--%>

What is the opportunity cost of your decision

Suppose you arrive at a store expecting to pay $100 for an item, but learn that a store two miles away is charging $50 for it.  Would you drive there and buy it?  How does your decision benefit you?  What is the opportunity cost of your decision?  Now suppose you arrive at a store expecting to pay $6000 for an item, but learn that it costs $5950 at the other store.  Do you make the same decision as before? Perhaps surprisingly, you should!  Explain why.

E

Expert

Verified

Driving to the other store to save $50 does involve some cost in terms of time and inconvenience.  However, for most of us the time it takes to drive two miles would be worth $50.  For example, if it takes about ten minutes extra time and a negligible amount of gasoline (unless your time is worth $300 an hour, or $50 per each ten-minute period), it would benefit you to drive to the other store.  While in the second case, $50 may seem like less compared to the $6000 total price, for you the $50 is still a $50 savings, exactly the same as in the first case.  Therefore, you should apply the same reasoning.  Is the $50 benefit from driving the extra two miles worth the cost?  The conclusion should be the same in both cases.

   Related Questions in Business Economics

  • Q : Gains from Exchange- Practice and

    When a world famous concert pianist is as well the world's fastest short order cook, he would most likely gain the most financially through devoting: (i) Full time to frying burgers (ii) Full time to piano practice and concerts. (iii) Half-time cooking and half-time p

  • Q : Market Apparent program For the

    For the question below, utilize the given information. The market for gizmos is competitive, with an increasing sloping supply curve and a downward sloping demand curve. With no govt. intervention, the equilibrium price is $25 and the equilibrium quantity is 10,000 gi

  • Q : Elucidate Reliance on technology and

    Elucidate Reliance on technology and capital goods of the market system?

  • Q : Factor Price Equalization theorem

    Please answer each of the exercises below. While you may work together on the homework, you must turn in your own work (in your own words). Homework must be handed in at the beginning of class on the due date unless other arrangements have been made. No late homework will be accepted. Homework wi

  • Q : Cost of debt and Equity Cost of debt =

    Cost of debt= (1-tax rate)* interest rate * (debt ÷capital employed)Cost of equity = risk free rate + market premium (equity shareholders funds÷ capital employed)

  • Q : Variation of wages in inverse proportion

    This wages vary within inverse proportion to the agreeableness and constancy of the employment was a perception first explicitly stated through: (i) Adam Smith. (ii) Karl Marx. (iii) Thomas Malthus. (iv) John Stuart Mill. (v) David Ricardo.

  • Q : Explanation of theory of pricing for

    The theory of pricing for particular goods explained in Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations is most consistent along with: (1) mercantilist doctrine. (2) Richard Cantillon’s distinction between “value in

  • Q : Question 7 Question 7: You are given

    Question 7: You are given the following data about two firms: FIRM A Quantity 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total revenue ($) 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 Average revenue ($) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Marginal revenue ($) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Total cost ($) 30 42 50 60 76 100 14

  • Q : Explain Unemployment Explain

    Explain Unemployment, Growth, and the Future?

  • Q : Describe double coincidence of wants

    Double coincidence of wants: This means that one person's wishing to buy and sell should coincide with another person’s wish to buy and sell.