research methods planning uwaterloo

Research Methodology Fall 2022 ECON 606

Published Jul 21, 2022

Class Schedule

Instructor & ta (teaching assistant) information, course description.

This course focuses on increasing students' understanding of the roles of economic theory and empirical methods and on the development of skills in the critical analyses of economic research. Through reading a variety of research papers and attending seminars, students will gain exposure to different research methodologies used in economics. Students will learn how to synthesize and critique research on a particular topic by writing reviews of academic papers and/or research reports from government and non-governmental agencies, as well as by writing a paper such as literature survey on an assigned topic. Students will enhance their writing skills and will also gain practice in presenting a research paper.

The class will be divided in 5 groups and each group assigned a topic : Employment, Education, Immigration, Discrimination and Environment. You will develop your research skills within your area of expertise and enrich your set of skills (and that of your classmates) by providing and receiving feedback across groups.

Learning Outcomes

Tentative Course Schedule

The first part of the course - up to the end of October -  will be devoted to a) identifying resources for research and b) learning how to communicate with non-professional audiences

The second part of the course will be devoted to presentations and writing of a research proposal aimed to communicate with academic/professional audiences

A more detailed schedule will be provided at the beginning of term

Texts / Materials

Additional reading materials will be made available during the term

Student Assessment

Written assignments are identified as A1, A2, etc…, the presentations are identified as P1 and P2

(0) In group assignments all members of the group receive the same grade

(1) Evaluation of the final research proposal will consider whether you have incorporated feedback from the draft and the workshop in your final report

(2) Class participation will be evaluated for economic content. That means that your questions or contributions should be based on economic arguments or content, rather than simply expressing a general opinion.  

(3) Failure to deliver any of the above will result in a mark of 0 for the particular component, unless supportive evidence of the reasons for the delay is provided, in which case an extension of 3 days for written work and virtual presentations will be granted

Assignment Screening

Text matching software (Turnitin) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course. It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit the alternate assignment.

Administrative Policy

Intellectual property.

Students should be aware that this course contains the intellectual property of their instructor, TA, and/or the University of Waterloo. 

Intellectual property includes items such as:

• Lecture content, spoken and written (and any audio/video recording thereof);
• Lecture handouts, presentations, and other materials prepared for the course (e.g., PowerPoint slides);
• Questions or solution sets from various types of assessments (e.g., assignments, quizzes, tests, final exams); and
• Work protected by copyright (e.g., any work authored by the instructor or TA or used by the instructor or TA with permission of the copyright owner).

Course materials and the intellectual property contained therein, are used to enhance a student’s educational experience. However, sharing this intellectual property without the intellectual property owner’s permission is a violation of intellectual property rights.  For this reason, it is necessary to ask the instructor, TA and/or the University of Waterloo for permission before uploading and sharing the intellectual property of others online (e.g., to an online repository).

Permission from an instructor, TA or the University is also necessary before sharing the intellectual property of others from completed courses with students taking the same/similar courses in subsequent terms/years.  In many cases, instructors might be happy to allow distribution of certain materials. However, doing so without expressed permission is considered a violation of intellectual property rights.

Please alert the instructor if you become aware of intellectual property belonging to others (past or present) circulating, either through the student body or online. The intellectual property rights owner deserves to know (and may have already given their consent).

Mental Health Support

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health support if they are needed.

Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.

• Counselling Services:  [email protected] / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655
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Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website

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Territorial Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory .

University Policy

Academic integrity : In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4 . When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline . For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties .

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals .

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Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.

0321 - Research Methods for Writers

Course description, applies towards the following certificates.

• Effective Workplace Communication : Mandatory

Session Time-Out

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Identifying and selecting the next generation of nursing leaders through effective succession planning: a policy analysis

• Perspective
• Open access
• Published: 04 September 2024
• Volume 3 , article number  73 , ( 2024 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Mutaz I. Othman 1 ,
• Islam Oweidat 2 ,
• Abdulqadir J. Nashwan   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4845-4119 1 ,
• Hothaifah Hijazi 1 &
• Ahmed Abu jaber 1  

1 Altmetric

Succession planning is a vital organizational process that facilitates the smooth transition of leadership and safeguarding organizational knowledge. This research paper seeks to determine the most efficient and effective method for identifying and selecting potential leaders within an organization by examining succession planning policies and their effectiveness in identifying and selecting potential leaders in diverse organizational contexts. This paper utilizes policy analysis methodology to analyze succession planning policies' components, objectives, and outcomes across various industries and sectors. The analysis is based on an extensive review of literature, policy documents, and case studies. This study addresses the methods and tools used to identify and select potential leaders using a scorecard structure. In conclusion, the nine-box grid is a valuable tool that assesses employees' performance and potential for leadership positions.

