Uop Eco 212 Decisions

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Decisions Heidi Christian ECO/212 July 18, 2011 Robert Komrath Decisions Individual decision making is broken down to four basic principles: 1. People face trade offs 2. The cost of something is what you give up to get it 3. Rational people think in the margins 4. People respond to incentives People face trade offs when a consumer uses resources to purchase a product or service, understanding the resources used can not be used for a different purchase. This will cause the consumer to prioritize purchases, such as to pay the mortgage, before paying for a vacation. The cost of something is what you give up to get it, is when the consumer compares not only the price of a good or service, but if there are any long term cost associated with the expense. A good example of this is a pool, a consumer will compare prices of the pools available and take into consideration the maintenance required to keep the pool, such as chemicals and cleaning. Rational people think in the margins is simply means the purchase of a good is based on the marginal benefit the purchase will have for the person. A marginal increase in a person’s water supply rarely comes at a significant cost to the person, however, a marginal increase in diamonds is extremely valuable(Gregory, 2008). People respond to incentives. This is when consumer’s decision is based on what the seller is offering as an incentive to buy their products. Incentives can come in the form of rebates, coupons, or lower interest rates. A few years ago, I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy a new car or continue to put money into my old one. I was spending large amounts of money on auto repairs and the air conditioning needed to be replaced in the old car. A new vehicle would come with a warranty and air conditioning. After taking

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