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| LBS 213 "Researching International Business Topics: Mexico and Latin America" International Curriculum Project by Lisa K. Miller Reference/Instruction Librarian Paradise Valley Community College Phoenix, Arizona |
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SYLLABUS
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| COURSE DESCRIPTION This class will introduce the student to international business research. Its goal is to teach principles of research the student may use for IBS course projects. Special emphasis is placed on Mexico and Latin America. We will cover a variety of resources, including print, online, CD-ROM, and the Internet. COURSE OBJECTIVES At the completion of this course, the student will be able to: |
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| Identify and articulate an information need; Use a print index to find an article; Use a business database to find an article; Select an appropriate program from the National Trade Data Bank; Perform a search on the National Trade Data Bank; Use reference books to find basic country and cultural data; Use the online catalog to find appropriate books and media; Critically evaluate sources of information; Use the Internet to find pertinent information and identify legitimate business opportunities; Give a short presentation on a Latin American country's business negotiation styles and market potential, using the research tools above. |
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| TEXTBOOK None. Materials will be provided in class. GRADING All assignments are due the following class period. Due to the abbreviated nature of the course, no late assignments will be accepted. No sniveling. COURSE OUTLINE 1ST Meeting Objectives: Identify and articulate an information need; Use a print index to find an article; |
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| 2nd Meeting Objectives: Use reference books to find basic country and cultural data; Use a business database to find an article; Select an appropriate program from the National Trade Data Bank, Perform a search on the National Trade Data Bank; |
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| 3rd Meeting Objectives: Use the online catalog to find appropriate books and media; Critically evaluate sources of information |
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| 4th meeting Objectives: Use the Internet to find pertinent information and identify legitimate business opportunities; Give a short presentation on a Latin American country's business negotiation styles and market potential, using the research tools above. |
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| 5th Meeting Class presentations and wrap up |
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LBS 213
"Researching International Business Topics: Mexico and Latin America" Week One |
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| Objectives: Identify and articulate an information need; Use a print index to find an article Outline of class: |
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1. Icebreaker activity |
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ICEBREAKER
Share your responses to the following open-ended statements with the number of people indicated. With 1 other person My name is... My hometown is... I miss... It is fun to... I have____ children... My strengths as a student are... My idea of success is... I'd rather be.... The thing I like best about myself is... Others see me as.... With 3 other people My name is... The place I'd most like to live is... Nothing is as frustrating as ... I feel most comfortable with ... People who talk a lot are... In new groups I feel ... Ten years from now I ... As a child I ... With 1/2 the class My name is... My expectations of this class are ... Being in a large group is... My fears about group work are ... I am here because... |
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LBS 213
Information Literacy Diagnostic |
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| Name ____________________________________________________________________________________ Objective: To diagnose your level of information literacy. This assignment will be graded for completion only. |
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| 1. | How does an academic library differ from a public library? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 2. | Why is it important to be able to find information, especially in the business world? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 3. | What is the purpose of an index? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 4. | Identify the parts of this citation: |
| Banking laws and regulations - Argentina Argentina banking laws. C.A. Basilico and R. M. Kahale. IZ-inFinance p13-15 S '96 |
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| 5. | Name two print indexes you would use to find business or country information. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 6. | Name two databases you would use for the same purpose. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 7. | How do you find out if a library subscribes to a particular journal? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 8. | You are researching negotiation styles in Argentina. What index in our library would you use?______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
| 9. | Why is it advantageous to use several sources to do research? __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ |
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LBS 213
Classroom Activity - Print Indexes Week One |
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| In pairs, brainstorm potential Mexico/Latin American business topics. |
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| Example: the economy of Mexico |
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| Work this topic into a topic statement |
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| Example: The economy of Mexico has experienced a steady decline in the past century, owing in large part to its huge foreign debt. |
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| Using the Indexes/Databases handout, select the print index appropriate for this topic. |
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| Example: Business Periodicals Index |
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| Brainstorm subject headings to use for this topic. Try to rind as many as possible. |
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| Example: economic forecasting - Mexico economic assistance, American - Mexico Mexico - economic conditions Mexico - economic policy Mexico - economic relations foreign loans - Mexico |
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| Use the subject headings in the chosen index to locate citations. |
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| Example: Bailouts are bad medicine - in Mexico or elsewhere. R. Dombusch. il Bus Week p24 Mr 13 '95 |
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| Use the Periodicals List to determine if we subscribe to the periodicals listed. Find at least one of the articles and copy it. | |
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LBS 213
Homework - due at beginning of next class meeting Week One You will do the same exercise we did in class, but on your own and with a different topic. This will serve to reinforce the research steps for you; this will be the process you will use each time you want to research a topic. |
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| Brainstorm potential Mexico/Latin American business topics. |
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| Example: the economy of Mexico |
