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 food web is a crucial conceptual tool for understanding the dynamics of energy transfer in an ecosystem, as well as the feeding relationships among species within a community. It also reveals species interactions and community structure. As a result, an ecological food web system with two predators competing for prey while experiencing fear was developed and studied. The properties of the solution of the system were determined, and all potential equilibrium points were identified. The dynamic behavior in their immediate surroundings was examined both locally and globally. The system’s persistence demands were calculated, and all conceivable forms of local bifurcations were investigated. With the aid of MATLAB, a numerical simu
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This is a survey study that presents recent researches concerning factional controllers. It presents several types of fractional order controllers, which are extensions to their integer order counterparts. The fractional order PID controller has a dominant importance, so thirty-one paper are presented for this controller. The remaining types of controllers are presented according to the number of papers that handle them; they are fractional order sliding mode controller (nine papers), fuzzy fractional order sliding mode controller (five papers), fractional order lag-lead compensator (three papers), fractional order state feedback controller (three papers), fractional order fuzzy logic controller (three papers). Finally,
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The isomerization of n-hexane on platinum loaded acidic zeolite was studied at atmospheric pressure, H2/nC6 molar ratios of 1-4 and temperature range of 240-270ºC. The measured kinetic data were fitted to an equation based on the bifunctional mechanism and by using independently obtained dehydrogenation and adsorption data. The activation energies of protonation (ΔHpro) and the elementary isomerization step (Eact,iso) and as well as the corresponding preexponential factor were simultaneously determined. The observed values of both ΔHpro and Eact,iso are in agreement with the results of quantum-chemical calculations.
This is a survey study that presents recent researches concerning factional controllers. It presents several types of fractional order controllers, which are extensions to their integer order counterparts. The fractional order PID controller has a dominant importance, so thirty-one paper are presented for this controller. The remaining types of controllers are presented according to the number of papers that handle them; they are fractional order sliding mode controller (nine papers), fuzzy fractional order sliding mode controller (five papers), fractional order lag-lead compensator (three papers), fractional order state feedback controller (three papers), fractional order fuzzy logic controller (three papers). Finally, several conclusions
... Show MoreIn this paper, various aspects of smart grids are described. These aspects include the components of smart grids, the detailed functions of the smart energy meters within the smart grids and their effects on increasing the awareness, the advantages and disadvantages of smart grids, and the requirements of utilizing smart grids. To put some light on the difference between smart grids and traditional utility grids, some aspects of the traditional utility grids are covered in this paper as well.
The aim of the present work is concerned with the effect of ?-irradiation on PM-355 with absorbed dose of (30-160Mrad) range. This polymer is evaluated spectrophotometrically for use as high dose dosimeters. The absorption spectra of irradiated samples showed radiation induced absorption changes. There is an increment in absorption proportional with absorbed dose. This increment is attributed to interfaces traps which, are formed by irradiation. Calibration curve was drawn .The linear relation was found in calibration curve, and dosimeter range was determined from the linear part. The linearity in response curve suggested that PM-355 could be used as dosimeter within (30-160Mrad) rang. Energy gap shift was used as a second tool to determin
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A new simultaneous spectrophotometric-kinetic method was developed to determine phenylephrine (PHEN) and tetracycline (TETR) via H-point standard addition method (HPSAM). The proposed procedures rely on the measurements of the difference in the rate of charge-transfer (CT) reaction between each of PHEN and TETR as electron donors with p-Bromanil (p-Br) as an electron acceptor. Different experimental factors which affect the extent of the complex formation were investigated by monitoring the value of absorbance at 446 nm. Time pair of 50 -100 sec was selected and employed, among different examined pairs since it results in the highest accuracy for HPSAM-plot. Linear calibration graphs in the concentration ranges of 10.0-40.0 and 10.0–50.0
... Show MoreThe use of Conservatism significant impacts on the financial statements and thus on financial reporting which is produced by these lists so Rate Some of the professionals that the principle of accounting while Rate of others as a constraint, and brought this category based on the uses of this restriction sometimes used the accountant this restriction and especially with the uncertainties in the Sometimes it may collide with some of the cases in which the accountant may be forced to leave in custody as a result of emergence of economic events that gave rise to rights or future commitments should be disclosed.
The emergence in custody mainly was due to the uncertainty and its essence is to report on a
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