Economics and business / Year 8 / Economics and Business Knowledge and Understanding

Curriculum content descriptions

Types of businesses and the ways that businesses respond to opportunities in Australia (ACHEK030)

Elaborations
  • comparing different forms of business ownership (for example, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, cooperative, franchise)
  • explaining why a person or group of people would choose to establish one type of business rather than another
  • exploring different external factors that influence business opportunities, such as government and government policy, competitors in the market, demographics, technological innovations in production processes and product design, economic conditions, globalisation, and changing social attitudes and trends of the target market
  • identifying examples of the different ways businesses respond to opportunities in the market (for example, developing a new product to satisfy demand, changing the way they deliver their products or services to consumers)
  • exploring different internal factors that influence business opportunities, such as the product, location, resources, management and business culture including ability to be adaptable and demonstrate enterprising behaviours and skills
General capabilities
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • Ethical understanding Ethical understanding
ScOT terms

Companies,  Ownership,  Marketing

Video

Weston Farm - organic farm (Tasmania)

This is a video about horticulturalist and farmer Richard Weston and his success in growing high quality organic food and flowers. It shows scenes of Weston Farm as he speaks of his commitment to quality niche products, the importance of diversification in small-scale farming, and the value of overseas research. He goes ...

Video

Waratah Australis Nursery (flowers) – Batlow, New South Wales

This is a video about plant breeder and nursery owner Brian Fitzpatrick and his work of breeding waratahs. It shows scenes of his activities in the Waratah Australis Nursery as he speaks of the magnificence of waratahs; the stages in the breeding process including hand-pollination and the production of 12,000 seedlings ...

Online

IP in everyday life

This is an interactive resource about products that exist in everyday life that have protected intellectual property. The resource is presented as a timeline of one day, beginning at breakfast in the morning through until night. Interactive images appear as the mouse scrolls across the timeline. These images are linked ...

Text

Sample Teaching and Learning Outline: Humanities and Social Sciences Year 8

Find ideas and relevant links for teaching Year 8 History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics in this resource.

Video

Gilmore Braes Heritage Beef: creating a 'niche market' farming ancient breeds of cattle

This is a video about how Batlow farmers Ian and Mandy McCorkindale produce and market meat from Scottish Highland and Welsh Black cattle. It shows scenes of the cattle on the farm and meat being prepared in the butchery as Ian McCorkindale describes the process, value and rewards of marketing their beef directly to the ...

Video

Smart Water - Precision Irrigation: video

This is a video (5:08 min) about the importance of water to a fully-irrigated 1600ha farming and wine-producing enterprise on the banks of the Murray River and the effectiveness of its fully automated irrigation system. The enterprise is Andrew Peace Wines and the system was developed by WiSA. The video iillustrates viticulture ...

Video

Grandvewe - Cheese Farm - cheese also comes from sheep!! Tasmania

This is a video about farmer and cheesemaker Diane Rae and how she and her children established a sheep dairy agribusiness. It shows scenes of Grandvewe farm and cheesery as she speaks of how they learnt to be sheep farmers; researched dairy sheep overseas; and changed production systems as a result of experience. She tells ...

Video

Investigating food and fibres: producer video

This is a video about biodynamic grape growing and wine production at Cape Jaffa Winery in South Australia. It is narrated by co-owner and winemaker Anna Hooper, who describes the wine regions in which the vineyard is located, its soil types, and the main wines grown. She goes on to illustrate the winery's commitment to ...

Video

Growing exotic fruit - a niche market enterprise

This is a video(3:15 min) about John and Lyndall Piccone’s exotic fruit orchard at Tyagarah in New South Wales. The resource describes how the property produces more than 200 different tropical and sub-tropical fruits with the harvest beginning in early spring. Successive harvests serve to maintain customer interest in ...

Video

From Citrus to Almonds: video

This is a video [6:25 min] about growing almonds on a property in the Riverland of South Australia and why the owners switched from citrus to almond production. The first part of the video illustrates the characteristics of the property and explains the long-term strategy and business reasons for the switch. The next part ...

Online

Developing and Designing New Product Lines and Marketing Strategies

This is a unit of work about developing new market lines and strategies to sell a new or revamped product. It includes researching existing markets, target markets and other influences that affect the marketing of a new product. The resource has a teacher guide and a presentation that provides background information and ...

Video

Investigating key Australian approaches to producing cotton, timber and wool: producer video

This is a video about short wool sheep breeds and how their wool is used at the MiniJumbuck factory at Narracorte South Australia to make quilts, underlays and pillows. Sheep are seen on farms as merino sheep producer Thyne McGregor and Southdown breeder Dee Nolan discuss the strengths of each type of wool and how each ...

Video

Cascades Nursery - focus on growing trees

This is a video about tree grower Mandy McCorkindale and how she and her husband propagate, grow and sell 300 different trees at Cascades Nursery at Batlow, New South Wales. It shows footage of their activities in various parts of the nursery as she outlines the advantages of buying advanced trees that have been hardened ...

Video

Bees and Berries a great combination

This is a video about part-time farmer Jeff Kynaston and how he produces and sells berry and honey products. It shows scenes of his work as he tells of his satisfaction in growing boysenberries, raspberries and blackberries; picking the berries only when they are fully ripe; selling them within two days of harvest at farmers' ...

Video

Get Shucked Oysters

This is a short clip about a Tasmanian oyster farmer producing and serving farm-fresh oysters on site on Bruny Island. In this clip, oyster farmer and business owner, Joe Bennett, describes how he established his business from very small beginnings and has grown it to satisfy consumer demand. Watch to find out how this ...

Video

CERES Environment Park

This is a video about the sustainable not-for-profit agribusiness operated by the Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies (CERES) in inner Melbourne. CERES Environment Park runs an organic farm, fruit and vegetable delivery business, and delivers educational programs to schools. Presented by the ...

Video

Farm Diaries: producer video

This is a video about pig production at the Tintinara property of the Mount Boothby Pastoral Company in South Australia. Pigs at various stages are shown, including nursing piglets, weaned piglets weighing between 7 and 10k, and pigs close to a live weight of 100k. Pig producer Alastair Johnson gives statistics about the ...

Video

Out and about on farms: producer video

This is a video about the Willalooka Pastoral Company in South Australia and its annual cycle of cattle and sheep production. Narrated by owner Thyne McGregor, it shows the scale of the company's operations as he describes how its 10,000 ha size came about and how its five staff are deployed. He emphasises the importance ...

Video

Mouat Farms - an Apple Orchard and much more. Batlow, New South Wales

This is a video about orchardist and jam-maker Kris Mouat and how she and her husband operate a fruit agribusiness. It shows scenes of their 'Wyola' property as she speaks of how she came to orcharding and now makes jam from fruits and berries, and how they operate a roadside shop and a pick-your-own-fruit facility. She ...

Video

A Year on a Farm: producer video

This is a video about operation of an organic orchard near Kalangadoo in South Australia and the commitment to biodiversity of its owners Michelle and Chris McColl. Michelle McColl describes and illustrates the annual cycle of work with the trees and fruit while discussing the economic and agronomical advantages of the ...