<p>In April 2008 an official report, SOU (2008:32), was presented. In that report it was suggested</p><p>that the statutory audit for approximately 96 % of the Swedish companies was to be abolished.</p><p>The report suggests that the new regulations should apply to all limited companies that</p><p>are below two of three limits that have been suggested: a) a balance-sheet total of 41,5 million</p><p>SEK; b) a net turnover of 83 million SEK or; c) less than 50 employees. The regulations are</p><p>suggested to come into force July 1, 2010. According to the Swedish laws that regulate the</p><p>limited companies, Aktiebolagslagen 10:11, should all limited companies regardless of size</p><p>have an chartered accountant or otherwise approved. The purpose of the audit is to create a</p><p>trust towards the figures that the company shows and also to act as an assurance towards third</p><p>parties (Collis, 2003; Strenger et al, 2008). Commercial banks are one of the parties that use</p><p>the audited material in connection with granting of credits to small limited companies. The</p><p>aim of our study has been to describe and analyze the commercial bank's credit granting, and</p><p>to make a survey of what may happen with the process of credit granting and the credit</p><p>granting as such in case of an abolishment of the statutory audit. To do this we used a</p><p>qualitative research. We as researches have aimed to discuss the credit granting process and a</p><p>possible abolishment with the credit granters that are involved in the process. The study has</p><p>shown that commercial banks always use audited material in the credit granting process. The</p><p>commercial banks have a positive attitude towards the audited material and regard it as a</p><p>guarantee of quality. The study has shown that the commercial banks will not change how the</p><p>credit granting process is carried through in comparison of today. But the possibility of effects</p><p>upon credit prizing and upon choices of securities are not ruled out by the commercial banks.</p>

<p>The 1^st of July 2010 is the statutory audit going to be abolished in Sweden. After the abolition 96 % of the limited companies do not have to conduct an audit.  This research will therefore study the small companies’ demand for audit and alternative services, and how the services shall be provided to best align with the clients’ demands.</p><p>This study will be conducted with a positivistic perception of knowledge, since the aim is to explain what factors that affect the companies’ demand. With starting points in previous studies a deductive approach have been chosen. The theoretical framework consists of basic theories regarding audit; agency theory is its connection to audit. Then audit demand has been discussed, internal and external aspects; demand from external owners, banks, attitudes toward audit, company size, cost of audit. Then alternatives to a statutory audit have been discussed; audit interval, alternative services, assurance services, a review, and compilation engagements (a type of services which is based of accounting data) and joint-provision of services (a package of services).</p><p> </p><p>A quantitative study has been conducted via a postal questionnaire, which was sent to 395 companies in Västerbotten County that have:</p><ul><li>10-50 employees</li><li>3-41.5 MSEK turnover </li><li>83 MSEK balance sheet total</li></ul><p>The results from the analysis show inconsistent results with previous studies, a few factors show significant evidence of affecting the demand for audit in the full model tests, attitude towards audit and the prize. A few more factors show evidence in the individual tests; external owners and company size. The lack of impact of the demand from banks is remarkable findings.</p><p>As there is a demand for audit, 80 % of the companies, and alternative service, (about 50 %), conclusions have been drawn that audit firms should consider providing these alternative services. Since the choice of conducting an audit will be voluntary the audit interval might differ from today. The alternative services could be used the years that an audit is not conducted. As 60 % of the companies uses more services besides audit, and 40 % have a demand for a package of services the audit firms should consider providing the services in this way. This would create a win-win situation for all parties, since the clients will get the services to a lower price and the audit firms could probably retain more of their clients.</p>

The 1st of July 2010 is the statutory audit going to be abolished in Sweden. After the abolition 96 % of the limited companies do not have to conduct an audit.  This research will therefore study the small companies’ demand for audit and alternative services, and how the services shall be provided to best align with the clients’ demands. This study will be conducted with a positivistic perception of knowledge, since the aim is to explain what factors that affect the companies’ demand. With starting points in previous studies a deductive approach have been chosen. The theoretical framework consists of basic theories regarding audit; agency theory is its connection to audit. Then audit demand has been discussed, internal and external aspects; demand from external owners, banks, attitudes toward audit, company size, cost of audit. Then alternatives to a statutory audit have been discussed; audit interval, alternative services, assurance services, a review, and compilation engagements (a type of services which is based of accounting data) and joint-provision of services (a package of services).   