Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory

Understanding how costs behave is a vital and critical issue for managers, management accountants, and financial analysts. Using agency theory, this paper addresses the empirical question of whether the management characteristics can help explain the cost stickiness as managerial behavior in the Teh...

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Main Authors: Abbas Ali Daryaei, Yasin Fattahi, Hamed Sadeqi, Ramazan Hasani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Iranian Association for Energy Economics 2021-02-01
Series:Environmental Energy and Economic Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.eeer.ir/article_118384_179282ddf516e5f28261ec332a8e94d2.pdf
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author Abbas Ali Daryaei
Yasin Fattahi
Hamed Sadeqi
Ramazan Hasani
author_facet Abbas Ali Daryaei
Yasin Fattahi
Hamed Sadeqi
Ramazan Hasani
author_sort Abbas Ali Daryaei
collection DOAJ
description Understanding how costs behave is a vital and critical issue for managers, management accountants, and financial analysts. Using agency theory, this paper addresses the empirical question of whether the management characteristics can help explain the cost stickiness as managerial behavior in the Tehran Stock Exchange. Utilizing a panel data regression model, we examined the data to determine the interaction impact of management characteristics as non-executive managers, managerial ability, overconfidence, and earnings management on cost stickiness of 165 firms, for the period 2009 to 2018. Results show that the entrenchment effects of non-executive managers increase the positive influences of managerial ability on overconfidence and as overconfidence increase, earnings management are also increasing consequently leads to an increase in cost stickiness. This means that when non-executive managers are excessively confident in their abilities, they are more likely to engage in opportunistic activities and earnings management. In these cases, managers report excessive cost overruns when there is a slight increase in company sales, resulting in increased cost stickiness. This study contributes by providing evidence on asymmetric cost behavior concerning management characteristics from one of the emerging economies. Further, the study extends the very few studies on the relationship between management characteristics and cost stickiness.
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publisher Iranian Association for Energy Economics
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spelling doaj-art-80b2f29f864c446f890acdfad3fff97d2025-08-20T03:17:08ZengIranian Association for Energy EconomicsEnvironmental Energy and Economic Research2538-49882676-49972021-02-015111510.22097/eeer.2020.230712.1156118384Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency TheoryAbbas Ali Daryaei0Yasin Fattahi1Hamed Sadeqi2Ramazan Hasani3Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, IranImam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, IranImam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, IranImam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, IranUnderstanding how costs behave is a vital and critical issue for managers, management accountants, and financial analysts. Using agency theory, this paper addresses the empirical question of whether the management characteristics can help explain the cost stickiness as managerial behavior in the Tehran Stock Exchange. Utilizing a panel data regression model, we examined the data to determine the interaction impact of management characteristics as non-executive managers, managerial ability, overconfidence, and earnings management on cost stickiness of 165 firms, for the period 2009 to 2018. Results show that the entrenchment effects of non-executive managers increase the positive influences of managerial ability on overconfidence and as overconfidence increase, earnings management are also increasing consequently leads to an increase in cost stickiness. This means that when non-executive managers are excessively confident in their abilities, they are more likely to engage in opportunistic activities and earnings management. In these cases, managers report excessive cost overruns when there is a slight increase in company sales, resulting in increased cost stickiness. This study contributes by providing evidence on asymmetric cost behavior concerning management characteristics from one of the emerging economies. Further, the study extends the very few studies on the relationship between management characteristics and cost stickiness.https://www.eeer.ir/article_118384_179282ddf516e5f28261ec332a8e94d2.pdfcost stickinessearnings managementmanagerial abilitynon-executive managers and overconfidence
spellingShingle Abbas Ali Daryaei
Yasin Fattahi
Hamed Sadeqi
Ramazan Hasani
Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
Environmental Energy and Economic Research
cost stickiness
earnings management
managerial ability
non-executive managers and overconfidence
title Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
title_full Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
title_fullStr Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
title_full_unstemmed Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
title_short Management Characteristics and Cost Stickiness: An Examination Based on Agency Theory
title_sort management characteristics and cost stickiness an examination based on agency theory
topic cost stickiness
earnings management
managerial ability
non-executive managers and overconfidence
url https://www.eeer.ir/article_118384_179282ddf516e5f28261ec332a8e94d2.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT abbasalidaryaei managementcharacteristicsandcoststickinessanexaminationbasedonagencytheory
AT yasinfattahi managementcharacteristicsandcoststickinessanexaminationbasedonagencytheory
AT hamedsadeqi managementcharacteristicsandcoststickinessanexaminationbasedonagencytheory
AT ramazanhasani managementcharacteristicsandcoststickinessanexaminationbasedonagencytheory