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1 Introduction

The healthcare environment is known as dynamic and unstable, and healthcare is intensely affected by the change. So, healthcare leadership is becoming more complex. The shortage of competent workers affects service recipients and long-term growth [ 1 , 2 ]. Several countries lack trained healthcare professionals, particularly nurses. The World Health Organization (2016) reports a global shortage of 14.5 million doctors, nurses, and midwives. This shortage could harm vital programs in the health sector by 2030.

A needs-based study by the World Health Organization (WHO) (2016) anticipates a 7.6 million nurse shortage by 2030 [ 1 ]. That requires healthcare leadership to understand and build strategies to improve staff retention and ensure a smooth transition when staff retires [ 3 ]. Establish workforce planning based on current and emerging health service and community needs. Those needs require a crucial and effective strategy or policy to maintain the best organizational performance, as recommendation seven calls for nurses to prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health [ 4 ].

Nurse leaders prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health. This recommendation insists that "nurses, nursing education programs, and nursing associations should prepare the nursing workforce to assume leadership positions across all levels, while public, private, and governmental health care decision-makers should ensure that leadership positions are available to and filled by nurses" [ 4 ]. So today, nursing leadership should adopt new strategies to improve the retention of the nursing workforce and prepare and enable nurses to lead change to advance health [ 5 ]. Succession planning can be utilized in every area of healthcare succession planning [ 6 ].

Developing a succession plan policy usually starts with developing a strategic plan, identifying and assessing the key positions, and then identifying the potential leaders [ 7 ]. These employees are assessed as having leadership ability, organizational commitment, and motivation to grow and succeed in more senior positions. A systematic method for candidate selection is one of the most crucial components in developing a solid succession plan [ 8 ]. Even if an employee is working well in their current position, that does not guarantee that they will be successful in a more senior role [ 9 ].

There are distinct between leadership potential and performance; the assessment of leadership potential includes an assessment of an individual's potential for assuming future leadership positions, typically focusing on characteristics such as adaptability and strategic thinking. In contrast, a performance assessment is a process that assesses an individual's present job-related accomplishments, with a particular focus on past and current achievements. Both variables are crucial when assessing an individual's preparedness for leadership roles, but with different objectives [ 10 ]. It's critical to have a strategy in place for accurately identifying high-performing employees. Therefore, we must consider this when selecting potential succession candidates. So, determine measurable criteria to evaluate each candidate's potential [ 11 ].

The identifying and selecting criteria on which a potential leader will be nominated were not addressed in the policy for succession planning. Identifying a high-potential leader is an ideal strategic objective for succession planning [ 12 ]. Additionally, it is an essential step in succession planning [ 7 , 12 ]. So, in our policy analysis Here, the question is, "What is the most effective and efficient method of identifying and selecting those potential leaders in the organization?".

2 Background

Organizations usually struggle to identify potential leaders for further development. As healthcare is a dynamic work environment, it is crucial to provide a solid leadership pool for the future [ 13 ]. Identifying and selecting the most successful potential leaders are crucial strategic objectives for maintaining an organization's viability and competitiveness [ 14 ].

The breakdown of leadership is crucial for any organization's survival and long-term sustainability [ 15 ]. The breakdown of leaders and managers can be a terrible occurrence with far-reaching effects within and beyond the organization. In other words, succession planning, strategy, leadership, and culture are interconnected and comprise many aspects of an organization's vision [ 7 ]. A significant aspect of an organization's long-term viability is how succession planning is integrated with organizational strategy and culture, future leader training and development, and change management to ensure business continuity [ 16 , 17 ]. Succession planning is used to identify, select, and develop future leaders; it must be planned, implemented, and measured to ensure a positive conclusion [ 18 ].

The literature shows that most organizations do not have formal or written succession plans [ 19 ]. According to the literature, succession planning, and an organization's future leader's selection, development, and growth should be a focused, clearly articulated approach to benefit the firm, including all stakeholders [ 20 ]. This kind of planning might be important for developing leaders in different stakeholders.

