Titel: Finansiella målsättningar inom årsredovisningar – En kvantitativ studie av svenska börsbolag Nivå: C-uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Andreas Hamrén och Nils Ryngmark Handledare: Arne Fagerström Datum: 2016 – januari Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och jämföra skillnader angående finansiella målsättningar i årsredovisningar samt hur förutbestämda faktorer påverkar dessa skillnader.   Metod: Studien har en kvantitativ metod som utgår från en deduktiv ansats. Insamlingen av data har skett från årsredovisningar, som sedan ställts mot tidigare forskning och teorier. Dokumenten har granskats med en innehållsanalys för att sedan undersökas genom korrelationsanalyser som presenteras tillsammans med resultatet. De oberoende variablerna som studien utgått ifrån är bransch, storlek, antal styrelseledamöter, lönsamhet och skuldsättningsgrad. Resultat och slutsats: Studiens resultat tydliggör flertalet skillnader och likheter gällande finansiella målsättningar. De slutsatser som dras utifrån de statistiska testerna är att storlek och skuldsättningsgrad hade signifikanta samband med antalet finansiella målsättningar. Styrelseledamöter visade ett svagare samband, medan lönsamhet inte hade någon korrelation. Den deskriptiva variabeln bransch åskådliggjorde stora skillnader mellan segmenten och gav en bild av tillhörighetens betydelse för differensen. Uppsatsen bidrag: Det praktiska bidraget ger en bild över förekomsten av finansiella målsättningar på Stockholmsbörsen samt vilka typer av mål som är vanligast förekommande. Bidraget kan ge ett förslag till nynoterade bolag i uppbyggnadsfasen angående i vilken utsträckning marknaden presenterar målsättningar. Det teoretiska bidraget kan stärka intressent- och signaleringsteorins betydelse gällande frekvensen av målsättningar. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Förslag till vidare forskning är att komplimentera studien med intervjuer, detta för att få en uppfattning av de bakomliggande faktorerna till utformandet av målsättningarna. Ett ytterligare förslag är att inkludera exempelvis den danska börsen som är liknande den svenska för att finna avvikelser mellan företagskulturerna. Nyckelord: Finansiella målsättningar, frivillig information, framåtblickande information, årsredovisningar, asymmetrisk information, intressentteorin, signaleringsteorin / Title: Financial targets in annual reports – a quantitative study of swedish listed companies Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Andreas Hamrén and Nils Ryngmark Supervisor: Arne Fagerström Date: 2016 - January Aim: The purpose of this study is to describe and compare differences regarding the financial objectives in the annual reports and how predetermined factors influence the differences. Method: This study has a quantitative method based on a deductive approach. Data have been collected from annual reports, which are then set against previous research and theories. The documents were reviewed by a content analysis then examined by correlation analysis and presented along with the results. The independent variables of the study were industry, company size, number of board members, profitability and debt ratio. Result and conclusion: The result of the study make clear majority of the differences and similarities regarding financial objectives. The conclusions drawn on the basis of the statistical tests are that the size and debt ratio have a significant correlation with the number of financial objectives. Board members showed a weaker correlation, while profitability had no correlation at all. The descriptive variable industry illustrated the large differences between the segments and gave a picture of the importance of industry affiliation. Contribution of the thesis: The practical contribution illustrates the occurrence of financial targets on the Stockholm Stock Exchange and the types of goals that are most common. The contribution may give proposals to new listed companies in the construction phase regarding the extent to which the market presents the objectives. The theoretical contribution can give strength to the importance of stakeholder and signaling theory regarding the frequency of objectives. Suggestions for future research: Suggestions for further research is to implement studies with interviews, in order to gain an understanding of the underlying incentives of the financial objectives. A further proposal is to include, for example, the Danish stock exchange that is similar to the Swedish in order to find similarities and differences between corporate cultures. Key words: Financial objectives, goals, voluntary information, forward-looking information, annual reports, asymmetric information, stakeholder theory, signaling theory

M. Tech. (Cost and Management Accounting), Vaal University of Technology / This study was undertaken to assess the extent to which transfer pricing was effectively used by multinational manufacturing companies operating in the Southern Gauteng region of South Africa. The target participants of the study traded their products across international borders and as such made use of transfer pricing in one way or the other to achieve strategic objectives. Scant research has been undertaken to analyse the degree to which transfer pricing can be used to effectively influence managerial performance. On the other hand there is a wealth of knowledge on the relationship between transfer pricing and taxation. In-depth review of literature showed that even though multinationals formulated their transfer pricing policies to target financial and managerial objectives, self-interest and outside influences tended to hinder the equitable realization of both types of objectives. The study therefore set out to establish whether this is true of Multinational corporations (MNCs) in Southern Gauteng and in the process answer questions about the procedure for formulating transfer pricing policies by these MNCs, the relationship, if any, between transfer pricing and profitability and the use of transfer pricing for performance enhancement and assessment. The study made use of a mixed methods research methodology to collect and analyze data from 45 MNCs operating in the target geographical area. Of the 45 companies, 15 cooperated fully with the study. Data was collected via the use of questionnaires and follow-up face-to-face and/or telephonic interviews. Collected data was analysed using statistical methods including the Chi Square Test, standard deviation, frequency tables and the Kruskal-Wallis H test. The results from the questionnaire and interviews show that there is no universally appropriate Transfer Pricing Policies(TPP) which applies equally to all organizations in all circumstances. Firms are affected by different environmental factors while striving for tax-compliance and value creation. The fear of falling on the wrong side of tax laws is a major driving force behind transfer pricing policies of MNCs. As such other objectives that are managerial in nature become secondary and tend to be neglected if/when they conflict with the primary objective.

