I have come across this type of scenario several times in college and in personal business ventures. Understanding these scenarios helps us understand a small piece of microeconomic strategy.

Suppose that the United States can manufacture Toyotas at the cost of $18,000 per car and Chevrolets at $16,000 per car. In Japan, Toyotas can be manufactured at 1,000,000 yen and Chevrolets at 500,000 yen. In terms of Chevrolets what is the opportunity cost of producing Toyotas in each country? Who has the comparative advantage in producing Chevrolets? Suppose Americans buy 500,000 Chevrolets and 300,000 Toyotas each year and the Japanese purchase far fewer of each. Using productive efficiency as the guide, which country should produce Chevrolets and which should produce Toyotas?