Introduktion: Hållbarhet har blivit en naturlig del av företagens rapportering, därredovisningen i Sverige idag tillämpas som en frivilligrapportering. Tidigare studier presenterar skillnader avseende hur hållbarhet redovisas, men även att det finns branschspecifika överrensstämmelser. Konfektionsbranschen är av intresse att studera då tillverkningen inte alltid ger uppsyn över de hållbarhetsrelaterade aspekterna samtidigt som branschen har en stor mängd intressenter att bemöta. Genom att studera över tid erhålls en ökad förståelse för hur hållbarhetsredovisningen har utvecklats. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska vad konfektionsbranschen redovisat om hållbarhet samt kartlägga mönster över hur detta har förändrats över tid. Metod: En kvalitativ studie som tillämpar en deduktiv ansats med induktiva inslag. Studien utformas som en longitudinell fallstudie där analysenheterna Björn Borg, H&M, KappAhl och Odd Molly utgör konfektionsbranschen noterad på Nasdaq Stockholm mellan åren 2007-2014. Insamling av data består av årsredovisningar och hållbarhetsrapporter. Slutsats: Studien har urskilt ekonomi, socialt/etiskt, miljö och adaption som branschspecifika faktorer i hållbarhetsredovisningen. Vidare har utvecklingen över vad som redovisas inom dessa faktorer indikerat processer som driver utvecklingen av hållbarhetsredovisningen. Det har medfört en branschspecifik modell som illustrerar utvecklingen av hållbarhetsredovisningen över den studerade perioden mellan åren 2007-2014. / Introduction: Sustainability has become an integral part of corporate reporting and is applied as a voluntary reporting in Sweden. Previous studies show differences both regarding how sustainability is reported but also between industries. The clothing industry is interesting to study since the production does not always give a direct supervision of the sustainability-related aspects even though the industry has a large number of interested parties to consider. By studying sustainability reporting over time a better understanding of its development is obtained. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore what the clothing industry account for sustainability and to identify patterns of how this has affected the sustainability reporting over time. Method: This study applies a deductive approach with inductive elements. The study is designed as a longitudinal case study in which analysis units Bjorn Borg, H&M, KappAhl and Odd Molly, represent the clothing industry listed on Nasdaq Stockholm between the years 2007-2014. Collection of data consists of annual reports and sustainability reports. Conclusion: The study has identified economics, social/ethical, environmental and adaptation to industry-specific factors in the sustainability report. Furthermore, the evolution of what is reported in these factors indicated processes that drive the development of the sustainability report. This has resulted in an industry-specific model that illustrates the evolution of sustainability reporting over the period 2007-2014.

No description available.

The first chapter investigates how corporate governance influences firms’ capital structure behavior. Based on the premise that costs associated with deviations from the target capital structure are positively correlated to the extent of deviation, we hypothesize that the initial deviation from the target will be shorter for a firm with good corporate governance than for a firm with poor corporate governance. We also hypothesize that the former group will employ a higher speed of adjustment towards target than the latter group due primarily to the following reasons. First, a firm with well-placed governance system will adjust at a faster rate because longer it stays deviated, the higher the loss of value it faces. Second, firms with better governance structures enjoy lower adjustment costs. We develop three sets of measures for the quality of corporate governance and analyze how they influence a firm’s rebalancing behavior in presence of relevant control variables. Our results are consistent with the hypotheses. The second chapter explores investors’ reactions to new information on REITs and non-REITs option markets. The real estate market can be fairly volatile; what remains unclear is whether price changes are excessively volatile relative to fundamentals. This study attempts to examine the latter by using the methodology based on Stein (1989), which utilizes option data. The advantage of using option data rather than stock data to assess the reactions to information is that option valuation is not affected by changes in risk premium. Under volatility mean reversion, the changes in implied volatilities of long-term options should be less than those of short-term options. If not, an excessive reaction is suggested. Specifically, the study compares the changes in implied volatilities of options on REITs and non-REITs. Because real estate transactions typically involve a great degree of leverage, reactions can be greater for REITs than for non-REITs; on the other hand, there are several reasons that REITs are subject to potentially a lower degree of excessive reactions. Empirical results indicate that the reactions to information are stronger in non-REITs than in REITs. Moreover, we find that down markets are associated with stronger reactions, which we argue might be due to a leverage effect.

Young people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) are disclosing their sexual identity--or coming out--at progressively younger ages, making it more important than ever for the general population to understand, tolerate, and accept diversity in sexual identity. This study was designed to fill the gap in the existing literature about how the coming out process affects LGB young people's families of origin. Three LGB young people participated in the study, along with a member of each of their families. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the participants, as well as a conjoint interview with each of the three families. The findings of this interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) study illustrate the many ways in which a young person's coming out reverberates within the family system, offering a relational understanding of the coming out experience. The results of the study emphasize the process-oriented nature of coming out and the means by which that process is influenced by and influences family relationships and overall family dynamics. Centered on the various ways in which LGB young people prepare to disclose their sexual orientation to their families and how their family members adjust to the disclosure, the study offers a historically and culturally situated overview of the coming out experience in the family. Based on the results of the present study, the researcher offers suggestions for future studies on this subject and presents the implications of the study for LGB young people, their families, and family therapists.