Human resource management and Employee Voice

Human resource management and Employee Voice Employee Voice Ensures Effective Performance Introduction Talking from the perspective of Human Resource Management (HRM), Employee Voice (EV) signifies the involvement of employees in organizational decision making. EV is an offshoot of the Participative Management Model which aims at achieving corporate goals through management-employee harmony. The chief ingredients of EV are Employee Participation and Employee Involvement. From the works of many management scholars it has been observed that though EV is a growing management concept, it has to go a long way before being universally accepted as a management practice. According to a research report, very few managers consider EV from the viewpoint of collective representation, though many are of the opinion that it contributes towards organisational performance (CIPD, 2001 P. 19). The concept is based on collective decision making by management and employees. Though its very difficult to implement this idea in a bureaucratic structure, a participative management can very well adopt it provided it is open to the idea of sharing decision making status with subordinates. In the course of this report I will try to justify the premise whether Employee Voice is a prerequisite to ensure effective performance of employees as well as that of organisations. Definition of Employee Voice Though it doesnt have any formal definition, Employee Voice has been explained in different ways by various scholars. While some of them have opined that it is a collection of employee activities that intend to forcefully modify the management policies and practices, others have suggested that it is a voluntary expression of employees ideas that aim at influencing organisational activities (Greenberg Edwards, 2009 P. 25-26). As has been conceptualised by some managers, EV may be defined as enhanced employee communications that facilitates exchange of opinions and ideas and upward problem-solving through collective representation and commitment (CIPD, 2001 P. 20). Purposes of Employee Voice The general purposes that Employee Voice serves in an organisation are as the following:  § Expression of employee dissatisfaction. This helps in solving problems with the management and also helps in maintain good relations.  § Collective expression helps in providing management with countervailing power.  § Employees contribute to the decision making process thereby make their requirements clear to the management.  § Mutual harmony is harnessed through EV. This in turn secures viability of the employees as well as the organisation (Armstrong, 2006 P. 808). From the purposes mentioned above, it is clear that EV contributes towards the overall growth of the organisation and also helps in enhancing its development in terms of work environment, quality and, above all, productivity. Owing to these facts, EV should be patronised by the management and it should also be ensured that employees feel free to voluntarily express their ideas and expectations on a regular basis. The management should also take measures to put the information generated from EV to the best use of the organisation in order to develop it on a regular basis. Classification of Employee Voice Employee Voice has immense corporate significance from the perspective of Industrial Democracy (ID) (Hyman Mason, 1995 P. 1-2). Generally, EV stems into two organizational phenomena Employee Participation (EP) and Employee Involvement (EI). Employee Participation Employee Participation can be conceptualised as the management initiatives which attract the employees to participate voluntarily in organisational activities through various awards and rewards. EP is manifested in the following ways: Employee Ownership Through various schemes, employees can hold shares of the organization and thus enjoy the usual rights of a shareholder (Lee, 1991 P. 2-5). This enhances the mutual responsibilities of both the organization and employees. On account of being shareholders, employees perform optimally towards greater scales of organisational success as that would reflect in their individual value as well. â€Å"ESOPs in the U.S. and U.K. are frequently cited as having a triad of objectives: to broaden the ownership base, stimulate investment and improve performance† (Lee, 1991 P. 4). Profit Sharing This is generally done in the form of payment of bonus in proportion to the organizations annual profit. This is a form of employee incentive which intends to enhance employees commitment (Lee, 1991 P. 5-6). Employee Involvement As the name suggests, the objective of Employee Involvement is to involve employees to a greater extent in the administrative activities of the organization. This helps in empowering the employees and also enlightens them to understand the corporate policies and activities in a better light. EI facilitates the psychological divide between employer and employees and endows the latter with some degree of decision making capacity. It has two major benefits firstly, through empowerment and decentralization the management is relieved of some portion of its administrative responsibilities and secondly, on being empowered the employees responsibility for organizational success increases and so does their accountability and commitment. EI also helps in uplifting employee morale and job satisfaction. Thus it enhances performance (Schafer Economic Policy Institute, 1996 P. 126-128). Workers Participation in Decision Making