Taxable persons’ right to deduct input VAT is an integral part of the VAT system and may in principle not be limited. Carousel schemes deprive the Member States a great deal of tax revenue, investigations show that up to EUR 100 billion disap-pear every year. In order to stop these trading arrangements and reduce the big amount of tax revenue which disappears every year, some Member States would like to deny traders involved in carousel frauds the right to deduct the input VAT. It exist different opinions regarding taxable persons’ ability to deduct input VAT when involved in carousel frauds. The ECJ has given judgements in three interest-ing cases dealing with the right to deduct in case of carousel fraud. In the Optigen case, it was established that taxable persons who do not know or have any reason to believe that they are involved in a carousel fraud cannot be denied the right to deduct the input VAT. In the FTI case, it was concluded that taxable persons in-volved in carousel frauds can be jointly and severally liable to pay the VAT to-gether with the person, actually liable to pay the VAT. A precondition for making a taxable person jointly and severally liable is that the taxable person has to be aware or should have been aware that the transaction made, was involved in such a scheme. If the taxable person did not know or had no reason to suspect this, he cannot be made jointly and severally liable. The ruling in the Kittel case confirms the Optigen judgement as well as concludes that when a taxable person is aware or should have been aware that he is involved in a carousel scheme, he is not enti-tled to deduct the input VAT. If this is the case, it is possible for the tax authori-ties in the different Member States to deny taxable persons this right as well as claim a refund. These judgements clarify when the national tax authorities can deny a taxable per-son the right to deduct input VAT when the transactions are made in a chain of fraud. However, another problem occurred, it is up to the national courts to de-cide when a taxable person should be aware that he is involved in a carousel fraud. This decision shall be based upon objective factors, no guidelines or any other help as to what these objective factors should consist of have been published. This creates an interpretation gap for the national courts followed by the risk of having an outcome with different interpretations from the courts in the Member States. / Den avdragsrätt som beskattningsbara personer besitter utgör en oskiljaktig del av mervärdesskattesystemet och kan därför i princip inte inskränkas. Karusellhandel berövar medlemsstaterna på stora mängder skatteinkomster. Olika undersökning-ar visar att upp till 100 miljarder euro försvinner varje år till följd av karusellbe-drägerier. Vissa medlemsstater vill kunna neka avdragsrätt för beskattningsbara personer som är inblandade i olika typer av karusellhandel som ett försök att stoppa dessa arrangemang och för att minska de skatteintäkter som årligen förlo-ras. Det finns olika åsikter om möjligheten att neka avdragsrätt för beskattningsbara personer involverade i karusellhandel. EG-domstolen har avkunnat domar i tre in-tressanta mål som rör avdragsrätten vid karusellhandel. I Optigen målet fastställ-des att beskattningsbara personer som inte vet eller har någon anledning att miss-tänka att de är inblandade i en karusellhandel inte kan bli nekade att dra av den in-gående mervärdesskatten. I FTI målet drogs slutsatsen att beskattningsbara per-soner involverade i karusellhandel kan bli solidariskt betalningsansvariga för sälja-rens mervärdesskatteskuld. Förutsättningen för att sådant ansvar skall kunna åläg-gas är att den beskattningsbara personen visste eller hade skälig anledning att misstänka att han var involverad i ett karusellbedrägeri. Däremot kan en beskatt-ningsbar person som inte visste eller hade skälig anledning att misstänka att han var inblandad i ett karusellbedrägeri inte åläggas solidariskt betalningsansvar. Do-men i Kittel målet bekräftar Optigen domen samtidigt som den fastställer att be-skattningsbara personer som medvetet eller som haft skälig anledning att misstän-ka att han är inblandad i ett karusellbedrägeri kan förlora avdragsrätten. Om så är fallet kan följaktligen de nationella skattemyndigheterna neka avdragsrätt för en beskattningsbar person samt kräva en återbetalning av redan utbetalad mervärdes-skatt. Dessa domar klarlägger när de nationella skattemyndigheterna kan neka en be-skattningsbar person avdragsrätten när en transaktion är genomförd i samband med ett karusellbedrägeri. Ett annat problem uppstod dock eftersom det är upp till de nationella domstolarna att bestämma när en beskattningsbar person skall ha skälig anledning att misstänka att han är involverad i ett karusellbedrägeri. Detta beslut ska baseras på objektiva faktorer, det finns emellertid inga riktlinjer eller annan hjälp att ta till för att bestämma vad dessa objektiva faktorer skall vara. Det-ta skapar ett tolkningsproblem för de nationella domstolarna, vilket kan resultera i olika tolkningar mellan medlemsstaterna.