A quantitative study has been conducted via a postal questionnaire, which was sent to 395 companies in Västerbotten County that have: 10-50 employees 3-41.5 MSEK turnover 83 MSEK balance sheet total The results from the analysis show inconsistent results with previous studies, a few factors show significant evidence of affecting the demand for audit in the full model tests, attitude towards audit and the prize. A few more factors show evidence in the individual tests; external owners and company size. The lack of impact of the demand from banks is remarkable findings. As there is a demand for audit, 80 % of the companies, and alternative service, (about 50 %), conclusions have been drawn that audit firms should consider providing these alternative services. Since the choice of conducting an audit will be voluntary the audit interval might differ from today. The alternative services could be used the years that an audit is not conducted. As 60 % of the companies uses more services besides audit, and 40 % have a demand for a package of services the audit firms should consider providing the services in this way. This would create a win-win situation for all parties, since the clients will get the services to a lower price and the audit firms could probably retain more of their clients.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the reasons behind the abolish-ment of statutory audit in small limited firms in Sweden and to discuss whether it would be beneficial for these firms to still maintain an audit of their business after the abolishment. Method: As a major part of this research study, qualitative interviews with auditors have been conducted to obtain professional opinion in the subject of inter-est. Previous research are presented to provide a broader perspective of the debate. Frame of Reference: The authors present an extensive background to auditing and accounting. Stakeholder model and agency theory have been applied to aid an under-standing of the relationship between a firm and its stakeholders. Experi-ences from other European Union countries are presented to provide a ba-sis of comparison and discussion. Moreover, advantages and disadvantages of auditing are presented to facilitate a discussion of whether it is beneficial to maintain an audit of small limited firms. Conclusion: After extensive research the authors have identified and determined the most probable reasons behind the abolishment of statutory audit. The au-thors can after a broad research conclude that the central reasons behind the abolishment are the costs of auditing. Populism and politics, as well as harmonisation motives of the European Union, are also prominent reasons for the abolishment of statutory audit in small limited firms in Sweden. Highlighting the benefits of auditing illustrates that accomplishing an assur-ance of quality is one of the most essential motives of an audit review. Au-diting may facilitate granting of loans, longer credit periods and loyalty, a credible image of the firm, as a result of business owners providing trust-worthy information to their stakeholders. It can be concluded that it is beneficial for small limited firms to maintain an audit of their business, de-spite the abolishment of statutory audit. / Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska de bakomliggande orsakerna till revisionspliktens avskaffande i små aktiebolag i Sverige och att diskutera hu-ruvida det är fördelaktigt att behålla revision i bolagen efter slopandet. Metod: För att erhålla en professionell åsikt kring ämnet i fråga, har denna studie till största del bestått av kvalitativa intervjuer med respondenter från revisions-byråer. Tidigare studier är även presenterade för att tillföra debatten ett bre-dare perspektiv. Referensram: Författarna ger en omfattande beskrivning av redovisning och revision. Intressentmodellen och agentteorin har tillämpats i syfte att underlätta för-ståelsen av relationen mellan företag och dess intressenter. Erfarenheter från andra EU-länder är presenterade för att möjliggöra jämförelse och dis-kussion, dessutom beskrivs för- och nackdelar av revision för att underlätta diskussionen om huruvida det är fördelaktigt att behålla revision i små ak-tiebolag. Slutsats: Författarna har efter omfattande forskning fastställt de troligaste orsakerna till slopandet av revisionsplikten i små aktiebolag. Sammanfattningsvis kan författarna hävda att huvudorsakerna till avskaffandet är kostnaden av att upprätthålla revision. Populism, politik och EU:s harmoniserande strävan är ytterligare framträdande anledningar till slopandet av revisionsplikt i små ak-tiebolag i Sverige. Att erhålla en kvalitetsstämpel är den främsta fördelen med revision. Dessutom kan revisionen underlätta beviljande av lån, längre kredittider, bi-dra till ökad pålitlighet och trovärdighet av bolaget. Dessa fördelar resulterar från ägarnas pålitliga information som de förser sina intressenter med. Av-slutningsvis kan man påstå att det är gynnsamt för små aktiebolag att behål-la revision även efter slopandet.

