译文（字数 2656）：

成本控制

成本控制，也被称为遏制成本或管理成本，一个广阔的成本管理技术，它的经济增长目标是降低成本提高企业效率。企业使用的成本控制方法，监测，评价，并最终提升效率的具体领域，如部门、产品线。

20世纪90年代的成本控制措施，受到了美国企业的首要关注。一般而言，外包企业重组、撤资的外围活动，大规模裁员等成本控制战略被认为是提升企业利润和维持企业竞争优势的需要。其目的往往是降低企业的生产成本，这样该企业给出的销售价格就比其竞争对手具有更大的利润。

一些成本控制的支持者认为，这种战略的成本削减计划必须慎重，因为并非所有降低成本的方法，都会对企业产生有利的影响。在20世纪90年代的一个显著的例子，首席执行官邓拉普，绰号“电锯阿尔”，尽管他大幅降低企业的生产成本，但他领导的小器具制造公司依旧未能盈利。邓拉普解雇了成千上万的工人和出售企业的业务，在他担任CEO两年内贡献不大，公司的竞争地位和股票的价格大幅下滑。因此，在1998年公司董事会解雇了邓拉普，对他“成本控制一招”的管理方法失去了信心。

外文原文（字符数 9603）：

COST CONTROL

Roger J. AbiNader

Reference for Business, Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd ed.

Cost control, also known as cost management or cost containment, is a broad set of cost accounting methods and management techniques with the common goal of improving business cost-efficiency by reducing costs, or at least restricting their rate of growth. Businesses use cost control methods to monitor, evaluate, and ultimately enhance the efficiency of specific areas, such as departments, divisions, or product lines, within their operations.

During the 1990s cost control initiatives received paramount attention from corporate America. Often taking the form of corporate restructuring, divestment of peripheral activities, mass layoffs, or outsourcing, cost control strategies were seen as necessary to preserve—or boost—corporate profits and to maintain—or gain—a competitive advantage. The objective was often to be the low-cost producer in a given industry, which would typically allow the company to take a greater profit per unit of sales than its competitors at a given price level.