvändigt för stora företag att förstå och kunna anpassa sig till den industriella omvandling mot ett ökat fokus på energieffektivitet som sker idag. Energieffektiviseringsdirektivet som Europeiska Unionen har utfärdat har ökat fokus på att arbeta med energieffektivitet i stora företag. Vidare har den svenska regeringen infört lagen om energikartläggning i stora företag som är baserad på Energieffektiviseringsdirektivet. Dessa lagstadgade krav uppmuntrar företag att utveckla ett ledningssystem som ställer krav på genomförande av energikartläggningar samt föreslå kostnadseffektiva åtgärder. Energieffektivitet är redan en riktigdel i många företags miljöarbete dock krävs ett mer Utvecklat och systematiskt arbetssätt än det många företag redan har för att uppnå kraven i Energieffektiviseringsdirektivet och den svenska lagen. Företaget som har undersökts i denna studie är ett världsledande teknikföretag med mer än 9000 anställda i Sverige. För närvarande har de energi som en signifikant aspekt i sitt miljöarbete i enlighet med den internationella standarden för miljöledningssystem ISO14001dag utvecklar de även sitt energiarbete genom att utföra energikartläggningar för att uppfylla den nya lagstiftningen. Detta ger en mer detaljerad insikt över energianvändningen och möjliga förbättringar som kan göras, men för att säkerställa ständiga förbättringar över en längre tidsperiod krävs ytterligare åtgärder.  I den här studien har det undersökts vilka åtgärder som ett stort företag måste införa för att öka energiprestandan och följa lagstiftningen. Genom en litteraturstudie som fokuserade på ledningssystem i kombination med intervjuer på det undersöka företaget, en kompletterande studie av två företag som omfattas av direktivet samt tre expertintervjuer identifierades fem nyckelfaktorer. Dessa faktorer är högsta ledningens engagemang, medvetenhet, mål, mätningar och utvärdering. En modell för att strukturera faktorerna utvecklades sedan. Vidare presenterades konkreta förslag på hur dessa faktorer ska implementeras. Genom att öka fokus på dessa nyckelfaktorer och implementera föreslagna åtgärder kommer företag öka sin energiprestanda och medvetenhet i organisationen om hur olika handlingar påverkar företagets energiprestanda.
It is necessary for large companies to understand and be able to adapt to the industrial Transformation towards an increasing focus on energy efficiency, which takes place today. The Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)issued by the European Union has enlarged the focus on working with energy efficiency within large companies. Further, the Swedish government has introduced the law about energy auditing in large companies, which is based on the EED. These regulations encourage companies to develop a management system that includes requirements on conducting energy audits and propose cost Deffective measures. Energy efficiency is already an important aspect within many companies environmental work, however a more developed and systematic approach to energy efficiency than most companies already have is needed in order to fulfill the legal requirements. The Company investigated in this study is one the worlds leading technology companies with more than 9000  employees in Sweden. Currently, they have energy as a significant aspect in their environmental work according to the international management system standard ISO 14001. Today they are also developing their energy work by conducting energy audits in order to comply with the new legislation. This gives a mor detailed view of the energy use and potential improvements that can be done, but in order to ensure continual improvements over a long period of time further measures are needed. Within this study it was investigated what measures a large company needs to implement in order to increase their energy performance and comply with the legislation. By a literature review focusing on management systems as well as interviews within the Company, a complementary study with two companies covered by the EED and three expert  interviews, five key factors were identified. These factors are, top management commitment, awareness, goals, measurements and evaluation. A model was then developed aligning these factors. Further, concrete proposals for action to manage these factors were presented. By!increasing focus on these key factors and implement proposed measures companies will increase their energy performance and also make the organization aware of how actions affect a company’s energy performance