This is a self explanatory method of Employee Involvement in which a decentralised and participative management seeks employees contribution towards organizational decision making. It increases transparency and also enables both the employer and employees to identify and respect their mutual expectations. The objectives of EI are manifested through Quality Circles, Production Teams, Employee Directorship and Workers Council (Lee, 1991 P. 7). Employees Perception of Voice Employees generally feel threatened by a common notion that the management uses them as mere resources without any concern for their personal enrichment. They are also driven by the fear of losing their jobs. It is irrespective of the size and nature of the organisation, that employees are worried about job security and career development. EV gives the employees a common platform for uniting and conveying their views. Hence, employees primarily perceive EV as a mode of expression which helps them in sending across their message to the management. Managements View towards Employee Voice Though Employee Voice has been conceptualised through the works of various management authors, it is yet to gain global importance. The success of EV depends to a great extent on the management style (Dundon Rollinson, 2004 P. 57). Managements openness towards accepting EV as a developmental tool is crucial in shaping its outcomes. If and only if management encourages employees to voice their opinions and fosters a feeling of interdependence, the employees can express their ideas. The managers should also utilize the voice mechanisms in order to making their decision making easier. It is apparent that unless a proper participative management model is implemented in an organization, it is difficult for the managers to fully appreciate the importance of EV. It can come into being only when a company works towards achieving industrial democracy (Boxall, Boxall, Purcell Wright, 2007 P. 231-233). United We Stand, Divided We Fall This is the fundamental paradigm behind Employee Voice. The management should brace itself to decentralise power and control and should take employees ideas into serious consideration because the latters contribution toward organisational throughput is immense. Owing to fact that employees are invaluable resources, it is just to empower them so that they may provide the management with finer ingredients to enhance performance. It has been largely suggested that healthy labour relations plays an important role in shaping organisational productivity (Pfeffer, 1998 P. 228). Participative management has been proven to be the healthiest of management styles owing to the fact that it though employee empowerment, it enhances the speed of communication and thus other organisational processes are also enhanced proportionally. Employee Voice and Organizational Performance Generally, lack of proper communication leads to organisational conflicts. Employee Voice helps in bettering employer-employee relationship through information flow. It has been observed that though different measures of Employee Participation and Employee Involvement are necessary for organisational performance, management employee interrelationship plays an equally important role in enhancing job satisfaction and hence in enhancing organisational productivity (Brown Heywood, 2002 P. 103). In the context of EV, we may also analyse the psychological contracts that are involved with employment. Management employee interrelationships are largely based upon exchange of services and compensation. This often leads the employees psyche to be uncooperative with the managements growth strategies. The situation can be made favourable through a synergistic relationship that will exist in a wider â€Å"zone of negotiability† (Anderson, Ones, Sinangil Viswesvaran, 2002 P. 133-136). Though EV ensures better performance, the management must take proper initiatives in order to make it a sustainable trend. We should appreciate EV as a collective manifestation of good management practices, industrial democracy and employee unity. The management should introduce self management training modules for the employees. Training and education helps in developing the value system and perceptions of individuals. The voice of developed employees will be in sync with that of the management in issues related to organisational development and profitability, or at least they wont feel alienated and exploited during such discussions (Smither London, 2009 P. 377-379). Since 1980s, employee relationships have undergone a lot of change in the U.K. mostly there have been emphasis on non-union employee representation (NER) and partnership. These have also been developments whereby the management has to inform the employees in regular intervals matters pertaining to organizational performance as well as strategic planning (Gollan, 2005 P. 238-239). It is worth noting that high performance comes with high levels of commitment. The same concept also applies to employees. Highly motivated and committed employees tend to identify with the organisation and hence perform optimally. It goes beyond saying that enhanced commitment is a result of employee satisfaction. Thus, a goal oriented organisation should continually try to empower its employees through various ways patronising EV being one of them (Beer, 2009 P.276). Another study shows that unionised employees show lesser trends of attrition. EV imparts a sense of collective security to the employees and thus management faces lesser