Competition in the logistics service industry has constantly increased over the last decades which has lead to the traditional services offered by third-party logistics (TPL) providers becoming commodities and no longer offering attractive profit margins. When the company’s core product becomes a commodity, the company’s performance of supplementary services becomes vital for competitive advantage. The term “value-added service” is defined as a service adding extra feature, form or functions to the basic service and stands for all types of activities which are not directly based on services traditionally offered by TPL providers, i.e., transportation and warehousing. The term value-added service is mainly used in the logistics literature while supplementary service is used in the service management literature. Although value-added services can offer obvious advantages in form of customer lock-in and improved competitive advantage, such services are still offered at a low level and there is much space for development. The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how TPL firms develop value-added services and to investigate what the driving forces and barriers for developing and providing such services are. In the frame of reference, literature within service management, outsourcing, third-party logistics, value-added services, innovation and learning have been used. In the thesis, an inductive research approach is used and qualitative study has been carried out by applying multiple case studies as a research strategy. The empirical material is gathered from three TPL providers: Bring Logistics Solutions, Aditro Logistics and Schenker Logistics. Data was collected through several interviews conducted at the three target companies and the findings have been analysed using the existing theory stated in the frame of reference. The main conclusions from analysing the development process of value-added services are that this process in most cases is initiated by customer request and that development of value-added service can occur both in the beginning or during an ongoing relationship, though a lack of information about a customer’s business in the beginning of the relationship can hinder the TPL provider to develop value-added services. Apart from the TPL provider and the customer, firms such as IT companies, transport suppliers and other companies can be involved in the development process. No formal innovation process is applied for developing value-added services. The main driving force behind value-added services is meeting customer demands. Lack of proactiveness from the TPL provider’s side can be a barrier for developing value-added services, as well as problems with achieving successful organizational learning. The difficulty for the TPL firm to coordinate offering so many different services can be also seen as a barrier.

Experiences have become a new trend within the world economy today and a new way to add value to companies. A new economy is emerging named the Experience Economy. The customers’ demands of experiences are increasing and companies need to satisfy these demands and adapt them-selves to this emerging economy. The Experience Economy is today the fastest growing industry in Sweden and has grown steadily during the last decade. The Experience Economy is something that needs to be adapted within all industries in the society and is seen as the key factor towards economic success. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study how Swedish compa-nies have implemented experiences in the society and give future recommendations for their industries. Frame of reference: In this section theories and definitions regarding the Experience Economy from a producer perspective are presented. The theoretical frame does also contain the evolvement, culture, design and added value of experiences in today’s society. Method: In order to answer the purpose of the thesis a qualitative method has been utilized. The data collection contains of 14 companies within 13 sections of industries providing experiences in the Swedish market. Conclusion: The results presents the spreading of experiences in the Swedish society, the industries that are better suited for the Experience Economy and further more the future aspects of the development of this economy. / Upplevelser har utvecklats till att bli en ny trend inom världsekonomin idag. Denna trend är sedd som ett nytt sätt att generera mervärde till företag. En ny ekonomi har uppkommit vid namn Upplevelseekonomi. Konsumenterna idag efterfrågar mer upplevelser vilket företagen måste tillfredsställa. Upplevelseekonomin är idag den snabbaste växande industri i Sverige och har ökat under det senaste årtiondet. Upplevelseekonomin är något som är nödvändigt att implementeras inom alla samhällets industrier och ses idag som nyckeln till ekonomisk framgång. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur svenska företag har implementerat upplevelser i det svenska samhället och vidare ge framtida rekommendationer för de olika industri-erna. Referensram: I denna del presenteras teorier och definitioner rörande Upplevelseekonomin från ett producent perspektiv. Refe-rensramen innehåller även utvecklingen, kulturen, designen och mervärdet av upplevelser i dagens samhälle. Metod: För att genomföra syftet av denna uppsats på bästa sätt har en kvalitativ ansats valts. Insamlad data består av 14 företag inom 13 industrier som tillhör Upplevelseindustrin i Sverige. Slutsats: Resultatet visar spridningen av upplevelser inom det svenska samhället, industrier som visat sig vara bättre lämpad för Upplevelseekonomin, samt framtida aspekter.

