--%>

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 : Facts serve to sort out good and bad

    Explain the statement: “Facts serve to sort out good and bad hypotheses.”?

  • Q : Need of the Economic Efficiency

    Economic efficiency for society needs which the: (i) opportunity costs of all goods be at their lowest possible values. (ii) maximum probable benefits are acquired for given costs. (iii) greatest possible net benefits are squeezed through available re

  • Q : Meaning of Economic Development

    Question Discuss what "economic development" means in the context of this game? (Hint: How do you win, and what do you have at the end of the game that you did not have at the beginning of the game?)

  • Q : Illustrate the Comparative advantage

    Illustrate the Comparative advantage and terms of trade?

  • Q : Problem on prisoners dilemma game Lets

    Lets assume an infinitely repeated prisoner’s dilemma game by two players. The resulting payoffs at each phase by the actions of two players are illustrated below in the table (payoffs are symbolized like (payoff for player 1, payoff for player 2)). Two players

  • Q : Illustrate and clarify the economizing

    Illustrate and clarify the economizing problem?

  • Q : Elucidate reallocation of Government

    Elucidate reallocation of Government resources?

  • Q : The demand curve when each of these

    What happens to the demand curve when each of these determinants changes?

  • Q : Explain the shapes of the

    Specify and explain the shapes of the marginal-benefit and marginal-cost curves and use these curves to determine the optimal allocation of resources to a particular product.  If current output is such that marginal cost exceeds marginal benefit, should more or l

  • Q : Define the term invisible hand in

    The “invisible hand” of the marketplace is a word referring to consider as: (w) government policies to set market prices at equilibrium levels. (x) speculative manipulations which create disequilibrium. (y) automatic adjus