problems regarding their retention (Barrett Mayson, 2008 P. 468). Again, thinking more practically, we find that in general productivity and performance are not the primary interests of employee unions. They are more concerned about compensation and benefits, employees rights, etc. According to Kelley and Harrison, increased productivity is a by product of unions and is different from their central goals (Kaufman, Kleiner Industrial Relations Research Association, 1993 P. 191). Various works in the recent decades have suggested ways to reduce employee anxieties such as job security, which can be adopted by the management. Restrictions on downsizing the employee base may enhance employee loyalty which in turn will have positive effects on job satisfaction and performance (Cooke, 2003 P. 76). Apart from being provided with alternative arrangements such as flexible working hours, job sharing and telecommuting, employees should also form an integral part of the performance appraisal system. A successful performance appraisal system should be participative and transparent (Nelson, 2007 P. 173-174). Irrespective of the organisational size and the state of unionisation, employees tend to deliver their best when they have a proper knowledge about their duties and rights and also have an opportunity to address their views to the management. As management structures are becoming increasingly flatter, it is important for each employee to have a comprehensive knowledge as to how to be sel sufficient at work (Gennard Judge, 2005 P. 185). As a matter of fact, when management employee interrelationship operates at a high level thereby strengthening the process of communication, the organisation will be able to solve nearly all its internal issues without any third part involvement. This enhances the integrity of the organisation (Schafer Economic Policy Institute, 1996 P. 127). Communication can be successful only when EV is patronised. Communication is largely a managerial function and responsibility. The managers should ensure that information flows both in the upward as well as downward directions and also through collective channels. Staff communication policy should be formulated and improvised as per requirements (Brewster, Hegewisch, Price, Waterhouse Co. Cranfield School of Management, 1994 P. 163-165). Another way to enhance EV is through harmonisation whereby differences in status are reduced. This encourages employees to freely express their ideas (Marchington, Wilkinson, Sargeant CIPD, 2002 P. 187). This measure calls for the flattening of management structure and also requires counselling across hierarchies to make the change acceptable. As it is being greatly clear that successful EV is an outcome of well coordinated communication, it is important to minimise the common barriers to communication and to develop a general climate that advocates as well as facilitates communication across hierarchies (Roodman Roodman, 1973 P. 57). EV endows employees with the right to control their career. This is a basic human need which needs to be satisfied in order to ensure commitment to work. At the same time it also reduces the supervisory responsibilities of the management and allows them more time for strategising (Pendleton, 2001 P. 108-113). This is reflected in the words of the Production Director, Weaveco, â€Å"it probably started by preaching to our employees, then we started talking to them but then the next thing is to start listening, and I think the listening is more through the DITs where they get involved in solving problems† (Stuart Martinez-Lucio, 2005 P. 33). Participation is further enhanced though employees representation in the Board of Directors. This consolidates the stand of the employees as an inseparable element in organisational success. Apart from this the corporate policy should support individual self determination, codetermination and collective bargaining for employees to voice their ideas and necessities. There should be a symbiotic association between the management and employees to work towards a common goal (Wilkinson, Gollan Marchington, 2010, P. 487 496). Employee participation in any organisational activity tends to increase with their personal involvement. With an increase in involvement the employees naturally perform optimally thereby proving that EV is of immense importance in enhancing organisational performance and productivity (Kirkman, Lowe Young, 1999 P. 42). According to a research by the U.S. General Accounting Office Employee Ownership, together with Employee Participation in organisational decision making, can improve the overall performance of the organisation (Harris, National Research Council (U.S.), Committee on Human Factors, National Research Council (U.S.) Panel on Organizational Linkages, 1994 P. 83). Thus it is justified that employees being key elements in the organisational processes should be taken into serious consideration from the perspective of management decision making for the betterment of organisational practices. This helps in widening the spectrum of decisional alternatives and facilitates the process through the collective approach. Management employee harmonisation also helps in bringing the two entities closer and the mutual understanding thus achieved, helps in identifying common goals. Negative Impact of Employee Voice Unabated EV, if not monitored carefully may lead to an upsurge of collective emotions and employees try to devise outrageous mechanisms to vent out the same. To avoid such eruptions, the