In April 2008 an official report, SOU (2008:32), was presented. In that report it was suggested that the statutory audit for approximately 96 % of the Swedish companies was to be abolished. The report suggests that the new regulations should apply to all limited companies that are below two of three limits that have been suggested: a) a balance-sheet total of 41,5 million SEK; b) a net turnover of 83 million SEK or; c) less than 50 employees. The regulations are suggested to come into force July 1, 2010. According to the Swedish laws that regulate the limited companies, Aktiebolagslagen 10:11, should all limited companies regardless of size have an chartered accountant or otherwise approved. The purpose of the audit is to create a trust towards the figures that the company shows and also to act as an assurance towards third parties (Collis, 2003; Strenger et al, 2008). Commercial banks are one of the parties that use the audited material in connection with granting of credits to small limited companies. The aim of our study has been to describe and analyze the commercial bank's credit granting, and to make a survey of what may happen with the process of credit granting and the credit granting as such in case of an abolishment of the statutory audit. To do this we used a qualitative research. We as researches have aimed to discuss the credit granting process and a possible abolishment with the credit granters that are involved in the process. The study has shown that commercial banks always use audited material in the credit granting process. The commercial banks have a positive attitude towards the audited material and regard it as a guarantee of quality. The study has shown that the commercial banks will not change how the credit granting process is carried through in comparison of today. But the possibility of effects upon credit prizing and upon choices of securities are not ruled out by the commercial banks.

Det pågår en intensiv debatt i Sverige om revisionspliktens vara eller inte vara i små aktiebolag. Sverige är ett av få europeiska länder som fortfarande har kvar en lagstadgad revisionsplikt för samtliga aktiebolag, och debatten är även av än mer intresse när Svensk redovisnings- och revisionsstandard alltmer anpassas till internationell standard. Ett medlemsland i Europeiska Unionen har möjligheten att undanta små aktiebolag från revisionsplikt. Men på grund av rådande regler i Sverige ska alla aktiebolag följa samma regler, något som ifrågasätts i debatten. Debatten om revisionsplikten är aktuell och viktig eftersom ungefär 200 000 aktiebolag skulle påverkas om revisionsplikten skulle tas bort. Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsen är att bidra till debatten om revisionsplikt för små aktiebolag, genom att gå bakom “ja- och nejdebatte.” Vi kommer att beskriva och förklara attityderna till revisionsplikten, samt till de existerande redovisningsreglerna hos mikroföretag i två olika branscher. För att uppfylla syftet har vi genomfört en kvalitativ studie. Vi har intervjuat ägarna till sex mikroföretag från två olika branscher, nämligen organisationskonsulter och byggnadsentreprenörer. De viktigaste slutsatserna från den här studien är, att oberoende av deras respektive attityd till revisionsplikten är det ingen av respondenterna, som skulle vilja ta bort revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag. Vidare uppfattar respondenterna inom byggnadsentreprenörsbranschen redovisningsreglerna som mer komplicerade än respondenterna inom organisationskonsultbranschen och en förenkling av reglerna skulle inte förändra någon av respon-denternas attityd till revisionsplikten / There is an extensive debate going on in Sweden about the being or not being of the statutory audit for small limited companies. Sweden is one of the few European countries that still have a statutory audit for all limited companies, and the debate is even more of immediate interest when the Swedish accounting and auditing standards are converging more and more to international standards. A member state in the European Union has the possibility to exempt small limited companies from the statutory audit. But due to the current regulations in Sweden, all limited companies are to follow the same rules, which is questioned in the debate. This debate is a current and important issue due to that approximately 200 000 limited companies would be affected if the statutory audit would be abolished. The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the debate about the statutory audit for small limited companies, by moving beyond the “yes and no debate”. We will describe and explain the attitudes towards the statutory audit and the existing accounting regulations among micro companies in two different business sectors. In order to fulfil the purpose, we have conducted a qualitative study. We have interviewed the owners of six micro companies from two different business sectors, namely organizational consultants and building contractors. The main conclusions from this study are that independent of their respective attitudes towards the statutory audit, none of the respondents would like the statutory audit to be abolished for small limited companies. Further, the respondents within the building contractors business perceive the accounting rules as more complicated than the respondents within the organizational consultants sector do, and a simplification of regulation would not change any of the respondents’ attitudes towards the statutory audit.

