Indirect costs of a cost object are related to the particular cost object but cannot be
traced to it in an economically feasible (cost-effective) way. For example, the salaries
of supervisors who oversee production of the many different soft drink products bottled
at a Pepsi plant are an indirect cost of Pepsi-Colas. Supervision costs are related
to the cost object (Pepsi-Colas) because supervision is necessary for managing the
production and sale of Pepsi-Colas. Supervision costs are indirect costs because
supervisors also oversee the production of other products, such as 7-Up. Unlike the
cost of cans or bottles, it is impossible to trace supervision costs to the Pepsi-Cola
line. The term cost allocation is used to describe the assignment of indirect costs to
a particular cost object
cost tracing