Define cost object and give three examples.
A. A cost object is anything for which a separate measurement of costs is desired. Examples include a product, a service, and a customer.
B. A cost object is a cost incurred (historical or past cost), as distinguished from a budgeted cost, which is a predicted or forecasted cost (a future cost). Examples include materials, labor, and overhead.
C. A cost object is the collection of cost data in some organized way by means of an accounting system. Examples include accumulated costs, overhead, and direct labor.
D. A cost object is a resource sacrificed or forgone to achieve a specific objective. Examples include direct materials, direct labor, and advertising.

-output. the most common cost objects are a company´s products and services, since it wants to know the cost of its output for profitability analysis and price settings.

-operational. A cost object can be within a company, such as a department, machining operator, product line, or process. For example, you could track the cost of designing a new product, or a costumer sevice call, or of reworking a returned product.

-business relationship. A cost object can be outside of a company, there may be a need to accumulate costs for a supplier or a customer, to determine the cost of dealing with that entity. Another variation on the concept is the cost of renewing a license with a goverment agency.