Abstract Problem In Sweden, there is currently a debate concerning statutory audit. Different stakeholders debate whether the government should change the legis-lation concerning statutory audit for limited companies below a certain size. A study made by Thorell &amp; Norberg (2005) and other researchers are of the opinion that banks are positive toward statutory audit. We find it very reasonable for banks to have this positive opinion, but we ask ourselves if the importance of the statutory audit is so great that it is reason enough for the banks to be an influential part in the ongoing debate. Purpose The purpose of the thesis is to contribute to the debate regarding statutory audit for small limited companies by studying the argument that banks and credit processes benefit from statutory audit. Method This study was conducted through a qualitative method. The data was collected by interviewing representatives from three banks. We investigated and compared the process of granting credits for unregistered firms, partnerships and small limited companies. This means that we compared credit processes for companies that are under the regulation of statutory audit and companies that are not. Conclusions Based on this study, we agree with Thorell &amp; Norberg (2005), that banks positive attitudes towards statutory audit is based on convenience rather than real benefits. Banks can conduct the same research for small limited companies, as for unregistered firms and partnerships. The personal responsibility for unregistered firms and partnerships is no defence in keeping the statutory audit, because it is of minor importance. As the bank representatives in this study do not know what an audit consist of, we can see no reason for them to say that the statutory audit should be kept. An auditor’s advice can create benefits for the company that is greater than the cost of the audit, but we can not see why the statutory audit should be kept because of this. Company representatives can hire an auditor or an-other advisor whenever he/she wants. Based on the results from this study, we can see no reason to keep the statutory audit for small limited companies, from a bank perspective. / Sammanfattning Problem I Sverige pågår en debatt om revisionsplikten. Olika intressenter debatte-rar om regeringen ska ändra lagstiftningen om revisionsplikt för aktiebo-lag under en viss storlek. En studie av Thorell &amp; Norberg (2005) och andra studier visar att banker är positivt inställd till revisionsplikten. Vi anser det vara rimligt att bankerna har denna positiva inställning, men vi ifrågasätter om revisionsplikten är så viktig för bankerna så att de kan vara en inflytelserik aktör i debatten. Syfte Syftet med denna uppsats är att bidra till debatten angående revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag genom att undersöka argumentet att banker och kreditgivningsprocesser gynnas av revisionsplikt. Metod Studien genomfördes genom en kvalitativ metod. Data insamlades genom intervjuer med tre banker. Vi undersökte och jämförde kreditgivningsprocessen för enskilda firmor, handelsbolag och små aktiebolag. Det innebär att vi jämförde kreditprocessen för både företag som har revisionsplikt på sig och de som inte har det. Slutsats Baserat på denna studie, så håller vi med Thorell &amp; Norberg (2005), att bankernas positive inställning till revisionsplikten är baserad på bekvämlighet istället för riktig nytta. Banker kan genomföra samma undersökningar på små aktiebolag som på enskilda firmor och handelsbolag. Bristen på personaligt betalningsansvar i aktiebolag ingen ursäkt för att behålla revisionsplikten, då den enligt bankerna är av mindre betydelse. Eftersom representanterna för bankerna i denna studie inte vet vad som innefattas i en revision, så kan vi inte se att de har någon grund att påstå att revisionsplikten ska vara obligatorisk. Råden från en revisor kan skapa större fördelar än vad kostnaden för revisionen är, men vi kan inte förstå varför man ska behålla revisionsplikten på grund av detta. Företagens representanter kan anlita revisorer eller andra rådgivare ändå. Baserat på resultaten från denna studie så kan vi inte någon anledning till att behålla revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag, ur ett bankperspektiv.

