trade-off vs. opportunity cost

trade-off

[treyd-awf, -of] / ˈtreɪdˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

Or tradeoff

noun

the exchange of one thing for another of more or less equal value, especially to effect a compromise.

opportunity cost

[op-er-too-ni-tee kawst] / ˌɒp ərˈtu nɪ ti ˌkɔst /

Economics.

the money or other benefits lost when pursuing a particular course of action instead of a mutually-exclusive alternative.

The company cannot afford the opportunity cost attached to policy decisions made by the current CEO.