Bakgrund: Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, är ett begrepp som förklarar hur företag engagerar sig i tre olika områden: ekonomiskt, miljömässigt, och socialt för att anpassa sig till den samhällsekonomiska utvecklingen. CSR är en aspekt som blir alltmer vanlig för företag att tillämpa genom att långsiktigt nå sina mål. Om företag inte prioriterar CSR i hög grad kan det riskera att de förlorar kunder och får ett dåligt rykte. De som jobbar för att se till att företag har ett bra CSR-arbete är revisionsföretag. Revisionsföretag ska vara bra representanter för CSR-arbete för att styrka deras roll som granskare av andra företag. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats har varit att undersöka hur svenska revisionsföretag använder CSR. Sålunda syftar denna uppsats till att öka förståelse om varför vissa CSR-aktiviteter väljs i svenska revisionsföretag inom “Big Four” samt hur de kommuniceras. Metod: Denna uppsats har utgått från en kvalitativ metod där tre intervjuer har genomförts. Intervjuerna är få i antal men duger till arbetet för att intervjupersonerna besitter den bästa kunskapen om ämnesområdet inom just det företaget de är verksamma i. Respondenterna är ansvariga för Deloittes CSR-arbete i Sverige och arbetade på huvudkontoret i Stockholm, det har således gjorts ett icke-sannolikhetsurval. Resultat och slutsats: Uppsatsen har visat att svenska revisionsföretag prioriterar att välja CSR-aktiviteter som har en filantropisk karaktär. Svenska revisionsföretag prioriterar filantropiska aktiviteter över de som är av etisk, rättslig eller ekonomisk karaktär för de filantropiska aktiviteterna visar den bästa bilden av revisionsföretaget.
Background: Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, is a concept that explains how companies engage in three different areas: economic, environmental, and social in order to adapt to socio-economic development. CSR is an aspect that is becoming more and more common for companies to apply by achieving their goals in the long term. If companies do not prioritize CSR to a large extent, there is a risk that they will lose customers and get a bad reputation. Those who work to ensure that companies have good CSR work are auditing companies. Auditing firms should be good representatives for CSR work to strengthen their role as auditors of other firms. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate how Swedish auditing companies use CSR. Thus, this essay aims to increase understanding of why certain CSR activities are selected for Swedish auditing companies within the “Big Four” and the way they are communicated. Methods: This essay has been based on a qualitative method where three interviews have been conducted. The interviews are few but suitable for the work because the interviewees possess the best knowledge of the subject area within the company, they are active in. The respondents are responsible for Deloitte's CSR work in Sweden and worked at the head office in Stockholm, so a non-probability selection. Results and conclusion: The thesis has shown that Swedish auditing companies prioritize choosing CSR activities that have a philanthropic character. Swedish auditing companies prioritize philanthropic activities over those that are of an ethical, legal or economic nature for the philanthropic activities show the best picture of the auditing company.

En grundläggande princip för ett aktiebolag är att aktieägarna inte har något personligt betalningsansvar för bolagets förpliktelser. I syfte att skydda bolagsborgenärerna så finns det i aktiebolagslagen ett flertal kapitalskyddsregler. I 25 kap. ABL finns de så kallade kapitalbristreglerna. Reglerna bygger på att när en kritisk kapitalbrist har uppstått, så ska styrelsen iaktta ett visst handlingsmönster som syftar till att antingen läka kapitalbristen, eller inleda en ordnad avveckling av bolaget. Underlåter bolagets företrädare att vidta de åtgärder som lagen föreskriver så kan dessa personer bli solidariskt medansvariga med bolaget för de förpliktelser som uppkommer därefter. En grundläggande utgångspunkt i syfte att skydda bolagets borgenärer är att den kontrollbalansräkning som handlingsmönstret ålägger bolaget att upprätta ska granskas av bolagets revisor. Syftet med den oberoende granskningen är att förhindra att styrelsen fuskar med kontrollbalansräkningen genom antedatering, eller genom att t.ex. tillämpa felaktiga värderingsprinciper. Efter avskaffandet av revisionsplikten 2010 finns det inte längre något krav på granskning för små aktiebolag i Sverige. Detta har påverkat över 350 000 aktiebolag och riskerar att utgöra ett reellt hot mot borgenärsskyddet. Syftet med studien är således att undersöka hur avskaffandet av revisionsplikten har påverkat borgenärsskyddet i kapitalbristlagstiftningen. