So, if all the activities we mentioned contribute to the final product or service, that means that virtually every department is involved â not just manufacturing or operations, but also human resources, accounting, marketing, and so on. This is the essence of Total Quality Management (TQM).
In economics, the law of increasing costs is a principle that states that once all factors of production (land, labor, capital) are at maximum output and efficiency, producing more will cost more than average. As production increases, the opportunity cost does as well. The best way to look at this is to review an example of an economy that only produces two things - cars and oranges. If all the resources of the economy are put into producing only oranges, there will not be any factors of production available to produce cars.
Ricardo's justification is based on the concept of opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is the cost of the next best alternative, or what you are giving up to do what you are currently doing. Ricardo explains why opportunity cost is an incentive for rational people and nations to specialize and enter into trade.