Creating an effective succession plan for healthcare leadership allows for the development and support of future leaders through training programs. On the other hand, the employee must demonstrate leadership interest and potential [ 16 ]. Incorporating methods established in other healthcare departments, the nursing industry may be able to serve as a model for other healthcare leaders' succession planning strategies [ 21 ]. Suppose organizations do not effectively select, develop, and retain future leaders. In that case, they will encounter an unpredictable future characterized by the breakdown of leadership, which is crucial for any organization's survival and long-term sustainability. By leadership vacancies, the loss of key individuals, and possibly unstable operations [ 22 ]. Even though there is a huge and varied body of knowledge on succession planning, there is still much to learn. The literature also reveals that nursing has a well-established succession process and that healthcare leaders, in general, can benefit from modeling how nursing prepares for leadership transitions. Nursing leaders are crucial in healthcare organizations as they link leadership and nurses [ 23 ]. A lack of succession planning can be expensive and raise hospital expenses when healthcare institutions seek senior positions [ 24 ].

The research literature argues that the process of identifying future leaders includes the utilization of a variety of criteria and methodologies. In accordance with the Knoll study from 2021, it is possible to assess global leadership potential (GLP) by considering a variety of traits, attitudes, and competencies. Identifying GLP entails three stages: nomination, assessment, and confirmation [ 25 ]. According to Norman (2020), the assessment of leadership potential can be achieved by utilizing a comprehensive approach that incorporates behavioral simulations, psychometrics, and processing tests [ 26 ].

In a study conducted by Panait in 2017, a self-assessment questionnaire was Created to identify and evaluate leadership abilities and characteristics [ 27 ]. According to Knaub (2018), the exclusive reliance on social network analysis may not be adequate for identifying leaders[ 28 ]. Therefore, overall, the reviews indicate that identifying and selecting future leaders requires a comprehensive strategy considering different criteria and methods. Still, the articles didn't identify which methods are recommended. The author shows that using different methods can result in inconsistencies and unsuccessful utilization. Therefore, it is important to identify and select the best approach to ensure its effectiveness in implementation.

This paper aims to identify the most effective method for identifying and selecting potential organizational leaders. The main objective is to assess different methods and measure their effectiveness and efficiency in this context. We aim to offer practical recommendations to improve the organization's leadership development and succession planning.

The creativity and motivation of a future leader will contribute to the success of the organization; recognizing these employees' abilities enables department heads to focus on strategic development and evaluation, which could happen based on pre-defined qualifying criteria and appraise the right candidate to determine their strengths and development requirements.

Identifying and selecting willing employees based on measurable abilities using a procedure that ensures every person with leadership potential is examined fairly and fully for potential leadership roles.

In our policy analysis plan, we selected the rational model approach due to its well-organized framework, supported by research, emphasizing evidence-based analysis and transparent decision-making [ 29 ]. We assumed that the various alternatives would be of interest to achieving the objectives and responding to our policy analysis question. This analysis revised the most encountered alternatives for identifying and selecting potential organizational leaders.

The evaluation criteria for each alternative must account for its capacity to achieve policy objectives and outcomes, reduce costs, be politically and administratively feasible, and be suitable for long-term goals. The criteria will determine how effective and fair the different options are to determine how well the goals and objectives are met.

3.1 Alternative 1: Nomination by supervisor

Some organizations approach internal recruitment more closely, asking managers to nominate high-performing employees for internal positions. When individuals are familiar with employees' work in different departments in smaller organizations, this informal approach can be quite effective. However, this technique may appear to reflect discriminatory practices [ 30 ]. Organizations often have a well-defined process for performance evaluation; however, many managers are confused about evaluating potential, resulting in incorrect potential assessments [ 10 ]. Unconscious biases could also affect how employees are judged if there aren't clear ways to pick team members with high potential.

3.2 Alternative 2: 360 Assessment Tool

A 360-degree assessment tool allows you to get input from others on an applicant's potential leadership skills. When used correctly, it will most likely assist you in identifying and selecting your potential leader. A 360-degree assessment tool is a game-changing approach to providing employees with consistent feedback, support, and possibilities for advancement. It is a significant improvement over traditional approaches to learning and development, as well as annual performance reviews [ 31 ].