This dissertation evaluates the empirical relation between the value-added tax (VAT) and the level of aggregate consumption. Furthermore, it develops a theoretical framework and an empirical analysis to study the impact of the VAT, as a form of taxing consumption, on capital accumulation, productivity growth, and overall economic growth. While recent theoretical work shows that the VAT may boost capital accumulation and growth by encouraging more savings, we find that the net impact of consumption taxes on growth and its sources is theoretically ambiguous, and depends on the interaction between utility parameters, the interest rate, and the tax structure. Moreover, we develop a theoretical model to study the tax design problem in order to rationalize the observed variation in effective VAT rates over time in our sample. This framework considers both equity and efficiency as important factors determining optimal tax structure, and we identify conditions under which taxes could be evolving or constant over time. Empirically, we use a panel of 15 European Union countries and employ the recently developed GMM dynamic panel techniques. After controlling for the potential biases associated with persistence, endogeneity, simultaneity, measurement error, omitted variables, and unobserved country-specific effects, we find that (i) the VAT exerts a negative impact on the level of aggregate consumption, (ii) the VAT affects physical capital accumulation positively, which feeds through to overall GDP growth, and (iii) productivity growth seems to be a less relevant channel for the VAT to influence economic growth.

Bakgrund: Bonussystem är något som började växa fram på 1980-talet och har sedan dess varit ett omdiskuterat ämne, både här hemma i Sverige och internationellt. Många forskare, politiker och invånare har uppmärksammat de höga ersättningarna som delas ut inom företagen i både bra och dåliga dagar. Det som drog mest uppmärksamhet var att företag trots en finanskris fortsatta med sina utdelningar och t.o.m. ökade sina rörliga ersättningar. Detta fick människor att undra vad företagen egentligen baserar sina ersättningar på. Å andra sidan försvarar företag sig med att dessa ersättningar ger motivation och ökad effektivitet hos de anställda som i sin tur presterar bättre, vilket utvecklar och driver företagen framåt.   Problemformulering: Väljer företagen att basera sina ersättningar på prestationsbaserade eller/och storleksbaserade variabler? Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att kartlägga vilken av de teoretiska traditionerna som bonussystem baseras på genom att undersöka hur sambandet ser ut mellan utvalda bonusmått och verkställande direktörers och ledande befattningshavarnas totala ersättning under en femårsperiod. Metod: Uppsatsen bygger på en kvantitativ metod där datainsamlingen har skett genom sekundärdata i form av företagens årsredovisningar. Vi har även valt att anta den deduktiva ansatsen som innebär att våra valda teorier ska appliceras på det reslutat som undersökningen visar. Reslutat: Utifrån de tester som gjordes i SPSS programmet visade resultatet att det framgick ett signifikant samband mellan total ersättning och företagets prestation samt företagets storlek. Slutsats: Studien visar att både prestationsbaserade och storleksbaserade variabler visar samband med den totala ersättningen, en övergripande variabel som utformar bolagens ersättningssystem kunde inte konstateras i vår undersökning. Utformningen av ersättningssystem påverkas av inre och yttre faktorer, bl.a. som landets välfärdssystem, företagskultur, konjunkturförändringar.

