Grammar Gazette-Issue 1, 2020

Question the Unquestioned

Question the Unquestioned Year 10 Economics

Dr Sam Peng Head of Economics

— Why don’t all countries drive on the right? Lauren Chudleigh (10R)

— Why are similar competing stores such as Woolworths, Coles and Aldi located within close proximity to one another? Charlotte Banney (10L) In some locations in Australia, multiple grocery stores can be found within walking distance to one another Why is it that similar competing stores such as Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi are often located within close proximity? — Does it make economic sense to keep the British monarchy? Emma Armitage-Ho (10R) After a tumultuous year of royal upheavals, many are wondering whether the British monarchy still has relevance in the twenty- first century. Despite the obvious political benefits regarding the importance of the monarchy to the United Kingdom, British taxpayers pay £292 4 million annually to fund themonarchy (BrandFinance, 2017, p 9) So, does it make economic sense to keep the British monarchy?

— Why does a round pizza come in a square box? Grace Collins (10E)

Which side of the road to drive on has long been a vexing question While driving on the right dominates modern global patterns, approximately 31 per cent of countries drive on the left side of the road: so, what’s stopping the world from adopting a global standard? — Why has Disney been producing more live-action remakes of animated films in recent years? Madeline Khoo (10E) For you Disney fans, 2019 must be your lucky year Five out of 14 Disney live-action remakes of animated films were released that year, and 11 in the past decade (List of Disney live-action remakes of animated films, 2020). This sudden influx did not happen by chance. — Why are luxury brands more expensive in Asia than in Europe? Caizha Lee (10M) A Prada Galleria bag can be bought for about £1 600 in Sweden or £2 100 in China (McDowell, 2019) It’s the same product, but why does its price vary so greatly? ■

Pizza has always been delivered in square boxes Have you ever taken a minute to wonder why? Why do round pizzas come in a square container? — Why do we still have newspapers when everything is online? Grace Hynes (10L) When was the last time you bought a newspaper? Or even read one? It is safe to say newspapers are on the decrease, and online news is on the increase So, why do we still have print newspapers when everything is online? — Why does the world not use a single currency? Juliette Harding-Bradburn (10B) In 2020, the United Nations acknowledged that there are 180 different currencies world-wide. It has been considered whether or a not a single international currency would benefit society. In order for the world to make the rational decision if a single international currency should be used, the benefits have to outweigh the costs.

During Term 1, Year 10 Economics students have been developing their curiosity about the economic principles that underpin the world around them. In this unit, students were encouraged to notice and wonder about the economic logic in almost everything in their lives, questioning and investigating the rationale behind big and small decisions. Through the lens of demand-supply analysis and cost-benefit analysis, students sought to discover the hidden logic underlying everyday occurrences, asking questions such as ‘Why is milk often sold in rectangular cartons, while soft drink is sold in cylindrical cans?’ ‘Why are similar products often more expensive for women than for men?’ ‘Why do speed limits differ from country to country?’ and ‘Why it is hard to get a taxi on rainy days?’ Students are encouraged to develop multiple hypotheses to their questions and prove or disprove them based their research This process encourages

students to think outside the box and recognise that there are often more than one valid explanations to a question This also develops students' analytical and critical thinking, as they are required to check their hypotheses against evidence Students have learned to question why people make certain choices, how resources are used to achieve different goals and who benefits from particular outcomes The ultimate goal of learning economics is to understand the world and make it a better place By nurturing curiosity, we hope students will become more observant, active thinkers. This is the first step to identifying economic problems and devising solutions The students’ investigations will be compiled and published in a book later this year Covering a range of topics as wide as our students’ interests, the book will shed light on economic principles that significantly impact how we live Please enjoy a preview of some of the students’ work, overleaf. ▶

— Why are there no seat belts on trains, but in cars? Amber Lu (10E)

If seat belts are compulsory for cars because they reduce the risk of injury by 90 per cent (Royal Automobile Club, 2019), why are there no seat belts on trains, even for the high speed bullet trains that can travel up to 320 km/hr?

— References

Brand Finance (2017) Brand Finance Monarchy 2017 [online] pp 5-13 Retrieved from: https://brandfinance.com/images/upload/bf_monarchy_report_2017.pdf [Accessed 28 February 2020] List of disney live-action remakes of animated films - wikipedia. (2020). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_live-action_remakes_of_animated_ films McDowell, M (2019) Europe is still a bargain for luxury shoppers Retrieved from https:// wwwvoguebusiness com/companies/global-luxury-price-discrepancies-louis-vuitton- gucci-balenciaga Royal Automobile Club (2019) Seat belts Retrieved from https://rac com au/car- motoring/info/seat-belts

right Dr Sam Peng in the Economics classroom

Gazette

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

10

Issue 1, 2020

11

Issue 1, 2020