Redovisningens roll i krisen – En analys av penningtvättskandalen i Swedbank
(2025) FEKH69 20251Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Research question: How did swedbank use accounting communication during the money laundering scandal?
Purpose: The following thesis aims to explore how accounting communication can be used to create and maintain legitimacy in times of crisis, through a case study of the Swedbank money laundering scandal. The study aims to complement existing research and further expand the understanding of the use of accounting communication in crisis management.
Methodology: The thesis applies a qualitative research design through a case study of Swedbank’s accounting communication during the money laundering scandal.
Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework consists of Benoit’s image restoration theory, Merkl-Davies & Brennan’s theory... (More) - Research question: How did swedbank use accounting communication during the money laundering scandal?
Purpose: The following thesis aims to explore how accounting communication can be used to create and maintain legitimacy in times of crisis, through a case study of the Swedbank money laundering scandal. The study aims to complement existing research and further expand the understanding of the use of accounting communication in crisis management.
Methodology: The thesis applies a qualitative research design through a case study of Swedbank’s accounting communication during the money laundering scandal.
Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework consists of Benoit’s image restoration theory, Merkl-Davies & Brennan’s theory of impression management, and Suchman’s legitimacy theory.
Result: The case study shows that Swedbank’s accounting communication progressed through three phases: detachment, correction and responsibility. In the initial stage of the crisis, impression management was used to deny, blame, avoid responsibility, and downplay the severity of the situation. Swedbank’s accounting communication then shifted to convey accountability, action, and acknowledgement. As the crisis progressed, the use of impression management decreased, while communication that reinforced Swedbank’s legitimacy increased.
Conclusions: The analysis shows that the effect of impression management depends on the message that is being conveyed. Strategies that emphasize positive progress and actions, such as attribution and thematic manipulation, appear to be more effective to create and maintain legitimacy in times of crisis. Conversely, strategies aimed to conceal negative events, such as manipulation of readability, rhetorical manipulation, and silence, do not seem to reinforce legitimacy in times of crisis. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Forskningsfråga: Hur har Swedbank använt redovisningskommunikation under penningtvättskandalen?
Syfte: Följande uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur redovisningskommunikation kan användas för att skapa och upprätthålla legitimitet i krissituationer, utifrån en fallstudie av penningtvättskandalen i Swedbank. Uppsatsen avser att komplettera befintlig forskning och utveckla förståelsen för redovisningskommunikationens användning i krishantering.
Metod: Uppsatsen tillämpar en kvalitativ forskningsdesign i form av en fallstudie av Swedbanks redovisningskommunikation under penningtvättskandalen.
Teoretisk referensram: Det teoretiska ramverket består av Benoits image restoration theory, Merkl-Davies & Brennans teori om impression... (More) - Forskningsfråga: Hur har Swedbank använt redovisningskommunikation under penningtvättskandalen?
Syfte: Följande uppsats syftar till att undersöka hur redovisningskommunikation kan användas för att skapa och upprätthålla legitimitet i krissituationer, utifrån en fallstudie av penningtvättskandalen i Swedbank. Uppsatsen avser att komplettera befintlig forskning och utveckla förståelsen för redovisningskommunikationens användning i krishantering.
Metod: Uppsatsen tillämpar en kvalitativ forskningsdesign i form av en fallstudie av Swedbanks redovisningskommunikation under penningtvättskandalen.
Teoretisk referensram: Det teoretiska ramverket består av Benoits image restoration theory, Merkl-Davies & Brennans teori om impression management och Suchmans legitimitetsteori.
Resultat: Fallstudien visar att Swedbanks redovisningskommunikation under penningtvättskandalen utvecklades i tre faser: distansering, korrigering och erkännande. I krisens initiala skede användes impression management för att förneka, skuldbelägga, undvika ansvarstagande, och förminska situationens allvar. Swedbanks redovisnings- kommunikation övergick senare till att kommunicera ansvarstagande, konstruktiva åtgärder, och erkännande. Under krisens utveckling minskade förekomsten av impression management, samtidigt som kommunikation som bidrog till att stärka legitimitet ökade.
Slutsats: Analysen visar att effekten av impression management beror på kommunikationens budskap. Strategier som betonar positiva framsteg och åtgärder, som attribution och tematisk manipulation, verkar vara mer effektiva för att skapa och upprätthålla legitimitet i krissituationer. Strategier som syftar till att fördunkla negativa händelser, som manipulation av läsvänlighet, retorisk manipulation, och tystnad, verkar motsatsvis inte bidra till att stärka legitimitet i krissituationer. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9202721
- author
- Guse, Matilda LU ; Behrens, Alice LU and Bengtsson Vikentorp, Johanna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- The Role of Accounting in Crisis – An Analysis of the Swedbank Money Laundering Scandal
- course
- FEKH69 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Redovisningskommunikation, kriskommunikation, impression management, legitimitet, Swedbank
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 9202721
- date added to LUP
- 2025-09-16 10:16:51
- date last changed
- 2025-09-16 10:16:51
@misc{9202721,
abstract = {{Research question: How did swedbank use accounting communication during the money laundering scandal?
Purpose: The following thesis aims to explore how accounting communication can be used to create and maintain legitimacy in times of crisis, through a case study of the Swedbank money laundering scandal. The study aims to complement existing research and further expand the understanding of the use of accounting communication in crisis management.
Methodology: The thesis applies a qualitative research design through a case study of Swedbank’s accounting communication during the money laundering scandal.
Theoretical perspectives: The theoretical framework consists of Benoit’s image restoration theory, Merkl-Davies & Brennan’s theory of impression management, and Suchman’s legitimacy theory.
Result: The case study shows that Swedbank’s accounting communication progressed through three phases: detachment, correction and responsibility. In the initial stage of the crisis, impression management was used to deny, blame, avoid responsibility, and downplay the severity of the situation. Swedbank’s accounting communication then shifted to convey accountability, action, and acknowledgement. As the crisis progressed, the use of impression management decreased, while communication that reinforced Swedbank’s legitimacy increased.
Conclusions: The analysis shows that the effect of impression management depends on the message that is being conveyed. Strategies that emphasize positive progress and actions, such as attribution and thematic manipulation, appear to be more effective to create and maintain legitimacy in times of crisis. Conversely, strategies aimed to conceal negative events, such as manipulation of readability, rhetorical manipulation, and silence, do not seem to reinforce legitimacy in times of crisis.}},
author = {{Guse, Matilda and Behrens, Alice and Bengtsson Vikentorp, Johanna}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Redovisningens roll i krisen – En analys av penningtvättskandalen i Swedbank}},
year = {{2025}},
}