Global economic activity
Students learn about:
Global economic activity
• a description of the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of ONE economic activity in a global context. The economic activity selected can be from a wide range of activities such as wheat farming, hydroponics, viticulture, textiles, tourism, advertising, retailing, wholesaling, information technologies, financial and business services industries
• factors explaining the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of the selected economic activity such as
– biophysical: climate, soils, topography, site
– ecological: sustainability and resource use
– economic: competitive advantage, consumer demand, mobility of labour and capital
– sociocultural: tradition, changing lifestyles, labour participation rates
– organisational: ownership, decision making and control
– technological: transportation, information transmission and flows, biotechnology
– political: quotas, tariffs, compacts, agreements
• the environmental, social and economic impacts of the economic activity such as pollution, resource depletion, labour exploitation, cultural integration, provision of infrastructure, job creation, transfer pricing.
Local case study
• a geographical study of an economic enterprise operating at a local scale. The business could be an individual enterprise, firm or company such as a family farm, a mine or mining corporation, a hotel, chain of hotels, heritage or tourist site. The case study should explore
– the nature of the economic enterprise
– locational factors
– ecological dimensions including environmental constraints, climate, and human impacts on the environment such as pollution and ecological sustainability
– internal and external linkages and flows of people, goods, services and ideas
– effects of global changes in the economic activity on the enterprise.
Students learn to:
Investigate and communicate geographically by
• asking and addressing geographical questions such as
– where are certain crops grown throughout the world?
– how have market preferences changed the pattern of tourism in Australia?
– how do changes in global technology affect enterprises operating at the local level?
Use geographical skills and tools such as
• analysing spatial relationships using land use and topographic maps
• interpreting flow charts depicting trade data
• identifying, collecting and recording geographical data from primary sources through fieldwork
• calculating the rate of increase or decrease between two points on a line graph showing employment change
• interpreting a ternary graph depicting raw material inputs
• interpreting proportional circles containing pie graphs
• calculating the area of a land use or vegetation type from aerial photographs, absolutely and relatively
• identifying spatial associations, interactions and changes from aerial photographs.
Identify geographical methods applicable to and useful in the workplace such as
• analysing census data, statistical registers and digests, economic production data and reports
• analysing aerial photographs, electronic street directories, cadastral maps, tourist maps, atlases
• collecting and analysing field data about economic activity
• the relevance of a geographical understanding of people and economic activity to a particular vocation such as: advising public servants, consulting in market and commercial research, contributing to environmental impact statements.
Global economic activity
• a description of the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of ONE economic activity in a global context. The economic activity selected can be from a wide range of activities such as wheat farming, hydroponics, viticulture, textiles, tourism, advertising, retailing, wholesaling, information technologies, financial and business services industries
• factors explaining the nature, spatial patterns and future directions of the selected economic activity such as
– biophysical: climate, soils, topography, site
– ecological: sustainability and resource use
– economic: competitive advantage, consumer demand, mobility of labour and capital
– sociocultural: tradition, changing lifestyles, labour participation rates
– organisational: ownership, decision making and control
– technological: transportation, information transmission and flows, biotechnology
– political: quotas, tariffs, compacts, agreements
• the environmental, social and economic impacts of the economic activity such as pollution, resource depletion, labour exploitation, cultural integration, provision of infrastructure, job creation, transfer pricing.
Local case study
• a geographical study of an economic enterprise operating at a local scale. The business could be an individual enterprise, firm or company such as a family farm, a mine or mining corporation, a hotel, chain of hotels, heritage or tourist site. The case study should explore
– the nature of the economic enterprise
– locational factors
– ecological dimensions including environmental constraints, climate, and human impacts on the environment such as pollution and ecological sustainability
– internal and external linkages and flows of people, goods, services and ideas
– effects of global changes in the economic activity on the enterprise.
Students learn to:
Investigate and communicate geographically by
• asking and addressing geographical questions such as
– where are certain crops grown throughout the world?
– how have market preferences changed the pattern of tourism in Australia?
– how do changes in global technology affect enterprises operating at the local level?
Use geographical skills and tools such as
• analysing spatial relationships using land use and topographic maps
• interpreting flow charts depicting trade data
• identifying, collecting and recording geographical data from primary sources through fieldwork
• calculating the rate of increase or decrease between two points on a line graph showing employment change
• interpreting a ternary graph depicting raw material inputs
• interpreting proportional circles containing pie graphs
• calculating the area of a land use or vegetation type from aerial photographs, absolutely and relatively
• identifying spatial associations, interactions and changes from aerial photographs.
Identify geographical methods applicable to and useful in the workplace such as
• analysing census data, statistical registers and digests, economic production data and reports
• analysing aerial photographs, electronic street directories, cadastral maps, tourist maps, atlases
• collecting and analysing field data about economic activity
• the relevance of a geographical understanding of people and economic activity to a particular vocation such as: advising public servants, consulting in market and commercial research, contributing to environmental impact statements.
