Define engineered and discretionary costs and give two examples of each

What will be an ideal response?

Answer: An engineered cost results from a cause-and-effect relationship between the cost driver output and the resources used to produce that output. An example of an engineered cost would be direct materials in the production of products. Other examples of engineered costs might include shipping costs or electrical costs. A discretionary cost has two features. The first feature is that the cost arises from a periodic decision regarding the amount of cost to be incurred. The second feature is that no measurable cause-and-effect relationship exists between the output and the resources used. An example of a discretionary cost would be the cost of advertising for a product, the amount spent on researching new products, or employee training expenses.