THESIS

GUIDELINES
Sixth Trimester
Weightage : 36 credits
SS 2009-11

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 What is a Thesis ?
A Thesis is a formal document to prove that an original contribution to
Human knowledge has been done .

Two important things:

Identify a worthwhile problem or question which has not been

previously answered

Solve the problem or answer the question

Research is simply “gathering the information you need to answer a

question and thereby help you solve a problem.”

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Why Thesis ?

 Fulfills requirement of getting

Degree /Diploma

 Provides an opportunity to
explore a topic in depth

 Encourages a rigorous, logical

and systematic approach to
problem-solving

 Career development

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 Thesis Procedure
 Select a Area /domain and narrow it down to a topic

 Write a topic proposal and Scope of work

 Choose an External Guide

 Talk to Guide (Internal and External ) regarding the proposed topic

 Submission of Thesis synopsis ( Max 3 pages) to Internal Guide in hard copy with
the External guide letter

 Approval of thesis synopsis by allotment of Registration Number sent through

email

 Submission of Response Sheets to Internal Guide

 Submission of Final Thesis (It should be between 10000 to 30000 words )

 Appearing for the Viva Voce ( The candidate needs to handwrite at least 1200 to 1500
words on the summary of thesis at the time of viva)

Note 1 : The Topic has to be chosen in that field where the student has been specialized
Note 2 : There would be marks deduction or rejection of thesis for Non compliance of thesis rules
Note 3 : Student General Identification Number is different from Thesis Registration Identification Number
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 Thesis Synopsis
 Details of the student
[Name (as per IIPM records), Batch ,Section ,specialization ,Phone No
and Email Id ]

 Desired Area student intends to do Research

(Eg :Advertising ,branding , Performance appraisal ,Industrial relations
,Recruitment , corporate finance , Capital Markets, Personal finance etc.)

 Title of the thesis

 Problem definition /hypothesis /Research objectives

 Introduction to the Area of research (In brief )

 Scope of the thesis work Synopsis format

Continues in next file
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 Thesis Synopsis
 Research Methodology

 Justification for choosing a particular research proposal

 Summer Training Topic ( In Brief )

 Details of the External guide

(Name of the Guide ,Qualification and Designation )

 Approval letter from External guide

( Signatory note from guide stating that he/she would guide you )
Note : The Approval letter should be either in the form of External guide’s signature in the
company’s letter head or email print out from his /her official email Id or External guide’s
signature letter with company’s attestation or External guide’s signature letter attached with
business card.

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 Thesis Guide
 Internal Guide is the Thesis In charge of IIPM (Dept of Projects)

 Student should have at least one External Guide

 A student can choose more than one person as his/her External Guide
(External Guide has to be necessarily from the industry .Institute reserves the right to approve or reject the
guide as suggested by the student)

 It is advisable to choose one of his/her Guide who is well versed in the area
(technical in nature ) one has chosen. If the student has chosen a company
specific research area, then the external guide has to be necessarily from that
company who is well versed in the area.

 A Guide is expected to counsel the students with respect to his thesis work
but not to solve the problems.

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 Selection of Thesis Topic

 Current

 Commercially viable

 Challenging

 Available

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 Sources of Research Areas/Topics
Magazines / Journals /Essay Papers :
4 Ps , Human Factor, Business and Economy , Strategic factor , Business world , Outlook Money, ICFAI journals on subjects like
applied finance, derivatives, M&A, case study, marketing, branding, advertising etc.

Websites :
www.bnet.com; www.questia.com/search ; www.emarketingpapers.com; www.marketingprofs.com/

^www.research-finance.com ; www.nera.com; www.planningcommission.gov.in/ ; commerce.nic.in/ www.mca.gov.in

; finmin.nic.in ; www.powermin.nic.in; www.coal.nic.in; mines.nic.in; steel.nic.in; msme.gov.in; dpe.nic.in;
dhi.nic.in; civilaviation.nic.in; agricoop.nic.in; tourism.gov.in; texmin.nic.in; www.wrmin.nic.in; envfor.nic.in ;
morth.nic.in; www.education.nic.in;
.nic.in www.ohfw.nic.in ; www.mit.gov.in; chemicals.nic.in; www.fcamin.nic.in; www.
urbanindia.nic.in; www.indianrailways.gov.in; mofpi.nic.in; mhupa.gov.in; mdoner.gov.in; rural.nic.in;
petroleum.nic.in/ ; www.mit.gov.in; www.mnre.gov.in; yas.nic.in; www.dst.gov.in; www.indiaculture.nic.in;
mod.nic.in; www.mospi.gov.in; www.sebi.gov.in; www.bseindia.com; www.nseindia.com www.rbi.org.in; www.irda
.gov.in; pfrda.org.in; www.fmc.gov.in/ www.mcxindia.com; www.ncdex.com; www.un.org.in; www.un.org/en/
(*^Highly recommended for Finance and Economics topics)

www.mckinsey.com/mgi/rp/ , www.bcg.com/ , www.booz.com , EY.com ; www.grantthornton.com; PwC.com;