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| Work this topic into a topic statement |
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| Example: The economy of Mexico has experienced a steady decline in the past century, owing in large part to its huge foreign debt. |
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| Using the Indexes/Databases handout, select the print index appropriate for this topic. |
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| Example: Business Periodicals Index |
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| Brainstorm subject headings to use for this topic. Try to rind as many as possible. |
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| Example: economic forecasting - Mexico economic assistance, American - Mexico Mexico - economic conditions Mexico - economic policy Mexico - economic relations foreign loans - Mexico |
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| Use the subject headings in the chosen index to locate citations. |
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| Example: Bailouts are bad medicine - in Mexico or elsewhere. R. Dombusch. il Bus Week p24 Mr 13 '95 |
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| Use the Periodicals List to determine if we subscribe to the periodicals listed. Find at least one of the articles and copy it. | |
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Presentation Criteria
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| Your final project will be an informative group presentation given on the last night of class. Your groups will be assigned tonight so you may begin work. I suggest agreeing on a topic tonight, so you have more time to work on the presentation. The 20-minute presentation should include: |
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| A clear statement of your topic Example: "Tonight we will tell you why the telecommunications industry is booming in Mexico, and how you can profit from it." Concise, valuable information Example: Don't ramble on about the population and natural resources. Tell me only information that supports your topic statement. Make it relevant to a potential business customer. Evidence that you have used a variety of resources to do your research Example: Online catalog to find books; print and electronic indexes; reference works; Internet; personal interviews; news programs, etc. Make sure (to the best of your ability) that all your sources are credible and reliable. Visual aids - if appropriate Example: It is much more effective to show us a graphic depiction of a statistic than to simply quote numbers. If you're talking about telecommunications, you could bring in a phone to use as a prop, a short (no more than 5 minutes) video clip, a chart, or a computer presentation (like Claris or Persuasion). Equal representation by all group members Example: If only one person talks, only that person will receive a grade. Show me how well your group cooperates and supports each other. |
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LBS 213
"Researching International Business Topics: Mexico and Latin America" Week Two |
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| Objectives: Use reference books to find basic country data; Use a business database to find an article; Select an appropriate program from the National Trade Data Bank; Perform a search on the National Trade Data Bank. Outline of class: 1. Handouts 2. Demo of reference books 3. Class activity 4. Break 5. Demo databases 6. Class activity 7. Homework |
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HANDOUTS
Week Two |
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| International Business Country Information Intercultural Communications |
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Reference Books
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| Demonstrate selected reference books from the three handouts. Explain key features of each and how they may be used for topic generation and research. Have the books atop the ranges before class starts. Ask the students for topics and encourage them to pick an appropriate tide. |
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LBS 213
Class Activity 1 - Reference Books Week Two |
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| In pairs, research this country_____________ using some of the reference books you have just been shown. Find out as much as you can about the following areas: |
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negotiation styles
business etiquette gestures greetings meals/gifts forms of address gender issues ethnicity business hours time/punctuality |
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| At the end of 15 minutes, be prepared to give a short (3-5 minute) presentation to the class on what you found. You can do a report, a skit, or some other expression of the information. Be creative!!! _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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DATABASES
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| Demonstrate the following databases, paying special attention to NTDB: Business Dateline SIRS Government Reporter New York Times OnDisk National Trade Data Bank Point out the scope, contents, and key features of each database. Give students, in small groups, 10-15 minutes to become familiar with at least one of them. Then, do the following activity. |
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LBS213
Class Activity 2 – Databases Week Two |
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| Do a search on the ______________________________ database. Your topic is: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Determine if you can find the information in fulltext on the database itself, or if you need to look elsewhere to locate it. Was this a good database for the topic you were given. Are there others (consult Indexes/Databases handout) that could also be used? Report your findings here: _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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LBS213
Homework – due at beginning of next class meeting Week Two |
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| Do a search on the ______________________________ database. Your topic is: _________________________________________________________________________________________ On your own, do a search on a database you did not get to use in class. You may use a topic you are exploring for another class if you wish. Be prepared to report on the suitability of the database for the topic in class, the information you found, the difficulties you found with the database, etc. _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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LBS 213
Class Activity 1 – Online Catalog worksheet Week Three |
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| In pairs, complete the “Online Catalog Exercise” in the lab. When you have finished, use the remaining time to practice different search strategies, using the keyword and advanced keyword handouts. | |
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LBS 213
Class Activity 2 - Location and Evaluation Week Three |
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| Now that you have learned how to find titles using the catalog, we will critically evaluate them. Perform a search on your particular topic. Write down the call numbers for PVCC titles. Together, we will go to the library and find the titles. Using your "Critical Evaluation of Sources" sheet, evaluate one of the sources. Write a short paragraph, touching on each of the criteria on the sheet. Explain why or why not this would be a good source to use for your research. |
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LBS 213