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys har tillämpats för att besvara studiens syfte. En granskning av myndighetsdokument, offentliga utredningar, förarbeten och lagtexter har genomförts för att få en helhetsbild för det befintliga rättsläget. Vidare har juridisk doktrin och lagkommentarer från auktoritativa parter samt kommentarer från dags- och kvällstidningar granskats i syfte att åskådliggöra eventuella tillkortakommanden med kapitalbristreglerna efter avskaffandet av revisionsplikten. Granskningen ligger till grund för den kronologiska genomgång som resultatet bygger på. Våra slutsatser påvisar att kapitalbristreglerna i första hand ämnar att skydda bolagets borgenärer. Det har i lagens förarbeten identifierats meningsskiljaktigheter angående vilka intressenter som faktiskt tillgodoses av revisorsgranskningen som kapitalbristreglerna till stor del lutar sig mot. Studien har också funnit att ett flertal auktoritativa myndigheter såsom Ekobrottsmyndigheten, Riksrevisionen, Brottsförebyggande rådet och Skatteverket har riktat kritik mot avskaffandet av revisionsplikten och dess effekter. Den slopade revisionsplikten kvarstår alltjämt, trots kritiken, vilket tyder på att företagarorganisationerna som stödjer reformen tillsammans utgör ett inflytelserikt intressentkollektiv. Slutligen kan konstateras att avskaffandet av revisionsplikten har försämrat det skydd som borgenärer tidigare åtnjutit genom 25 kap. 13-18 §§ ABL. Då revisorns oberoende granskning utgjort en grundpelare i kapitalbristlagstiftningen så förefaller den befintliga lagen inte vara ändamålsenlig i syfte att skydda ett borgenärskollektiv.
A basic principle for a limited company is that the shareholders have no personal responsibility for the company’s liabilities. In order to protect general creditors the Swedish Companies Act contains several capital protection rules. Chapter 25 in the Swedish Companies Act contains the so-called capital shortage rules. The rules are based on the fact that when a critical capital shortage has arisen, the board must observe a certain pattern of action that aims to either restore the shareholders’ equity, or petition the court for a liquidation order. If the board of directors fails to take the measures prescribed by law, these individuals may become jointly and severally liable for obligations that incur during the period of such failure to act. A fundamental premiss for the purpose of protecting the company’s creditors is that the balance sheet for liquidation purposes needs to be examined by the company’s auditors. The purpose of the auditors examination is to prevent the board from cheating with the balance sheet for liquidation purposes by backdating, or by applying incorrect valuation principles. After the abolition of the audit obligation in 2010, there is no longer any requirement for auditing for small limited companies in Sweden. This has affected more than 350 000 companies and risks being a real threat to the creditor protection. Thus, the purpose of the study is to examine how the abolition of the audit obligation has affected the credit protection in the capital shortage rules. A qualitative content analysis has been applied in order to fulfill the purpose of the study. An examination of government documents, public investigations, preparatory works and legal texts has been carried out in order to identify the existing legal situation. Furthermore, legal doctrine and legal comments from authoritative parties as well as comments from daily and evening newspapers have been examined in order to illustrate eventual shortcoming with the capital shortage rules, after the abolition of the audit obligation. The examination forms the basis of the chronological review on which the result is based on.Our conclusions prove that the capital shortage rules primarily aim to protect the company’s creditors. Disagreements have been identified in the law’s preparatory works regarding which stakeholders that actually are catered by the auditors’ audit on which the capital shortage rules are based on. The study has also found that a number of authoritative authorities such the Swedish Economic Crime Authority, Swedish National Audit Office, Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention and the Swedish Tax Agency have criticized the abolition of the audit obligation and its effects. The abolished audit obligation still remains, despite the criticism, which indicates that the corporate organizations that support the reform, together constitute an influential stakeholder collective. Finally, it can be stated that the abolition of the audit obligation has impaired the protection that creditors previously enjoyed through Chapter 25 sections 13-18 in the Swedish Companies Act. Since the auditor’s unbiased review constituted a cornerstone of the capital shortage rules, the existing law does not appear to be appropriate in order to protect a creditor’s collective. This paper is hereinafter written in Swedish.