Deloitte.com/global; KPMG.com; www.atkearney.com ; Accenture.com ; www.everestgrp.com/ ;
www.oliverwyman.com; www.bearingpointconsulting.com; www.sdggroup.com; www.wspgroup.com

www.gartner.com ; www.datamonitor.com; en-us.nielsen.com ; www.forrester.com/rb/research ; www.abiresearch.com

; www.infotech.com ; www.yankeegroup.com ; www.informa.com/ ; www.tecnovaglobal.com/ ; www.idc.com/ ;
www.synovate.com ; www.imshealth.com ; www.kantar.com ; www.gfk.com; www.arbitron.com; www.ipsos.com ;
www.westat.com ; www.symphonyiri.com ; WatsonWyatt.com;
www.ami-communities.eu/wiki/List_of_research_topics 9
 Research Related Books
Business Research Methods: by Cooper D

Research Methodology : Methods And Techniques by C. R. Kothari

Introduction To Biostatistics And Research Methods-- by Rao P. S. S. Sundar

Social Research Methods, by Alan Bryman

Management Research Methodology: Integration Of Principles, Methods And Techniques

by K. N. Krishnaswamy, Appa Iyer Sivakumar, M. Mathirajan

Business Research Methods.by . William G. Zikmund-oklahoma State University, William G. Zikmund

Basic Econometrics by Damodar N. Gujarati

Econometric Analysis by William H. Greene

Statistical Methods For Practice And Research: A Guide To Data Analysis Using SPSS

by Ajai Singh Gaur, Sanjay Singh Gaur

Marketing Research: Concepts And Cases, (Special Indian Edition) by Cooper Donald Et. Al

Marketing Research : Text And Cases ; Nargundkar, Rajendra

Business To Business Market Research (Understanding And Measuring Business Markets)

by Ruth Mcneil

International Marketing Research by Kumar V.

Marketing Research: Methodological Foundations, by Churchill, Lacobucci

Equity Research And Valuation by Dun, Bradstreet

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 Thesis Title
 It should be precise.

 It should be argumentative.

 It should be an indication of the structure of the thesis.

 It should not be an announcement.

 It should reflect the key idea (s) of your project.

 Try and use only single sentence for the Title.

 It should be specific.

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 Sample Approved HR Topics
 Performance appraisal system at HCL Technologies
 Attrition analysis and benchmarking retention strategies at Bharti Tele –
ventures
 An Empirical Study on T&D Practices at Convergys
 Assessing Training Needs - A Case of Kaiser Impex (Construction Wing)
 Motivational Practices at ESS NEE Management Consultants
 Employee Feedback Survey : A Case of SOS Children's Villages of India
 Team Building as an Organization Development Intervention : A Case of
Havells
 'Employee Moral and Job Satisfaction : A Case of Reliance
Communications
 Work life Balance Study in IT industry : Case of XYZ Co
 Behavioral Training Practices for the middle level management : Case of
XYZ Co.

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 Sample Approved HR Topics
Talent Acquisition And Onboarding In IT Industry: A case of XYZ Co
Training Need Identification In Haldia Refinery, Indian Oil Corporation
Ltd
Induction Training Program study At ABC Ltd.
Reward & Recognition System At PL Ltd.
Leadership Traits study at PQ Ltd.
Validating “Competency Mapping” For Attaining The Best “Quality Circle
Practices” XYZ Co
 Improving manpower utilization through effective manpower planning: A
study of ABC Co
 Employee Engagement - A Study in Relation to XY Ltd.
 Recruitment and selection Practices at YK Ltd.
 A study on Succession Planning in XYZ Co.

