ENHANCING AI COMPETITIVENESS AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION FOR GROWTH-ORIENTED SMALL BUSINESSES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Cost management constitutes an essential element in attaining and maintaining organizational profitability. Understanding the cost structure is essential for effective cost management, as it enables organizations to identify cost drivers, control expenses, and enhance profitability. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate the impact of cost structure on profitability using panel data from the pharmaceutical industry of an emerging country. This quantitative study examined the relationship between costs and profitability using secondary data from the annual reports of 31 companies. The unbalanced panel dataset comprised 180 firm-years. To assess causality, three regression models (Robust OLS, Random Effects, and Fixed Effects) were applied using STATA. The results from the Fixed Effects Model reveal that five out of six variables—Cost of Goods Sold (CGS), Administrative Expenses (ADME), Selling, Marketing, and Distribution Expenses (SMDE), Finance Cost (FINC), and Contribution to Workers' Profit Participation Fund (WPPF)—exert a statistically significant influence on profitability. In contrast, Tax Expense does not demonstrate a significant effect. The model estimates suggest that a one-unit increase in CGS is associated with a 0.9764-unit decrease in profitability. Similarly, a one-unit increase in ADME, SMDE, FINC, and WPPF reduces profitability by 1.0146, 0.9705, 0.8664, and 1.6035 units, respectively. However, the results from the Pooled OLS regression offer an intriguing observation: the WPPF appears to have a positive, albeit statistically insignificant, relationship with profitability. These findings are valuable for managerial decision-making, as they highlight key cost components that should be prioritized for control and reduction to enhance overall profitability.