The company that you manage has invested $5 million in developing a new product, but the development is not quite finished. At a recent meeting, your salespeople report that the introduction of competing products has reduced the expected sales of your new product to $4.5 million. If it would cost $3 million to finish development and make the product, youshould go ahead and do so. The most you should pay to complete development ismillion.

If it would cost $3 million to finish development and make the product, should you go ahead and do so? What is the most that you should pay to complete the development?

Answer

To determine the cost: It is important to critically consider which costs are already sunk and which are still to come.

First, and foremost, $5 million already invested into the new product represents a sunk cost or a cost that has already been spent. This means that to stop the project or continue the project ,either options will still mean that $5 million has been spend already. It will not affect the future decision.

Therefore, if you decide to stop the production, the cost of the entire project of development is already $5 million

However, if you decide to continue the project

Sunk Cost = $5 million

Cost of continuation = $3 million (This is current relevant cost to consider against the sales).

Expected Sales of the finished product = $4,500,000

Therefore $4,500,000- $3,000,000= $1,500,000

If stopped, the loss to the company is $5 million

If continued, removing the sunk cost, the company can still make a profit of $1,500,000 of the cost of continuation.

The company should finish development and make the product.