Test bank organizational behavior robbins ch08 motivation from concept to applications

Category: Concept Learning Outcome: Describe the major theories of motivation and relate them to organizational performance 3 With reference to the job characteristics model, which of th

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Organizational Behavior, 15e (Robbins/Judge)

Chapter 8 Motivation: From Concepts to Applications

1) is an extrinsic means of motivation

Quest Category: Concept

Learning Outcome: Describe the major theories of motivation and relate them to organizational

performance

2) Job design is defined as the

A) degree to which the job rewards competence

B) way the elements in a job are organized

C) degree to which the job contributes to profit margins

D) degree of decision-making power with the immediate superiors

E) way the job is evaluated in terms of its relative worth to other jobs

performance

3) With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines skill variety?

A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance

C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure

D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people

E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities tapping different abilities

Answer: E

Explanation: E) The job characteristics model ( JCM) describes jobs in terms of five core job

dimensions: skill variety, the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities; task identity,the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work; task

significance, the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people; autonomy, thedegree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling; and feedback, the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about performance

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Page Ref: 240

LO: 1

Difficulty: Easy

performance

4) With reference to the job characteristics model, which of the following defines task identity?

A) the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

B) the degree to which work activities generate direct and clear information about performance

C) the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling and procedure

D) the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people

E) the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities

Answer: A

Explanation: A) The job characteristics model ( JCM) describes jobs in terms of five core job

dimensions: skill variety, the degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities; task identity,the degree to which a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work; task

significance, the degree to which a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people; autonomy, thedegree to which a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling; and feedback, the degree to which carrying out work activities generates direct and clear information about performance

Page Ref: 240

LO: 1

Difficulty: Easy

performance

5) Adam Sears is an assembly line employee with Swenson Motors Though Adam is popular among hissupervisors and colleagues, Adam experiences low morale and lack of motivation He feels frustrated that his job is restricted to fixing nuts and bolts on the car parts He fears that he has no chances of advancing in his career as he cannot completely assemble a car Which of the following is true with regard to Adam?

A) Adam's job has high task complexity

B) Adam's job has a high span of control

C) Adam's job has low role definition

D) Adam's job has low task identity

E) Adam's job has high task significance

Quest Category: Application

performance

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6) According to the job characteristics model, task significance is the degree to which A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance

C) a job provides the worker freedom in scheduling work and determining its procedure

D) a job bears an impact on the lives or work of other people

E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Learning Outcome: Describe the major theories of motivation and relate them to organizational performance

7) Samantha Barnes is an emergency medical technician Recently, during an emergency call, she was able to resuscitate a man who had a cardiac arrest Subsequently, she spent some time calming the 12-year-old daughter of the patient and looked after her till the rest of the patient's family arrived at the hospital Based on this description, it can be concluded that Samantha's job is high in .A) task identity

Page Ref: 240

LO: 1

AACSB: Analytic Skills

Difficulty: Moderate

8) According to the job characteristics model, autonomy is defined as the degree to which A) a job requires completion of a whole and identifiable piece of work

B) a job generates direct and clear information about performance

C) a job provides the worker freedom, independence, and discretion

D) a job has an impact on the lives or work of other people

E) a job requires a variety of different activities

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Autonomy is the degree to which a job provides the worker freedom, independence, and discretion in scheduling work and determining the procedures in carrying it out

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Page Ref: 240

LO: 1

Difficulty: Easy

performance

10) Which of the following series of dimensions of the job characteristics model (JCM) combine to create meaningful work?

A) autonomy, task identity, and feedback

B) skill variety, autonomy, and task significance

C) skill variety, autonomy, and feedback

D) feedback, task identity, and task significance

E) skill variety, task identity, and task significance

performance

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11) The core dimensions of the job characteristics model can be combined into a single predictive index called

A) extrinsic motivation score

B) personal outcome score

C) job diagnostic score

D) motivating potential score

E) potential development score

performance

12) Which of the following statements is true of the job characteristics model?

A) The operation of the model is universal and unaffected by cultural factors

B) The operation of the model is relatively individualistic in nature

C) The operation of the model requires employees to have similar skill sets

D) The operation of the model cannot be quantitatively measured

E) The operation of the model fulfils only extrinsic motivational needs

Answer: B

Explanation: B) The job characteristics model is relatively individualistic in nature as it considers the relationship between the employee and his or her work This suggests that job enrichment strategies maynot have the same effects in collectivist ic cultures as in individualistic cultures

Page Ref: 242

LO: 1

performance

13) Which of the following statements is true regarding job rotation?

