Final answer:
The question deals with a business decision on choosing the most profitable purchasing option for a retailer when buying sunglasses from a manufacturer. It involves analyzing expected values, demand distributions, and comparing the profitability of two different pricing strategies.
Step-by-step explanation:
This question is focused on making a business decision regarding which purchasing option a retailer should choose when buying sunglasses from a manufacturer, taking into account the anticipated demand, costs, and potential for unsold inventory. The manufacturer offers two options; one with a higher price that includes the possibility to return unsold units and another with a lower price without the possibility of returns.
The decision will be based on calculations of the expected profits or losses for each option using provided averages and standard deviations of demand, prices, and production costs. To answer these questions, one needs to analyze the expected value of the inventory, determine how many units will likely be sold, and compare the profitability of each option.