O modelo econômico capitalista trouxe importantes conquistas e aumento da riqueza global no último século. Porém, a distribuição desta riqueza não acompanhou seu crescimento, gerando desigualdades profundas entre países e entre camadas das suas populações. Este cenário leva a um repensar da forma tradicional de se fazer negócios em diversas partes do mundo, com a visão de que é possível utilizar as ferramentas de mercado para reduzir problemas sociais, configurando os \"negócios sociais\". Estes, fundem em sua missão motivações financeiras e sociais concomitantes. Porém, esta ambiguidade de objetivos frequentemente gera tensões na gestão do negócio, seja por diferenças culturais, trade offs, diferentes horizontes temporais, ou outras situações em que há divergência entre a dimensão social e financeira da organização. Muitas vezes, a solução não está dentro da empresa, mas sim no seu ambiente organizacional. Em diversas destas situações, as variáveis do ambiente são participantes da tensão, fatores facilitadores, ou fatores dificultadores para o gerenciamento da tensão. Sendo assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar como as tensões entre objetivos sociais e financeiros nos negócios sociais se relacionam com as variáveis do ambiente organizacional. O entendimento destas relações pode auxiliar os gestores a priorizar variáveis a serem monitoradas, identificar previamente possíveis tensões, ou considerar mais informações para tomar decisões em que há divergências entre a dimensão social e financeira da organização. Para atingir este objetivo, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa descritiva, através de entrevistas seguindo roteiro semi-estruturado, a 10 gestores de negócios sociais, levantando suas experiências e percepções acerca destas tensões e do ambiente. Foi possível identificar que todas as organizações já vivenciaram estas situações de tensão, porém muitas vezes a tensão representou uma etapa de amadurecimento ou re-alinhamento de objetivos entre os membros da organização. Identificou-se também que as tensões mais frequentes nas organizações estão relacionadas à necessidade de tomar medidas de curto prazo, para sobrevivência financeira, que divergem dos objetivos de longo prazo, de maximizar o impacto social. Muitas das organizações já definiram diretrizes ou critérios de priorização para curto prazo e longo prazo que aceleram o gerenciamento de tensões relacionadas à decisões do dia a dia, porém as situações que acarretam em trade-offs diretos são mais complexas e analisadas caso a caso. Foi possível relacionar diferentes variáveis a diferentes tipos de tensão, sendo que tiveram maior destaque variáveis do ambiente operacional (clientes, governo como cliente, investidores, parceiros estratégicos, cenário tecnológico) e do ambiente interno (valores e aspirações dos proprietários e funcionários). Identificou-se uma sobreposição entre os dois ambientes, uma vez que os valores e aspirações dos investidores e principais parceiros também foram relacionadas a diferentes tensões. / The capitalist economic model brought important achievements and the increase of the global wealth in the last century. However, the distribution of this wealth did not follow its growth, generating severe inequalities between countries and population classes. This scenario leads to a rethinking of the traditional way to do business in many parts of the world, with the vision that it is possible to utilize the tools of the capitalist market to reduce social problems, creating the social business. They combine in their mission both financial as well as social motivations. The ambiguity between social and financial objectives, however, frequently generates tension in managing the business, whether by cultural differences, trade offs between objectives, different time horizons, or in other situatiuons where there is divergence between the social and the financial dimensions of the organization. Often, the solution is not found within the company, but in its organization environment. In several of these situations, the environment variables are part of the tension, factors that either help facilitate or hinder its management. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how the tensions between social and financial objectives in social businesses relate to the variables of the organizational environment. Understanding these relationships can help managers to prioritize variables to be monitored, identify previously possible tensions, or consider more informed decisions in which there are divergences between the social and financial dimensions of the organization. To achieve this goal,a descriptive study was conducted through semi-structured interviews, with 10 managers of social business, assessing their experiences and perceptions of these tensions and the business environment. It was possible to identify that all interviewed organizations have experienced these situations of tension; however, often this tension represented an evolution on the company\'s stage of maturity or the re-alignment of goals between members of the organization. It was also found that the most frequent tensions in organizations are related to the need for short-term measures to guarantee financial survival, which differ from the long-term objectives to maximize social impact. Several organizations interviewed have already set guidelines or prioritization criteria for short and long-term goals that accelerate management decisions related to the tensions of everyday business, but situations that lead to direct trade-offs between financial and social objectives are more complex and are analyzed case by case. It was also possible to identify different variables to different types of tension, where the most prominent were of the operational environment (customers, government as a customer, investors, strategic partners, technological scenario) and internal environment (values and aspirations of the owners and employees). An overlap between the two environments was also identified, as it was possible to relate the values and aspirations of investors and key partners to different tensions.