<p>Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the reasons behind the abolish-ment of statutory audit in small limited firms in Sweden and to discuss whether it would be beneficial for these firms to still maintain an audit of their business after the abolishment.</p><p>Method: As a major part of this research study, qualitative interviews with auditors have been conducted to obtain professional opinion in the subject of inter-est. Previous research are presented to provide a broader perspective of the debate.</p><p>Frame of Reference: The authors present an extensive background to auditing and accounting. Stakeholder model and agency theory have been applied to aid an under-standing of the relationship between a firm and its stakeholders. Experi-ences from other European Union countries are presented to provide a ba-sis of comparison and discussion. Moreover, advantages and disadvantages of auditing are presented to facilitate a discussion of whether it is beneficial to maintain an audit of small limited firms.</p><p>Conclusion: After extensive research the authors have identified and determined the most probable reasons behind the abolishment of statutory audit. The au-thors can after a broad research conclude that the central reasons behind the abolishment are the costs of auditing. Populism and politics, as well as harmonisation motives of the European Union, are also prominent reasons for the abolishment of statutory audit in small limited firms in Sweden.</p><p>Highlighting the benefits of auditing illustrates that accomplishing an assur-ance of quality is one of the most essential motives of an audit review. Au-diting may facilitate granting of loans, longer credit periods and loyalty, a credible image of the firm, as a result of business owners providing trust-worthy information to their stakeholders. It can be concluded that it is beneficial for small limited firms to maintain an audit of their business, de-spite the abolishment of statutory audit.</p> / <p>Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att utforska de bakomliggande orsakerna till revisionspliktens avskaffande i små aktiebolag i Sverige och att diskutera hu-ruvida det är fördelaktigt att behålla revision i bolagen efter slopandet.</p><p>Metod: För att erhålla en professionell åsikt kring ämnet i fråga, har denna studie till största del bestått av kvalitativa intervjuer med respondenter från revisions-byråer. Tidigare studier är även presenterade för att tillföra debatten ett bre-dare perspektiv.</p><p>Referensram: Författarna ger en omfattande beskrivning av redovisning och revision. Intressentmodellen och agentteorin har tillämpats i syfte att underlätta för-ståelsen av relationen mellan företag och dess intressenter. Erfarenheter från andra EU-länder är presenterade för att möjliggöra jämförelse och dis-kussion, dessutom beskrivs för- och nackdelar av revision för att underlätta diskussionen om huruvida det är fördelaktigt att behålla revision i små ak-tiebolag.</p><p>Slutsats: Författarna har efter omfattande forskning fastställt de troligaste orsakerna till slopandet av revisionsplikten i små aktiebolag. Sammanfattningsvis kan författarna hävda att huvudorsakerna till avskaffandet är kostnaden av att upprätthålla revision. Populism, politik och EU:s harmoniserande strävan är ytterligare framträdande anledningar till slopandet av revisionsplikt i små ak-tiebolag i Sverige.</p><p>Att erhålla en kvalitetsstämpel är den främsta fördelen med revision. Dessutom kan revisionen underlätta beviljande av lån, längre kredittider, bi-dra till ökad pålitlighet och trovärdighet av bolaget. Dessa fördelar resulterar från ägarnas pålitliga information som de förser sina intressenter med. Av-slutningsvis kan man påstå att det är gynnsamt för små aktiebolag att behål-la revision även efter slopandet.</p>

<p>Det pågår en intensiv debatt i Sverige om revisionspliktens vara eller inte vara i små aktiebolag. Sverige är ett av få europeiska länder som fortfarande har kvar en lagstadgad revisionsplikt för samtliga aktiebolag, och debatten är även av än mer intresse när Svensk redovisnings- och revisionsstandard alltmer anpassas till internationell standard. Ett medlemsland i Europeiska Unionen har möjligheten att undanta små aktiebolag från revisionsplikt. Men på grund av rådande regler i Sverige ska alla aktiebolag följa samma regler, något som ifrågasätts i debatten. Debatten om revisionsplikten är aktuell och viktig eftersom ungefär 200 000 aktiebolag skulle påverkas om revisionsplikten skulle tas bort.</p><p>Det övergripande syftet med uppsatsen är att bidra till debatten om revisionsplikt för små aktiebolag, genom att gå bakom “ja- och nejdebatte.” Vi kommer att beskriva och förklara attityderna till revisionsplikten, samt till de existerande redovisningsreglerna hos mikroföretag i två olika branscher.</p><p>För att uppfylla syftet har vi genomfört en kvalitativ studie. Vi har intervjuat ägarna till sex mikroföretag från två olika branscher, nämligen organisationskonsulter och byggnadsentreprenörer.</p><p>De viktigaste slutsatserna från den här studien är, att oberoende av deras respektive attityd till revisionsplikten är det ingen av respondenterna, som skulle vilja ta bort revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag. Vidare uppfattar respondenterna inom byggnadsentreprenörsbranschen redovisningsreglerna som mer komplicerade än respondenterna inom organisationskonsultbranschen och en förenkling av reglerna skulle inte förändra någon av respon-denternas attityd till revisionsplikten</p> / <p>There is an extensive debate going on in Sweden about the being or not being of the statutory audit for small limited companies. Sweden is one of the few European countries that still have a statutory audit for all limited companies, and the debate is even more of immediate interest when the Swedish accounting and auditing standards are converging more and more to international standards. A member state in the European Union has the possibility to exempt small limited companies from the statutory audit. But due to the current regulations in Sweden, all limited companies are to follow the same rules, which is questioned in the debate. This debate is a current and important issue due to that approximately 200 000 limited companies would be affected if the statutory audit would be abolished.