Q. Define Implicit cost and explicit costs?
Implicit cost and explicit costs: the implicit cost is the rate of return associated with the best invests opportunity for the firm and its shareholders that will be foregone if the project presently under consideration by the firm were accepted. It is thus the opportunity cost. For example, the implicit cost of retained earnings is the rate of return available to the shareholders had the funds been distributed to them. The explicit cost of any source of capital is the discount rate that equates the present value of cash inflow that is incremental to the taking of the financial opportunity with present value of its incremental outflows. The cash outflow may be in the form of the interest payment, dividend and repayment of the principle sum.