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Unit 3: Global Networks and Interconnections

13 dot points, in syllabus order. Each dot point has a focused answer, with exam-style questions and worked answers where available.

How do transnational corporations organise global networks, and what is their geographical influence?

Explain the role of transnational corporations in shaping global networks and their consequences for places

Transnational corporations as drivers of globalisation. Covers what TNCs are, why and where they locate, their power relative to states, and their uneven consequences for host and home places with real examples.

7 min read →

How do global flows of people, capital, goods, information and ideas create interdependence between places?

Explain the nature of global networks and how flows between places create interdependence

WACE Year 12 Geography focus on global networks and interdependence. Covers the five global flows, the drivers of globalisation, and how interconnection creates interdependence with real examples.

8 min read →

How are global production and consumption organised through commodity and value chains?

Explain the structure of global production and consumption networks and their geographical effects

WACE Year 12 Geography focus on global production and consumption networks. Covers commodity chains, the new international division of labour, the role of TNCs, and consumption geography with real examples.

7 min read →

How can the degree of globalisation and connectivity of a place be measured and mapped?

Apply indices, maps and spatial technologies to measure and represent global connectivity

Measuring globalisation. Covers globalisation indices, flow-line and network maps, world-city rankings, and the spatial-technology and data skills used to represent connectivity in the exam.

7 min read →

How do flows of information, communication and ideas interconnect places in a digital world?

Analyse how flows of information and ideas, enabled by ICT, interconnect places and their consequences

Global flows of information and ideas. Covers ICT infrastructure, the internet and submarine cables, the digital divide, and the social and economic consequences of instant global communication with real examples.

7 min read →

How does globalisation distribute benefits and costs unevenly between and within places?

Analyse the spatial inequalities produced by global networks and how they are measured

WACE Year 12 Geography focus on spatial inequalities. Covers how globalisation distributes wealth unevenly, measures such as GNI and the HDI, the core-periphery model, and responses, with real examples.

8 min read →

How do flows of capital and foreign investment interconnect places, and what are their consequences?

Analyse the patterns, drivers and consequences of global flows of capital and investment

Global flows of capital. Covers foreign direct investment, portfolio flows, remittances, financial centres, and the consequences of capital mobility with real examples including Australian mining investment.

7 min read →

How does international aid interconnect places, and how effective is it at reducing global inequality?

Analyse the patterns, types and consequences of international aid and development assistance

International aid as global interconnection. Covers types of aid, donors and recipients, the debate over effectiveness, tied aid and dependency, with real examples including Australia's program in the Pacific.

7 min read →

What causes international migration and how does it affect source and destination places?

Analyse the causes, patterns and consequences of international flows of people

WACE Year 12 Geography focus on international flows of people. Covers types of migration, push and pull factors, global patterns, and consequences for source and destination places with real examples.

7 min read →

How does international trade interconnect places, and who gains and loses from the patterns of global trade?

Analyse the patterns, drivers and consequences of international trade as a form of global interconnection

International trade as global interconnection. Covers trade patterns, comparative advantage, trade blocs, terms of trade, and uneven consequences with real Australian and global examples.

7 min read →

How does international tourism interconnect places, and what are its economic, social and environmental consequences?

Analyse the patterns, drivers and consequences of international tourism as a form of global interconnection

International tourism as global interconnection. Covers tourist flows, drivers, mass versus ecotourism, economic leakage, and environmental and cultural impacts with real examples including Bali and the Great Barrier Reef.

7 min read →

How do global flows reshape culture, and do they homogenise or diversify places?

Evaluate the cultural consequences of global flows, including homogenisation and hybridisation

Cultural globalisation. Covers the spread of global culture, homogenisation versus hybridisation, cultural imperialism, and local resistance with real examples including glocalisation.

7 min read →

What are the environmental consequences of global networks and flows, and how can they be managed?

Evaluate the environmental consequences of global flows of goods, people and production

Environmental consequences of globalisation. Covers shipping and aviation emissions, displaced pollution and e-waste, resource extraction, and management responses with real examples.

7 min read →