ASSESSMENT OF THE SUNK COST EFFECT ONDECISION MAKING PROCESS IN ACCOUNTING STUDENTS: A STUDY UNDER THE LIGHT OF THE PROSPECT THEORY

Abstract

The sunk cost can influence decision-making, ie, individuals who suffer the sunk cost effect choose certain alternative based on the value invested, is ideal choose what pleases since value lost cannot be recovered. Thus, this research aims to verify how the undergraduate students of Accounting are influenced by sunk cost effect means of personal decisions scenarios following the assumptions of the Prospectus Theory. Through a descriptive research through survey with quantitative approach, questionnaires were given to students of first and last year of Accounting, being students from private and public university in a city in the state of Paraná. Among the findings, it is observed that the value that will be lost with the choice of alternatives is not considered in decision-making, the which means, in general, that the undergraduate students in accounting are not influenced by the sunk cost effect and it can be said that individuals who know the sunk cost effect are more impacts the lost cost in relation those who do not know.