What Is The Reason For The Law Of Increasing Opportunity Costs?
The law of increasing opportunity cost is the concept that as you continue to increase production of one good, the opportunity cost of producing that next unit increases. This comes about as you reallocate resources to produce one good that was better suited to produce the original good.
What is the reason for increasing opportunity cost?
Transcript: – Below is the full transcript of this video presentation. It has not been edited for readability, and there may be slight differences between the text and the video. Our final lesson focuses on the shape of the frontier line. Up to this point we’ve graphed the PPF as a straight line.
- However, a straight line doesn’t best reflect how the real economy uses resources to produce goods.
- For this reason, the frontier is usually drawn as a curved line that is concave to the origin.
- This curved line illustrates our fifth and final lesson.
- Lesson 5: The law of increasing opportunity cost: As you increase the production of one good, the opportunity cost to produce the additional good will increase.
First, remember that opportunity cost is the value of the next-best alternative when a decision is made; it’s what is given up. So let’s compare straight and curved frontier lines to better understand what is more likely to happen when production changes.
- Here’s the straight frontier line again.
- It shows that Econ Isle can produce a maximum of 12 gadgets and 6 widgets or any other combination along the line.
- At this point, Econ Isle can produce 12 gadgets and 0 widgets.
- This point shows widget production increased by 2, and this by 2 more, and this by 2 more, indicating all widgets and no gadgets.
So along the straight line, each time Econ Isle increases widget production by 2, it loses the opportunity to produce 4 gadgets. This straight frontier line indicates a constant opportunity cost. In reality, however, opportunity cost doesn’t remain constant.
As the law says, as you increase the production of one good, the opportunity cost to produce the additional good increases. If Econ Isle transitions from widget production to gadget production, it must give up an increasing number of widgets to produce the same number of gadgets. In other words, the more gadgets Econ Isle decides to produce, the greater its opportunity cost in terms of widgets.
If Econ Isle’s production moved in the opposite direction, from all gadgets to all widgets, the law would still hold: As you increase the production of one good, the opportunity cost to produce the additional good increases. Why does this happen? Well, some resources are better suited for some tasks than others.
For example, many Econ Isle workers are likely very productive gadget makers. In the transition to widget production, workers would likely need training and time to develop the skills required to be as productive at making widgets as making gadgets. As the economy transitions from gadgets to widgets, the gadget workers best suited to widget production would transition first, then the workers less suited, and finally the workers not at all well suited to widget production.
Here’s where the curved frontier line comes in. It shows that opportunity cost varies along the frontier. Let’s increase widget production in increments of 2 again until only widgets and no gadgets are produced. But this time we’ll consider opportunity cost that varies along the frontier.
This point remains the same. At this point, Econ Isle can produce 12 units of gadgets and 0 widgets. Here’s widget production increased by 2. At this point, Econ Isle can produce 10 gadgets and 2 widgets. It loses the opportunity to produce 2 gadgets. In other words, the opportunity cost of producing 2 widgets is 2 gadgets.
Here’s widget production increased by another 2. At this point, if Econ Isle produces 6 gadgets, it can produce only 4 widgets, so it loses the opportunity to produce 4 gadgets. In other words, the opportunity cost of producing 2 widgets is now 4 gadgets.
Finally, increasing by another 2, Econ Isle can produce 0 gadgets and 6 widgets. It loses the opportunity to produce 6 gadgets. In other words, the opportunity cost of producing 2 widgets is now 6 gadgets. Although the production possibilities frontier—the PPF—is a simple economic model, it’s a great tool for illustrating some very important economic lessons: The frontier line illustrates scarcity—because it shows the limits of how much can be produced with the given resources.
Any time you move from one point to another on the line, opportunity cost is revealed—that is, what you must give up to gain something else. Points within the frontier indicate resources that are underemployed. In turn, movement from a point of underemployment toward the frontier indicates economic expansion.
- When the frontier line itself moves, economic growth is under way.
- And finally, the curved line of the frontier illustrates the law of increasing opportunity cost meaning that an increase in the production of one good brings about increasing losses of the other good because resources are not suited for all tasks.
I hope you have enjoyed your journey to the frontier and learned some valuable lessons about economics along the way. – If you have difficulty accessing this content due to a disability, please contact us at 314-444-4662 or [email protected],
What is the law of increasing opportunity costs give examples of it?