3.3 Alternative 3: Interview

An interview is a sort of interaction sometimes used to identify the best applicant. This is essentially a conversation between two or more people seeking to know and understand more about one another. The interviewee will usually talk about their opinions, views, and background, while the interviewer will ask about their knowledge, skills, and abilities [ 32 ]. One of the most significant benefits of conducting interviews is gaining knowledge about your organization's potential leaders' skills and abilities. However, there are some disadvantages to this method [ 33 ]. The method also takes a very long time and requires a significant amount of stress response. It's important to remember that interviewing is a two-way street. Suppose you go out of your way to ensure the interviewee has a positive experience that benefits them. This might also assist you in selecting the best people for the position [ 34 ].

3.4 Alternative 4: 9-Box Grid

The 9-box grid is a typical method of identifying and classifying potential intended to assist organizations in understanding the kinds of potential they have and determining where to focus their future development and budget [ 35 ]. Anyone can utilize the 9-box Grid, but it is mostly used by HR professionals, managers, and other development professionals. The 9-box grid is frequently used in succession planning [ 36 ]. A complete succession plan, on the other hand, extends beyond identifying and selecting talent in an organization.

The results present a comparison between different alternatives. Six criteria make up the evaluation tool. Here, we used a Likert scale of 1 to 5 to rate each criterion. (A score of 1 indicates a very low likelihood; a score of 2 indicates a low likelihood; a score of 3 indicates a moderate likelihood; a score of 4 indicates a high likelihood, and a score of 5 indicates a very high likelihood.) The evaluation carried out by the group in this analysis paper uses a few different ways to determine the best alternative in selecting potential managers, including supervisor nomination, a 360 assessment tool, an interview, and a 9-Box Grid. Each group member was required to rate every alternative separately and submit their results to their team leader. The results show that the 9-box-grid tool receives the highest score when using the scorecard method, as illustrated in Table  1 , which happened after the group's team leader calculated the submitted comparisons by utilizing evaluation criteria shown in Table  2 and came up with the mean scores.

The 9-box grid is a useful performance management tool that managers use for several reasons. It is simple [ 37 ], and the 9-box grid has a straightforward structure, as shown in Table  3 . Also, it can be used in various organizations because it needs little background research or data collection, and it is possible to perform this task based on first-hand observation [ 38 ]. The 9-box grid produces a visual representation of a firm's talent pool. It's a tool that can be used to compare potential leaders and facilitate debate and decision-making [ 39 ]. The benefit of implementing a 9-box grid is that it saves both time and money [ 39 ].

Most other alternatives may initially seem attractive, but they have a high long-term cost [ 40 ]. Here are a few limitations when implementing the 9-box Grid. The distinction between performance and potential can be challenging, especially if neither idea has a clear definition or comprehension [ 41 ]. If you choose to be honest and transparent with your staff and reveal performance measurements, you risk negatively affecting them and decreasing their satisfaction. Having a "poor performance" or "low potential" can have a detrimental impact on lower-level employees, and with good reason [ 42 ].

There are three phases to constructing a 9-box grid for your organization's succession planning [ 37 ]:

4.1 Assess your employees' performance

The first phase is evaluating each employee's level of performance. The actual criteria for evaluating performance vary depending on an organization's needs. However, each employee must be assigned to one of three groups: Low performance: The individual does not meet the work criteria and does not meet the company's targets and objectives. They lack motivation and alignment with the company's vision [ 37 ]. Moderate performance: the employee's job requirements, personal targets, and ambitions are only partially met [ 37 ]. High performance: The employee meets all their job description and personal goals and performs consistently throughout all tasks [ 37 ].

4.2 Evaluate an employee's potential

The next step is to evaluate each employee's potential. Employees' potential is based on how much they are expected to grow in the future, how willing they are to learn new skills, and how well they can use what they know in everyday situations. One of the problems is that organizations aren't as good at judging employees' potential as they are at judging their performance. Performance refers to previous conduct, while potential refers to expected future behavior to simplify the distinction between the two concepts.

4.3 Create a 3 × 3 grid by integrating performance and potential.

The next stage is plotting all employees on a 3 × 3 grid, resulting in your 9-box grid, after assessing them as low, moderate, or high on both performance and potential. Managers can also see where each employee ranks according to the matrix.

5 Discussion

Those in leadership positions are responsible for challenging the status quo, innovating, and rallying their people to propel enterprises to new heights of success [ 43 ]; in contrast, in leadership positions, selection failures can cost an organization a large amount of money and disrupt its potential growth for several years. Therefore, organizations must carefully consider their leadership choices [ 44 ]. It is necessary to have a leadership selection procedure that identifies the abilities, qualities, and competencies of potential candidates and decides whether they are appropriate for these positions [ 45 ].

