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Alpha Stage
The Chinese States ofAmerica
March 1, 2007







The Washington Post is running an article captioned, "Chinese Firm
Eyes Chrysler." The article begins, "When Chery Automobile cars
first appeared outside of China in 2001, they were ridiculed as a
cheap attempt to trick purchasers into thinking they were buying
Chevy vehicles instead of Chinese knockoffs."

But, "The company has done so well -- it is now the No. 1
independent automaker and auto exporter in China, with business in
30 countries -- that when DaimlerChrysler announced this month
that it may be interested in selling off its flailing Chrysler unit, many
analysts mentioned Chery as a potential suitor."

Read a Similar Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children

  • Ask your students to describe their favorite thing they own.
    Do your students like the fact that they own some things?
    Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to write short poems
    explaining what it means to own things.

  • Do your students think that somebody else could possibly
    want their belongings? Why might somebody else want their
    belongings? Can they think of any way that somebody else
    might get their belongings without doing anything wrong?
  • Consider asking students to make a list of the kinds
    of material things that they want. How can students
    get the things they want? What do they have to do to
    get the money to buy these things?

  • Ask how your students would feel if they woke up one day
    and found that everything they owned now belonged to
    somebody else? Why would they feel this way?
  • Consider asking students to develop skits
    demonstrating how this would feel.

  • If your students want to keep their belongings, what do they
    have to do with them? What do the words, "take care of
    them" mean?
  • Students could draw pictures explaining what it
    means to take care of something.


Discussion-Starters for Older Students

  • Vocabulary terms to discuss: Flailing; Unpalatable; Exploit;
    and, Provincial.

  • Draw your students' attention to the title of today's
    newsletter, "The Chinese States of America." Why might the
    author have chosen this title? Is such a title offensive?
    Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students what they would have
    named a current events newsletter containing
    questions about this particular article. What types of
    questions would they have asked? Students might
    complete this work in groups of three or four.

  • Do your students think that it's appropriate to sell the
    Chrysler Company to Chery Automobile, a company owned
    by the Chinese government? Why/why not? How does the
    fact that the German company Daimler now owns Chrysler
    influence the answer to this question?
  • Consider asking students to respond to these
    questions in persuasive essays. These essays might
    reference comparative economic statistics which can
    be found at this United Nations' website.

  • Since the article indicates that most analysts do not think that
    Chery Automobile will buy all of Chrysler. Is the previous
    set of questions therefore irrelevant? Why/why not?
  • What lessons should automobile engineers learn from
    the incredible success of Chery Automobile? What
    lessons should American business leaders learn from
    this Chinese company's success?

  • Consider asking students to pretend imagine that they are
    American business leaders making a presentation to
    American engineers about the importance of adapting their
    work ethic to meet the needs of international competition.
    What would they say? What visual manipulatives would they
    use? Why?
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(C) 2007, Andrew Pass Educational Services, LLC.