Consider a Police Department Trying to Decide How to Allocate

question 32

Multiple Choice

Consider a police department trying to decide how to allocate its crime prevention resources between motor vehicle thefts and burglaries. The marginal benefit of one less motor vehicle theft is $20,000, and the marginal benefit of one less burglary is $1,000. Suppose the annual number of motor vehicle thefts and the annual number of burglaries depends on the number of detectives assigned to each type of crime, as shown in the table below. Each detective costs $35,000 each per year, regardless of whether the detective is assigned to motor vehicle thefts or burglaries. The marginal benefit of the second detective assigned to motor vehicle thefts is ______ per year

• A)$30,000
• B)$3,000
• C)$260,000
• D)$60,000

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Definitions:

Operating Income

Operating income is the profit realized from a company's regular business operations, excluding deductions of interest and taxes, as well as any gains or losses from non-operating activities.

Direct Costing

A cost accounting method where only variable costs (direct materials, direct labor, variable manufacturing overhead) are included in product costs, fixed overhead costs are expensed in the period they are incurred.

Cost Of Goods Manufactured

The total cost of making and finishing a product.

Variable Manufacturing Costs

Expenses that vary proportionally with production volume, such as materials and labor.