Homework - due at beginning of next class meeting Week Three |
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| Find three sources for your project using the online catalog. Turn in a bibliography sheet, following this format: Author's name. Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher, Date. Example: Kaku, Michio. Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey through Parallel Universes |
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| Time Waips, and the Tenth Dimension. New York: Oxford UP, 1994. |
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| If you locate a source that doesn't fit this format, consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. REF LB 2369 G53 1995/ | |
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LBS 213
“Researching International Business Topics: Mexico and Latin America” Week Four |
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| Objectives: Use the Internet to find pertinent information and identify legitimate business opportunities; Prepare a presentation on a Latin American country’s business negotiation styles and market potential, using all the research skills learned in this class; Learn to cite Internet sources correctly. Outline of class: 1. World Wide Web workshop in lab 2. Citation style 3. Handouts 4. Break 5. Homework 6. Time to prepare for next week’s presentation |
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LBS 213
Class Activity Week Four |
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| Web Workshop in lab. Demonstrate using Netscape and WWW, using the above handouts. After the demo, pair the students and have them complete the Web Workshop. When they are finished, they may break. Remaining class time can be spent preparing for next week’s presentations. Refer them again to the Presentation Criteria discussed the first week. | |
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LBS 213
Web Workshop |
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| NAMES ____________________________________________________________________________________ This will be an introduction to finding information on the Web using Netscape. The instructional goals of this workshop are: to introduce you to Internet and the Web; to give basic information about using the Netscape browser; to have you share information with your classmates; to visit some sites with pertinent information; to learn to use various search engines; to learn to critically evaluate information found via the Web; to learn to cite correctly Internet information, and to apply this knowledge to find information on your own for your class research project. First, you will be given a brief demo. Pay careful attention; you will be asked to perform some of the same tasks you will be observing! After you complete this workshop, you will use every PART of it in researching your own project. |
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--- PART 1 ---
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| Now that we have talked about what the Internet is, let's discuss what it ISN'T. Look at your sheet entitled "Web Evaluation Sites." Choose one of the sites, type in the address in the location box, and press enter. Read the information, then write a brief summary of the wisdom you have gained: _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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--- PART 2 ---
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| Now, you will explore a specific site that deals with a Latin American country. You may get to a site using one of three ways: |
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Type a URL in the location box
Click on Net Search, then choose a search engine Link from site to site |
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| Once you have gotten to your site, record the following information. Refer to your "How to Cite" sheet if you have trouble identifying the pieces of the citation. Author's name _________________________________________________________________________________________ Title of the Web page _________________________________________________________________________________________ Publication medium (online, in this case) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of the repository of the text (where does the information live?) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of the computer network (Internet) _________________________________________________________________________________________ Date of access (today's date) _________________________________________________________________________________________ URL http:// _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Congratulations! You have just put this Website in MLA citation style. You will
repeat this process on the "Works Cited" page you hand in with your presentation. Live it, learn it, love it. |
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| Give a brief summary of this site: _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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--- PART 3 ---
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| Refer to the sheet "Critical Evaluation of Sources". Using the sheet, evaluate the document you found. Do you think it is a credible source? Would you use it in your research? Why? Explain your answer here: _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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--- PART 4 ---
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| Begin the research for your project. Go crazy. Amaze me with your brilliance. See you next week. | |
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LBS 213
Web Workshop A Few Good Sites |
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| International Business Resources on the WWW http://ciber.bus.msu.edu/busres.htm NZBN International Business Search page http://www.nrbnet.co.nz/intbiz/search.htm Country Studies/Area Handbooks http://Icweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/country.html World Factbook http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/nsolo/wfb-all.htm Yahoo - Regional - Countries http://www.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/ World Trade Center Network http://www.qcci.com.au/ib/wt_cn/wt_cn.htm International Business Network http://www.ibnet.com/ International Trade Data System http://www.itds.treas.gov/index.html National Geographic Online http://www.nationalgeographic.com:80/main.html |
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LBS 213
“Researching International Business Topics: Mexico and Latin America” Week Four HOMEWORK |
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| Prepare for next week’s presentation. Remember your presentation criteria; this is what I will use to evaluate your group. Good luck! | |
INTERNET ROAD MAP
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| Destination: (Thesis Statement) |
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| Questions (Who, what, when, where, why) |
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| Search Engines: |
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| Search Terms: |
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| Addresses (URL’s) |
| << GO BACK | << GO TO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES HOMEPAGE | |
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Last updated: May 27, 2005 Paradise Valley Community College- URL-http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu © 2005 Maricopa County Community College District. All Rights Reserved. Please send your questions and comments via email to Michele Marion at michele.marion@pvmail.maricopa.edu |
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