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.
Influence of metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms upon soil-borne microscopic fungus Aspergillus terreus K-8 was studied. It was established that the metal nanoparticles synthesized by microorganisms affect the enzymatic activity of the studied culture. Silver nanoparticles lead to a decrease in cellulase activity and completely suppress the amylase activity of the fungus, while copper nanoparticles completely inhibit the activity of both the cellulase complex and amylase. The obtained results imply that the large-scale use of silver and copper nanoparticles may disrupt biological processes in the soil and cause change in the physiological and biochemical state of soil-borne microorganisms as well.
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The study was aimed to determine the coordinates of the points were measured by different ways and different instruments, the most precise way using the differential global positioning system (DGPS) that will be the reference measurements in comparison, less precise way using navigator GPS. Google earth (pro.), and the other applications of GPS mobile ( Samsung and I-phone). In this research (8 points) were chosen that are occasional in location. The comparison of the different observations can give us an idea of the extent to which the accuracy of the observations differs from the different devices used in the observing, as well as through the knowledge of the best device and the best way to measure coordinates accurately t
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The study aims to investigate the relationship between the gender diversity of board director, the accounting conservatism and firm value in Iraqi firms. The sample was represented by 30 Iraqi firms listed on the Iraqi market over the period 2017. The research was based on the main hypothesis that gender diversity has a positive relationship with conservatism and firm value, that conservatism as an intermediate variable will enhance the positive relationship between gender diversity and firm value. The study reached results that support the research hypotheses. The appointment of females to the board helps improve the provision of conservative accounting information and avoids overstate when reporting earnings. Based on these res
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Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effects of solvents of various polarities on the electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of RhB and Rh6G. The singlet‐state excited dipole moments (me) and ground state dipole moments (mg) were estimated from the equations of Bakshiev -Kawski and Chamma‐ Viallet using the variation of Stokes shift along with the solvent’s dielectric constant (e) and refractive indexes (n). The observed singlet‐state excited dipole moments were found to be larger than the ground‐state ones. Moreover, the obtained fluorescence quantum yield values were influenced by the environment of the fluorescing molecule. Consequently, the concentration of the dye solution, excited singlet state absorption and
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The experiment was conducted under shading (with the aid of Saran) condition on a nursery managed by the Baghdad Mayoralty during the season of 2014-2015 to study the effect of composed sheep manure extract on the growth and leaf nutrients content of tomato seedlings var. Wijdan. The experiment was composed of 6 treatments included the extract of sheep manure by hot (425C)and lmbient(205C) temperature water .The extract was diluted to the half by water and foliar applied to seedlings (multible application) or to the soil . Treatments also included the application of NPK chemical fertilizers as recommended and a control treatment through applying distilled water as foliar .The experiment was designed according to the randomized compl
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The influence of different thickness (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000) nm on the electrical conductivity and Hall effect measurements have been investigated on the films of copper indium gallium selenide CuIn1-xGaxSe2 (CIGS) for x= 0.6.The films were produced using thermal evaporation technique on glass substrates at R.T from (CIGS) alloy. The electrical conductivity (σ), the activation energies (Ea1, Ea2), Hall mobility and the carrier concentration are investigated and calculated as function of thickness. All films contain two types of transport mechanisms of free carriers, and increases films thickness was fond to increase the electrical cAnductivity whereas the activation energy (Ea) would vary with films thickness. Hall Effect analysis resu
... Show MoreThin films samples of Bismuth sulfide Bi2S3 had deposited on
glass substrate using thermal evaporation method by chemical
method under vacuum of 10-5 Toor. XRD and AFM were used to
check the structure and morphology of the Bi2S3 thin films. The
results showed that the films with law thickness <700 nm were free
from any diffraction peaks refer to amorphous structure while films
with thickness≥700 nm was polycrystalline. The roughness decreases
while average grain size increases with the increase of thickness. The
A.C conductivity as function of frequency had studied in the
frequency range (50 to 5x106 Hz). The dielectric constant,
polarizability showed significant dependence upon the variation of
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Background: This in vitro study evaluated the effect of canal dryness and flaring on the accuracy of two electronic apex locators for working length (WL) determination. Materials and methods: Sixty extracted teeth were used, after access opening was done, the occlusal surface was flattened to create stable reference point. The teeth were randomly divided into two equal main groups of flared and unflared group each one of 30 teeth. The flaring was done with Gates Glidden drills. The two main groups were further subdivided into two subgroups: dry canal and wet canal using 5.25% sodium hypochlorite groups, Electronic WL of each sample was determined using both Root ZX and i-Root apex locator. Consequently, histologic WL was determined by shav
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