Analysis of the composition of costs and expenses in different continents

Abstract

This paper analyzes the composition of cost and selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses for the companies listed in the Basic Industry section of NYSE. The method consists on examining the notes from these companies in the year of 2015, in order to identify the elements of cost mentioned in inventories, costs of goods sold (COGS) and SG&A, as well as the frequency of which they are presented. In the data we analyzed, we found that materials and direct labor are the elements most frequently presented by companies on inventories and COGS, while the personnel expenses are the most common element on SG&A. In addition, the most commonly used inventory valuation method for the companies studied is the First in First Out (FIFO). The results provide evidence of divergence between the elements of inventory and COGS on these companies, which may indicate inconsistency in the measurement, classification or presentation of the information. Based on the results, we conclude that the concomitant use of COGS and SG&A information of companies from different continents may affect the development of comparative studies, mainly those dealing with evidence of phenomena in a worldwide scale, such as cost behavior, for example.