</p><p>The overall purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the debate about the statutory audit for small limited companies, by moving beyond the “yes and no debate”. We will describe and explain the attitudes towards the statutory audit and the existing accounting regulations among micro companies in two different business sectors.</p><p>In order to fulfil the purpose, we have conducted a qualitative study. We have interviewed the owners of six micro companies from two different business sectors, namely organizational consultants and building contractors.</p><p>The main conclusions from this study are that independent of their respective attitudes towards the statutory audit, none of the respondents would like the statutory audit to be abolished for small limited companies. Further, the respondents within the building contractors business perceive the accounting rules as more complicated than the respondents within the organizational consultants sector do, and a simplification of regulation would not change any of the respondents’ attitudes towards the statutory audit.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Problem In Sweden, there is currently a debate concerning statutory audit. Different stakeholders debate whether the government should change the legis-lation concerning statutory audit for limited companies below a certain size. A study made by Thorell & Norberg (2005) and other researchers are of the opinion that banks are positive toward statutory audit. We find it very reasonable for banks to have this positive opinion, but we ask ourselves if the importance of the statutory audit is so great that it is reason enough for the banks to be an influential part in the ongoing debate.</p><p>Purpose The purpose of the thesis is to contribute to the debate regarding statutory audit for small limited companies by studying the argument that banks and credit processes benefit from statutory audit.</p><p>Method This study was conducted through a qualitative method. The data was collected by interviewing representatives from three banks. We investigated and compared the process of granting credits for unregistered firms, partnerships and small limited companies. This means that we compared credit processes for companies that are under the regulation of statutory audit and companies that are not.</p><p>Conclusions Based on this study, we agree with Thorell & Norberg (2005), that banks positive attitudes towards statutory audit is based on convenience rather than real benefits. Banks can conduct the same research for small limited companies, as for unregistered firms and partnerships. The personal responsibility for unregistered firms and partnerships is no defence in keeping the statutory audit, because it is of minor importance. As the bank representatives in this study do not know what an audit consist of, we can see no reason for them to say that the statutory audit should be kept. An auditor’s advice can create benefits for the company that is greater than the cost of the audit, but we can not see why the statutory audit should be kept because of this. Company representatives can hire an auditor or an-other advisor whenever he/she wants. Based on the results from this study, we can see no reason to keep the statutory audit for small limited companies, from a bank perspective.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Problem I Sverige pågår en debatt om revisionsplikten. Olika intressenter debatte-rar om regeringen ska ändra lagstiftningen om revisionsplikt för aktiebo-lag under en viss storlek. En studie av Thorell & Norberg (2005) och andra studier visar att banker är positivt inställd till revisionsplikten. Vi anser det vara rimligt att bankerna har denna positiva inställning, men vi ifrågasätter om revisionsplikten är så viktig för bankerna så att de kan vara en inflytelserik aktör i debatten.</p><p>Syfte Syftet med denna uppsats är att bidra till debatten angående revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag genom att undersöka argumentet att banker och kreditgivningsprocesser gynnas av revisionsplikt.</p><p>Metod Studien genomfördes genom en kvalitativ metod. Data insamlades genom intervjuer med tre banker. Vi undersökte och jämförde kreditgivningsprocessen för enskilda firmor, handelsbolag och små aktiebolag. Det innebär att vi jämförde kreditprocessen för både företag som har revisionsplikt på sig och de som inte har det.</p><p>Slutsats Baserat på denna studie, så håller vi med Thorell & Norberg (2005), att bankernas positive inställning till revisionsplikten är baserad på bekvämlighet istället för riktig nytta. Banker kan genomföra samma undersökningar på små aktiebolag som på enskilda firmor och handelsbolag. Bristen på personaligt betalningsansvar i aktiebolag ingen ursäkt för att behålla revisionsplikten, då den enligt bankerna är av mindre betydelse. Eftersom representanterna för bankerna i denna studie inte vet vad som innefattas i en revision, så kan vi inte se att de har någon grund att påstå att revisionsplikten ska vara obligatorisk. Råden från en revisor kan skapa större fördelar än vad kostnaden för revisionen är, men vi kan inte förstå varför man ska behålla revisionsplikten på grund av detta. Företagens representanter kan anlita revisorer eller andra rådgivare ändå. Baserat på resultaten från denna studie så kan vi inte någon anledning till att behålla revisionsplikten för små aktiebolag, ur ett bankperspektiv.</p>