Question

Use the following information to answer the next question. Harvey quit his job at State University where he earned $45,000 a year. He figures his entrepreneurial talent or foregone entrepreneurial income to be $5,000 a year. To start the business, he cashed in $100,000 in bonds that earned 10% interest annually to buy a software company, Extreme Gaming. In the first year, the firm sold 11,000 units of software at $75 each. Of the $75, $55 goes for the costs of production, packaging, marketing, employee wages and benefits, and rent on a building. The economic profits of Harvey’s firm in the first year were:
a) $160,000.
b).$280,000.
c) $155,000.
d) $220,000.

Answer 1

Answer: Option(a) is correct.

Explanation:

Total Revenue = Units sold × price per unit sold

                        = 11,000 × $75

                        = $825,000

Explicit cost = Units sold × cost per unit

                    = 11,000 × $55

                    = $605,000

Implicit cost = Earning at state university + Entrepreneurial talent + cash bonds at 10% interest

                    = $45000 + $5,000 + ($100,000 × 10%)

                    = $60,000

Economic profits = Total Revenue - (Explicit cost + Implicit cost)

                            = $825,000 - ($605,000 + $60,000)

                            = $825,000 - $665,000

                            = $160,000