Globalisation and rapid environmental change have created many challenges for public and private organisations across Iraq as a developing country, particularly in the higher education sector. This includes, for example, decreases in government funding; increased demand for higher education; a need for economic transformation, and related competitiveness of organizations. Such challenges require exceptional leaders and strategic planning in order to take action to improve. In Iraq, the higher education sector is still one of the main foundations in progressing the knowledge economy. Studies into leadership style, strategic planning processes, and the importance of leadership and organisational culture to an organisation’s success have been used to assist both public and private Iraqi colleges in responding to the challenges they face. Although, some studies have examined the interaction between leadership and strategic planning, and leadership and organisational success, there has been no empirical study that has investigated how these three variables interact together. Thus, this study aimed, firstly, to identify the current leadership styles and strategic planning processes in the colleges and the challenges they faced, and to gain an understanding from the perspective of the senior leaders themselves as to how they might best respond to the current situation. Secondly, based on the participants’ experiences, knowledge and perceptions, the study aimed to identify implications for both practice and policy to help improve the colleges’ outcomes. The study involved a mixed-methods approach and was conducted in two stages. During the first stage, the researcher gathered quantitative data by administering a survey package to 129 leaders (deans, associate deans, and heads of departments) across both public and private colleges in the capital city of Baghdad. During the second stage, the researcher gathered qualitative data to more deeply explore the survey results by conducting individual interviews with a sub-sample of 21 leaders from both college types (ten public and 11 private). In the data analyses stages, both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were applied to compiling tables and charts, and to test hypotheses, by employing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Microsoft Excel, and NVivo. The results of study showed that both transformational and transactional leadership styles played a varied and vital role in the colleges’ strategic planning processes, and in turn their success. The fact that private colleges were ‘for profit’ and public colleges were ‘not for profit’, as well as their contrasting funding models, highlighted key differences between the two college types’ leadership and general modus operandi. While it was found that both transformative leadership and transactional leadership styles were necessary to address the challenges colleges faced in the Iraqi educational context, the impetus for change extended far beyond the need for professional development of leaders. The embracing of information communication technologies, and reliable Internet was seen as necessary in all aspects of the colleges’ work and provision for teaching and learning, and students’ success. This applied to both college types along with the need for closer adherence to government regulations and more focused government coordination of colleges’ administrative functions. Furthermore, implications for making successful improvements to practice also identified the need to manage the challenge of sociocultural influences on the appointments and promotions of leaders. It was concluded that a greater emphasis on teamwork and provision of incentives for staff, along with a ‘boost’ to pedagogy and practice, which could be provided through the adoption of information communication technologies and appropriate professional development strategies, would enhance the colleges’ ranks and the status of their qualifications. Also, theoretically, the study offers a value-add to leadership, strategic planning process, and organisational success literature in the form of a conceptual model that links these variables in the context of Iraqi higher education sector.
