Answer:
a) Implicit Rental Price:
Normal annual cost = $200
3% of $1,500 = 45
Implicit rental price = $245
b) The answer to part (a) does not depend on whether the company used its own money to buy the printer or if it took out a loan, provided that the cost of the loan remains within the 3% accepted rate. The reason for my answer is that the calculation of the implicit rental price is an economic measurement that tries to capture the opportunity cost of a project and not just the actual cost.
c) Implicit Rental Price:
Normal annual cost = $150
3% of $2,000 = 60
Implicit rental price = $210
The old edition of the printer has a larger implicit rental price.
d) Interest rate = 5%
Old edition: Implicit Rental Price:
Normal annual cost = $200
5% of $1,500 = 75
Implicit rental price = $275
New Edition:
Normal annual cost = $150
5% of $2,000 = 100
Implicit rental price = $250
The old edition of the printer still has a higher implicit rental price of $270 compared to the new edition's $250, with a difference of $20.
Explanation:
Determining the implicit rental price for the 3D printer, one is forced to consider the lost interest that the investment in the printer would occasion. By this, the use of the implicit rental price ensures that the only cost of a project is not the direct costs, but also includes some opportunity costs. Opportunity costs are costs incurred from the revenue lost because another option is chosen.
