Humanities 

ECONOMICS

The past fortnight has included two Economics excursions, which have given students a chance to see theories put into action.

Thinking of buying a car?

As part of their unit on budgeting and investment, Hey Big Spender classes walked to Mathieson Motors and noted these key points:

• “I learnt that a car has a fingerprint — a 17 digit VIN (Vehicle Identification Number). You can search a car online using the number to find out if it is stolen or not.” Dylan and Callum
• “We had to pick out a car and learn about the car we chose. Then we heard from the dealer Damian what to look for when buying a car.” Tamieka and Chelsea
• “We learnt that if you buy from a dealership you will get a warranty, and there are two different types of write-offs (repairable and non-repairable).” George and Will
• “We learnt males are more likely to have crashed so they have to pay more for their car insurance. Also, it's better to buy a cheap car rather than an expensive one, and it's wise to consider all the costs of buying a car.” Maninder, Georgie and Anita
• “We learned a car’s VIN never changes and a bank only gives you a loan if you have a job. We also learned the positives and negatives to buying a car.” Chloe and Ayla

We thank Damian for showing the students around.  

Photo 1: Abel considers a green ute.

Photo 2: Callum gets behind the driver’s seat.

Photo 3: Elouise, Ada and Tyler research the options.

Feeling overwhelmed by the laundry?

While some of us may put off washing and ironing, others see it as a business opportunity. Leilani Pitolau explains:

“Last Tuesday, the Money Money Money class visited the Gouge Dry Cleaning and Laundry Factory which is located outside Mooroopna. We were visiting Gouge to observe a business that owes much of its success to innovation. We discovered that there were 180 employees who could do a variety of jobs, such as truck driving, administration, sorting, folding, ironing, and stacking laundry. We also found out that they service quite a large area in Victoria.

Gouge Dry Cleaning were innovative because they saw that there was a gap in the market, which was the washing of hospital linen, hotel linen, and hospitality linen. They continually invest in better equipment so the cleaning can be done more efficiently and cost-effectively.

Mr Priestly, the owner of Gouge Dry Cleaning, told us that to be a successful innovative businessman you needed to be lucky, dedicated, have a clear view of goals, and be determined in reaching those goals. He thought you also needed to always be thinking of new ideas and methods to achieve your goals.”  

We thank Gouge Dry Cleaning for sharing their expertise.