Post on 19-Dec-2015
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
IN THE CLASSROOM
DEVELOP LISTENING & QUESTIONING
SKILLS
USE LESSONS TO CLARIFY WORK DONE
ELSEWHERE
MAKE NOTES OF BOARDWORK &
O/HEADS
IDENTIFY YOUR PREFERRED LEARNING
STYLE & MAKE IT WORK FOR
YOU
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
IN THE CLASSROOM
DEVELOP LISTENING & QUESTIONING
SKILLS
USE LESSONS TO CLARIFY WORK DONE
ELSEWHERE
MAKE NOTES OF BOARDWORK &
O/HEADS
IDENTIFY YOUR PREFERRED LEARNING
STYLE & MAKE IT WORK FOR
YOU
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DO BOOKWORK TO KEEP PACE WITH
CLASSWORK
USE WORKBOOK FOR REVISION & SELF-
TESTING
READ NEWSPAPERS & BRING ARTICLES
TO CLASS
DO ALL THE HOMEWORK SET
CREATE GLOSSARIES OF
KEY TERMS
IN THE CLASSROOM
DEVELOP LISTENING & QUESTIONING
SKILLS
USE LESSONS TO CLARIFY WORK DONE
ELSEWHERE
MAKE NOTES OF BOARDWORK &
O/HEADS
IDENTIFY YOUR PREFERRED LEARNING
STYLE & MAKE IT WORK FOR
YOU
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
IN THE CLASSROOM
DEVELOP LISTENING & QUESTIONING
SKILLS
USE LESSONS TO CLARIFY WORK DONE
ELSEWHERE
MAKE NOTES OF BOARDWORK &
O/HEADS
IDENTIFY YOUR PREFERRED LEARNING
STYLE & MAKE IT WORK FOR
YOU
HSC SUCCESS
BECOME AN INDEPENDENT &
LIFE-LONG LEARNER
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
DO BOOKWORK TO KEEP PACE WITH
CLASSWORK
USE WORKBOOK FOR REVISION & SELF-
TESTING
READ NEWSPAPERS & BRING ARTICLES
TO CLASS
DO ALL THE HOMEWORK SET
CREATE GLOSSARIES OF
KEY TERMS
DEVELOP AN INDEPENDENCE IN LEARNING
IN THE CLASSROOM
DEVELOP LISTENING & QUESTIONING
SKILLS
USE LESSONS TO CLARIFY WORK DONE
ELSEWHERE
MAKE NOTES OF BOARDWORK &
O/HEADS
IDENTIFY YOUR PREFERRED LEARNING
STYLE & MAKE IT WORK FOR
YOU
YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IF YOU ARE AN ACTIVE LEARNER NOT A PASSIVE LEARNER
SUCCESS!!
From the Syllabus: Introduction to Economics Students learn to:Examine economic issues Identify* the opportunity costs involved in economic decisions made by
individuals, businesses and governments at local, state and national levels Examine* the ways that the economic problem affects individuals at
different income levels Examine* the implications of unemployment and technological change
using production possibility frontiers Compare* and contrast* the ways that different economies deal with
specific problems or issuesApply economic skills Construct* and interpret* production possibility frontiers Distinguish* between equilibrium and disequilibrium situations in the
circular flow of income model Explain* how an economy might return to an equilibrium situation from a
disequilibrium situation Identify* bias in media items on economic issues affecting the local, state
and national economies * = Key HSC words
From the Syllabus: Introduction to Economics
Students learn about - The Nature of Economics
the economic problem: wants, resources, scarcity (1.1.1)
the need for choice by individuals and society (1.1.2)
opportunity cost and its application through production possibility frontiers (1.1.3)
future implications of current choices by individuals, businesses and governments (1.1.4)
economic factors underlying decision-making by: (1.1.5) individuals — spending, saving, work, education,
retirement, voting and participation in the political process business — pricing, production, resource use, industrial
relations governments — influencing the decisions of individuals
and business
Economics, like Geography and Commerce, is a social science. This means that there is a systematic & scientific study of those aspects of human behaviour relating to material welfare.
What is Economics?
Economics is derived from the Greek word ‘oikonomia’– oikod – house and nomis – law; it means the art of prudent housekeeping
What is Economics?
‘Economics is about the processes of production, consumption, utilisation and exchange – has as its goal the solution of a number of different problems that confront all societies…’ Bixley – Economics & the Economy
‘The study of the production, distribution and consumption of wealth in human society.’
Penguin Dictionary of Economics
What is Economics?
• J M Keynes: regarded as the founder of modern economic theory –’Keynesian Revolution’
“Economics is an apparatus of the mind”
- J M Keynes
What is Economics?
• Economics is a science albeit a ‘social science’ – it studies human economic behaviour.
• “Economics is the study of the process and implications of the way society makes the allocative choice - using scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants.” T Stegman
the ‘soup line’Great Depression
(circa 1931)
The Nature of Wants 1.1.1 There exist basic needs, which are essential for survival (e.g. food, clothing & shelter) – often called basic wants. Individual and communities as a whole also have wants,
which are material desires for goods & services that give us satisfaction or utility. Wants may be classified a number of ways:
Individual wants are the wants that each person has for the type of food, clothing & shelter they desire. Collective wants are the wants that the community possesses equally and that often cannot be satisfied individually e.g. education, defence, police & justice.
The Nature of Wants 1.1.1
Human nature ensures that our wants are unlimited. Features that contribute to them being unlimited include that wants are: recurring, where they must be continually
satisfied at regular intervals e.g. food. complementary, where once a want has been
satisfied, it creates other wants e.g. buying a car means we then want petrol.
changing, where seasons, fashions, income, age and stage of life influence our wants.