A) It decreases the flexibility with which an organization can adapt to a change

B) It decreases employee motivation

C) It decreases productivity in the short-run

D) It decreases supervisory workload

E) It decreases the flexibility in scheduling work

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Job rotation increases the flexibility with which an organization can adapt to a change

It reduces boredom and increases motivation Productivity tends to reduce when a worker moves into a new position and supervisory workload tends to increase because supervisors may have to spend more time answering questions and monitoring the work of recently rotated employees

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Page Ref: 244

LO: 2

Difficulty: Easy

performance

15) A prerequisite condition for job rotation is the

A) presence of high level of autonomy among workers

B) presence of high need for affiliation among workers

C) presence of employees with similar skill sets and requirements

D) presence of alternative work arrangements for employees to avail

E) presence of employee involvement programs

performance

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16) Managers at Flavors, a restaurant chain, train their employees such that in the absence of employees,someone trained in the same skills can step in and do the job equally well Thus, many modules in training are extensive as they provide employees with details of the skill sets required for different jobs

In practice, this lengthy training program does help the company as a well-trained and flexible

workforce is at their disposal at all times The managers at Flavors use

performance

CalTrack Services has been facing employee-related issues like decreased productivity, low morale, and poor organizational commitment in recent times At a meeting to discuss strategies to address these issues of immediate concern, Joe McEnroe, the production manager, proposed that the roles of

employees working on key projects be enhanced to increase autonomy He felt that this would enhance productivity, motivation, and accountability Taking a cue from McEnroe, Paul Wilbur suggested job rotation as a solution to the problem they were facing Paul felt that a change of job roles would make the employees keener to learn and perform He emphasized that job rotation would help management create a larger skill base to choose from, depending on the needs of specific projects

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17) Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument of adopting job rotation?

A) The employees of the company have similar skill sets which are suited to transfer of learning

B) The company has been conducting professional training programs to keep all employees up-to-date with the developments in the field

C) AmWeb, one of the major rival firms, witnessed a substantial rise in profits following its training program for employees

cross-D) The research evidence favoring job rotation has rarely used samples from the service industry

E) The company is now entering its busiest business season with multiple project deadlines

Answer: E

Explanation: E) Job rotation is the periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level With the busiest business season coming up, time is at a premium for this company, and job rotation, though beneficial in the long run, will result in wastage of time for all employees involved; it will also cause a drop in the immediate productivity If the employees of the company have similar skill sets which are suited to transfer of learning, then this would strengthen the argument in favor of adopting job rotation The fact that the company has been conducting professional training programs to keep all employees up-to-date with the developments in the field does not weaken the argument of adopting job rotation The fact that AmWeb, one of the major rival firms, witnessed a substantial rise in profits following its cross-training program for employees does not strengthen or weaken the argument of adopting job rotation for CalTrack The fact that researchevidence favoring job rotation has rarely used samples from the service industry does not strengthen or weaken the argument of adopting job rotation

Page Ref: 244

LO: 2

AACSB: Reflective Thinking

Difficulty: Hard

Quest Category: Critical Thinking

performance

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18) Which of the following, if true, would strengthen the argument in favor of adopting job rotation?A) The company is currently facing numerous budget constraints

B) The company can enhance productivity of existing employees in various areas for different projects.C) Two front-level managers have resigned in the last quarter as they were not promoted

D) The company has launched a new brand which is cannibalizing one of its existing products

E) The company has recently given employees new responsibilities by combining their routine tasks intonatural work units

Answer: B

Explanation: B) If the company can enhance productivity of existing employees in various areas for different projects, then this would strengthen the argument for adopting job rotation The strengths of job rotation are that it reduces boredom, increases motivation, and helps employees better understand how their work contributes to the organization An indirect benefit is that employees with a wider range

of skills give management more flexibility in scheduling work, adapting to changes, and filling

vacancies Since CalTrack needs to increase productivity, job rotation would help the company create a pool of workers who are skilled in different areas that are important for different projects If the

company is currently facing numerous budget constraints, it would weaken the argument of adopting jobrotation The fact that two front-level managers have resigned in the last quarter as they were not

promoted does not strengthen the argument in favor of adopting job rotation The fact that the company has launched a new brand which is cannibalizing one of its existing products does not strengthen the argument of adopting job rotation If the company has recently given employees new responsibilities by combining their routine tasks into natural work units, then this does not strengthen the argument in favor

of adopting job rotation

Page Ref: 244

LO: 2

Difficulty: Hard

Explanation: B) Expanding jobs vertically involves gives employees responsibilities and control

formerly reserved for management.Thus it modifies the autonomy dimension of the job

Page Ref: 244

LO: 2

Difficulty: Easy

performance

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20) Job enrichment is the process of .

A) periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level

B) expansion of jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work

C) redistribution of power within the organization through work councils and board representationsD) distribution of a significant degree of power between subordinates and supervisors

E) evaluation of an employee wherein subordinates, peers, and managers provide comprehensive

performance

21) The job characteristics model describes five dimensions of a job A job can be enriched by

modifying one or more of these five dimensions Which of the following methods of job enrichment involves modifying skill variety and task identity dimensions of a job?

A) combining tasks

B) forming natural work units

C) establishing client relationships

D) expanding jobs vertically

E) opening feedback channels

performance

22) Beyond redesigning the nature of the work itself and involving employees in decisions, another approach to making the work environment more motivating is to alter work arrangements to meet employee needs Which of the following is designed to give an employee greater control of their

Explanation: A) With flextime, employees can schedule their work hours to align with personal

demands, reducing tardiness and absences, and they can work when they are most productive

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Page Ref: 246, 247

LO: 3

Difficulty: Easy

23) Employees who use the flextime option have to

A) work from the office for three days of the week

B) work from home on a relatively permanent basis

C) work from the office based on a schedule fixed with the compatible partner they function withD) work from the office during the common core period and put in the extra hours as per their

Page Ref: 246, 247

LO: 3

Difficulty: Easy

24) An arrangement that allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job is called

Page Ref: 247, 248

LO: 3

Difficulty: Easy

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25) Janice and Shane are both senior software analysts They have worked together on projects for six years and get along very well Janice is anticipating the arrival of her first child and will not be able to work on a full-time basis in the future Shane is also contemplating opening his own business as a home media installation consultant and does not want to continue to work full time They both need some income Which of the following alternative job structures would be best for Janice and Shane?

Page Ref: 247, 248

LO: 3

performance

26) Which of the following statements is true regarding job sharing?

A) It expands jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work

B) It is also called cross-training

C) It allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job

D) It involves periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements

at the same organizational level

E) Job sharing is a method of job enrichment

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Job enrichment expands jobs by increasing the degree to which the worker controls the planning, execution, and evaluation of the work Job sharing is not a method of job enrichment, it is an alternative work arrangement Job rotation involves periodic shifting of an employee from one task to another with similar skill requirements at the same organizational level and it is also called cross-

training Job sharing allows two or more individuals to split a traditional 40-hour-a-week job

Page Ref: 247, 248

LO: 3

Difficulty: Easy

performance

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27) Which of the following alternative work arrangements enables the organization to draw on the talents of more than one individual in a given job?

Explanation: E) Job sharing allows an organization to draw on the talents of more than one individual in

a given job It is an opportunity to get two heads but pay for only one

Page Ref: 248

LO: 3

C) difficulty in finding compatible partners

D) difficulty in designing the reward structure

E) difficulty in coordinating schedules

Answer: C

Explanation: C) The major drawback of job sharing from management's perspective is finding

compatible pairs of employees who can successfully coordinate the intricacies of one job

Page Ref: 248

LO: 3

performance

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29) After the training and development manager at Add Worth, Nicole Hayes, resigned, the CEO has made it a priority that the position be filled soon by someone of equal expertise and experience as Nicole To locate the right candidate, Jennifer Ray, the HR manager, has been contacting recruitment firms, checking job sites, and pushing for referrals from the employees However, she has only found candidates with little or no experience in the field who were willing to work full time for the position Atthe next meeting with the CEO, Jennifer proposes an alternative strategy; she suggests hiring two experienced candidates who are open to the idea of handling the training needs on a part-time basis as a team The CEO listens to her proposal but is not too convinced by it Which of the following, if true, would strengthen Jennifer's proposal to use work sharing for the vacant position?

