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Opportunity Cost, Excess Profit, and Counterfactual Conditionals

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  • Carlo Alberto Magni

    (University of Modena)

Abstract

Counterfactual conditionals are cognitive tools that we incessantly use during our lives for judgments, evaluations, decisions. Counterfactuals are used for defining concepts as well; an instance of this is attested by the notions of opportunity cost and excess profit (residual income), two all-pervasive notions of economics: They are defined by undoing a given scenario and constructing a suitable counterfactual milieu. Focussing on the standard paradigm and Magni's (2000, 2005, 2009a,b) proposal this paper shows that the formal translation of the counterfactual state is not univocal and that Magni's model retains formal properties of symmetry, additive coherence, homeomorphism, which correspond to properties of frame-independence, time invariance, completeness. Two introductory studies are also presented to illustrate how people cope with these counterfactuals and ascertain whether either model is seen as more "natural". A brief discussion of the results obtained is also provided.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlo Alberto Magni, 2009. "Opportunity Cost, Excess Profit, and Counterfactual Conditionals," Frontiers in Finance and Economics, SKEMA Business School, vol. 6(1), pages 118-154, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:ffe:journl:v:6:y:2009:i:1:p:118-154
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    Cited by:

    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Magni, Carlo Alberto, 2009. "Splitting up value: A critical review of residual income theories," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 198(1), pages 1-22, October.
    3. Carlo Alberto Magni, 2007. "A Sum&Discount Method for Appraising Firms: An Illustrative Example," Department of Economics 572, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".
    4. Magni, Carlo Alberto, 2010. "Residual income and value creation: An investigation into the lost-capital paradigm," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 201(2), pages 505-519, March.

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    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • B41 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Economic Methodology - - - Economic Methodology
    • D40 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - General
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

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