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.
Although the term' tautology' predicts negative connotation, it is often employed by poets and lyric writers to communicate more implied meanings. Through the use of tautological expressions, they exchange ideas, give more possibilities to readers to detect the meaning behind the tautological words and thus suggest details not openly communicated in the poem. Ten American song lyrics and ten American poems have been selected to be the data for the study. Data analysis is conducted on the basis of three steps:(i) identifying the type of tautology used ,(ii) detecting the syntactic realization of the tautology and (iii) finding the functions of the use of tautology in these lyrics and poems. The study concludes that song lyrics and p
... Show MoreBackground: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease with an autoimmune inflammatory pathogenesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of OLP, using CD34 stain to highlight the blood vessels for measuring the microvessel density (MVD) as well as to evaluate the relation of this marker with the degree of inflammation Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining technique was used to evaluate angiogenesis using CD34 in 46 paraffin blocks 10 of them obtained from normal mucosa and 36 from cases diagnosed as lichen planus , 20 of them diagnosed as Reticular type while 16 as erosive type. Severity of inflammation was divided into mild, moderate and severe accordi
... Show MoreSUMMARY. – Absorption, flourescence, quantum yield and lifetime of rhodamine B in chloroform, methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide were measured. A comparison was done of these quantities with those for solid solutions, which are obtained by mixing constant volume proportions of dye at a concentration of 1×10–4M/l with different volume proportions from the concentrated solution of polymer in chloroform and dimethyl sulfoxide. The results showed that the addition of polymer to liquid concentrated solutions (1×10–4M/l) of rhodamine B dye from expecting, which leads to development of active medium for laser dye at high concentration, increase the spectra shift toward high energies, and the luminescence quantum yield but decreasing radiative
... Show MoreNarcissus tazetta, a member of the Amaryllidaceae family, is known to be rich in bioactive metabolites such as alkaloids, phenolics and flavonoids, which have been found in nearly every species in this family. N. tazetta cultivated in Iraq, had not previously been studied for its active components; thus, the current study used phytochemical screening and phenolic compounds estimation, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Results showed that the plant alcoholic extract was rich in alkaloids, polyphenols and flavonoids besides tannins, polysaccharides and saponins. Qualitatively; TLC and HPLC chromatogram for total phenolics and flavonoids compounds revealed the presence of Gallic acid (GA), Caffeic acid (CA), Paracumar
... Show MoreSimple, sensitive and accurate two methods were described for the determination of terazosin. The spectrophotometric method (A) is based on measuring the spectral absorption of the ion-pair complex formed between terazosin with eosin Y in the acetate buffer medium pH 3 at 545 nm. Method (B) is based on the quantitative quenching effect of terazosin on the native fluorescence of Eosin Y at the pH 3. The quenching of the fluorescence of Eosin Y was measured at 556 nm after excitation at 345 nm. The two methods obeyed Beer’s law over the concentration ranges of 0.1-8 and 0.05-7 µg/mL for method A and B respectively. Both methods succeeded in the determination of terazosin in its tablets
The purpose of this study was to develop poloxamer-based in-situ gel of chloramphenicol aiming to increase bioavailability and prolong corneal contact time, controlling drug release, and enhancing ocular bioavailability. The in-situ gel was prepared using different concentrations of poloxamer 407 combined with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) or carbapol 940 to achieve gelation temperature about physiological temperature and improve rheological behavior and gelling properties of poloxamer gel. The prepared formulations were evaluated for their appearance, pH, and sol-gel transition temperature. The formulations F2, F3, and F5 have a gelation temperature within the accepted range 35-370C an
... Show MoreThe qualified subjects for this study included 33 patients with benign and malignant oral tumors aged 15-75 years and 31 matched age and gender healthy subjects used as control. Proteins measurements included total protein, albumin, globulines in sera and saliva samples, and immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM, IgA) in sera samples of control and patients. Meanwhile, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) was used to differentiate between protein patterns in both serum and saliva samples among the studied groups. The gel was also stained for glycoprotein to evaluate as well the changes in glycoprotein contents. For total protein, the results revealed a signifigant increase (P?0.01) in both samples (serum and saliva) of patient group. Albumin conce
... Show MoreSilymarin (SM) is a plant extract obtained from Silybum marianum( milk thistle) . It is class II type drug according to Biopharmaceutics Classification System with low bioavailability due to its low solubility.
Micro/nanonization during crystallization, surface modification and crystal structure modification may improve the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs.
The aim of this study was to increase the water solubility and dissolution rate of SM by in-situ micronization using solvent change either by stirring or ultrasonic method. Stabilizers like Gelatin, PVP-K30, HPMC15, Pulullan were used to stabilize the prepared ultrafine crystals. Effect of type and concentration of hydrophilic polymer, solv
... Show MoreThe current research aims to verify the relationship and impact of internal control activities as an independent variable in its dimensions (efficiency, training, independence) in making administrative decisions as a responsive variable and its dimensions (identifying and diagnosing the problem, searching for alternatives, evaluating alternatives, choosing the appropriate alternative, implementing the decision, following up Decision and evaluation) in the Kirkuk Water Directorate, as well as to identify the levels of their practices, and then try to come up with a number of recommendations contribute to the strengthening of internal control activities and the process of making administrative decisions of the researched Directorat
... Show MoreThe most common cause of upper respiratory tract infection is coronavirus, which has a crown appearance due to the existence of spikes on its envelope. D-dimer levels in the plasma have been considered a prognostic factor for COVID-19 patients.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate the role of COVID-19 on coagulation parameters D-dimer and ferritin with their association with COVID-19 severity and disease progression in a single-center study.