Increasing opportunity cost. The concept of opportunity cost in economics can change depending on the scenario. For example, there might be a trade-off between hunting for rabbits or gathering berries. As one pursues more rabbits, the opportunity cost (in terms of berries given up) increases.
What is the purpose of opportunity cost?
Opportunity cost is the value or benefit of an alternative choice compared to the value of what is chosen. The concept of opportunity cost is used in decision-making to help individuals and organizations make better choices, primarily by considering the alternatives.
How do you know if opportunity cost is increasing?
Each curve has a different shape, which represents different opportunity costs. The bowed out (concave) curve represents an increasing opportunity cost, the bowed in (convex) curve represents a decreasing opportunity cost, and the straight line curve represents a constant opportunity cost.
What does the law of increasing costs explain quizlet?
The law of increasing costs means that as production shifts from one item to another, more and more resources are necessary to increase production of the second item.
What is opportunity cost explain with an example answer?
Costs That Are Seen and Unseen – Our inclination is to focus on immediate financial trade-offs, but trade-offs can involve other areas of personal or professional well-being as well—in the short and long run. That’s why Caceres-Santamaria challenges us to consider not only explicit alternatives —the choices and costs present at the time of decision-making—but also implicit alternatives, which are “unseen” opportunity costs.
- A student spends three hours and $20 at the movies the night before an exam. The opportunity cost is time spent studying and that money to spend on something else.
- A farmer chooses to plant wheat; the opportunity cost is planting a different crop, or an alternate use of the resources (land and farm equipment).
- A commuter takes the train to work instead of driving. It takes 70 minutes on the train, while driving takes 40 minutes. The opportunity cost is an hour spent elsewhere each day.
How is the law of increasing opportunity cost reflected in a PPF?
The Law of Increasing Opportunity Cost – 
We see in Figure 2.4 “The Combined Production Possibilities Curve for Alpine Sports” that, beginning at point A and producing only skis, Alpine Sports experiences higher and higher opportunity costs as it produces more snowboards. The fact that the opportunity cost of additional snowboards increases as the firm produces more of them is a reflection of an important economic law.
- The law of increasing opportunity cost holds that as an economy moves along its production possibilities curve in the direction of producing more of a particular good, the opportunity cost of additional units of that good will increase.
- We have seen the law of increasing opportunity cost at work traveling from point A toward point D on the production possibilities curve in Figure 2.4 “The Combined Production Possibilities Curve for Alpine Sports”.
The opportunity cost of each of the first 100 snowboards equals half a pair of skis; each of the next 100 snowboards has an opportunity cost of 1 pair of skis, and each of the last 100 snowboards has an opportunity cost of 2 pairs of skis. The law also applies as the firm shifts from snowboards to skis.
Suppose it begins at point D, producing 300 snowboards per month and no skis. It can shift to ski production at a relatively low cost at first. The opportunity cost of the first 200 pairs of skis is just 100 snowboards at Plant 1, a movement from point D to point C, or 0.5 snowboards per pair of skis.
We would say that Plant 1 has a comparative advantage in ski production. The next 100 pairs of skis would be produced at Plant 2, where snowboard production would fall by 100 snowboards per month. The opportunity cost of skis at Plant 2 is 1 snowboard per pair of skis.
Plant 3 would be the last plant converted to ski production. There, 50 pairs of skis could be produced per month at a cost of 100 snowboards, or an opportunity cost of 2 snowboards per pair of skis. The bowed-out shape of the production possibilities curve illustrates the law of increasing opportunity cost.
Its downwards slope reflects scarcity. Figure 2.5 “Production Possibilities for the Economy” illustrates a much smoother production possibilities curve. This production possibilities curve in Panel (a) includes 10 linear segments and is almost a smooth curve.
As we include more and more production units, the curve will become smoother and smoother. In an actual economy, with a tremendous number of firms and workers, it is easy to see that the production possibilities curve will be smooth. We will generally draw production possibilities curves for the economy as smooth, bowed-out curves, like the one in Panel (b).
This production possibilities curve shows an economy that produces only skis and snowboards. Notice the curve still has a bowed-out shape; it still has a negative slope. Notice also that this curve has no numbers. Economists often use models such as the production possibilities model with graphs that show the general shapes of curves but that do not include specific numbers. As we combine the production possibilities curves for more and more units, the curve becomes smoother. It retains its negative slope and bowed-out shape. In Panel (a) we have a combined production possibilities curve for Alpine Sports, assuming that it now has 10 plants producing skis and snowboards.
