2014-2015 | Page 86

ECONOMICS It has been an eventful and full year of study on the economics course. In grade 12 we have covered the wider macro-economic models looking at unemployment, inflation, national income and the balance of trade. We have focused considerably on Turkey, a middle income country and look at comparisons between the economy of Turkey and those of wealthier European neighbours. We have also looked at comparisons between Turkey and much poorer nations in Africa and SE Asia. As always the worlds of Politics and Economics are intertwined and so we have examined how Turkey has benefitted from and contributed to membership of the World trade Organization and the European Free Trade Area. In grade 11 we have been studying introduction to Economics and studied how and why certain firms and / or products are more successful than others? We have looked at the effect of government policy on business and the role played by external factors such as the wider world economy. Grade 11 students have also had the opportunity to play a mock stock market game, designed to expose the class to the cut throat world of financial markets. In this game students are allowed to invest their original stake as they wish and each week they discover whether their investments have made or lost? We are also hoping to go on a field trip to a local factory to see how it will operate and compare their learned theory with a real life experience. THE CLAPPER 2014 - 2015 86