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.
Omentin (or intelectin) is a main visceral fat secretory adipokine. There is a growing interest to link omentin, obesity and co-morbidity factors. The aim of the present study is to evaluate serum omentin and its association to insulin resistance biomarkers, lipid profile and atherogenic indies. This cross – sectional study was conducted in Obesity Research and Therapy Unit-Alkindy College of Medicine by recruiting (115) individuals; 49 males /66 females. Subjects between (20 to 60) years of age were selected and classified into two groups according to their Body mass index (BMI). Group1 involved healthy lean volunteers (25 male/ 36 female; BMI 18.5 - 24.9). Group2 involved obese subjects; (24 male / 36 female with BMI ≥ 30). The s
... Show MoreA field experiment was carried out to test the efficiency of potassium silicate and wild eggplant
In May 20th. 1985 two species of aphids were found on the roots of Vicia faba L. in Hammam region 30 Kilometer south of Mosul. Samples of these aphids were sent to the Commonwealth Institute of Entomology, London. ( No. 17002/9804 Asia ) and identified as being Smynthurodes betas westwood and Dysaphis crataegi (Kaltenbach) (APhididae : Homoptera). The first species was dominant. The latter species was also noticed on the roots of the common bishop's weed (Ammi majus L.) and on the wide carrot (Daucus carrota L.) of the family Umbelliferae (Bodenheimer & Swirski, 1957).
Time is very important in educational institutions. It is also one of our contemporary problem ‚as time is a clear – cut and limited factor‚ it demands that administrators should monitor it by administering and monitoring the principles of time.
Hence‚ the researcher attempts to identify the skills of administrating time and the reasons that cause the waste of time of the Heads of Departments at university of Baghdad.
Significance of the research:
Time is very important to all educational administrators and one of them is the institutions of Higher education. One of the
... Show Moreالمقدمة
الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأفضل السلام وأتم التسليم على سيدنا محمد، وعلى آله وصحبه، أجمعين، وعلى من تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين، أما بعد.
فإن مسألة التعارض بين الرواية، والفتوى، من المسائل المشهورة عند الأصوليين والفقهاء،وهي من مباحث السنة عند الأصوليين، والتي تبنى عليها مسائل متعددة، وهي من أسباب اختلاف الفقهاء، فإذا ما روى أحد الرواة حديثاً معيناً، ثم عمل بخلاف ما روى، فللعل
... Show MoreGreen areas are an essential component of city planning, as they serve as an outlet for them to spend their free time, in addition to the environmental role that these green areas play in improving the city’s climate by purifying the air and beautifying the city. The study’s problem is summarized in identifying the appropriateness of the current spatial distribution of green areas in the city of Najaf with the current population densities and the pattern in which green areas are distributed using GIS and knowing the per capita share of those green areas in the city, the research assumes that the inconsistency of spaces between regions Green and residential neighbourhoods need to c
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death. Therefore, it is critical for researchers to understand molecular biology in greater depth. In several diseases including cancer, abnormal miRNA expression has been linked to apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation, and metastasis. Many miRNAs have been studied in relation to cancer, including miR-122, miR-223, and others. Hepatitis B and C viruses are the most important global risk factors for HCC. This study is intended to test whether serum miRNAs serve as a potential biomarker for both HCC and viral infections HBV and C. The expression of miRNA in 64 serum samples was analyzed by RT-qPCR. Compared to healthy volunteers, HCC patients' sera expre
... Show MoreBackground: Sialosis described as a specific consequence of diabetes. In diabetic sialosis, the increased volume of the glands is due to the infiltration of adipose in the parenchyma. The B-scan ultrasonography is a generally accepted tool for determining parotid gland enlargement. Oral health is, to a greater extent, dependent on quality and quantity of saliva, both of which may be altered in diabetics. This study was established to detect the enlargement of parotid gland in diabetic patient and study the changes in physical properties of saliva and its relation with the salivary gland enlargement. Subjects, Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with highly specified criteria with ages ranged (20-65) years, male and female subject
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اهتم الفكر السياسي في القرنين الاخيرين بدراسة الطبقات على نحو غير مسبوق, واصبح موضوع التحليل الطبقي المعني بالطبقات من حيث تعريفها, وتحديد موقعها في السلم الاجتماعي, فضلاً عن نوعية العلاقة بين شرائحها وفئاتها المختلفة من حيث الصراع والتناغم, المادة الرئيسة والموضوع الاكثر اهمية في دراسات الفكر السياسي والاجتماعي.ومن بين الطبقات, احتلت الطبقة الوسطى مكا
... Show MoreThe family Ormyridae has been very much neglected by workers and only two species has been recorded so far from Iraq. The present study, based mainly on my collection, deals with five species, of which one is new to science. The new species is described together with notes on locality data, host records, distribution and taxonomical remarks for all the species.