This paper proposes a method for conducting quantitative inductive research on survey data when the variable of interest follows an ordinal distribution. A methodology based on novel and traditional penalising models is described. The main aim of the study is to pedagogically present the method utilising the new penalising methods in a new application. A case was employed to outline the methodology. The purpose of the case is to select explanatory variables correlated with the target debt level in Swedish-listed companies. 

The survey respondents were matched with accounting information from the companies’ annual reports. However, missing data were present: to fully utilise penalising models, we employed classification and regression trees (CART)-based imputations by multiple imputations chained equations (MICE) to address this problem.

The imputed data were subjected to six penalising models: grouped multinomial lasso, ungrouped multinomial lasso, parallel Element Linked Multinomial-Ordinal (ELMO), semi-parallel ELMO, nonparallel ELMO, and cumulative generalised monotone incremental forward stagewise (GMIFS). While the older models yielded several explanatory variables for the hypothesis formation process, the new models (ELMO and GMIFS) identified only one; the quick asset ratio. Subsequent testing revealed that this variable was the only statistically significant variable to affect the target debt level.

The discussion of “whether it pays to be green” is ongoing. This review does not intend to solve the debate, rather it soothes it by contributing to the concept of “when it pays to be green.” By focusing on the shortcomings of existing literature reviews on the topic of corporate sustainability and financial performance (CSFP) in this bibliometric review, issues were identified that had been overlooked earlier. In general, CSFP holds a positive relationship but in a time lag. Nonconclusive results about the relationship within CSFP are due to self-selection bias, endogeneity issues, and the use of multiple datasets and industry categories. Surprisingly, we also discovered that the impact of sustainability on financial performance is illusive in capitalist countries considered to be economically rational. Institutional and legitimacy requirements are a good starting point for shaping corporate behaviors in the short term; however, they might not be equally appropriate in the long term in cases when corporations shift operations to pollution havens. A multifaceted, synergistic interaction between governmental institutions, corporations, and other stakeholders is required—without imposing authority—to ensure durable sustainable development.

Begreppet näringsverksamhet används i såväl inkomstskattelagen (IL) som i bokföringslagen (BFL). För fysiska personer gäller, enligt BFL, att den som bedriver näringsverksamhet är bokföringsskyldig. Artikeln belyser att definitionen av näringsverksamhet inte är identisk i nämnda lagar. Det betyder att det som enligt IL inte är att betrakta som näringsverksamhet kan betraktas som näringsverksamhet enligt BFL, givet att vissa förutsättningar är uppfyllda. Annorlunda uttryckt kan fysiska personer vara bokföringsskyldiga (enligt BFL) trots att de enligt IL inte anses bedriva näringsverksamhet. Även om inkomsten beskattas i något av inkomstslagen tjänst eller kapital (och således inte i inkomstslaget näringsverksamhet) kan det föreligga en bokföringsskyldighet, givet att verksamheten enligt BFL är att betrakta som näringsverksamhet. Fysiska personer som bedriver näringsverksamhet är bokföringsskyldiga och den som åsidosätter denna bokföringsskyldighet riskerar att göra sig skyldig till bokföringsbrott. I artikeln förordas en synkning så att begreppet näringsverksamhet får exakt samma innebörd i BFL och IL. En synkning skulle innebära att det som enligt IL inte är att betrakta som näringsverksamhet inte heller ska kunna vara det enligt BFL, och att bokföringsskyldighet då heller inte ska föreligga.

In this paper, we investigate the direct and indirect effects of the EU-wide mandatory CSR reporting reform (2014/95/EU). We argue and find that, in addition to direct effects, coercive pressure also has spillover effects. An example of such a spillover effect of coercive pressure due to the reform is the change in reporting behavior of firms not subject to the reform, i.e., not directly coerced by the regulation. We exploit the Swedish implementation of the reform as a natural experiment to test our hypotheses and find that firms coerced by the reform increase their CSR reporting by 3.5 issues on average. However, firms not coerced by the regulation but close to being regulated increase their CSR reporting by 5.2 issues. As such, firms close to being regulated change their behavior more at the time of the reform than do those that are actually regulated. We also find that the spillover effects are significantly higher for low than high prereform reporters. On the other hand, the direct effects on low prereform reporters are insignificant. Together, the results refine our understanding of the institutionalization process of CSR reporting in a mandatory setting. The results are robust for various model specifications and provide useful insights for regulators and managers. 

