You have two job offers on the table. The first job you will earn a weekly salary of $14 per hour. The second job offers you $7 per hour plus 30% commission. Explain how you would decide which job to take. What would be the deciding factor? Explain to your classmates which job is a better choice and why. How does this situation apply to what we have learned about percents and decimals?
.3 * sales per hour + 7 = 14 for breakeven
.3 * sales = 7
sales = 23.3 for breakeven
so if you think you can sell $23.3 per hour, you should take the 7 + commission job
If the boss is willing to pay you 14 per hour he probably thinks you can sell more than 23 dollars worth.
To decide which job offer is better, you need to carefully compare the total earnings you would make from each job. Let's calculate the total earnings for each job and then compare them to determine the better choice.
For the first job, you earn a weekly salary of $14 per hour. To calculate the total earnings, you need to multiply your hourly rate by the number of hours you work in a week. Let's say you work 40 hours a week.
Total earnings for the first job = Hourly rate x Number of hours
= $14/hour x 40 hours
= $560 per week
For the second job, you earn $7 per hour plus a 30% commission. To calculate the total earnings, you need to multiply your hourly rate by the number of hours and then add the commission on top. Again assuming you work 40 hours a week, we need to calculate the commission first.
Commission = 30% x Total sales made
In this case, we don't know the total sales made, so let's assume it is $1000 per week.
Commission = 30% x $1000
= 0.30 x $1000
= $300
Now let's calculate the total earnings for the second job.
Total earnings for the second job = Hourly rate x Number of hours + Commission
= $7/hour x 40 hours + $300
= $280 + $300
= $580 per week
After comparing the calculations:
- The first job offers a weekly salary of $560.
- The second job offers a weekly salary of $580.
Based on the calculations, the second job would be a better choice as it offers a higher weekly salary of $580 compared to $560 for the first job.
This situation applies to what we have learned about percents and decimals by understanding how to calculate commissions (a percentage of sales) and comparing two different job offers with different pay structures. Understanding percentages allows us to analyze and compare different scenarios to make informed decisions based on actual numbers and calculations.