According to the 4th rule of the text, the term
‘dollars out-of-pocket’ has its meaning correctly
explained in which alternative?
Opportunity Cost
This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity
cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and
a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These
costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars
out-of-pocket.
This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin
Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations
management. To make the point, however, we must
make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is
the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says
simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then
it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every
time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B
does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough
logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.
One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved
is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of
that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying
Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A
penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny
sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity
cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion
to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.
SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th
Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.
Opportunity Cost
This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.
This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.
One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.
SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th
Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.
Gabarito comentado
Resposta: Alternativa E
Tema central: compreensão do termo “out-of-pocket” no contexto de custos e opportunity cost. É essencial saber que esse termo refere-se a despesas pagas diretamente pelo indivíduo ou empresa, em dinheiro.
Resumo teórico (clareza progressiva):
Em economia e contabilidade, out-of-pocket costs são despesas diretas que exigem desembolso de caixa — ou seja, dinheiro que alguém tem de pagar do próprio bolso. Esses custos contrastam com custos implícitos (como perda de oportunidade) e custos não monetários. Fontes: Cambridge Dictionary; Merriam-Webster; textos de microeconomia e de gestão de operações (ex.: Samuelson; Schmenner).
Por que a alternativa E é correta:
A alternativa E — “money that you have to spend yourself rather than having it paid for you” — corresponde exatamente à definição de out-of-pocket: despesas pagas por você (ou pela empresa) em dinheiro, sem intermediário que cubra o custo. No contexto do texto, o autor contrasta esses pagamentos em dinheiro com custos de oportunidade; portanto E é a paráfrase correta.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
A — “costs with your employers”: incorreta. Não traduz o sentido de desembolso próprio; sugere relação empregatícia inexistente.
B — “money you pay back later to yourself”: incorreta e confusa. Out-of-pocket não implica reembolso posterior a si mesmo.
C — “business profits that you pay to yourself”: incorreta. Lucros pagos a si mesmo não são o mesmo que despesas pagas em dinheiro; mistura conceitos de lucro e pagamento.
D — “money you discard after small business expenses”: incorreta. “Discard” (descartar) altera o sentido — out-of-pocket não significa desperdiçar, mas pagar diretamente.
Estratégia de resolução (dicas práticas):
Procure por paráfrases do termo no enunciado: “pagamento em dinheiro” / “desembolso próprio” são pistas. Elimine alternativas que introduzem ideias estranhas (reembolso pessoal, empregador, descartar) ou trocam categorias (lucro x despesa).
Fontes recomendadas: Cambridge Dictionary (entry “out‑of‑pocket”), Merriam‑Webster, Schmenner — Production/Operations Management (texto de apoio).
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