Final answer:
The sum of the value added at all stages of production for a product is the product's final price, as this accounts for all value without double counting intermediate goods. The correct option is D.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sum of the value added at all stages of production for a product is the product's final price. To ensure accuracy in calculating a nation's GDP, which represents the value of all final goods and services produced, government statisticians avoid double counting. Double counting occurs when output is counted multiple times as it moves through the stages of production.
For example, if statisticians counted the value of tires and then the value of a truck that includes those tires, the tires' value would be counted twice. This is prevented by only including final goods and services in the GDP calculations, thus excluding intermediate goods, which are goods used to produce other goods.
Consequently, the value of what businesses provide to other businesses is captured only in the final product at the end of the chain of production.