O modelo econômico capitalista trouxe importantes conquistas e aumento da riqueza global no último século. Porém, a distribuição desta riqueza não acompanhou seu crescimento, gerando desigualdades profundas entre países e entre camadas das suas populações. Este cenário leva a um repensar da forma tradicional de se fazer negócios em diversas partes do mundo, com a visão de que é possível utilizar as ferramentas de mercado para reduzir problemas sociais, configurando os \"negócios sociais\". Estes, fundem em sua missão motivações financeiras e sociais concomitantes. Porém, esta ambiguidade de objetivos frequentemente gera tensões na gestão do negócio, seja por diferenças culturais, trade offs, diferentes horizontes temporais, ou outras situações em que há divergência entre a dimensão social e financeira da organização. Muitas vezes, a solução não está dentro da empresa, mas sim no seu ambiente organizacional. Em diversas destas situações, as variáveis do ambiente são participantes da tensão, fatores facilitadores, ou fatores dificultadores para o gerenciamento da tensão. Sendo assim, este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar como as tensões entre objetivos sociais e financeiros nos negócios sociais se relacionam com as variáveis do ambiente organizacional. O entendimento destas relações pode auxiliar os gestores a priorizar variáveis a serem monitoradas, identificar previamente possíveis tensões, ou considerar mais informações para tomar decisões em que há divergências entre a dimensão social e financeira da organização. Para atingir este objetivo, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualitativa descritiva, através de entrevistas seguindo roteiro semi-estruturado, a 10 gestores de negócios sociais, levantando suas experiências e percepções acerca destas tensões e do ambiente. Foi possível identificar que todas as organizações já vivenciaram estas situações de tensão, porém muitas vezes a tensão representou uma etapa de amadurecimento ou re-alinhamento de objetivos entre os membros da organização. Identificou-se também que as tensões mais frequentes nas organizações estão relacionadas à necessidade de tomar medidas de curto prazo, para sobrevivência financeira, que divergem dos objetivos de longo prazo, de maximizar o impacto social. Muitas das organizações já definiram diretrizes ou critérios de priorização para curto prazo e longo prazo que aceleram o gerenciamento de tensões relacionadas à decisões do dia a dia, porém as situações que acarretam em trade-offs diretos são mais complexas e analisadas caso a caso. Foi possível relacionar diferentes variáveis a diferentes tipos de tensão, sendo que tiveram maior destaque variáveis do ambiente operacional (clientes, governo como cliente, investidores, parceiros estratégicos, cenário tecnológico) e do ambiente interno (valores e aspirações dos proprietários e funcionários). Identificou-se uma sobreposição entre os dois ambientes, uma vez que os valores e aspirações dos investidores e principais parceiros também foram relacionadas a diferentes tensões. / The capitalist economic model brought important achievements and the increase of the global wealth in the last century. However, the distribution of this wealth did not follow its growth, generating severe inequalities between countries and population classes. This scenario leads to a rethinking of the traditional way to do business in many parts of the world, with the vision that it is possible to utilize the tools of the capitalist market to reduce social problems, creating the social business. They combine in their mission both financial as well as social motivations. The ambiguity between social and financial objectives, however, frequently generates tension in managing the business, whether by cultural differences, trade offs between objectives, different time horizons, or in other situatiuons where there is divergence between the social and the financial dimensions of the organization. Often, the solution is not found within the company, but in its organization environment. In several of these situations, the environment variables are part of the tension, factors that either help facilitate or hinder its management. Therefore, this study aims to analyze how the tensions between social and financial objectives in social businesses relate to the variables of the organizational environment. Understanding these relationships can help managers to prioritize variables to be monitored, identify previously possible tensions, or consider more informed decisions in which there are divergences between the social and financial dimensions of the organization. To achieve this goal,a descriptive study was conducted through semi-structured interviews, with 10 managers of social business, assessing their experiences and perceptions of these tensions and the business environment. It was possible to identify that all interviewed organizations have experienced these situations of tension; however, often this tension represented an evolution on the company\'s stage of maturity or the re-alignment of goals between members of the organization. It was also found that the most frequent tensions in organizations are related to the need for short-term measures to guarantee financial survival, which differ from the long-term objectives to maximize social impact. Several organizations interviewed have already set guidelines or prioritization criteria for short and long-term goals that accelerate management decisions related to the tensions of everyday business, but situations that lead to direct trade-offs between financial and social objectives are more complex and are analyzed case by case. It was also possible to identify different variables to different types of tension, where the most prominent were of the operational environment (customers, government as a customer, investors, strategic partners, technological scenario) and internal environment (values and aspirations of the owners and employees). An overlap between the two environments was also identified, as it was possible to relate the values and aspirations of investors and key partners to different tensions.