John Is Trying to Decide Whether to Expand His Business

question 16

Multiple Choice

John is trying to decide whether to expand his business or not.If he continues his business as it is,with no expansion,there is a 50 percent chance he will earn $100,000 and a 50 percent chance he will earn $300,000.If he does expand,there is a 30 percent chance he will earn $100,000,a 30 percent chance he will earn $300,000 and a 40 percent chance he will earn $500,000.It will cost him $150,000 to expand.If John were to expand,which of the following is true?

• A) John's expected earnings are $50,000 less than if he didn't expand.
• B) John can expect to earn $120,000 more by expanding, but that is less than the cost of expansion, $150,000.
• C) John can expect to earn $120,000 more by expanding and therefore made the most profitable decision.
• D) All of these statements are true.

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Definitions:

Interval Variables

Variables which not only have an order but also a precise numerical distance between their values, similar to interval data but in a context emphasizing variable types.

Normal Distributions

This probability distribution is defined by its symmetrical structure around the mean, revealing that data points closer to the mean have greater frequencies than those positioned further away.

Wilcoxon Rank

A non-parametric statistical test that compares two paired groups, based on ranking the differences between pairs and used when the data does not necessarily conform to a normal distribution.

Null Hypothesis

A hypothesis that assumes no significant difference or effect, serving as a default position until evidence indicates otherwise.