Resources 1.1.1 Resources or factors of production are needed to produce
the goods & services to satisfy wants. The quantity & quality of a country’s resources will influence how many wants are satisfied (i.e standard of living)There are four factors of production: Land, which refers to all natural resources, such as
forests, minerals, fish and agricultural land – the income return is called rent.
Labour, refers to human effort both physical and intellectual – the income return is called wages.
Capital, called capital goods it includes machinery, plant or anything that aids production that is produced by man – the income return is called interest.
Enterprise, refers to that special type of labour that can organise the other resources – the income return is called profit.
The Economic Problem 1.1.1
The economic problem exists because:• we have unlimited wants and yet • there are relatively scarce resources (when compared to unlimited
wants) with which to satisfy wants and• because we cannot satisfy all our wants, a choice must be made as
to which wants are going to be satisfied and which go unsatisfied• finally, a decision has to be made about who amongst us gets to
satisfy their wants and who may go unsatisfied – distribution.
The Economic Problem 1.1.1 The existence of the economic problem
means that Economics is often described is terms such as:
The study of scarcity
OR
The science of decision making
Unemployed workersGreat Depression – circa 1931
The Economic Problem 1.1.1
The economic problem means a number of decisions have to be made. The way in which a society is organised to make these choices is known as the economic system. An economic system must make decisions about:
• What to produce, including the mix of capital and consumer goods • How much to produce• How to produce• How to share or distribute production amongst members of society
So! What is Economics?
Ideally, a suitable definition of economics should include that it is a study of the way a country or economy:
• uses limited resources for the • production of goods & services for the• satisfaction of unlimited wants and• the way is which goods & services are shared,
which is known as distribution.
Focus Questions1. Define Economics.
2. Explain why Economics is a social science.
3. Distinguish between needs and wants.
4. Outline why wants are unlimited.
5. Distinguish between individual wants and collective wants.
6. Identify the main factor determining standard of living.
7. Identify the different resources available to satisfy wants.
8. Explain why resources are regarded as relatively scarce.
9. Explain what is meant by the economic problem.
10. List the economic decisions that must be made by an economic system.
Need for Choice by Individuals & Society 1.1.2 Recognising that not all wants can be satisfied, individuals and society need to make choices about which
wants to satisfy and when.
When a decision is made to satisfy a particular want this creates an economic cost in addition to its financial cost (i.e. the price paid for the good or service).
The real or opportunity cost (or economic cost) of satisfying a particular want is the alternative goods & services that could be produced with those resources. Choices for individuals and society to make include: the mix of consumer goods to be consumed the mix of individual wants and collective wants to be satisfied the mix of consumer & capital goods to produced (i.e. current consumption versus future consumption)
Guns 0 25 50 75 100
Butter 120 90 60 30 0
Opportunity Cost through Production Possibility Curves 1.1.4
Production Possibility Curves (PPC) enable greater analysis of the concept of opportunity cost.
The assumptions on which production possibility curves are based are: Only two goods are produced by the economy Resources can be switched to the production of either good Technology is fixed/constant
Illustrative Example
0 30 60 90 120 Butter
25
50
75
Guns 100
0
120
x
25
90
x
100
0
50
60 x
x
30
75x
Guns 0 25 50 75 100
Butter 120 90 60 30 0
Opportunity Cost through Production Possibility Curves 1.1.4
Production Possibility Curves (PPC) enable greater analysis of the concept of opportunity cost.
The assumptions on which production possibility curves are based are: Only two goods are produced by the economy Resources can be switched to the production of either good Technology is fixed/constant
Illustrative Example
0 30 60 90 120 Butter
25
50
75
Guns 100
x
x
x
x
x
Features of production possibility curves are: Production at any point on the line or frontier, such as point
A, represents full employment of resources. Production at any point inside the line or frontier, such
as point B, represents some unemployment of resources. Production at any point beyond the frontier, such as
point C, is not achievable with the current state of technology and level of resources.
Guns 0 25 50 75 100
Butter 120 90 60 30 0
Opportunity Cost through Production Possibility Curves 1.1.4
Illustrative Example
0 30 60 90 120 Butter
25
50
75
Guns 100
A. . B
. C
Opportunity Cost through Production Possibility Curves 1.1.4
Production beyond the PPC line or frontier is only possible if: there is technological
progress in the production of: one product, such as
guns or both products
there is an increase in resources available
0 30 60 90 120 Butter
25
50
75
Guns 100
Outward movements in the PPCline or frontier represents economic growth.
Future Implications of Current Choices by Individuals, Businesses & Government 1.1.2
Decisions by all these groups are designed to provide the maximum satisfaction from the resources available – this is known as allocative efficiency.
Consumer choices not only involve decisions about which current needs & wants to satisfy but also how much of present income to save for future consumption, such as for a house or retirement – overall Australians are poor savers.
Business choices involve deciding what & how many products to produce, to maximise profits, and how much investment to undertake.
Government choices involve deciding how much to collect in taxes
& revenue, knowing it will reduce private sector activity, to maximise satisfaction, and what collective wants to satisfy with these funds.
Focus Questions1. Define real or opportunity cost.2. Outline the assumptions on which production possibility curves are
based.3. Based on the production possibility schedule, answer the following
questions.
a) What is the opportunity cost of producing the first 20 units of food?b) What is the opportunity cost of producing the last 20 units of food?
4. Draw a production possibility curve and label:a) a point of production where there is some unemployment of resourcesb) a point of production where there is maximum use of resourcesc) a point of production that is currently unattainable
5. Outline the factors underlying the decision making of consumers. (pp14 -16)
6. Outline the factors underlying the decision making of business. (page 16)
7. Outline the factors underlying the decision making of governments. (page 17)
Food 0 20 40 80 100
Clothing 150 110 70 40 0