Even though each of the plants has a linear curve, combining them according to comparative advantage, as we did with 3 plants in Figure 2.4 “The Combined Production Possibilities Curve for Alpine Sports”, produces what appears to be a smooth, nonlinear curve, even though it is made up of linear segments.
In drawing production possibilities curves for the economy, we shall generally assume they are smooth and “bowed out,” as in Panel (b). This curve depicts an entire economy that produces only skis and snowboards.
What is the importance of opportunity cost to consumers?
EconEdLink – Opportunity Cost – Consumers When individuals produce goods or services, they normally trade (exchange) most of them to obtain other more desired goods or services. In doing so, individuals are immediately confronted with the problem of scarcity – as consumers they have many different goods or services to choose from, but limited income (from their own production) available to obtain the goods and services.
Scarcity dictates that consumers must choose which goods and services they wish to purchase. When consumers purchase one good or service, they are giving up the chance to purchase another. The best single alternative not chosen is their opportunity cost. Since a consumer choice always involves alternatives, every consumer choice has an opportunity cost.
This lesson was originally published in CEE’s Playful Economics by Dr. Harlan Day, which introduces elementary students to economics concepts using modeling clay. : EconEdLink – Opportunity Cost – Consumers
What is the impact of opportunity cost?
What Is Opportunity Cost and What Does It Mean for You? Opportunity cost is largely defined as a decision you make that alters your personal landscape going forward. Opportunity costs can impact various – and critical – aspects of your life, including money, career, home and family, and other lifestyle elements.
- In general, it means having to choose one option over the other, be it money, time or lifestyle choices – and living with the consequences.
- If you are a business owner, is going to come into play frequently.
- You will have to spend a lot of time weighing whether or not the inevitable consequences of a given decision are outweighed by the gains that decision will bring.
And whether business or personal, opportunity cost will often be a tangible figure. To gain a different perspective on opportunity cost, ask yourself this question: What scenarios can occur if I opt for one path over another? What’s more, what outcome am I leaving on the table and how is that my opportunity cost?
What is the importance of opportunity cost in economic reasoning?
Conclusion – The world has limited availability of resources like land, labor, and capital. This scarcity of resources makes it very important to use a resource most efficiently and achieve maximum returns. The concept of Opportunity Cost helps us to choose the best possible option among all the available options. Sanjay Borad is the founder & CEO of eFinanceManagement. He is passionate about keeping and making things simple and easy. Running this blog since 2009 and trying to explain “Financial Management Concepts in Layman’s Terms”.
What is the reason for increasing opportunity costs Why do the production frontiers of different nations have different shapes?
Countries tend to have different opportunity costs of producing a specific good, either because of different climates, geography, technology or skills.
What happens to supply when opportunity cost increases?
Supply Terminology When a firm supplies a good or service, then you assume 3 things:
The firm has the resource and technology to produce it. The firm profits from making it. The firm is definitely making it and selling it
The quantity supplied of a good or service is the amount that producers plan to make and sell during a time period at a specific price. Law of Supply and Supply Curve Law of Supply: the higher the price of a good, the bigger the quantity supplied. This also happens vice versa. The supply curve function is Q s Q_ = a + bP, where
P is the price of the good or service Q s Q_ is the number of quantity supplied
Note: The supply curve is the same as the marginal cost curve we’ve seen last chapter. 
Two reasons why the curve is upward sloping:
Increasing Opportunity Cost: The higher the price, more firms are willing to produce and sell because any higher opportunity costs can be covered by the higher price. Thus, more products are supplied. Rising Marginal Cost: the more units are produced, the higher the marginal cost of production. So firms need to make sure that the extra addition unit cost is covered by the higher price in order to make profit.
Change in Supply The supply curve can either shift rightward or leftward. Reasons why supply curves can shift:
Prices of Factors of Production: if the prices for factors of production increases, then it becomes more costly, causing producers to produce less of the supply at the price. This shifts the supply curve to the left. Prices of Related goods produced: prices of related goods which firms make influence supply.
Substitutes: Suppose good x and y are substitutes. If the firm is producing good x, and the price of good y increases, then the firm switches to good y, causing the supply of good x to decrease. Complements: Suppose good x and y are complements. Then increasing the price of good x will increase the supply of good y.
