[pt] Esta dissertação teve como objetivo verificar se grandes acionistas – blockholders, não pertencentes ao bloco de controle, em um cenário de baixa proteção ao investidor e alta concentração de capital, como o brasileiro, atuam como um mecanismo de governança corporativa, reduzindo os custos de agência devido ao monitoramento dos gestores/controladores. A base de dados compreendeu as empresas não financeiras de capital aberto no Brasil, pelo período de 2010 até 2019, totalizando 1.091 empresas-ano. Foi utilizada regressão por efeitos fixos para dados em painel, e, como análise de robustez, o Propensity Score Matching, tendo como resultado um impacto negativo no Q de Tobin para as empresas que possuem blockholder em sua estrutura. Tal resultado apesar de divergir da literatura internacional, encontra eco em outros trabalhos realizados no cenário brasileiro, e justifica-se pela alta concentração acionária das empresas, pois blockholders não representariam ameaça real aos controladores, que geralmente possui mais que 50 por cento do capital votante, pela baixa qualidade das leis de proteção aos investidores e a fatores culturais, que incentivam a passividade dos acionistas brasileiros. A existência de blockholders neste cenário demonstra uma diluição do capital acionário e do fluxo de caixa que aumenta os incentivos que os gestores/controladores possuem para expropriar a empresa. Com relação a heterogeneidade dos blockholders, verificou-se que empresas com blockholders do tipo familiar apresentam Q de Tobin inferior aos demais tipos. Este resultado é explicado pois os blockholders do tipo familiar teriam maior propensão a formação de alianças com o controlador para expropirar valor dos demais acionistas minoritários. / [en] This dissertation aimed to verify whether large shareholders - blockholders, not belonging to the control block, in a scenario of low investor protection and high concentration of capital, such as the Brazilian, act as a corporate governance mechanism, reducing agency costs due to the monitoring of managers / controllers. The database comprised non-financial publicly traded companies in Brazil, from 2010 to 2019, totaling 1,091 company-years. Fixed effects regression was used for panel data, and, as a robustness analysis, the Propensity Score Matching, resulting in a negative impact on Tobin s Q for companies that have blockholders in their structure. This result, despite diverging from the international literature, is echoed in other works carried out in the Brazilian scenario, and is justified by the high shareholding concentration of the companies, as blockholders would not represent a real threat to controller s, which generally has more than 50 percent voting capital, due to the low quality of investor protection laws and cultural factors, which encourage the passivity of Brazilian shareholders. The existence of blockholders in this scenario demonstrates a dilution of share capital and cash flow that increases the incentives that managers / controllers have to expropriate the company. Regarding the heterogeneity of the blockholders, it was found that companies with family-type blockholders have Tobin s Q lower than the other types. This result is explained by the fact that family-type blockholders would be more likely to form alliances with the controlling shareholder to expropriate other minority shareholders.

According to the efficient market hypothesis the stock price for a company should be evoked immediately when new and unpredicted information about the company’s value is published. A publishing of a qualified audit opinion that disclose previously unknown negative aspects of a limited liability company, should thus result in a negative impact on its share price. Previous studies in the field, on the other hand, show conflicting results. In some cases, a negative impact has been found, in other cases a positive impact has been found while in some cases no impact could be observed. The study's selection framework consists of 223 Swedish listed limited companies which have received a qualified audit opinion during the fiscal years 2011-2018. A stratified random sample was made where 142 companies were examined. This study aims to examine what relationship can be found between an audit opinion and abnormal returns for the company's share. Abnormal returns indicate the difference between expected returns and observed returns. The study is performed according to an event study with event windows of three different extents, from 1 day up to 21 days. The abnormal return on the shares has been studied according to the Market model. The results of the study are in line with previous research and show conflicting results. Over event windows of 21 days and 3 days, the majority shows a positive abnormal return and in contrast, the majority shows a negative abnormal return in terms of the event day only. It can be stated that investors on the Stockholm Stock Exchange react negatively only to going concern opinions. The results may further indicate that the Swedish market is efficient where reactions to new information in auditor opinions are immediate, rather than over time. The results may also indicate that investors are not the primary stakeholders to which the auditing profession should be adapted to in Sweden.