Metal nanoparticles can serve as an efficient nano-heat source with confinement photothermal effects. Thermo-plasmonic technology allows researchers to control the temperature at a nanoscale due to the possibility of precise light propagation. The response of opto-thermal generation of single gold-silica core-shell nanoparticle immersed in water and Poly-vinylpyrrolidone surrounding media is theoretically investigated. Two lasers (CW and fs pulses) at the plasmonic resonance (532 nm) are utilized. For this purpose, finite element method is used via COMSOL multiphysics to find a numerical computation of absorption cross section for the proposed core –shell NP in different media. Thermo-plasmonic response for both lasers is studied. The
... Show More
(20)
(9)
Water is a resource and a crucial aspect of living and surviving. In Iraq, the Tigris River is one of the most critical water sources. The present study aimed to provide an insight analysis of some water quality parameters including the microbial content of drinkable tap water and river water. Ten Water samples (T1- T10) in triplicate were collected from sampling sites -Site I (Tap water) from home water taps, supplied by the Water Filtration Station/ Al Karama Project/ Al-Karkh> 10 from Site II (R1- R10)River water from Tigris River (around or near the Water Filtration Station/ Al Karama Project) every week (from September to half of November 2022), then were immediately placed in sterile bottles and transported to Microbiolo
... Show More
(2)
(1)
Foundations supporting reciprocating engines, radar towers, turbines, large electric motors, and generators, etc. are subject to vibrations caused by unbalanced machine forces as well as the static weight of the machine. If these vibrations are excessive, they may damage the machine or cause it not to function properly. In the case of block foundation, if changes in size and mass of the foundation do not lead to a satisfactory design, a pile foundation may be used. In this study, the dynamic response of piles and pile Groups in dry sand is investigated experimentally. The analysis involves the displacement response under harmonic excitation. In addition, a numerical modeling by using finite element method with a three-dimensional formula
... Show More
(4)
In light of the enquiry raised by the Economist Mary Finn in 1995 concluding that high utilization in absorptive capacity of the economy is of inflationary tendency for industrial countries due to the equality between high rates of utilization of absorptive capacity and resource – shortage conditions leading to price inflation, the same idea was used to prove that budget utilization of operational costs and elevating absorptive capacity at the expense of investment budget leads to inflationary tendency that becomes a burden on financing the step- in policy of the Central bank to control prices through its foreign currency reserves at a time when the economy turned into an importer of non- tradable goods and being subject
... Show More
Background: occult blood loss must be considered as a
possible cause in every case of iron deficiency anemia.
Objective: to evaluate upper gastrointestinal endoscopy
in finding a potential cause for iron deficiency anemia
among children in Al-Anbar governorate.
Methods: Twenty five children aged 2-14 years, referred
to the gastroenterology unit in Al-Ramadi General Hospital
for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy had iron deficiency
anemia. Fiberoptic endoscopy was used under general
anesthesia and endoscopic tissue biopsies were taken from
22 patients for histopathological examination.
Results: The main presenting signs and symptoms were
pallor, abdominal pain, and stunting. The upper
gastrointestinal
Ischemic stroke is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Autophagy, a process of intracellular degradation, has been shown to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators of autophagy in various diseases, including ischemic stroke. Recent studies have identified several lncRNAs that modulate autophagy in ischemic stroke, including MALAT1, MIAT, SNHG12, H19, AC136007. 2, C2dat2, MEG3, KCNQ1OT1, SNHG3, and RMRP. These lncRNAs regulate autophagy by interacting with key proteins involved in the autophagic process, such as Beclin-1, ATG7, and LC3. Understanding the role of lncRNAs in regulating auto
(9)
(2)
Let R be a commutative ring with identity and M be unitary (left) R-module. The principal aim of this paper is to study the relationships between relatively cancellation module and multiplication modules, pure submodules and Noetherian (Artinian) modules.
The activation of inflammatory cells, the release of their mediators, and the excessive production of free radicals may affect circulating lipids, but no evidence supports a role for peroxidation in the pathogenesis of Brucellosis disease. The aim of this work is to study the effect of Brucellosis on lipid profile concentration and oxidant-antioxidant status. We studied 20 Brucellosis patients (18 Females and 2 males) and 15 healthy controls (age average from 16 to 60 years old). Significant differences were noted between the serum lipids of Brucellosis patients and control group. Mean total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) concentrations were higher in patients than in control group (mean ± SE 197
... Show More
Futsal and blind football are group games of a competitive nature due to their excitement, excitement, fun, and aesthetic goals with charming artistic touches. This explains the public's passion for these two games, whether healthy people or blind people play them, to expand their vision and knowledge. About these two games, a historical approach is presented about their origins, development, and how they became globally recognized competitive sports with unified rules and world championships at various levels. Studying the origin and global spread of both futsal and blind football and identifying the most prominent developments in the rules and tools for futsal and blind football. The most important findings were that both futsal and footb
... Show More
(5)