Expected future prices: If the price of a good is expected to rise in the future, then the supply of the good today decreases. This causes the supply curve to shift leftward. Number of Suppliers: The more supplies there are, the greater the supply of the good. This increases the number of supplies, which shifts the supply curve right. Technology: Advancement in technology lowers the cost of producing, which means suppliers will produce more of the product. This shifts the supply curve to the right. State of Nature: Any natural disaster that can influence the production, or damage the supply will lower the amount of supply. This decreases the amount of supply, which shifts the supply curve leftward.
What is the main effect of increasing opportunity costs quizlet?
The primary effect of increasing opp. costs is less than complete specialization.
What is law of demand explain any two causes of increase in demand?
Law of demand states that there is an inverse relation between the price of a commodity and its quantity demanded, assuming all other factors affecting demand remain constant. It means that when the price of a good falls, the demand for the good rises and when price rises, the demand falls.
What is the law of increasing demand?
What is a simple explanation of the law of demand? – The law of demand tells us that if more people want to buy something, given a limited supply, the price of that thing will be bid higher. Likewise, the higher the price of a good, the lower the quantity that will be purchased by consumers.
Who explain the law of increasing state activities?
Wagner’s law, also known as the law of increasing state activity, is the observation that public expenditure increases as national income rises. It is named after the German economist Adolph Wagner (1835–1917), who first observed the effect in his own country and then for other countries.
Which best describes an opportunity cost?
Answer and Explanation: The correct answer is b. Benefits foregone by not choosing an alternative course of action. Opportunity cost is the future income or cost that would have been earned or incurred if this alternative was chosen.
What is the opportunity cost theory?
In microeconomic theory, the opportunity cost of a particular activity is the value or benefit given up by engaging in that activity, relative to engaging in an alternative activity. More simply, it means if you chose one activity (for example, an investment) you are giving up the opportunity to do a different option.
The optimal activity is the one that, net of its opportunity cost, provides the greater return compared to any other activities, net of their opportunity costs. For example, if you buy a car and use it exclusively to transport yourself, you cannot rent it out, whereas if you rent it out you cannot use it to transport yourself.
If your cost of transporting yourself without the car is more than what you get for renting out the car, the optimal choice is to use the car yourself. In basic equation form, opportunity cost can be defined as: “Opportunity Cost = (returns on best Forgone Option) – (returns on Chosen Option).” The opportunity cost of mowing one’s own lawn for a doctor or a lawyer (who might otherwise make $ 100 an hour if they elected to work overtime during that time instead) would be higher than for a minimum-wage employee (who in the United States might earn $7.25 an hour), which would make the former more likely to hire someone else to mow their lawn for them.
- As a representation of the relationship between scarcity and choice, the objective of opportunity cost is to ensure efficient use of scarce resources.
- It incorporates all associated costs of a decision, both explicit and implicit,
- Opportunity cost also includes the utility or economic benefit an individual lost, if it is indeed more than the monetary payment or actions taken.
As an example, to go for a walk may not have any financial costs imbedded in to it. Yet, the opportunity forgone is the time spent walking which could have been used instead for other purposes such as earning an income. Time spent chasing after an income might have health problems like in presenteeism where instead of taking a sick day one avoids it for a salary or to be seen as being active.
A production possibility frontier shows the maximum combination of factors that can be produced. For example, if services were on the x-axis of a graph and there were to be an increase in services from 20 to 25, this would lead to an opportunity cost for the goods that are on the y axis, as they would drop from 21 to 16.
This means that as a result of the increase in consumption of services, the opportunity cost would be those 5 goods that have decreased. Regardless of the time of occurrence of an activity, if scarcity was non-existent then all demands of a person are satiated.
It is only through scarcity that choice becomes essential, since the use of scarce resources in one way prevents its use in another way, resulting in the need to make a selection and/or decision. These decisions are in turn exposed to multiple choice outcomes. Sacrifice is a given measurement in opportunity cost of which the decision maker forgoes the opportunity of the next best alternative.
In other words, to disregard the equivalent utility of the best alternative choice to gain the utility of the best perceived option. If there are decisions to be made that require no sacrifice then these are cost free decisions with zero opportunity cost.
Through the analysis of opportunity cost, a company can choose a path where the actual benefits are greater than the opportunity cost, so that limited resources can be optimally allocated to achieve maximum efficiency. When choosing an option among multiple alternatives, the opportunity cost is the gain from the alternative we forgo when making a decision.