management should by empathetic in listening to the employees on a regular basis and also allow room for collective bargaining in order to arrive at moderated conclusions wherever possible. Otherwise, EV may take to hostility against the organisation and disrupt its operations through non cooperative activities such as strikes, etc. Conclusion In the course of the report we have found that EV plays an important role in shaping the organisational processes and enhancing the overall efficiency, performance and productivity. It is a tool which can best be used by a participative management model wherein it is the aim of the management to empower the employees through providing certain degree of autonomy in terms of decision making. Thus EV also reduces the managements decision making burden. In flattened organisations it is highly necessary that individual employees have voice. This is necessary because it helps the employees to express their dissatisfactions too the management. Any corrective response by the management acts as a grievance management tool, increases employee job satisfaction, enhances their morale and commitment and thereby helps in enhancing organisational performance. Through the enhanced flow of information, administrative and process related activities become faster. It also enhances overall coordination among departments and across hierarchies. References Anderson, N., Ones, S. D., Sinangil, K. H. Viswesvaran, C. 2002. Handbook of Industrial, Work Organizational Psychology: Organizational Psychology. 2nd ed. SAGE. Armstrong, M. 2006. A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 10th ed. Kogan Page Publishers. Barrett, R. Mayson, S. 2008. International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM. Edward Elgar Publishing. Beer, M. 2009. High Commitment High Performance: How to Build a Resilient Organization for Sustained Advantage. John Wiley and Sons. Boxall, F. P., Boxall, P., Purcell, J. Wright, M. P. 2007. The Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management. Oxford University Press. Brewster, C., Hegewisch, A., Price, Waterhouse Co. Cranfield School of Management. 1994. Policy and Practice in European Human Resource Management: The Price Waterhouse Cranfield Survey. Routledge. Brown, M. Heywood, S. J. 2002. Paying for Performance: An International Comparison. M. E. Sharpe. CIPD. 2001. Management Choice and Employee Voice. CIPD Publishing. Cooke, N. W. 2003. Multinational Companies and Global Human Resource Strategies. Greenwood Publishing Group. Dundon, T. Rollinson, D. 2004. Employment Relations in Non Union Firms. Routledge. Gennard, J. Judge. G. 2005. Employee Relations. 4th ed. CIPD Publishing. Gollan, J. P. 2005. Voice and Non-Union Workplace. 27th vol. 3rd issue. Emerald Group Publishing. Greenberg, J. Edwards, S. M. 2009. Voice and Silence in Organizations. Emerald Group Publishing. Harris, H. D., National Research Council (U.S.), Committee on Human Factors, National Research Council (U.S.) Panel on Organizational Linkages. 1994. Organizational Linkages: Understanding the Productivity Paradox. National Academies Press. Hyman, J. Mason, B. 1995. Managing Employee Involving and Participation. SAGE. Kaufman,E. B., Kleiner,M. M. Industrial Relations Research Association. 1993. Employee Representation: Alternatives and Future Directions. Cornell University Press. Kirkman, L. B., Lowe, B. K. Young, P. D. 1999. High-performance Work Organizations: Definitions, Practices, and an Annotated Bibliography. Center for Creative Leadership. Lee, W. B. 1991. Should Employee Participation be Part of Privatization? World Bank Publications. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Sargeant, M. CIPD. 2002. People Management and Development: Human Resource Management at Work. 2nd ed. CIPD Publishing. Nelson, B. 2007. The Management Bible. Wiley India. Pendleton, A. 2001. Employee Ownership, Participation and Governance: A Study of ESOPs in the UK. Routledge. Pfeffer, J. 1998. The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First. Harvard Business Press. Roodman, H. Roodman, Z. 1973. Management by Communication. Taylor Francis. Schafer, T. Economic Policy Institute. 1996. Reclaiming Prosperity: A Blueprint for Progressive Economic Reform. M. E. Sharpe. Smither, W. J. London, M. 2009. Performance Management: Putting Research into Practice. John Wiley and Sons. Stuart, M. Martinez-Lucio, M. 2005. Partnership and Modernisation in Employment Relations. Routledge. Wilkinson, A., Gollan, J. P. Marchington, M. 2010. The Oxford Handbook of Participation in Organizations. Oxford University Press. Bibliography Armstrong, M. Stephens, T. 2005. A Handbook of Employee Reward Management and Practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Beaumont, B. P., Hunter, C. L. CIPD. 2003. Information and Consultation: From Compliance to Performance. CIPD Publishing. Bennett, T. J. Kaufman, E. B. 2002. The Future of Private Sector Unionism in the United States. 7th ed. M. E. Sharpe. Gospel, H. Pendleton, A. 2006. Corporate Governance and Labour Management: An International Comparison. Oxford University Press. Marshall, F. R. Marshall, R. F. 2000. Back to Shared Prosperity: The Growing inequality of Wealth and Income in America. M. E. Sharpe. Nicotera, M. A. 1995. Conflict and Organizations: Communicative Processes. SUNY Press. Winstanley, D. Woodall, J. 2000. Ethical Issues in Contemporary Human Resource Management. Palgrave Macmillan. Wunnava, V. P. 2004. The Changing Role of Unions: New Forms of Representation. M. E. Sharpe.