Globalization, economic volatility and uncertainty have impacted global business markets. This has also had an effect on the logistics and supply chain sector. The third party logistics (3PL) industry is constantly changing due to global industry consolidation, technology integration, industry specialization, and industry alliance networks. The most significant changes have been in areas such as 3PL industry size and make-up, services offered, geographical reach, and the information technology (IT) support provided. Companies can survive in a highly competitive environment by creating competitive advantage. Literature presents three different strategies for creating competitive advantage. These are cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Furthermore, innovations and collaboration between companies can also be strategies for creating competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to analyse from the retailers’ perspective, how 3PL providers could meet the customers’ needs better and create competitive advantage in the 3PL market. Furthermore, the purpose of the research is to find out which are, according to the customers’ needs, the best directions that 3PL providers should follow. This research contains both inductive and deductive research approach elements. The empirical data is collected through a survey and interviews. In total 45 retailers took part in the survey. Moreover, five of the survey respondents were selected for additional interviews. The collected data have been analysed by using theories and previous studies in the literature. The main findings from analysing the empirical data and the existing theory are that in order for 3PL providers to create competitive advantage, they should focus on the three elements: selection criteria, incentives and barriers. These influence their relationship with the retailers. 3PL providers should also try to enhance the service quality and satisfaction level in the fields of transportation, warehousing and reverse logistics activities. Most importantly, 3PL providers should provide logistics services and solutions that are in the same level with the retailers’ objectives. Furthermore, 3PL providers can also improve their efficiency and become more competitive by having deeper co-operation with other logistics providers.

Researth on the Value Creation Strategy -The Case Of Ritek Group By Li-Mei Chen Seeking sustainable growth has always been the core value of an enterprise.However, to achieve such goal, many questions followed¡Kwhat rules to obey upon seeking sustainable growth? High growth leads to high profit for sure? Larger company scale accompanies higher profit? Such growth strategy should be managed according more to external environment or more on own core competence? How to create company value resulting from the diversification and collectivization of the company growth? I adopt Ritek group (ëä¼w¶°¹Î) as my case study object. Purpose of my study is to find out the affection of their growth strategy to their company value, and, how this efficient growth strategy enhances sustainable competitive advantage. My study integrated the relation between company value and Resource-Based view, Enterprise Growth Strategy view and Economic Value Added (EVA) view. Results of my empirical study: 1. Resources construction is a key in the development of company. 2. Strategy to focus on core competencies and to be effective. 3. Company valued scale expansion strategy increased their company value. 4. Fast capital outlay expansion helps no company value promotion. 5. Long-term investment amount decides future value. 6. Highly fund financing could not create company value. 7. Company¡¦s profit ability affects its future growth opportunity.

This article aims to explore the influence of Mainland China's inter-governmental relations to the logistics in the Yangtze River Delta region. In short, research results can be summed up and related to Yangtze River Delta regions relationship between inter-structural governmental factors, to allow readers to understand the status of the logistics industry and policy development in the Yangtze River Delta and it¡¦s obstacles. Through governmental inter-system structure, relating to the Yangtze River Delta region's logistics industry environment review, analysis between local government in Yangtze River Delta, and the existence of competitive behavior, different difficulties, as well as logistics management system of the Government; on the other hand, Central Government policies on logistics development in Yangtze River Delta region and the role it plays, furthermore what means of intervention is necessary. Finally we can conclude that, Under the influence of inter-institutional structure, logistics reforms in the management of the local government and functions of the Central Government policies have been meet with difficulty; on the other hand, tax reform in logistics by means of Central Government macro-control, yet still compressed direct access to tax revenue of the local governments financial capacity, resulting in local governments to rely more on other non-tax revenues, indirect effects of layouts and the operation of the logistics industry chain. Due to these structural factors that affect local government in Yangtze River Delta areas causes a dilemma in choosing to compete or cooperate; reflecting to the effectiveness of the reform policies of the Central Government.

