: inflammation of several muscles at once; specifically : an inflammatory muscle disease of unknown cause that affects muscles and chiefly skeletal muscles and is characterized especially by weakness of the muscles (such as those of the shoulder, neck, or hip) closest to the trunk â see dermatomyositis.
Direct Costs and Indirect Costs. Manufacturing costs may be classified as direct costs and indirect costs on the basis of whether they can be attributed to the production of specific goods, services, departments or not. Direct costs can be defined as costs which can be accurately traced to a cost object with little effort. Cost object may be a product, a department, a project, etc. Direct costs typically benefit a single cost object therefore the classification of any cost either as direct or indirect is done by taking the cost object into perspective. A particular cost may be direct cost for one cost object but indirect cost for another cost object.
Indirect labor costs make the production of cost objects possible, but aren't assigned to a specific product. For example, clerical assistants who help maintain the office support the company as a whole instead of just one product line. Thus, their labor can be counted as an indirect cost. Other common indirect costs include advertising and marketing, communication, fringe benefits such as an employee gym, and accounting and payroll services. Much like direct costs, indirect costs can be both fixed and variable.