to the chosen alternative

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david11

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Opportunity cost can be defined as the beneficial one could have earned by choosing other alternatives to the chosen alternative.

Is "to the chosen alternative" correct in this context to mean the choice we have made now?
 

Chicken Sandwich

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Since nobody has responded to this thread, I thought I'd share my two cents.

Opportunity cost can be defined as the beneficial one could have earned by choosing other alternatives to the chosen alternative.

Is "to the chosen alternative" correct in this context to mean the choice we have made now?

Yes, but I don't think that this sentence is correct. "Beneficial" is used as a noun even though it's an adjective. Also, I'd say that "choose other alternatives over the chosen alternatives" sounds better than "choose other alternatives to the chosen alternatives".
 

Barb_D

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"Opportunity cost" can be defined as the loss of the benefits that could have been derived from the alternatives not chosen.

It's important that you say it's the LOSS of those benefits that is the cost - you don't get them any more. If you just list them as benefits, it can carry the opposite meaning.
 

david11

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It's important that you say it's the LOSS of those benefits that is the cost - you don't get them any more. If you just list them as benefits, it can carry the opposite meaning.


I got your point, Barb. You are saying that without the word "loss" the term "opportunity cost" would directly mean the "benefits of the alternatives" which were not chosen. Am I correct?
 
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