Mainstreaming Children in the Classroom Essay -- Mainstreaming Classroo

Mainstreaming Children in the Classroom The idea of mainstreaming children is an incredible idea. By integrating classes, it requires changes in organizational management. For children to be mainstreamed it takes great devotion from directors, teachers and families. It is important to understand that the mainstreaming of children with disabilities should not be implemented according to a certain standard model. This process is an individual one (Daniels, E & Stafford, K. 2001). Mainstreaming of children is based on the belief that education of every child should be individual. This states that every child has their own individual right to go to a normal school if that’s what they would like. Advantages for Mainstreaming Children Many people believe that disabled children should be mainstreamed in normal educational environments. Mainstreaming students with disabilities has many advantages. One main advantage is simply forming relationships with different types of children. They can adapt to "playing" with normal children and the normal children can adapt to the disabled. Starting the children off early by mainstreaming, both the normal and the disabled children can learn that there are other worlds out there other than their own. This can be a huge step in today’s society. By forming relationships with people that are different than you, the children will learn that there is nothing wrong with doing so and they will grow up making friends that are different from them. This will teach the children that even though they have differences, they are both still kids that like to have fun and be educated. Mainstreamed children also find that even though they learn differently, they may have the same hobbies and common interes... ...th/family/family-1.html Daniels, E. and Stafford, K. Mainstreaming Children with Special Needs. Retrieved October 28, 2008, from http://www.children.lviv.ua/involve.html. Burnett, J.(2002) Mainstreaming Ourselves. Retrieved November 15, 2008. http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/0702/0702ft4.html URL: Uniform Resource Locator: http://www2.edc.org/NCIP/ Horner, R. (2001). Special Education Resources on the Web. Retrieved November 17, 2008 from http://seriweb.com/ URL: Uniform Resource Locator: http://www.dssc.org/frc/ Kennedy, E. (1999) Special Needs in Schools. Wellington Newspaper Limited. Retrieved October 7, 2008 from Academic Search/EBSCO database. Siegel, Ernest. (1969). Special Education in the Regular Classroom. New York: John Day Co. Halsey, William. (1984). Dictionary for Students. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

More Than a Good Story Essay

As the top managers of their company, there are many issues that Bert and John must deal with. New issues arise on a daily basis when managing any organization. However, I believe that Bert and John have already encountered and dealt with the issues that were a threat to the company’s success. Such issues may have included; the business outgrowing its staff, developing a system which best fit the company’s needs, and also implementing a system the company will not outgrow. At the beginning stages of the company I believe the most important management function would have been planning. The management function that I believe is most important to Bert and John today, is leading. They seek out employees who possess the same attitude about life as they do, which is that â€Å"Life is Good†. Bert and John’s style of managing is guided by another of the company’s mottoes, â€Å"Do what you like. Like what you do† (Robbins & Coulter, 2012). It is even stated on their company’s website that, â€Å"In addition to knowledge, skills, and experience, we look to hire people who possess the same optimistic outlook on life that Jake has.† They encourage a carefree work environment and I believe that has a lot to do with their success. Another reason I feel that leading is the most important management function to Bert and John is because of their strong commitment to good causes. Their commitment to raising funds for non-profit organizations is surely an inspiration to their employees. â€Å"A manager that is an inspiration means that employees will follow that person because they believe in what the manager is doing and they are trying to help the company achieve its goals† (Rothbauer-Wanish, 2009). Bert and John’s managerial style is much different than what most people may be accustomed to. While they are looking to expand the company, they are not doing it for personal gain. They seek out employees who share their same outlook on life, which is that â€Å"Life is Good.