Cost Minimization: Philosophical and Methodological Analysis

Abstract

In modern economic literature, as well as regulatory documents, the concepts of ‘inputs’, ‘expenses’ and ‘costs’ are often used as identical to each other. At the same time, there are differences between them and their incorrect interpretation can lead to incorrect analytical conclusions and, as a result, erroneous conclusions and subsequent losses in the financial and economic activities of a commercial organization. The problem of the theme in relation to ‘credit costs’ is also reflected in the fact that currently special regulatory documents regulating banking activities, such as Federal Law “About the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)” and Federal Law “About Banks and Bank Activities” do not contain a decoding of the mentioned concepts of ‘expenses’ or ‘costs’. Moreover, another document that could clarify this issue – the Accounting Regulations “Expenses of the Organization” № 10/99 in paragraph 1 we read: ‘1. This Regulation establishes the rules for the formation in accounting of information on expenses of commercial organizations (except credit and insurance organizations) that are legal entities under the legislation of the Russian Federation.’ In the paper, the author aims to differentiate the concepts of ‘expenses’ and ‘costs’, as well as to clarify and formulate such a concept as ‘credit costs’. The subjects raised by the author could be interesting for external investors, specialists of internal services of a commercial bank analyzing the effectiveness of a credit institution and, of course, the top management of the bank, most interested in both the profitability of its own investments and the formation of further policy of the bank led by them. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the consideration of different approaches to the concept of ‘costs’, the definition of banking instruments that affect the amount of credit costs, their systematization and the allocation of those that, according to the author, can be optimized without reducing the profitability of the credit organization. The concept of ‘credit costs’ is systematized.