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 Sample Approved Finance Topics
 Credit Appraisal Process Of Home Finance Companies In India
 Economic Determinants Of Security Analysis
 Econometric Valuation Of CAPM Model
 Working Capital Management At Jubilant Organosys Ltd
 Private Banking Model - ICICI Bank
 Study Of Arbitrage Trends In Futures Market
 Impact Of Intangible Assets On The Market Value Of Infosys
 Significance Of CSR Reporting In Annual Reports
 Value Creation By Using Acquisition Growth Strategies
 Human Asset Valuation In The IT Sector
 Fundamental Study Of Zinc In The Global Scenario
 Credit Risk Analysis In SME Banking (ICICI BANK)
 Operational Activities And Capital Enhancement Of Oil India
 Warehousing And Logistics Issues In Commodity Market
 Direct And Indirect Benefits Of Agriculture Futures For Farmers
 Identification Of Cost Reduction Opportunities In XYZ Co.
 Sample Approved Marketing Topics
 An empirical study to enhance the market share of Airtel in Delhi & NCR
 An empirical study of consumer behavior in the Hair color industry
 An Empirical Study of Marketing Strategies of Vodafone
 A Study on the Sales and Distribution Strategies of AVIVA Life Insurance
 A Study on Market Perception of ICICI Prudential and Market Penetration in
Delhi and NCR
 Effectiveness of Advertising Strategies - A Case of Indian Soft Drink
 Role of Advertisement in the Purchase Behavior of Women
 Customer Satisfaction - A Study of Select Private Hospitals in Delhi
 Strategies to increase the Market Share of Mother Dairy Ice Cream
 Market Mapping of Havell’s Fan Division
 An Empirical study to determine strategies for Coca Cola to increase market
share in Muzaffarpur

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 Sample Approved Marketing Topics
Strategic Analysis study with respect to Suzlon Energy (Wind-power
Market)
Factors Affecting Sale Of Saloni Brand Mustard Oil In Agra Region
Impact Of Sales Promotion On Customer Retention
Brand Loyalty Of Teenagers (Industry Apparel)
Preference Of Youth Towards Foreign Brand And Indian Brand Industry -
Textile
Implementation Of Six-sigma (Σ) Technique In Fast Food Service Industry
Leads Generation In Sync With Sales Force Survey Of XY Ltd.
Study Of The Brand Positioning Of Philips
Competitive Intelligence Study Of Bisleri In Mineral Water Market
Marketing Of Software Through Search Engine Optimization
Market Research On The Perception Of Youth Toward The Counterfeit And
Fake Products

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 Sample Approved Marketing Topics
 Export Marketing Strategies Of Leather Footwear And Footwear Components In
UK And Germany
 Havell's (Branding) Position In The Switchgear Segment.
 Export Potential Of Handicraft Items To EU Countries
 The Indigenous Product Placement And Strategic Analysis Of Dealer Perception Of
Videocon Air Conditioners
 Scope & Feasibility Of Supply Of Cotton To Various Spinners In Punjab
 An empirical study of the distribution network of Coca Cola in South Delhi
 Dealer evaluation study for Anchor Industries
 Sales Promotion Schemes - A Study in Relation to Consumer Electronics
 Assessment Of Demand & User Preference For Surgical Medical Equipments &
Implants For Neuro-spine, Endoscopy & Orthopedic Segment At XYZ Ltd
 Study Of The Retail Operations Of Mother Dairy Fruits And Vegetable Unit, And
Suggesting Improvements In Light Of Emerging Competitions

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 FORMAT OF THESIS

The Manuscript consists of three main parts

 The Preliminaries

 The Content or the text

 The References

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 The Preliminaries
 Title Page

 Abstract

 Certificate of Originality

 Thesis Topic approval letter sent over email

 Acknowledgments

 Table of Contents

 List of Figures & Tables

 Synopsis

Note : Preliminary pages

Numbering should be in lower case Roman numerals; Centered at the bottom of the page; Numbers at
least ½ inch from bottom edge
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 The Preliminaries
 Title Page

- Institute logo ,Name and place;

- Name of the Title ,Student and Guide ; Batch and Alumni No
- It should contain all capital letters ; Counted, but not numbered ;

 Abstract

- This should include the problem under investigation; the research methodology and
theoretical orientation; and the expected out comes and implications of the research
- Not to exceed 350 words

 Certificate of Originality

- It should include original signature of the Guide . It indicates that the guide has approved
the thesis as a complete and final work requiring no further alterations. This signatory
format is completely different from the format when submitted at the time of synopsis.

Note : The Certificate of Originality should be either in the form of External guide’s signature in the company’s
letter head or email print out from his /her official email Id or External guide’s signature with company’s
attestation or External guide’s signature attached with business card.

