Acceso usuarios
Rafael Santiago Ahumada Lerma
In contemporary management accounting literature, cost behaviour remains a central topic of study. However, in Latin American contexts – particularly Colombia – it is still underexplored. This study investigates the asymmetry of costs and expenses and evaluates the impact of sales declines on publicly listed companies in Colombia. Employing a panel data model, the research adopts a recognized framework to assess cost asymmetry and a specific methodology to determine the magnitude of revenue decreases. The analysis includes 42 companies across seven sectors over the 1995–2022 period, incorporating variables such as revenues, cost of sales, and selling and administrative expenses. Findings reveal that three of the seven sectors exhibit asymmetry, with evidence of sticky costs rather than anti-sticky behaviour. Notably, asymmetries emerge when sales decline exceeds 25%, with expenses identified as the primary drivers. Companies managing common-pool resources demonstrated extreme stickiness, where costs increased despite falling revenues.
