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.