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 The Preliminaries
 Acknowledgments:

- It should generally include acknowledgment of assistance received from various

persons .
- Center the heading “ACKNOWLEDGMENTS”

 Table of Contents:

- Lists all sections with page numbers ;Double space between entries; Single space within
entries

 List of Figures:

- Required if figures appear in thesis

- Non-text items; Numbered consecutively throughout

 List of Tables:

- Required if tables appear in the thesis

- Tables should be numbered consecutively throughout.

 Synopsis: Original synopsis (without any alternations) should be attached.

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 A General Thesis Content
 Introduction

 Research objectives & Methodology

 Literature Review

 Primary Findings & Analysis

 Recommendations

 Conclusions & Implications

NOTE: Page Numbering should be in Arabic numerals ;Upper, right-hand corner; At least ½ inch
from edge

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 A General Thesis Content
 Introduction:
Introduction of topic.

 Literature Review :
Relevant literature to establish a sound base for the proposed research

 Research objectives & Methodology :

Explanation of what is the research objectives and the methods used to
achieve the specified objectives.

 Primary findings & analysis:

Report on the primary data collected using the research methods and
techniques .

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 A General Thesis Content

Recommendations:
It should be based on resolving the Research problem. A thesis is written
from a consultant’s perspective.

 Conclusions & Implications:

It should include how the data collected and the literature reviewed,
together contribute to answering the research questions and resolving the
research problem.

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 Research Methodology
It Should cover the following details:
 Method used
 Tool used
 Target Audience
 Sample size
 Sampling method used
 Research Area

Considerations :
 It must be appropriate to the objective of your study
 Combined methodology is appreciated
 Justifications regarding specific methods chosen or used

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 Data collection methods

Qualitative marketing research
Generally used for exploratory purposes - small number of respondents -
not generalizable to the whole population - statistical significance and
confidence not calculated - examples include focus groups, depth
interviews, and projective techniques

Quantitative marketing research
Generally used to draw conclusions - tests a specific hypothesis - uses
random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the
population - involves a large number of respondents - examples include
surveys and questionnaires.

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 References
 Bibliography
- It should include all works which are referred to in the thesis .
- May be placed at the end of the main text .
- Use any standard manual .If one is not using a style manual, single space
within each entry and double space between the entries.

 Appendices
- Inclusions : Articles , Questionnaire format ,Old forms or reports,
Sample filled questionnaires with Business cards attached
- Exclusions : Case study, Power point slides

 Response Sheets
- All thesis should contain all the Response Sheets in the prescribed
format

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 Layout Requirements
 Spacing

 Font

 Header and Footer

 Margins

 Paper

 Overall appearance

 Printing the final copy

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 Layout Requirements
 Spacing
1.5 Inch space or Double space throughout
Exceptions: Title page and approval page, Table of contents, Captions,
table or figure headings, Extensive quotations, Footnotes or endnotes,
Entries in reference section, Appendices.

 Font
Any standard font is acceptable ; Use the same font throughout; Use font
size 12
Exceptions: Captions (not smaller than 9 point), Headings (not larger than
20 point)

 Header and Footer

The Header should include the Institute’s Logo with Name (extreme
left)
The footer should include the Student’s Batch ( Extreme left) and
Thesis Alumni Id Number ( Extreme Right )

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 Layout Requirements
 Margins
Pages must have at least:1.5 inch left margin ; 1 inch top, bottom, and right
margins
Exceptions: pg no’s must have at least ½ inch clearance from each edge

 Paper
8.5 X 11 inches (A-4 Size) , White bond,25% (or higher) cotton content.

 Overall Appearance
All corrections should be made before final copy is printed
Unacceptable: Overstrikes or cross-outs ,Handwritten additions or corrections,
Lines, dots or shading from paste-ups .

 Printing the Final Copy

Print must be sharp and of uniform darkness ; One side only .
Every content of the thesis should be in New Page

Cover should include following – Bounded form (Black color) stating Institute
Logo ,Name and Place; Thesis Title ;Student Name ,Alumni No, Batch ; Thesis
Guide ; Title and Alumni No ( cover Side ); Capital letters in Golden color;
Portrait format
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 Thesis Deadlines
Submitted to Internal Guide Submitted to Internal Guide

 Submission of Thesis synopsis in  Submission of Final Thesis

Hard copy ( Due date: On or ( Due Date: on or before 8th
before 6th December 2010 ) March 2011 )
One Hard copy + One soft copy)
 Submission of at least four
 Submission of Redo Final Thesis
response sheets before submission
of final thesis (Every time the (Due Date: Within 30 days from
guide is consulted ) the date of rejection )

Note : Delay in submission of final

Note :Delay in synopsis submission thesis and redo thesis will attract
will attract penalty of 5 marks per penalty and also disqualify the
week from the last due date) student for convocation.