Abstract There are many factors, such as long-term depression and industrial moving, to induce Taiwanese corporations into financial distress since the Asian Financial Crisis erupted in 1997. In research of financial distress, it¡¦s difficult to distinguish the exact factors that whether financial aspect or other aspect cause financial distress. Management normally will take improvement actions in operation or financial respects when it perceives certain aspects getting worse. In practice, organization reforming and changing top management team may be the most popular and effective solutions. But, the effects for adopting such actions are uncertain. Therefore, those financial-distress corporations after taking successful improvements in change management are worth the research of its improvement procedures and methodologies. Many researchers evaluate corporation performance using certain financial ratio such as earnings per share (EPS), return on equity (ROE), and return on investment (ROI). According to the earning calculation as required in Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP), some expenditures which will make corporation benefit from a long-term respect are expensed currently. This result may understate current period and overstate future period earning and assets. Management may reduce this kind of expenditures when EPS is the only indicator for performance evaluation. Economic Value Added (EVA), one valuation method based upon residual income, will improve above-mentioned shortcomings of traditional performance evaluation. The major concept of EVA is that adjustment of accounting accounts is necessary to get real value of corporation and corporation needs to earn profit exceeding return of costs of capital to create value of shareholder. The case in my research, Y company, expanded its investment in Compact Integrated Steel Mill project which was announced in 1992. However, after Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, Y company¡¦s operation was getting worse and was unable to repay its bank loans. Y company then became a financial-distress corporation. The top management was changed after the majority shareholdings of Y company were transferred to C company. Since ownership change, Y company made organization reforming with ¡§Theory E¡¨ first and ¡§Theory O¡¨ second. We adopt EVA as the vehicle to assess the performance of new management¡¦s improvement. In our research, EVA of Y company was turnaround after C company¡¦s acquisition of Y company¡¦s shareholdings and its top management was totally changed. Keywords: Financial distress, Change management, Theory E, Theory O, Economic Value Added, EVA, Residual income.

Abstract There have been lots of M&A, alliance and restructuring activities occurred in the chemical industry all over the world since 2001. In order to operate the business successfully, the best way is through innovation instead of taking restructuring, cost down and/or M&A strategy only. Usually, chemical material should be well mixed or prepared to get unique properties for application. R&D and innovation are the good solutions. Under such circumstances, in order to win the game and even to survive, the chemical firms need to make changes of their products to be more value-added and keep their sustaining competitive advantages . This study has surveyed the questionnaires which were answered from the high value-added chemical firms, government, educational and research institutes. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was adopted for analysis. Our findings are: 1. The ratings of the importance in the second level of AHP are: ¡]1¡^The members participating in the innovation ¡]2¡^Organization system ¡]3¡^Protection of innovation ¡]4¡^Environment of the firm 2. The top five important factors in the third level of AHP are: ¡]1¡^Opinions from the industry---communication ability of the R&D director, firm secrecy protection mechanism, CTO can make the consequences of decisions for R&D innovation activities to take, relationship between firms and customers, participation of the R&D director in corporate strategy formulation ¡]2¡^Opinions from the government, educational and research institutes--- organizational culture of supporting venture and tolerating mistakes in the innovation process, CTO can make the consequences of decisions for R&D innovation activities to take, communication ability of the R&D director, firm secrecy protection mechanism, participation of the R&D director in corporate strategy formulation ¡]3¡^Opinions from the industry, government, educational and research institutes--- communication ability of the R&D director, firm secrecy protection mechanism, CTO can make the consequences of decisions for R&D innovation activities to take, participation of the R&D director in corporate strategy formulation ,organizational culture of supporting venture and tolerating mistakes