Essay one investigates registered insider sales as stated in the final prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to test managerial market timing ability during the Seasoned Equity Offering (SEO) process. Using a comprehensive sample of 1,051 SEOs between 1997 and 2005, the findings suggest that the initial market reaction and the long-run post-issue performance of issuers are negatively related to C-level executive insider sales, but unrelated to sales by non-executive insiders. Overall, the findings are consistent with the notion that executive insiders are aware of the mispricing in their firm’s securities and successfully time their sales by participating in the secondary components of SEOs. The implication is that SEOs with C-level executive sales are overvalued relative to both SEOs without insider sales and SEOs with only non-executive insider sales. In the second essay, we compare shareholder wealth effects of dual-class and single-class Seasoned Equity Offerings (SEOs) between 1997 and 2005. While there is no difference in pre-issue stock performance or the initial market reaction to the SEO announcements, dual-class issuers significantly underperform single-class issuers in the post-issue years. The mean three-year underperformance of dual-class firms relative to single-class is a significant 28.93% (30.45%) in buy-and-hold raw (abnormal) stock returns, and robust to alternative model specifications. We document that this relative long-run stock underperformance is related to differences in the impacts of post-issue capital expenditures and acquisitions for dual and single-class issuers. Similarly, post-issue corporate cash holdings also contribute less to the shareholder wealth for dual-class firms.

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År 2010 infördes gränsvärden för revisionsplikt vilket gjorde revisionen frivillig för små företag. Sedan införandet av frivillig revision har allt fler svenska små företag valt bort revision, de huvudsakliga orsakerna är kostnaden, tiden det tar från företagsledningen och den upplevda bristen på nytta. Trots denna trend väljer vissa företag fortsatt revision. Syftet med studien är att förklara vilka svenska små aktiebolag som frivilligt väljer revision. Den huvudsakliga forskningsmetoden är kvantitativ med en deduktiv ansats. Studien har ett eklektiskt angreppssätt med utgångspunkt i agentteori, signalteori och institutionell teori. En tvärsnittsdesign och sekundärdata i form avårsredovisningar används. Även en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med induktiva inslag används. Analysen visar att de företag som väljer revision har en högre omsättning, större styrelse, högre skuldsättningsgrad, sämre ROA samt är äldre. Vidare väljer företag som är verksamma inom byggverksamhet och fastighetsverksamhet i större utsträckning revision jämfört med verksamhet inom ekonomi, vetenskap och teknik. Den kompletterande analysen skildrar att även ledningens syn på kostnad och nytta påverkar valet om revision. / In 2010 threshold levels came into force making auditing voluntary for small companies. An increasing number of companies have opted out of audit, since the abolition of the audit obligation for small companies. The main reasons are that it is costly, timeconsuming and the costs outweigh the benefits. Despite this trend some companies still choose to be audited. The purpose of this study is to explain which Swedish small limited companies that choose voluntary audit.  This study is mainly based on a quantitative and deductive approach. Based on an eclectic theoretical approach using agency theory, signaling theory and institutional theory. A cross-sectional design has been used for secondary data from financialstatements. This study is also based on a qualitative and inductive approach. The analysis indicates that companies with higher turnover, larger board, higher debt ratio, inferior ROA and are older choose auditing. Furthermore, companies that are within construction and real estate industry choose audit to a greater extent compared to companies within economics, science, and technology. The supplementary analysis depicts that management's view of cost in relation to benefit can influence the choice of audit.