† While this approach has proven to be successful for Bert and John, I don’t believe this same approach would bring such success to other organizations. The reason being, that many organizations do not have the luxury of projecting such a carefree work environment, because their mission requires a more serious approach. The company’s motto â€Å"Do what you like. Like what you do† might affect how managers manage because the message itself is uplifting. This motto encourages employees to get involved with the company on a more personal level. I believe that this motto and the overall vibe of Bert and John’s company has a lot to do with its success. I have never worked in a company where the top concern was if I enjoyed my job, but I sure would like to one day. If I were a consultant hired to take this company forward, my first suggestion would be to keep the company motto and carefree message the company currently has. I’m sure that Bert and John would agree. As Bert stated in an interview with Allister & Paine magazine, â€Å"From a business standpoint it’s extremely effective because there’s a magnetic emotional connection to those three simple words and it’s something that all of culture is starving for† (Allister & Paine, 2011). My second suggestion would be to participate in social networking. Bert and John seem to have a mindset of staying true to the individuals they were when they lived in their van and sole tee shirts on street corners. I would stress the fact that social networking is an excellent marketing tool and that by utilizing it they would not be â€Å"selling out.† Any other suggestions I have would not be to change the company’s structure but to build on the framework that is already in place. I feel that Bert and John have made the company the success it is today because they truly believe in what they are doing. Hewlitt’s Global Research found the five characteristics of the best employers are: 1) Inspired leadership, 2) Unique company culture, 3) Focus on growing talent, 4) Strong sense of accountability, and 5) Aligned HR practices and excellent execution (Hewitt Associates LLC, 2009). These are all characteristics that Bert and John possess, which has a lot to do with their company’s success. Since 1989 when Bert and John designed their very first tee shirt to the present they have turned their idea into a multi-million dollar company. They went from setting up a card table on street corners and living out of their van to organizing fundraisers that bring in millions of dollars for non-profit organizations. Their journey is definitely â€Å"More than a Good Story,† and an inspiration to anyone who aspires to own their own company. References Allister & Paine. (2011, November 7). Life is Good. Allister & Paine. The Digital Magazine for21st Century Executives. Retrieved from http://alisterpaine.com/2011/11/07/an-interviewwith-the-founders-ceo-of-life-is-good/ Hewitt Associates LLC. (2009). What Makes a Company a Best Employer? Retrieved fromhttps://ceplb03.hewitt.com/bestemployers/pdfs/BestEmployer.pdf Robbins, S.P., & Coulter, M. (2012). Management (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:Pearson Education, Inc. Rothbauer-Wanish, H. (2009, June 9). Leading as a Management Function. BusinessManagement. Retrieved from http://suite101.com/article/leading-as-a-managementfunct

Essay on Clarkson Lumber questions - 1317 Words

Clarkson Lumber Company 1. Identify the key problem in the case and explaining why it is the key problem. Clarkson Lumber Company’s biggest problem by far is the fact that Mr. Clarkson had agreed to buy out Mr. Holtz for $200,000 with semi-annual installments of $50,000. It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea for Mr. Clarkson to buy out Mr. Holtz altogether, but the $100,000/year of payments is an unrealistic amount for Clarkson Lumber at this point in time. Between 1993 and 1995, there hasn’t been a year where they have realized more than $77,000 in net income, so the payment of $100,000/year is clearly unrealistic and a sure problem for the company. Another problem, which isn’t nearly as important as the former, is that net income is growing†¦show more content†¦This bank loan helped finance the increase in property and other related assets. The sponaneous assets that were increased as a result of an increase in sales were financed by an increase in sponaneous liabilities. Spontaneous liabilities have grown by 35%, which supports the claim that they finan ce the increase in accounts receivable and inventories. In the period between 1993-1995, the financial strength of Clarkson Lumber has deteriorated significantly. As seen from the financial ratios excel spreadsheet attached, the current and quick ratios have been gone down substantially. This means that the company’s ability to meet its short term obligations has deteriorated. Furthermore, the return on sales and return on assets have also gone down, which means that their increase in net income has not stayed consistent with the increase in sales and increase in assets to finance these sales. Their falling inventory turnover ratio means that even though their sales are increasing, they are not moving inventory at the same pace they had before. Their low accounts receivable turnover ratio and high dales sales outstanding indicates that there’s a large amount of money tied in this account. 4. 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