In simple terms, opportunity cost is our perceived benefit of not choosing the next best option when resources are limited. Opportunity costs are not limited to monetary or financial costs. The actual cost of lost time, lost production, or any other for-profit benefit shall also be considered an opportunity cost.
What is meant by opportunity cost very short answer?
What is Opportunity Cost? Definition of Opportunity Cost, Opportunity Cost Meaning Opportunity cost What is opportunity cost? We can define opportunity cost as the potential benefits that are lost when an individual, business or investor chooses a substitute over another.
As the opportunity cost definition defines it to be hidden, the costs could go unnoticed very easily. To make a better decision it is important for a business to understand the possible missed opportunities whenever a business chooses one investment over another.Formula and how to calculate Opportunity cost Opportunity cost = FO – CO Where: FO stands for Return on best-forgone selection and CO stands for return on the selected option.The formula to calculate the opportunity cost is nothing but the difference between the returns that are expected from each selection.
Suppose we have option A i.e. we invest in the stock market and hope to make capital gain returns. In the meantime, we have option B which says we reinvest our money into our business and buy new equipment that will enhance the efficiency of the production.
As a result, operational expenses will decrease and profit margin would increase.If we make an assumption that the return on investment when investing in the stock market is 12 per cent. However, your company would generate a 10 per cent return when provided with an equipment upgrade in the same period.
If we choose to upgrade the equipment and not invest in the stock market, then the opportunity cost would be 12 – 10 per cent. We can also say that if we invest in our business we would lose the opportunity to earn more profits. What opportunity cost could tell you? In the determination of the capital structure of a business, opportunity cost plays a very important role.
- A firm would incur expenses when it issues debt and equity capital in order to recompense the lenders and the shareholders and risk the investment, though each option has an opportunity cost.
- For the repayment of the loan, the funds could not be used for investing in stocks or bonds.
- The company should make the decision that when it leverages the power of debt and make an expansion if it will make higher profits as compared to investments.If we take the above example and make an assumption that the company invests in stocks and does not upgrade the equipment.
If the value of the stocks that the company chose to invest in decreases then the company may lose money instead of earning a 12 per cent return. Opportunity cost and risk Risk can be described as the possibility that the projected return and actual return of an investment would be different.
- As a result, the investor may lose a part of the principal or the whole principal.
- However, opportunity cost is concerned with the likelihood that the returns earned on the chosen investment would be lesser than the return earned on the investment that is left.
- The main difference between the two is that the risk would compare the projected performance and the actual performance of the investment you are investing in.
Meanwhile, the opportunity cost would compare the actual performance of two different investments.A person could still think about the opportunity cost when he decides between two risk investments. If investment A gives you a return on investment of 25 per cent but is risky, investment B gives you a return on investment of 5 per cent but is less risky.
Investment A may or may not succeed, or even if it does not succeed, if you go with investment B the opportunity cost would be salient. Example of opportunity cost An opportunity cost example could be when you decide to buy something over another, you lose potential benefits of another item. If you decide to buy a burger for 3 dollars, you could have purchased potato fried for that money and now you lost an opportunity to buy potato fries.
You lose opportunity cost almost every day by choosing among two different commodities, investments, etc. What is opportunity cost? The opportunity cost definition states that the opportunity cost is the potential benefits that a person loses when he chooses a substitute over another.
- What are the examples of opportunity cost? The examples are: A person gives up on going to play outside and study for the test so that he gets good marks, at an ice cream parlour, you have to choose between Belgian chocolate or cream and cookies.
- What is the opportunity cost formula? Opportunity cost = FO – CO Where: FO stands for return on best-forgone selection and CO stands for return on the selected option.
Why is opportunity cost important? Opportunity cost is important as it helps us in choosing the best option among the options that we have. It helps us in maximising profits by using every resource efficiently. Disclaimer: This content is authored by an external agency.
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What is the reason for increasing opportunity costs Why do the production frontiers of different nations have different shapes?
Countries tend to have different opportunity costs of producing a specific good, either because of different climates, geography, technology or skills.
What factors affect opportunity cost?
Students will review three factors that influence opportunity costs in production: land, labor, and capital. Students will then identify these factors in a scenario, and explain the necessity of calculating opportunity cost.