The release of the Exposure Draft Leases by the Financial Accounting Standards Board in August 2010 has brought about much discussion regarding the proposed treatment for lease accounting. The changes proposed include the capitalization of operating leases by lessees, which are currently regarded as off-balance sheet financing. When the proposed changes take place, industries that have substantial off-balance sheet leases currently, such as the retail industry, will face significant adjustments for assets and liabilities, as well as changes in their income statement. This paper quantifies these changes in the retail industry and examines the effect of these changes on each firm’s current debt covenant agreements.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the change in disclosure of operating leases due to the mandated IFRS 16 standard will influence entities cost of debt. Therefore, this paper investigate whether an increase in operating leases has an equal effect on the cost of debt as a corresponding increase in debt. The data consist of observations on 213 Swedish public companies during the time-period 2006-2017, resulting in a total sample of 1549 observations. This paper concludes that operating leases is a complement rather than a substitute to debt and that the increased harmonization effect caused by the alignment of interest bearing liabilities and operating leases, could be beneficial in terms of decreasing entities cost of debt.

This dissertation addresses issues in corporate finance. Part I examines the litigation environment of a firm and its impact on financial policy. Chapter 1 discusses prior research, including theory and empirical results, related to firm performance, financial policy, and litigation. It provides the background to support the empirical analyses of Chapters 2 and 3. Chapter 2 examines the wealth effects of litigation events on the firms involved, as well as on their industry peers. I find that litigation events have a strong negative effect on both the firms sued, as well as their competitors. Chapter 3 examines whether managers use financial policy strategically when facing an increased risk of litigation claims. I find that greater litigation exposure leads firms to choose higher leverage. I show that this leverage increase is brought on by an active decision to repurchase shares. These repurchases appear to be financed with a combination of excess cash and short term debt as they coincide with a significant decrease in cash holdings and an increase in short term liabilities. These firms also increase their use of operating leases, which, due to their priority in bankruptcy, have similar characteristics as secured debt. Finally, the effects seem to be stronger for firms with a higher probability of bankruptcy. Part II asks whether there is a disposition effect in corporate investment decisions. Chapter 4 provides a summary of the existing literature related to the disposition effect and discusses both theoretical and empirical findings. In Chapter 5, I utilize the unique nature of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) to test for the presence of the disposition effect in corporate investments. The results show strong statistical evidence that REIT managers tend to sell winners and hold losers, where winners and losers are defined using changes in properties’ prices since they were acquired. In addition, I find evidence that this behavior is consistent with the disposition effect. REIT managers are significantly less likely to sell properties that have a loss relative to a reference point based on inflation or historical average returns, controlling for the properties’ recent returns. / text

When standards for financial reporting are amended, potential for change in the appearance of financial position for companies reporting under those standards arises. Currently standards set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) allow for two methods of reporting lease obligations on the financial statements. The first of these methods is the operating method, which allows lease payments to be expensed within the period they are incurred and only a decrease in cash or an increase in an account payable is recognized on the balance sheet. The second method is the capital method, which requires the present value of the future lease payments to be recognized on the balance sheet as an asset and a corresponding liability. Both are reduced annually through depreciation and lease payments respectively. The FASB has recently proposed discontinuing the operating method of reporting a lease obligation and allowing only for the capital method to be used. The objective of this study is to examine some of the changes in appearance of financial position that might be brought on by this potential change in reporting standards. The airline industry has been selected to illustrate the effects of capitalizing future operating lease payments on the balance sheet. These future payments under operating leases for companies within the industry are capitalized using two different methods of depreciation. The companies are then ranked in order of proximity to an industry average for eight well known financial ratios. The rankings for each treatment on a given ratio are compared and differences between the expensed ranking and each capitalized ranking are measured and discussed.

This thesis, "Lease contract", deals with the topic of leasing, especially with the legal aspects of lease transaction. In first part it describes the history of leasing, classification of lease operations according various criteria and advantages and disadvantages of leasing as a form of financing. Second part is focused on the description of Czech lease market, its development and the situation in year 2010. Third part is focused on the legal aspects of lease contract and lease transaction in Czech law and also in international law. Final part of thesis compares general terms and conditions of leasing of three selected companies on Czech market with general term which are recommended by Czech Leasing and Finance Association.

