COST STRUCTURE IN PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANIES IN THE FOOTWEAR SEGMENT

The administration costs of an organization composes part of its strategic policy and contribute to the identification of operational risks, that is why strategic cost management and knowledge of fixed and variable costs are critical. Therefore, the objective of this work is to identify the cost structure (fixed costs and variable costs) of publicly traded companies in the footwear segment. The research is descriptive, conducted through document analysis and quantitative approach. The sample consists of the publicly traded companies in the footwear segment of the BM&FBovespa, recorded in the period 2009-2011. To perform the study we use the quarterly information disclosed by companies. The results show that the cost structure of companies in the footwear segment are similar, the contribution margin varies from 22 % to 30 % and the costs and expenses vary mostly. According to the evidence, we conclude that the publicly traded companies in the footwear segment have considerable flexibility in their strategies considering that reductions in demand are accompanied by a reduction of its costs and expenses, favoring positive results even in adverse scenarios.