Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Commerce - Department of Accounting

The main objective of this study is to investigate whether an earnings forecasting model incorporating asymmetric cost behavior (ACB) and organization life cycle (OLC) (LCS model) improves earnings forecast accuracy. In addition, this study examines how ACB nature and degree differ across OLC stages and how earnings forecast accuracy (EFA) is affected by each of ACB and OLC. To achieve these objectives an empirical study was conducted employing a sample of 1,577 firm-year observations from 99 manufacturing firms listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange through the period from 2000 to 2019. Data were analyzed using regression, Independent Samples Test, Paired Samples Test, and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. The statistical results revealed that the three costs' proxies namely; cost of goods sold (COGS), selling, general and administrative cost (SG&A), and total costs (TC) are all exhibit stickiness behavior; however, the nature and degree ACB vary according to OLC as on average costs tend to be anti-sticky in the introduction stage but sticky in all other stages. In addition,TC stickiness has a significant negative effect on EFA. Also, EFA is higher for firms in the mature and growth stages compared to those firms in the introduction and shakeout/decline stages

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