The aim of this thesis is to provide complex information on the characteristics of leasing, its cathegorisation and accounting issues including the comparison of leasing relationships outside of the Czech Republic, namely in Austria and in Slovakia. The work is divided into nine chapters, first three of them deal with general concept of leasing -- its history, various types and particularly with the legal framework of leasing in the applicable Czech legislation. The subsequent chapters focus on the lease agreement itself from the moment it comes to existence including the principal requirements of the agreement through changes that may occur during the existence of the agreement to its termination. The eighth chapter is intended to acquaint the reader with accounting of the lease transaction under the international financial reporting standards IFRS and to compare these accounting transactions with processes contained in the Czech accounting legislation. The last part of the work is based mainly on materials provided by IKB Leasing ČR s.r.o. and focuses on differences in the regulation of leasing relationship in Slovakia and Austria.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain how the implementation of IFRS 16 Leaseshas affected how publicly listed firms on the Scandinavian stock exchange markets useearnings management activities. Methodology: This thesis has used a quantitative method using a deductive approach with ageneral positivistic philosophy. The database Datastream, provided via Jönköping University,was used in the data collection. To analyze the data, a Pearson and Spearman’s Rho correlationwas conducted, as well as a multiple linear regression analysis. Findings: The findings suggest that operating leasing has not been used as a substitute to otherkinds of earnings management. Further, Scandinavian public companies show no increasedincentive to use income increasing earnings management via discretionary accruals. Moreover,the findings also show that the implementation of IFRS 16 Leases does not appear to have hadas incremental effects on the Scandinavian public companies as initially expected. Theoretical perspectives: The thesis uses earlier literature within earnings management, aswell as the Agency theory, the Positive accounting theory, and the Signaling theory to enablean explanation to how IFRS 16 Leases has affected how publicly listed firms on theScandinavian stock exchange markets use earnings management activities.

Leasingstandarden IAS 17 har motstått en del kritik eftersom företag har kunnat ta del av fördelarna av operationell leasing då både leasade tillgångar och motsvarande skulder har effektivt hållits utanför balansräkningen med endast not-upplysningar om framtida leasing skyldigheter. Under 2005 uttrycktes oro över brist på öppenhet och information gällande leasingförpliktelser av US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), något som redan bekymrade investerare och andra intressenter. Som svar på kritiken initierade International accounting standards board (IASB) tillsammans med Financial accounting standards board (FASB) ett projekt i hopp om att förbättra redovisningen av leasingavtal. Den nya standarden, IFRS 16, innebär att alla operationella leasingavtal kapitaliseras och redovisas i balansräkningen, det vill säga, en modell som liknar redovisningen av finansiella leasingavtal. Således elimineras uppdelningen av leasingavtal i operationella och finansiella leasingavtal. Syftet med denna studie är genom att analysera skillnaderna mellan IAS 17 och IFRS 16, utforska vilken inverkan IFRS 16 kommer att ha på företagens finansiella rapporter och nyckeltal. Vidare utgörs syftet av att förklara hur effekterna på nyckeltal förhåller sig till jämförelseperioder särskilt vid tillämpning av den modifierade retroaktiva övergångsmetoden. I denna studie har en kvalitativ ansats i kombination med ett induktivt angreppssätt tillämpats. Undersökningen har genomförts på ett fiktivt bolag samt åtta årsredovisningar från åtta olika företag inom detaljhandel och flygbranschen. Vad gäller de verkliga företagen har datamaterialet som extraheras från årsredovisningarna bearbetats med hjälp av den konstruktiva kapitaliseringsmodellen utformad av Imhoff, Lipe och Wright (1991, 1997) och modifierad av Fülbier, Silva och Pferdehirt (2008). Utifrån studiens undersökning blir det tydligt att IFRS 16 handlar om öppenhet och delgivning av information. IFRS 16 inverkan på resultat- och balansräkningen leder till att nyckeltal som bland annat soliditet, skuldsättningsgrad, räntabilitet på eget- och totalt kapital och genomsnittlig skuldränta påverkas. Användare av finansiella rapporter använder dessa nyckeltal för att identifiera problemområden samt möjligheter inom ett företag. Vi finner att kapitaliseringen av operationella leasingavtal förser användare av finansiella rapporter med mer verklighetstrogen information. Vidare bidrar studien till en djupare förståelse för hur och varför en del nyckeltal kommer att påverkas av IFRS 16 i förhållande till jämförelseperioder. Studien bidrar även till att förstå relevansen av IFRS 16 och hur denna standard bidrar till redovisningens informationsvärde. / The lease accounting standard IAS 17, has been criticized for enabling companies to take advantage of the benefits of operational leasing, since both leased assets and their corresponding liabilities have been kept off-balance sheet with information on future lease obligation presented only in notes. In 2005, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) raised some concerns due to the lack of transparency and information on lease obligations, something that already worried investors and other stakeholders. In response to the criticism, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), together with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), launched a project hoping to improve the accounting of leases. With the new IFRS 16 standard, all operating leases will be capitalized and reported on the balance sheet. Hence, a model similar to the accounting for financial leasing agreements eliminating the division of lease agreements into operational and financial leases. The aim of this study is to analyze the differences between IAS 17 and IFRS 16, examine what impact IFRS 16 will have on the companies' financial reports and key ratios. Furthermore, the study aims to explain how the effects on key ratios relate to comparative periods in particular when applying the modified retrospective approach. In this study, a qualitative approach in combination with an inductive approach has been applied. The study has been carried out on a fictitious company and eight annual reports from eight different companies within the retail and airline industry. With regard to the actual companies, the data material extracted from the annual reports has been processed using the constructive capitalization model designed by Imhoff, Lipe and Wright (1991, 1997) and modified by Fülbier, Silva and Pferdehirt (2008).Based on the study's results, it becomes clear that IFRS 16 is about transparency and disclosure of information. IFRS 16’s impact on the income statement and balance sheet results in key ratios such as equity ratio, debt/equity ratio, return on equity and total capital and average debt interest rate to change. Users of financial reports use these key ratios to identify problem areas and opportunities within a company. This study finds that the capitalization of operating leases provides users of financial reports with more accurate information. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of how and why some key ratios will be affected by IFRS 16 in relation to comparative periods. The study also helps in understanding the relevance of IFRS 16 and how this standard contributes to the information value in accounting.

