本文主要研究支付給審計委員會較多的權益薪酬會不會影響到審計委員會的獨立性，從而支付較低的審計公費，選擇非產業專家的會計師。以2007至2015年間美國的上市公司為樣本，本研究發現審計委員會獲得的權益薪酬與審計公費，產業專家的會計師選擇呈負相關。此結果與預期一致，權益薪酬會誘導審計委員會妥協獨立性，從而買較少，品質較低的審計服務。

Crowdfunding challenges century long boundaries between the public, the industry andinnovation. In that respect the phenomenon holds the potential to decentralize and democratizethe way ventures are financed and realized. Crowdfunding has seen a lot of exitingdevelopments during the last few years, partly because of new crowdfunding platformsemerging on the internet, and partly because of new ground-breaking technology being used forfunding purposes. Meanwhile research has not quite catched up with the recent developments ofdifferent models for crowdfunding. This study’s aim is therefor to give an comprehensiveoverview of the different models of crowdfunding that are being utilized by crowdfundingplatforms on the internet today. A deductive content analysis has been made of 67 currentcrowdfunding platforms. The platforms have been analysed in order to determine what model ofcrowdfunding they utilize. The result has, apart from partly confirming prior studies, alsoproduced new exiting findings on what mechanisms constitute some of the crowdfundingmodels we see today. A new taxonomy of crowdfunding models is discussed and proposed. Theconclusion is that the need for a updated taxonomy, like the one this study provides, was wellneeded in order to understand the field. One important finding is that blockchain technology hasproduced a new form of crowdfunding through cryptocurrency: Initial coin offering. Thatparticular area will likely develop and continue to decentralize and democratise the economicalhuman interaction when it comes to financing.

Studien syftar till att analysera equity- och debt baserad crowdfunding i förhållande till studiens primära teori om elaboration likelihood model (ELM) och hur dess variabler påverkar potentiella investerares investeringsbedömningar. Informationsasymmetri och behavioral finance har inkluderats i studien som två kompletterande delteorier. För att undersöka detta har studien avgränsats till potentiella investerare som geografiskt är bosatta i Stockholms län. Undersökningen har genomförts med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer där totalt elva potentiella investerare har intervjuats. Respondenterna har baserats på ett snöbollsurval. Intervjuerna har skett genom att respondenterna tagit del av fyra scenarion som innehåller variabler kopplade till teorin om ELM. Studiens resultat påvisar att potentiella investerare bedömer samt väljer investeringsprojekt utifrån den centrala vägen i ELM teorin, som karaktäriseras av projektets kvalitet vilken är motsatsen till den perifera vägen som istället belyser elektronisk word of mouth (WoM). / The study aims to investigate how equity- and debt based crowdfunding in relation to the study’s primary theory of elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and its variables effect on potential investors’ investment decision. Information asymmetry and behavioral finance has also been included in the study as two complementary theories. To investigate this, the study has been delimited to potential investors who are geographically resident in Stockholm County. The survey has been conducted using semi-structured interviews, where a total of eleven potential investors have been interviewed based on a chain sampling. The potential investors have been presented four scenarios that contain variables linked to the theory of ELM. The study's findings show that potential investors assess and choose investment projects based on the central path of ELM theory, characterized by the quality of the project and opposite to the peripheral road that instead illuminates the electronic word of mouth (WoM).