Student businesses- class 3

Right after my second class left, we started round 3. It was quite awesome also, though I took fewer notes! Here is what I have and remember:

One group was selling clothes to give you superpowers. Their magic clothes (pictured worn by characters from The Incredibles) can give you the power of flight or fish-like swimming, among others. They were planning to get Phelps to advertise since he's basically awesome and already swims like a fish. Their choice of Phelps images though included one from SI which made him look like he was naked, wearing nothing but his Olympic medals and another that they had stretched sideways- he looked way more appealing that way, let me tell you! They then talked about guanxi and how "if you have a big relationship net, you can do anything"... well, maybe in China!

Another group offered to make your feelings known if you were too shy to do so. "Your feelings, we tell them" they declared! You could choose 3 different packages to tell people you loved them: one included a heart made of candles, another a hot air balloon ride floating over the city to a billboard announcing your feelings to the object of your affection, and the third was your very own set of fireworks, that might or might not have spelled out your thoughts word for word (sounds just ridiculous enough that they might have said it). Their flow chart of company employee policy went from recruitment through training to evaluation which would result in, appropriately, either praise or punishment. No word on what that might have entailed.

One quite creative and freaky group sold a product called "painted skin". Their product was simple: you have problems with your appearance- we give you a new face without the need for expensive and painful cosmetic surgery. The commercial was a tad un-PC with a kid not getting a job ("I failed in my interview for my face so I want to change it") but after his new painted skin makeover, he gets the job. Their claim? We will give you a new face, then we will give you a successful life!" Not sure how many would take them up on it as the price tag for this service was 1,000,000RMB (that's so little money)!

An ad for an Ebay-style service involved too sad kids whining about one getting another mp3 player from her boyfriend instead of the cellphone she asked for (boo hoo now I have 2 mp3 players) and one having received his second cellphone (aww, poor baby has 2 phones). Conveniently, the website helps them match and switch uneccessary technology... the wonders of modernity!

The last group made quite an impression with their $1 bodyguard. The repeated chorus of "one dollar" throughout the introductory section of their presentation made quite an impression. "Bodyguard of 1Dollar" doesn't actually fight for you, but you can call him and he will shine a flashlight at you and dial the local police number to get you some help. That's why he's so cheap. The advertising did have a guy assaulting another guy (pretending to be a helpless girl) with the words "your money, your body!" Even funnier if you know this mild-mannered student! They also aimed to "service the whole country" at some point in the future (cringe!) and claimed that I was so confident in their venture that I, myself, had invested 100 million RMB starting capital! They concluded with "don't you think it's significant to give money to charity? Then contact us and get a bodyguard!" Not sure about that!

Quite the marathon post and in fact, the marathon day of grading, but I am so proud of the students for being so creative. I suspect some ideas were not orginal, but the presentations were put together so quickly that they really impressed me! I'd even consider using some of those products!

One thing I both love and hate about oral presentation day, though, is discovering how good the quiet students are. In some cases, it might actually be better for my sanity not to have to struggle to decipher what they say on a regular basis, but it would definitely not hurt them to speak. In others, the pronunciation, grammar and fluency are so good that I wonder what keeps them silent- is it shyness? laziness? boredom? I'd be happy to get suggestions!