Question

Shen lives in Dallas and runs a business that sells pianos. In an average year, he receives $851,000 from selling pianos. Of this sales revenue, he must pay the manufacturer a wholesale cost of $476,000; he also pays wages and utility bills totaling $281,000. He owns his showroom; if he chooses to rent it out, he will receive $71,000 in rent per year. Assume that the value of this showroom does not depreciate over the year. Also, if Shen does not operate this piano business, he can work as an accountant, receive an annual salary of $34,000 with no additional monetary costs, and rent out his showroom at the $71,000 per year rate. No other costs are incurred in running this piano business.

1. Identify each of Paolo’s costs in the following table as either an implicit cost or an explicit cost of selling pianos.
The rental income Paolo could receive if he chose to rent out his showroom.
The wages and utility bills that Paolo pays.
The wholesale cost for the pianos that Paolo pays the manufacturer.
The salary Paolo could earn if he worked as an accountant.
2. What is his accounting profit?
3. What is his economic profit?

Answer 1

1.

The income from renting his showroom that Paolo would receive if he allowed to rent his showroom is a Implicit cost as this is a cost which will not be paid in actual.

The wages as well as the utility bills paid by Paolo is an example of explicit cost as this cost would be paid in actual for the businesses and are added in accounting.

The wholesale amount that Paolo pays for the pianos to the manufacturer is an explicit cost and is aid in actual to the manufacturer.

The salary that Paolo could have earned if he choses to be an accountant will be an implicit cost as this cost is not paid in actual.

2. Paolo's accounting profit can be calculated by :

Accounting profit = revenue - explicit cost

= 851,000 - 476,000 - 281,000

= $ 94,000

3. Paolo's economic profit is :

Economic profit = accounting profit - implicit profit

= 94,000 - 34,000 - 71,000

= -11,000