Managerial Accounting: Creating Value in a Dynamic Business Environment 11th Edition by Ronald Hilton,David Platt

Exercise 22

Two years ago the manager of a large department store purchased new bar code scanners costing $39,000. A salesperson recently tried to sell the manager a new computer-integrated checkout system for the store. The new system would save the store a substantial amount of money each year. The recently purchased scanners could be sold in the secondhand market for $19,000. The store manager refused to listen to the salesperson, saying, "I just bought those scanners. I can't get rid of them until I get my money's worth out of them." (a) What type of cost is the cost of purchasing the old bar code scanners? (b) What common behavioral tendency is the manager exhibiting?