
The table illustrate the statement of cash flower for a courier company for the last fiscal year:
Due to aggressive market competition the management of the company performed a strategy review and based on their0-findings and the current market conditions, they came up with strategic and tactical changes in order to keep a competitive market position.
In order to strength customer retention strategies through a new competitive advantage, the company is considering implementing a live parcel tracking system. The added value will be that the customers may determine the exact location on of the parcel whether it is in a warehouse, crossing the ocean through an overseas the exact location of th parcel whether it is in a warehouse, crossing the ocean through an overseas the ship, or travelling in a delivery truck at any time. The system tracks the location of the parcel by tracking the vehicle in which it is contained. However, for a group of old delivery trucks, it was noticed that the engine sound and vibration disturbed the tracking signal and caused of management would like to sell these vehicles and replace them with newer ones, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was strongly against that approach. The CFO argoad that instead of hanging tracking devices on the trucks body they can have the truck drivers manually send the truck send the truck location from a hand held mobile device every 20 minutes.
The CFO's resistance to replacing the older vehicles represents which type of cost?
Correct Answer: C
Explanation
The CFO's resistance to replacing the older vehicles and suggesting that the truck drivers manually send the truck location from a handheld mobile device every 20 minutes is an opportunity cost. An opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative that is foregone as a result of making a decision. In this case, the opportunity cost of not replacing the older vehicles is the potential loss of customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty due to the less accurate and less convenient tracking system. The CFO is choosing to save money on the upfront cost of buying new trucks, but at the expense of losing the competitive advantage and long-term benefits of having a live parcel tracking system. References:
IIBA BABOK Guide, Section 10.23, Decision Analysis
Opportunity Cost: Definition, Real-World Examples, How to Calculate, The Balance What is Opportunity Cost and How to Calculate It, Investopedia