A) Trainers are exempted from the requirement of being at the office throughout the common core period of the workday

B) The employees of the company on the work council have planned to demand the flextime option.C) A good proportion of the company's prized workforce comprises employees from the baby boomer generation who are set to retire in the impending future

D) The headhunting firms that Jennifer contacted are usually helpful in generating a good pool of potential candidates

E) A rival firm recently adopted telecommuting to reduce administrative costs cutting into its bottom line

Answer: C

Explanation: C) The fact that a good proportion of the company's prized workforce comprises

employees of the baby boomer generation, who are set to retire in the near future, does strengthen the implementation of job sharing Job sharing is useful as it helps utilize the talent of employees who do not wish to work full time like retirees and housewives If trainers are exempted from the requirement ofbeing at the office throughout the common core period of the workday, that does not favor the adoption

of job sharing The fact that the employees of the company on the work council have planned to demandthe flextime option does not favor the adoption of job sharing The fact that the headhunting firms that Jennifer contacted are usually helpful in generating a good pool of potential candidates, does not mean that Add Worth must adopt job sharing The fact that a rival firm recently adopted telecommuting to reduce administrative costs cutting into its bottom line does not strengthen the argument that Add Worthmust implement job sharing

Page Ref: 248

LO: 3

Difficulty: Hard

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Page Ref: 248

LO: 3

Difficulty: Easy

performance

31) Amanda McPherson is a working mother with one child and an ailing parent to look after in addition

to her duties as a wife and job responsibilities as a legal consultant Since Amanda always felt pressed for time, the news that the consultancy she worked for would allow her to work from home two days a week came as a great relief to her She now feels more motivated to work for the company as the

company has taken into account her personal and professional needs The company has allowed Amanda

to use the option of

performance

32) An MNC in a developing country is operating amidst severe space constraints, and the

infrastructural conditions in the city are bad, causing a lot of lost man-hours Anticipating rapid growth

in the months to come, the company has created a recruitment plan based on its revenue expectations However, it wants to manage this expansion without undertaking an expensive physical expansion Which of the following could be a solution for the company?

performance

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33) For management, the major downside of telecommuting is

A) decreased productivity

B) increased turnover

C) reduced morale

D) difficulty in scheduling work

E) less direct supervision of employees

Answer: E

Explanation: E) The potential pluses of telecommuting for management include a larger labor pool fromwhich to select, higher productivity, less turnover, improved morale, and reduced office space costs Themajor downside for management is less direct supervision of employees

Page Ref: 249

LO: 3

Page Ref: 249

LO: 3

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Page Ref: 250

LO: 3

productivity, at least partially because they encourage more communication and a positive social

environment Some social characteristics that improve job performance include interdependence, social support, and interactions with other people outside work Social interactions are strongly related to positive moods and give employees more opportunities to clarify their work role and how well they are performing Social support gives employees greater opportunities to obtain assistance with their work.Page Ref: 249, 250

LO: 3

Page Ref: 250

LO: 4

Difficulty: Easy

performance

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38) To be effective, an employee involvement program must .

A) rightsize the company by eliminating obsolete positions

B) incorporate the unique demands of different cultures

C) mandatorily establish work councils in the company

D) eliminate the influence of employees in managerial decision making

E) implement autocratic ways of handling its employees

performance

39) Which of the following is the distinct characteristic of participative management programs?

A) joint decision making

B) representative participation

C) performance norms

D) establishment of work councils

E) autocratic decision making

Answer: A

Explanation: A) The distinct characteristic common to all participative management programs is joint decision making, in which subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors

Page Ref: 251

LO: 4

performance

40) Participative management is a method of management where

A) representatives of workers form work councils and these councils must be consulted when

management makes decisions about employees

B) few representatives of workers sit on a company's board of directors

C) subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors D) low-level workers meet occasionally with the CEO to discuss problems within their department E) low-level workers are responsible for making corporate policy decisions

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Participative management is joint decision making, in which subordinates share a significant degree of decision-making power with their immediate superiors

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Page Ref: 251

LO: 4

performance

42) Representative participation is characterized by

A) joint decision making by employees and management

B) democratic leadership behaviors

C) open and honest two-way communication

D) a significant positive impact on employee morale and performance

E) compliance with the legal need to redistribute power within organizations

Answer: E

Explanation: E) Representative participation is a widely legislated form of employee involvement aimed at redistributing power within an organization and putting labor on a more equal footing with the interests of management and stockholders This is done by letting workers be represented by a small group of employees who actually participate

