A contextual analysis of the impact of managerial expectations on asymmetric cost behavior

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Chen, Jason V.; Kama, Itay; Lehavy, Reuven
• 署名单位: University of Illinois System; University of Illinois Chicago; University of Illinois Chicago Hospital; Tel Aviv University; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ACCOUNTING STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1380-6653
• DOI: 10.1007/s11142-019-09491-2
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 665-693
• 关键词: forward-looking statements; information-content; Textual analysis; earnings; forecasts; management; press; language; targets

摘要

We examine the effect of managerial expectations on asymmetric cost behavior in the context of resource adjustment costs and unused resource constraints. Our results show that the incremental impact of managerial expectations on cost asymmetry is the strongest when adjustment costs and unused resources are high. Conversely, when both are low, expectations have no impact on the degree of cost asymmetry. Furthermore, when the degree of unused resources is high, managerial pessimism is associated with anti-sticky cost behavior but managerial optimism reverses this relation and results in cost stickiness. Finally, we find the strongest cost stickiness under the following: a low degree of unused resources, a high magnitude of adjustment costs, and optimistic managerial expectations; by contrast, the strongest cost anti-stickiness occurs when all three drivers operate in the opposite direction. Our study suggests that additional economic determinants should be considered when assessing the impact of managerial expectations on cost behavior.