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.
The main objectives of this study were investigating the effects of the maximum size of coarse Attapulgite aggregate and micro steel fiber content on fresh and some mechanical properties of steel fibers reinforced lightweight self-compacting concrete (SFLWSCC). Two series of mixes were used depending on maximum aggregate size (12.5 and 19) mm, for each series three different steel fibers content were used (0.5 %, 1%, and 1.5%). To evaluate the fresh properties, tests of slump flow, T500 mm, V funnel time, and J ring were carried out. Tests of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural tensile strength, and calculated equilibrium density were done to evaluate mechanical properties. For reference mixes, the
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The aim of this research is to study the effect of welded joint design (Butt joint and lap joint) on thejoint strength during tension and fatigue loading with different current of welding (40,50,60,70,80) ^per, and different type of wire welding. The result of this research is showed that the effect of fatigue loading on the type of joint is more than the effect of tension loading on it. And the butt joint welding is better than the lap joint welding during the fatigue loaded.The experimental results of the effect of W'elding current showed that more increasing and more decreasing the value of the heat input, during the welding was found to produce mechanical brittleness on the buttjoint welding during the static and dynamic loading. Also i
... Show MoreComplexes of Au (III), Pd (II), Pt (IV ) and Rh(III) with S–propynyle-2- thiobenzimidazole (BENZA) have been prepared and characterized by IR and UV- Visible spectral methods in addition to magnetic and conductivity measurements and micro–elemental analysis (CHN).The probable structures of the new complexes have been suggested.
The differential cross section for the Rhodium and Tantalum has been calculated by using the Cross Section Calculations (CSC) in range of energy(1keV-1MeV) . This calculations based on the programming of the Klein-Nashina and Rayleigh Equations. Atomic form factors as well as the coherent functions in Fortran90 language Machine proved very fast an accurate results and the possibility of application of such model to obtain the total coefficient for any elements or compounds.
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In this work, nanostructured TiO2 thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique on glass substrates. TiO2 thin films then were annealed at 400-600 °C in air for a period of 2 hours. Effect of annealing on the structural and morphological were studied. Many growth parameters have been considered to specify the optimum conditions, namely substrate temperature (300 °C), oxygen pressure (10-2 Torr), laser fluence energy density (0.4 J/cm2), using double frequency Q-switching Nd:YAG laser beam (wavelength 532nm), repetition rate (1-6 Hz) and the pulse duration of 10 ns. The results of the X-ray test show that all nanostructures tetragonal are polycrystalline. These results show that grain size increase fr
... Show MoreSludge from stone-cutting (SSC) factories and stone mines cannot be used as decorative stones, stone powder, etc. These substances are left in the environment and cause environmental problems. This study aim is to produce artificial stone composite (ASC) using sludge from stone cutting factories, cement, unsaturated resin, water, silicon carbide nanoparticles (SiC-NPs), and nano-graphene oxide (NGO) as fillers. Nano graphene oxide has a hydrophobic plate structure that water is not absorbed due to the lack of surface tension on these plates. NGO has a significant effect on the properties of artificial stone due to its high specific surface area and low density in the composite. Its uniform distribution in ASC is very low due to its hydropho
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This work aimed to use conventional PCR to identify Salmonella spp. that were isolated from diarrheal children and healthy and diarrheic dogs based on four virulence genes, hilA, stn, spvR, and marT. Sixteen Salmonella isolates including: 9 isolated from children's diarrhea from three species (S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Typhi) and seven isolated from dogs including (S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Muenchen), were identified primarily by several methods. The PCR products of the 16S rRNA gene were sequenced and examined using BLAST analysis to find differences and similarities between these Iraqi isolates and already-known global strains in order to construct the phylogenetic tree of S.
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