Page Ref: 251

LO: 4

performance

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43) The two most common forms of representative participation are and board

performance

44) The main drawback of representative participation as an employee involvement measure is that

A) it is a time-consuming process

B) it is able to exert its impact only in the short run

C) it is primarily symbolic in its impact

D) it is consistent with the Theory Y view of motivation

E) it is likely to require a major change in organizational roles

Answer: C

Explanation: C) The influence of representative participation on working employees seems to be minimal Works councils are dominated by management and have little impact on employees or the organization While participation might increase the motivation and satisfaction of employee

representatives, there is little evidence this trickles down to the employees they represent The greatest value of representative participation is symbolic If one is interested in changing employee attitudes or inimproving organizational performance, representative participation would be a poor choice

Page Ref: 252

LO: 4

performance

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45) Woodworth & Baines is a retail chain that has taken up numerous measures to improve employee attitude, motivation, and organizational performance New training programs, employee engagement initiatives, and an employee welfare council were the three main strategies implemented as part of the employee empowerment program Norman Kilner was one of twenty employees nominated to the employee welfare council where they were required to interact with the management to promote the interests of the employees Additionally, the job roles of these twenty employees were vertically

enhanced to give them more autonomy in the organization However, six months into the employee empowerment program, a survey by HR revealed no actual change in employee attitudes Similarly, a survey conducted by the production manager revealed that work productivity had not increased by any substantial measure either Which of the following, if true, would best explain this outcome?

A) Management strengthened the regulations relating to employee absenteeism in this period

B) Management retained the degree of control they had in the organizational affairs

C) The company moved from a merit-based to a piece-rate pay system in the last quarters

D) The employees performed poorly because of the lack of training and development programs

E) Management implemented a 360-degree feedback system for performance appraisals

Answer: B

Explanation: B) The fact that management retained the degree of control they had in the organizational affair does explain this outcome The influence of representative participation on working employees seems to be minimal Works councils are dominated by management and have little impact on

employees or the organization While participation might increase the motivation and satisfaction of employee representatives, there is little evidence this trickles down to the employees they represent Thefact that management strengthened the regulations relating to employee absenteeism in this period does not explain this outcome The fact that the company moved from a merit-based to a piece-rate pay system in the last quarters does not explain this outcome The outcome cannot be attributed to the employees lacking training The fact that management implemented a 360-degree feedback system for performance appraisals does not explain this outcome

Page Ref: 252

LO: 4

Difficulty: Hard

performance

46) Which of the following is Theory X consistent with?

A) the autocratic style of managing people

B) the principles of participative management

C) the vertical enhancement of jobs to enhance autonomy

D) the use of recognition and achievements to motivate employees

E) the reduced need of supervision and direction from managers

performance

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47) Internal equity refers to the .

A) list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required in a particular job

B) arrangement of the elements of different jobs in the organization

C) worth of the job to the organization

D) organization's pay relative to pay elsewhere in its industry

E) framework of tasks, duties, and responsibilities that the job involves

Answer: C

Explanation: C) Internal equity refers to the worth of the job to the organization It is usually

established through a technical process called job evaluation

Page Ref: 252

LO: 5

Difficulty: Easy

C) Flexible benefits program

D) Modular plans program

E) Base pay program

performance

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50) The pay plan has long been popular as a means of compensating production workers by paying a fixed sum for each unit of production completed

performance

51) Which of the following is an example of a piece-rate plan?

A) $20 for each hour of work

B) $2 for each unit produced

C) stock options at cheaper prices

D) straight commission plan

E) spot bonuses

Answer: B

Explanation: B) The piece-rate pay plan is a means of compensating production workers by paying a fixed sum for each unit of production completed Paying $2 for each unit produced represents a piece-rate pay plan

Page Ref: 254

LO: 5

performance

52) Which of the following statements is true regarding a merit-based pay plan?

A) It bases pay levels on how many skills employees have or how many jobs they can do

B) It is also called competency-based pay plan

C) Unions typically resist merit-based pay plan

D) It distributes compensation based on an established formula designed around a company's

profitability

E) A typical merit-based pay plan provides no base salary and pays the employee only for what he or she produces

Answer: C

Explanation: C) A merit-based pay plan pays for individual performance based on performance

appraisal ratings Unions typically resist merit pay plans A pure piece-rate pay plan provides no base salary and pays the employee only for what he or she produces

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