Bakgrund: Den 1 januari 2019 infördes IFRS 16, som är en ny standard för hur börsnoterade företag ska redovisa leasingavtal. Tidigare har företag som följer IFRS haft möjlighet att redovisa leasingavtal finansiellt eller operationellt. Fram tills nu har det varit vanligt att företag redovisar leasingavtal operationellt, inte minst inom industribranschen där leasing av maskiner och fastigheter är vanligt. I och med IFRS 16 ska alla leasingavtal istället redovisas som en nyttjanderätt i balansräkningen. Målet med IFRS 16 är att redovisningen av leasingavtal korrekt ska återspegla företagets faktiska finansiella ställning och ge en rättvisande bild av verksamheten. Det finns dock de som är kritiska till den nya standarden som menar att den är onödig och endast kommer medföra ytterligare jobb för företagen. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om IFRS 16 kommer uppfylla sin funktion, och således minska informationsasymmetrin mellan företag och investerare, eller endast är ett ”onödigt ont”. Metod: Studien har genomförts med en kvantitativ ansats för att kunna generalisera effekterna inom industribranschen. För att uppfylla studiens syfte har vi med en kapitaliseringsmetod för operationell leasing undersökt hur 30 börsnoterade industriföretags finansiella rapporter och nyckeltal kan komma att påverkas av reglerna i IFRS 16. Vi har även, med hjälp av en regressionsanalys som testade sambandet mellan redovisning av operationell leasing och ett företags marknadsvärde, undersökt hur IFRS 16 kan komma att påverka investerares värdering av företag. Slutsats: De slutsatser vi kan dra är att företagens balansnyckeltal är de som kommer påverkas mest av IFRS 16, oavsett företagens storlek. Lönsamhetsnyckeltal och likviditetsnyckeltal påverkas endast signifikant för medelstora och stora börsnoterade industriföretag. Studien visar även att IFRS 16 inte kommer minska informationsasymmetrin mellan företag och investerare, då informationen kring operationell leasing redan finns tillgänglig i noterna. IFRS 16 kommer dock uppfylla sin funktion för mindre sofistikerade investerare samt minska de resurser investerare behöver lägga på att justera de finansiella rapporterna. Vi kan därmed dra slutsatsen att IFRS 16 inte är ett ”onödigt ont”. / Background: The new standard for lease accounting, IFRS 16, was introduced January 1st, 2019. Until this date, companies that comply with IFRS have had the choice to report leasing agreements as financial or operating leases. Before IFRS 16, the majority of lease agreements have been reported as operating leases, not least in the industrial sector where machines and properties are frequently used. In accordance with IFRS 16, all leasing agreements will instead be reported as a right-of-use asset in the balance sheet. The objective of IFRS 16 is that the accounting of leases should accurately reflect the company's actual financial position and give a true and fair view of the business. However, there are critics of the new standard, who consider it an “unnecessary evil”. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether IFRS 16 will fulfill its objectives and reduce information asymmetry between companies and investors, or if it is only an "unnecessary evil". Methods: In order to generalize the effects of IFRS 16 in the industrial sector, this paper was conducted with a quantitative approach. To fulfill the purpose of the paper, we used a capitalization method for operating leases, to examine how the financial statements and ratios of 30 listed companies may be affected by IFRS 16. A regression analysis was conducted to test the correlation between operating lease accounting and a company's market value in order to observe how IFRS 16 may affect investors' business valuation. Conclusion: In conclusion, the financial ratios most effected by IFRS 16, are the balance ratios, regardless of the size of the companies. Performance ratios and liquidity ratios are only significantly affected for medium-sized and large listed industrial companies. The study also shows that IFRS 16 will not reduce information asymmetry between companies and investors, as the information on operating leases is already disclosed in the notes. However, IFRS 16 will fulfill its function for less sophisticated investors and reduce the costs of adjusting the financial statements for investors. We can therefore conclude that IFRS 16 is not an "unnecessary evil".

