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.
Background: This study was formulated to compare the effect of 5%hydrofluoric acid in comparison to 37%phosphoric acid with and without the application of silane on bond strength of composite to porcelain. Materials and Methods: Specimen preparation was divided in to two phases, metal-disks fabrication (8mm-diameter and 4mm-thickness) and ceramic veneering. Thirty two specimens were prepared, sandblasted with 50 μm aluminum oxide, and divided into four groups of eight samples. Groups I and III were etched with 37%phosphoric acid while groups II and IV were etched with 5%hydrofluoric acid; and groups I and II were silaneted while groups III and IV were not. Heliobond, and resin composite were applied to each specimen using a plastic transpa
... Show MoreIn this study, the effect of Nd: YAG laser on the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and alcoholdehydrogenase (ADH) was investigated. The Saccharomyces cells were irradiated using 532nm Q-Switched Nd: YAG laser with (1Hz) frequency. Different fluences 11.3, 22.6 and 33.9mJ/cm2 and different number of pulses 15, 30 and 60 pulse were used. The irradiated cells were incubated in a liquid nutritive medium for 24 hours. After incubation, the cells were harvested and disrupted to extract the intracellular enzymes and their activities were assessed. In comparison with the control, the irradiated cells showed a significant increase in the activity and the specific activity of SOD at energy densities of 11.3 and 22.6mJ/cm2 at 30 and 60 pulses
... Show MoreThe cellular and molecular toxicity effect of Aloe Vera crude extract on meristem cells of onion (Allium cepa) roots were studied . Different concentrations of this crude extract 20% ,10% ,5% ,2% ( and 40%) were used at different periods ; 24 ,48 and 72 hour . Number of chromosomal aberrations and the mitotic index was calculated . In addition, the genetic effects were observed by using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA ( RAPD ) technique . The results showed that the gel crud extract of Aloe vera had inhibition effects on the growth of the onion roots with 10% EC50 value. Significant effects of this gel crud extract were also observed on the chromosomal a
... Show MoreThis research (The families of martyrs, victims of terrorism, war operations and military mistakes opinion about Al- Shuhada`a Establishment ) came to know and diagnose the mental image the martyrs victims of terrorism carries about the performance of Al- Shuhada`a Establishment and the services it provides to them, and to monitor the contents of that image that they had regarding their privileges and rights that Al- Shuhada`a Establishment supposed to give it to them, according to their law. The research problem was represented by the main question: (What is the image of Al- Shuhada`a Establishment among the families of martyrs, victims of terrorism, war operations and military mistakes), and this research was classified within the d
... Show MoreStevia rebaudiana Bertoni contains diterpenoid steviol glycosides that have no adverse impact on blood sugar levels despite being 300 times sweeter than sugar. This study aimed to investigate the rate of callus induction from stevia leaves and the content of glycosides when changing the sucrose percentage in the culture medium.. Murashige and Skoog (MS) culture medium supported by 4.0 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 1.0 mg/l benzyl adenine (BA) was used, and different concentrations of sucrose (2, 3, 4, 5 and 6%) were tested .The extraction of glycosides from leaf and callus tissues was performed by using methanol. Extracted glycosides were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed signific
... Show MoreIn the present study, we have reported investigations on the effect of simultaneous substitution of Tl at the Hg site in the oxygen deficient HgOδ layer of Hg1-xTlxBa2Ca2Cu3O8+ δ cuprate superconductor. Bulk polycrystalline samples were prepared by the two-step solid state reaction process. It was observed that the grown Hg1-xTlxBa2Ca2Cu3O8+ δ corresponds to the 1223 phase. Electrical resistivity, using four probe technique, is used to find the transition temperature Tc. The highest Tc(0ffset) were 108, 102,113, 118, 125 and 121K for Hg1xTlxBa2Ca2Cu3O8+ δ with x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.25 respectively. The optimum Tc(off) of ~ 125 K and Tc(onset) ~ 136K was fo
... Show MoreThe present study includes the effect of the ethanolic and aqueous extract of Piper nigrum against the third instar of Culex pipiens molestus (Diptera:Culicidae) in different concentrations: 1, 1.5 ppm of ethanolic extracts of Piper nigrum causing 100% mortality of larvae in the second day of treatment, while the concentrations 5% of aqueous extracts of Piper nigrum caused 100% mortality of larvae in the second day of treatment. The concentration 2.5% caused 100% mortality of larvae after four days of treatment. The current study also detected the effect of 0.1% concentration of Piper nigrum aqueous extract. The effect of this concentratio
... Show MoreThe photooxidative degradation process of plastics caused by ultraviolet irradiation leads to bond breaking, crosslinking, the elimination of volatiles, formation of free radicals, and decreases in weight and molecular weight. Photodegradation deteriorates both the mechanical and physical properties of plastics and affects their predicted life use, in particular for applications in harsh environments. Plastics have many benefits, while on the other hand, they have numerous disadvantages, such as photodegradation and photooxidation in harsh environments and the release of toxic substances due to the leaching of some components, which have a negative effect on living organisms. Therefore, attention is paid to the design and use of saf
... Show MoreThe relationship between music and plastic arts can be viewed as an interdependent relationship, as they both develop imagination, focus and sensory perception, as well as the presence of some artistic concepts that music shares with the art of drawing, on this basis the rationale for this research aimed at identifying (the influence of music) was dealt with On the artistic output (drawing) of students of the Department of Art Education - College of Fine Arts) In the first chapter the problem of research, importance, terminology, boundaries and goal was addressed, and in the second chapter the researcher dealt with in the first topic the relationship between music and painting, and in the second topic the use of music in education. As fo
... Show MoreIs a high degree of economic freedom an important part in the development of the economies of developing countries in the last decade of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twentieth century and the atheist. This is because a test subject (deltoid analysis of the relationship between the degree of economic freedom and foreign trade of selected developing countries for the period
( 1990 -2005) to determine the degree of economic freedom in foreign trade promotion in Singapore and Turkey. The research recommends a number of recommendations, the most important is the responsibility of the Ministry of Planning in Iraq that is providing the necessary data for the Fraser Institute, the aim of increasing cooperation