Two Professors at a Nearby University Want to Co-Author a New

question 32

Multiple Choice

Two professors at a nearby university want to co-author a new textbook in either economics or statistics.They feel that if they write an economics book,they have a 50 percent chance of placing it with a major publisher,and it should ultimately sell about 40,000 copies.If they can't get a major publisher to take it,then they feel they have an 80 percent chance of placing it with a smaller publisher,with ultimate sales of 30,000 copies.On the other hand,if they write a statistics book,they feel they have a 40 percent chance of placing it with a major publisher,and it should result in ultimate sales of about 50,000 copies.If they can't get a major publisher to take it,they feel they have a 50 percent chance of placing it with a smaller publisher,with ultimate sales of 35,000 copies.What is the expected value for the optimum decision alternative?

• A)50,000 copies
• B)40,000 copies
• C)32,000 copies
• D)30,500 copies
• E)10,500 copies