One of the greatest practices for filling leadership positions is to create an internal pool of potential leaders who can be accessed at any time. Our goals and objectives could include analyzing productivity, turnover, days to fill, cost per hire, and quality of hire, as well as measuring productivity, turnover, days to fill, recruitment costs, and quality of talent management. Various indicators in which management is polled regarding the recruitment and selection process, their staff, or patient experience. Collaboration and organizational success within their departments and throughout the organization.

The 9 Box Grid is a tool that provides a comprehensive view of an organization's intellectual equity. The research reveals that utilizing the 9-box grid is a practicable tool for succession planning and talent management. This tool helps organizations assess and categorize their workforce according to their performance and potential, enabling the identification of potential leaders and the development of strategies for developing an effective leadership succession plan [ 37 , 42 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]. However, despite having higher job performance assessments than males, one study indicated that women receive significantly lower "potential" ratings after reviewing 9-box grid data for close to 30,000 employees. The implementation of the 9-box tool has the potential to jeopardize an organization's efforts toward fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion by unintentionally impeding the progression of underrepresented individuals into leadership positions. As a result of these individuals' potential demotivation and departure from the organization in search of better possibilities, diversity levels may be reduced overall. Therefore, the subjectivity of the 9-box Grid can affect individuals from historically marginalized backgrounds [ 48 ].

5.1 Implications

This article can inspire further studies in succession planning since it relates to healthcare and nursing contexts. Nurses and healthcare organizations can utilize the findings of this study to optimize leadership development programs, therefore adapting strategies to address the needs of the healthcare professions. Nurses have the potential to enhance their comprehension of the avenues leading to leadership positions within healthcare organizations, influencing their professional paths and goals. Implementing a well-designed leadership succession plan can significantly impact the entire quality of patient care, offering advantages for both nurses and their patients. Leadership may acknowledge the significance of fostering a talent pipeline inside their organizations, ensuring smooth succession when leadership roles become vacant.

Healthcare education programs have the potential to incorporate succession planning aspects into their curriculum to adequately equip aspiring healthcare employees for positions of leadership in the future. Policymakers may consider the implications of the findings on healthcare policy, which could potentially impact policies related to succession planning within healthcare organizations. Also, policymakers may see a potential connection between implementing effective leadership succession planning and enhancing healthcare quality, which encourages them to allocate resources towards efforts to develop competence in leadership. A research study on succession planning in healthcare organizations can have significant consequences in various areas, including research, nursing practice, leadership development, education, and policymaking.

Incorporating that knowledge can effectively inform appropriate approaches, facilitate improvements in the development of leadership qualities, and ultimately result in enhanced patient care and improved healthcare outcomes.

5.2 Strength and limitations

The present policy analysis study has the potential to provide policymakers and stakeholders with carefully analyzed information and evidence, enabling them to make sensible and informed decisions. In addition to providing realistic policy recommendations or alternatives based on research findings, these conclusions can serve as valuable guidance for policymakers in formulating effective policies. As the availability of precise and Comprehensive data can be a limitation, especially when studying the implications of policy, there are many limitations in this policy analysis paper. Another limitation is our comprehensive evaluation to identify and select potential organizational leaders. We made an effort to consider a variety of alternatives, but we may have missed certain alternatives. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that our study did not proceed to the implementation phase. Therefore, the practical implications and effectiveness of the selected approach have yet to be tested.

6 Conclusion

Identifying potential by comparing performance to potential. The outcomes of this activity can successfully reveal the most appropriate succession, thereby identifying employees with high potential and performance. This term is used to describe employees who are most prepared to lead.

During the talent identification and selection phase, the 9-Box Grid is the primary instrument for assessing the potential and establishing organizational workforce strategic plans. Each department employee is carefully examined and assigned to the appropriate quadrant (box) in this task. By completing the 9 Box Grid tasks, accurate plans can be made for the development and retention of each staff member. To evaluate the successful operation for selecting potential leaders to achieve the aims of implementing it, we must determine which indications best represent the method defined and established within the organization.

Data availability

Not applicable.

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Othman, M.I., Oweidat, I., Nashwan, A.J. et al. Identifying and selecting the next generation of nursing leaders through effective succession planning: a policy analysis. Discov Health Systems 3 , 73 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44250-024-00130-5

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