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:32:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Evaldo Basilio de Oliveira Batista.pdf: 547977 bytes, checksum: 72407f60b3d3de41bff0832d00e18c60 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-03-13 / Lease is the subject of a joint Project from IASB (International Accounting Standards Board), responsible to develop and publish the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board), responsible of setting the accozmting standards recognized by the North American agency SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Recognizing that the standards for leasing accounting do not meet current needs, IASB and FASB published jointly, in August 2010, the Exposure Draft ED/2010/9 Leases, including important changes in the standards of the leasing contracts recognition, measurement and disclosure. This study had the objective to confirm the applicability of the recognition proposed by the exposure draft and to investigate the way the changes of ED/201019 would impact the financial statements and the financial indicators of the traded Brazilian companies with operating leasing operations. The study was made in a population of 665 companies that published their financial statements in 2010, which 119 disclosed the existence of operating lease transactions, from which 32 were selected to compose the sample. The results confirmed the applicability of the recognition of a right to use the leased asset and an obligation to perform the leasing payments as well as revealed that the initial recognition of ED/2010/9 had significant impacts in the financial statements and the financial indicators of the companies with operating lease operations, increasing the indebtedness perception and reducing the liquidity and profitability perceptions of the lessees. / O arrendamento mercantil é tema de um projeto conjunto do IASB (International Accounting Standards Board), responsável por desenvolver e publicar os pronunciamentos IFRS(International Financia/ Reporting Standards), com o FASB (Financia/ Accozmting Standards Board), entidade responsável por estabelecer os padrões de contabilidade reconhecidos pelo órgão Norte Americano SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). Por reconhecerem que os padrões de contabilização dos contratos de arrendamento mercantil não atendem as necessidades atuais, o IASB e o FASB publicaram conjuntamente, em agosto de 2010, o Exposure Draft ED/2010/9 Leases, incorporando mudanças importantes nos padrões de reconhecimento, mensuração e divulgação dos contratos de arrendamento mercantil. Este trabalho teve por objetivo confirmar a pertinência dos registros contábeis propostos pela minuta do novo pronunciamento e investigar como as mudanças propostas no ED/2010/9 impactariam as demonstrações contábeis e os indicadores financeiros das companhias abertas brasileiras arrendatárias de operações de arrendamento mercantil operacional. O estudo abrangeu uma população de 665 empresas que publicaram suas demonstrações contábeis em 2010, das quais 119 divulgaram a existência de contratos de arrendamento mercantil operacional, sendo 32 arrendatárias selecionadas para compor a amostra. Os resultados confirmaram a pertinência do reconhecimento do direito de uso do ativo arrendado e de uma obrigação com as parcelas do arrendamento nas empresas arrendatárias do leasing operacional e revelaram que o reconhecimento inicial do ED/2010/9 afetou significativamente os demonstrativos contábeis e os indicadores financeiros das empresas com operações de arrendamento mercantil operacional, aumentando a percepção do endividamento e diminuindo a percepção de liquidez e de rentabilidade das arrendatárias.