--%>

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 : Who define Theory of Moral Sentiments

    The argument which slicing off one’s pinkie would be extra bothersome to which person than the loss of millions of his brethren was made within A Theory of Moral Sentiments (1755) through: (1) Adam Smith. (2) David Ricardo. (3) Theophrastus Phil

  • Q : Self-interested motivation to underpin

    Adam Smith’s perception which self-interested motives underpin even charitable activities through apparently selfless people appeared originally into his primary major book that was entitled: (1) Theory of Moral Sentiments [1755]. (2) Leviathan

  • Q : Meaning of Modigliani-Miller Briefly

    Briefly describe the meaning of Modigliani- Miller (M and M) approach?

  • Q : Loathed monopolization and viewed of

    Adam Smith and most of the typical economists who followed instantly in his footsteps: (i) viewed monopoly as no big problem. (ii) encouraged monopolies due to their research and development abilities. (iii) thought monopoly power was a communist plot

  • Q : Illustration of Absolute and Relative

    The price of KnickKnacks is $1 and the price of WigWags has increased with $2 to $3. Therefore:  (w) absolute price of KnickKnacks has decreased and the relative price of WigWags has increased. (x) relative and absolute prices of KnickKnacks have

  • Q : Describe Low financial leverage and low

    Describe briefly Low financial leverage, low operating leverage?

  • Q : Limitations of activities to generate

    Illustrations of activities which generate negative externalities would not comprise: (w) burning coal that results in acid rain. (x) smoking a cigar at the opera. (y) killing fish by dumping sewage into a river. (z) being inoculated against a contagi

  • Q : Requirement of building blocks for a

    Building blocks for a capitalist system consist of: (1) supplies and demands. (2) private property rights. (3) laissez-faire policies. (4) market-determined outputs and prices. (5) All of the above. Please guys hel

  • Q : Problem regarding private firms I have

    I have a problem in economics on Problem regarding private firms. Please help me in the following question. The mass of U.S. output is generated by: (i) Producer cooperatives. (ii) Non-profit organizations. (iii) Private firms. (iv) Government agencie

  • 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?