Titel: Vad påverkar revisorns bedömningar av särskilt betydelsefulla områden i praktiken? En kvantitativ studie om revisionsstandarden ISA 701   Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi    Författare: Mathilda Ericsson och Ida Ljungdahl   Handledare: Mattias Hamberg   Datum: 2024 – maj   Syfte: Utifrån ISA 701 är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur företagsspecifika faktorer påverkar antalet särskilt betydelsefulla områden rapporterade av revisorn i revisionsberättelsen.   Metod: Med en deduktiv ansats och kvantitativ forskningsmetod har studiens hypoteser prövats genom en korrelationsmatris samt multivariata regressionsmodeller. Totalt har 2 091 observationer från svenska börsbolags årsredovisningar mellan åren 2016 och 2022 analyserats.   Resultat och slutsats: I studien finns stöd för signifikanta samband mellan antalet särskilt betydelsefulla områden och samtliga företagsspecifika faktorer som testats. Resultatet indikerar därmed att företagens agentproblem och komplexitet i viss mån styr revisorns bedömningar.    Examensarbetets bidrag: Studiens resultat tillför nya insikter kring revisorers bedömningar av särskilt betydelsefulla områden. Det kan vara relevant för standardiseringsorgan inom revision, upprättare och användare av redovisningsrapporter, samt för praktiserande revisorer.   Förslag till framtida forskning: Framtida forskning kan inkludera andra företagsspecifika faktorer och undersöka om det ger liknande resultat. Förslagsvis kan fokus ligga på relationen mellan revisor och klient. Slutligen föreslås att undersöka ISA 701 med en kvalitativ metod.    Nyckelord: ISA 701; Utvidgad revisionsberättelse; Särskilt betydelsefulla områden; Agentteori; Agentproblem / Title: What influences the auditor's assessments of Key Audit Matters in practice? A quantitative study on the auditing standard ISA 701   Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration   Author: Mathilda Ericsson and Ida Ljungdahl   Supervisor: Mattias Hamberg   Date: 2024 – May   Aim: Based on ISA 701, the purpose of this study is to examine how company-specific factors influence the number of Key Audit Matters reported by the auditor in the auditor’s report.   Method: With a deductive approach and quantitative research method, the study's hypotheses have been tested using a correlation matrix and multivariate regression analysis. In total, 2 091 observations from Swedish listed companies' annual reports (2016-2022) were analyzed.   Results and conclusions: In the study, there is support for significant relationships between the number of Key Audit Matters and all company-specific factors tested. It indicates that the companies' agency problems and complexity govern the auditor's assessments to some extent.    Contribution of the thesis: The results provide new insights into auditors' assessments of Key Audit Matters. This information may be relevant to standard-setting bodies in auditing, preparers and users of accounting reports, and to practicing auditors.   Suggestions for future research: Future research could include other company-specific factors. One suggestion is to focus specifically on the relationship between auditor and client. Additionally, it is proposed to examine ISA 701 using a qualitative method.   Key words: ISA 701; Extended auditor’s report; Key Audit Matters; Agency theory; Agency problem

This thesis investigates the impact of digitalisation on sustainability performance within manufacturing firms in Northern Europe from 2010 to 2023 at the age of Industry 4.0. It explores how digital technologies like IoT, cyber-physical systems, and big data have transformed production processes, enhancing sustainability across environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. The research employs a quantitative approach, utilising regression analyses of data sourced from the Refinitiv database to assess the influence of digitalisation on ESG performance in manufacturing firms across Northern Europe.  The theoretical underpinnings of this study are grounded in an integration of shareholder and stakeholder theories, which offer a detailed examination of how digital transformations are reshaping corporate governance dynamics. It also encompasses a discussion on agency theory and legitimacy theory, highlighting how differences in corporate governance outlooks impact sustainability initiatives. Moreover, the research evaluates the potential benefits and challenges associated with digitalisation through the lens of the resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities framework. This analysis elucidates how digitalisation provides a competitive advantage, for example, by promoting efficiency and decreasing energy consumption while acknowledging the possibility of increased resource use, a phenomenon referred to as the Jevon Paradox.  Findings indicate that digitalisation facilitates improved sustainability outcomes to enhance financial performance by optimising resource utilisation, reducing waste, and improving operational efficiencies. However, variations exist depending on the type and intensity of digitalisation. The results highlight that while digital technologies drive significant improvements in environmental management and operational efficiency, the benefits are not uniformly experienced across all firms, suggesting a differentiated impact based on company size and digital maturity.  This research significantly contributes to the academic literature by providing empirical evidence of digitalisation’s role in enhancing sustainability within the manufacturing sector. Importantly, it offers practical insights for policymakers and business leaders, equipping them with the knowledge to leverage digital transformation to meet sustainability goals effectively. Future research must delve deeper into the long-term effects of digital technologies on sustainability, investigate the impacts across different industrial contexts, and examine the role of regulatory frameworks in shaping digital transformation strategies. This thesis underscores the urgent need for manufacturing firms to harness digital innovations responsibly to foster sustainable development in the digital age.

The purpose of our paper is to study how ownership structure affects ARL (audit report lag) in Swedish companies listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In particular, family ownership (FAMO), institutional ownership (INSO) and foreign ownership (FORO) are analysed. Audit report lag is defined as the period between the end of a fiscal year to the signing of the audit report, which is directly followed by the release of an annual report. Based on a sample of 814 firm-year observations for Swedish-listed firms for 2020-2022, this study finds a significant negative relationship between audit report lag and both family and foreign ownership. The results indicate that audit report lag decreases when family and foreign ownership increases. Moreover, the findings suggest that family-owned firms have a shorter audit report lag compared to non-familyowned firms. No statistically significant relationship was discovered between ARL and institutional ownership. Arguments for our results can be found in the agency theory, signalling theory, and consequently the reputational hypothesis. Companies with certain ownership structures may try to signal certain information to investors to achieve the best possible reputation and external perception. Signalling theory has implications for companies that want to combat agency theory type 2 through timely reporting.