Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) is a global business outsourcing services provider headquartered in Roseland, N.J. ADP is one of the largest payroll outsourcing providers in the world, and was an early adopter of a cloud computing operating model. According to executives, the vendor cuts paychecks for one in six Americans.
The reverse of fixed costs are variable costs, which vary with changes in the activity level of a business. Examples of variable costs are direct materials, piece rate labor, and commissions.
A variable cost, on the other hand, is a cost that varies as the amount of goods and services a company produces varies. A variable cost is dependent on a company's production volume. For example, suppose company ZYX pays $1 per unit of good sold; its cost would vary as the amount of goods produced varies.