--%>
Assignment Help - homework help

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 : Conception of the Invisible Hand by

    Conception of the “Invisible Hand” by Adam Smith relies on mechanisms like those as underpin: (1) William Stanley Jevons’ “sunspot” theory of business cycles. (2) the biological concept of Homeostasis. (3

    		•
  • Q : Describe Financial Leverage Briefly

    Briefly describe Financial Leverage? In what manner it is calculated? What does low or high financial leverage signify?

    		•
  • Q : Gross domestic product Question Would

    Question Would "Victory Points" be a measure of player's "GDP"? If not, then how would you calculate a player's GDP?

  • Q : Illustrate major economic flows that

    Illustrate major economic flows that link U.S. with nations.  Provide an example to illustrate each flow.  Explain the relationship between the top and bottom flows.

    		•
  • Q : Major implication of invisible hand of

    The major implication of Adam Smith’s conception of an “invisible hand” was such that: (w) pursuit of individual self interest must be controlled. (x) most people lose sight of what’s good for society. (y) most

    		•
  • Q : International trade to the U.S. economy

    How important is international trade to the U.S. economy?  In terms of volume, does the United States trade more with industrially advanced economies or with developing economies? What country is the United States’ most important trading partner, quantitati

    		•
  • Q : Guardian implies that there really is

    Evaluate and explain the statements: “Market is its own guardian implies that there really is an invisible hand or taskmaster that watches over the decision makers in the marketplace”

    		•
  • Q : Explain increased global competition

    Explain increased global competition?

    		•
  • Q : Demand for bagels rises dramatically

    Explain the demand for bagels rises dramatically while the demand for breakfast cereal falls?

    		•
  • Q : Calculate Equilibrium Quantity and Price

    1. The owner of a firm calculates that next year's profit will be $1,000. Each successive year profit will increase by 10% (i.e. year 2: $1100; year 3: $1210 and so on.) At the end of the 5th year the firm could be sold for $20,000. A) if the appropriate di

    		•