Hi, I got the term "cost-performance" from my notebook, but I don't know what it means, then I looked up the term in some of the dictionaries, but it seems not to be a set phrase in dictionary. I only found out the acrynom in thefreedictionary.com. Then I looked up the term in Google, it gave me many results, but most of the pages were talking about the term, I didn't see the definition. Then I looked up the term in context, I got these two stories: "This is a mixed bag of messages. The full-year upgrade was positive but they missed market expectations for the quarter and it was quite a weak cost performance, with unit costs rising by 17% in the second quarter. That's not meant to happen at Ryanair," said Lobbenberg. African Barrick has the reserves and the infrastructure to be a 1m ounce producer, but it will take management time to get better control of day-to-day operations and consistently deliver quarter on quarter output and cost performance. These two context are both from The Guardian, here are the links for the full passage, first and second. According to the context, I still feel a bit puzzled about the meaning of cost performance, but according to its Chinese translation and the context, I would like to try to make a definition of it, does it mean, for example: I have a computer, the performance is good and the cost is also high, then I can say the cost-performance is high? May I have your opinion? Thanks a lot
I believe that cost performance is a business shorthand expression for how the costs perform -- meaning how well costs were kept under control, i.e. did they go over budget or were they under budget. I don't believe it has any connection with your example.
From the quotes you provide, I infer that "cost performance" means good performance in maintaining or reducing costs, or cost-per-unit of output. It appears to be used mostly in reference to companies and organizations. I don't think it's a phrase we would be likely to use to refer to an individual or to a single piece of equipment unless that equipment generated ongoing costs. Then again, I don't use the term and had barely heard it before your question. Perhaps someone more familiar with economic and accounting terminology can clarify the question.
Here is something more for my self-made context: I put the Chinese term of "cost performance" in a search engine then I got a page introducing it, it used an example: If you want to buy a computer, you will pay attention to the performance of the computer, namely how the computer works. If you can make sure the computer functions well then you would pay attention to its price. When we say the cost performance of the computer is high, it means the price of the computer is lower while the computer works very well and vice versa. I found out many passages included the terms "cost performance", but I really don't know it has something to do with business. Now it seems my context doesn't make any sense, but thanks a lot I learn a lot.
Your initial examples led me to the definition I gave in post #2. But now I think you're talking about the cost-performance ratio, or the price-performance ratio -- which is pretty much as you describe it. But you need that word "ratio" in there for it to make sense for me (and maybe some other people).
I agree with Copyright: Adding "ratio" makes the term more understandable. Even so, I think most people would not use "cost performance" or "cost-performance ratio" in the situation you describe. In considering everyday purchases or evaluating items for personal use, I think the tendency would be to say that a computer (for example) was a good value for the money, or gave good performance for the price.
Exactly right -- good value for money. As an aside, I've always thought this expression was a little obvious -- as opposed to what? Good value for chickens. I think that good value (without the "for money") takes care of the job, but in a world where we have free gifts, I guess we can excuse good value for money. These musings are for Silver, of course.