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 Thesis work follow up – Response Sheets
Response sheet - format & submission:

 Details of the student [ Name (as per IIPM records) ,Batch, Section, Alumni Id
,Phone No and Email Id )

 Thesis synopsis ( Attached with the response sheet every time )

 Progress of the work (should be sent as separate attachment ): Students are supposed
to send actual work content ( like preparation of the questionnaire , data collection ,
analysis done etc. which is generally considered as the main area of the thesis )

Note: - Whenever a student sends his/her response sheet, he/she has to send all
the previous response sheets along with the thesis synopsis .

- Response sheets can be sent through Email or can be given in person .

- All response sheets need to be appended to the report

- The Institute reserves the right to reject any thesis for which response sheets have not been received

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 Purpose of the Viva Voce examination
 
•To examine whether value addition to the existing knowledge was generated

•To establish that the research has been carried out independently and genuinely
by the candidate

•To determine the candidate’s understanding of the literature used in the thesis

•To examine the conceptual and logical approach and research techniques used in
the thesis.

•To allow the candidate to defend the originality of the thesis

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 Thesis Evaluation Parameters
Research objective/ problem definition / Scope of thesis

Research methodology / Description used

Research results//analysis

Achievement of aims / research objectives

Originality //Value addition

Quality of recommendations & conclusion

Relevance of the Literature used

Structure and technical presentation of the thesis

( Writing style , Grammar, Punctuation ,Spelling ,communicativeness and Layout requirements )

Assessment of Process
(Independency shown by the student , Pace of work and Response sheet follow-ups)

Viva Performance and Assessment of handwritten summary of thesis work

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 Check list -1
 Ensure that the set research objective /problem has been achieved/solved.

 Ensure that your thesis extends the understanding of a subject and makes an additional
contribution to Human knowledge.

 Ensure that the data collected has been properly analyzed .

 Ideally a thesis is a combination of secondary as well as primary data. However the

requirements may vary depending on the topic chosen

 Ensure that the writing style should remain same throughout the thesis report. Plagiarism
would lead to rejection of thesis.

 Ensure that preliminary requirements (Thesis topic approval mail, Guide signatory page and
synopsis) have been met.

 Students must always use the thesis title as approved and sent to them by email

 Ensure that the structural requirements have been met.

 Ensure that grammar, punctuation marks etc have been met.

 The student should use Thesis Registration Identification Number but not the Student
General Identification Number 35
 Check list -2
 The Final Thesis report should be between 10000 to 30000 words

 The format for the Approval letter is different from the certificate of originality which has to be
arranged from the external guide.

 The approval letter / Certificate of Originality should be either in the form of External guide’s
signature in the company’s letter head or email print out from his /her official email Id or External
guide’s signature letter with company’s attestation or External guide’s signature letter attached
with business card

 Ensure that Appendices include Articles ,News papers cuttings , Questionnaire format ,Old forms or
reports, Sample filled questionnaires with Business cards attached.

 Ensure that Paper used in the thesis should of 8.5 X 11 inches (A-4 Size) , White bond,25% (or higher)
cotton content

 Ensure all data , tables and graphs should be in the color format

 Final Thesis should be submitted in the form of a single Hard copy along with a soft copy

 There would be marks deduction or rejection of thesis for Non compliance of thesis rules

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
 Contact
Prof Sumanta sharma ( Head - Department of Projects)
(sumanta.sharma@iipm.edu)

Prof Alpi Jain ( Thesis queries related to Marketing Area )

(Alpi.jain@iipm.edu )

Prof Rachna Singh (Thesis queries related to Human Resource and Marketing Area)
(Rachnas155@gmail.com)

Prof Dipti sharma ( Thesis queries related to Human Resource and Marketing Area )
(dipti.sharma@iipm.edu ; 0124-3350713 )

Prof Swarup ( Thesis queries related to Finance ,Operations and Marketing Area )
(0124-3350714)

Prof Vijay Kumar Boddu ( Thesis queries related to Finance ,Operations and Marketing Area )
(boddu.vijay@iipm.edu ; 0124-3350714 )

Rajiv Kumar ( Thesis Registration ID and Thesis Result status enquires )

(thesis@iipm.edu; 0124-3350715)

Postal Address : IIPM Tower-1, Building No.79, Sector 32, Gurgaon-122001,INDIA

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Best of Luck !

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