I denna bok beskrivs och förklaras koncernredovisningens grunder. Såväl de tekniker som används för att upprätta ett koncernbokslut presenteras som den bakomliggande logik som ligger till grund för teknikerna. Dessutom beskrivs hur en elementär analys av koncernredovisningsdata går till.

Stor möda läggs genomgående på att läsaren ska förstå poängen med de tekniker som används vid upprättande av koncernbokslut och vid analysen av detta koncernbokslut. Det finns ett stort antal exempel och övningar, alla med fullständiga lösningar. För att underlätta framställningen så att läsaren ser skogen snarare än träden är såväl löpande text som exempel och övningar i möjligaste mån befriade från skymmande detaljer.

Bokens innehåll har använts av författaren i undervisningen i mer än ett årtionde med gott resultat. Text, exempel och övningar har författats och kontinuerligt reviderats baserat på studenters återkoppling.  

Boken är avsedd för högskole- och universitetskurser i extern redovisning på i första hand grundnivån, men vänder sig även till redovisningspraktiker som vill förvärva grundläggande kunskaper i koncernredovisning.  

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between auditing/non-auditing and accounting timeliness among Swedish private firms.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses regression analysis to test the relationship between auditing and two measurements of timeliness; lead time and late filing. The sample consists of Swedish private firms.

Findings: The paper finds that audited firms, when compared with unaudited firms, are significantly less timely. Moreover, greater profitability was associated with more timeliness but only for audited firms. The results also show that firms being audited by a big 4-auditor are significantly timelier than firms being audited by a non-big 4 auditor.

Practical implications: The findings in this paper suggests that one aspect of accounting quality, timeliness, does not seem to benefit from auditing in a Swedish context. There is a debate about whether the threshold levels in Sweden should be raised so that more firms voluntarily can opt out of audit. Those opposing a raised threshold level claim that auditing has positive effects on accounting quality and consequently that a raised level would have adverse effects. The findings in this paper do not support such a claim.

Originality/value: Little is known about timeliness in private firms compared to public firms and this paper fills that void. Contrary to prior research, findings show that unaudited firms in a Swedish regulatory setting actually are timelier than their audited counterparts. This questions one of the (presumed) benefits of auditing and should stimulate more research on this issue.

When a firm acquires 100% of the shares in another firm and finances this acquisition with available funds, the debt level and return on equity of the two firms in combination goes up (under certain conditions). In three experiments, we empirically demonstrate that individuals intuitively think these variables become lower after the acquisition, contrary to what is actually the case. The findings stress the role of psychological processes in business valuation and accounting and are consistent with an averaging account of judgment under uncertainty. On this view, people's judgments of objects in combination are biased toward the average rather than the sum of the objects’ individual characteristics. The experiments also show that informing the participants of the accurate evaluations removes the bias. The third experiment reinforced these results by replicating the same pattern with a sample of “high-accounting literacy” participants who all reported formal university training in accounting. One takeaway of the study is that, in acquisition settings, investors potentially could base their assessment of firm value on false premises which in turn (at least in the short run) leads to a higher level of asset mispricing and a less efficient capital market.

The purpose of this study is to investigate if audited financial statements add value for firms in the private debt market. Using an instrumental variable method, we find that firms with audited financial statements, on average, save 0.47 percentage points on the cost of debt compared to firms with unaudited financial statements. We also find that using the big, well-known auditing firms does not yield any additional cost of debt benefits. Lastly, we investigate if there are industries where alternative sources of information make auditing less valuable in reducing the cost of debt. Here, we find that auditing is less important in lowering cost in one industry, agriculture, where one lender has a 74% market share and a 100-year history of lending to firms within that industry. As such, it seems that lenders having high exposure to a certain industry might act as an alternative to auditing in reducing the information asymmetry between the firm and the lender.