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.
Nanoparticles generation by laser ablation of a solid target in a liquid environment is an easy method. Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) colloidal nanoparticles have been synthesized by laser ablation Nd:YAG with wavelengths of 1064nm and double frequency at 532 nm, number of pulses 50 pulses, with pulse energy= 620mJ, 700mJ of a solid target CdTe is immersed in double distilled deionized water (DDIW) and in methanol liquid. Influences of the laser energy and different solutions on the formation and optical characterization of the CdTe nanoparticles have been studied using atomic force microscope (AFM) and the UV-Vis absorption. As a results, it leads to the absorbance in UV-Vis spectra of samples prepared in water at laser wavelength of 532nm i
... Show More
The present study was conducted as atrial to treat secondary hydatidosis in white mice of species Mus musculus. (Balb/c strain), experimentally infected with secondary hydatid cysts of sheep origin. The immunization process was carried by using CF/PS antigen which consist hydatid cyst fluid (CF) antigen, and protoscolices (PS) antigen mixed together and by using two concentrations 7.5, 15 mg/ml. Then derivatives of Benzimidazole, Mebendazole (M) and drugs Albendazole (A) were used 10 and 40 μm/gm body weight respectively. The mixture of drugs was used one week after challenged dose. Criteria taken into consideration to define the activity of the immunization and chemotherapy in this study were reduction in the numeral of cysts, the coeffic
... Show More
(2)
Background: Osteoarthritis is a complicated, chronic disorder of cartilage and bone, associated with homeostasis of bio-elements. The current study aims to assess the role of serum progranulin levels among Iraqi patients with knee osteoarthritis. Patients and Methods: The study encompassed 50 patients aged 52.50 ± 3.12 years (25 males and 25 females), admitted to the at the Baghdad Medical City through the period from November 2021 to March 2022. All individuals were identified by physicians in a Rheumatology and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic and the clinical data was collected along with the assess¬ment of biochemical parameters. Fasting serum glucose, lipid profile, calcium, magnesium, alkaline phosphatase, vitamin D3, and p
... Show More
Language plays a major role in all aspects of life. Communication is regarded as the most important of these aspects, as language is used on a daily basis by humanity either in written or spoken forms. Language is also regarded as the main factor of exchanging peoples’ cultures and traditions and in handing down these attributes from generation to generation. Thus, language is a fundamental element in identifying peoples’ ideologies and traditions in the past and the present. Despite these facts, the feminist linguists have objections to some of the language structures, demonstrating that language is gender biased to men. That is, language promotes patriarchal values. This pushed towards developing extensive studies to substantiate s
... Show More
(1)
Mishrif Formation is the main reservoir in Amara Oil Field. It is divided into three units (MA, TZ1, and MB12). Geological model is important to build reservoir model that was built by Petrel -2009. FZI method was used to determine relationship between porosity and permeability for core data and permeability values for the uncored interval for Mishrif formation. A reservoir simulation model was adopted in this study using Eclipse 100. In this model, production history matching executed by production data for (AM1, AM4) wells since 2001 to 2015. Four different prediction cases have been suggested in the future performance of Mishrif reservoir for ten years extending from June 2015 to June 2025. The comparison has been mad
... Show MoreBackground: Dental calculus is mineralized dental plaque formed on teeth and dental prosthesis surfaces in the oral cavity. Urinary stone is a crystal aggregation formed in urinary system due to minerals saturation present in urine. The structure of dental calculus is similar to that of urinary stone. Objective: To assess oral hygiene and gingival status in patients with urinary stone. And compared with healthy subjects. Patients and Methods: Sixty participants, 25-40 years, were involved in this study who were divided into study and control group. The study group involved patients with urinary stone while the control group involved healthy subjects. Clinical parameters including plaque, calculus and gingival indices were recorded for al
... Show More
(4)
(2)
In this study the prevalence of acute, sub-acute and chronic toxoplasmosis were monitored in a group of Iraqi pregnant women according to the anti-T.gondii antibodies (IgG and IgM), as well as the levels of both progesterone and estrogen hormones were measured using mini-VIDAS®technique. This study demonstrated that there was high prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis (31.70%) when it compared with acute and sub-acute type, results also showed that the acute toxoplasmosis always related with low concentration of both progesterone and estrogen which were (5.35 ± 7.15 ng/ml) and (70.66 ± 51.08 pg/ml) respectively
Acute myeloid leukemia is a malignant disease results from mutation in a multipotent haemopoietic stemcell. The study aimed to investigate NPM1 and FLT3-ITD mutations in Iraqi patients with AML and correlateresults with other clinical and laboratory findings. Fifty-eight AML patients, admitted to Baghdad TeachingHospital from October 2019 till March 2020 in addition to 25 normal controls, were included in the study.A detailed history, laboratory investigations including FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations were collected fromand analyzed. FLT3-ITD was detected in 17.24% of patients, NPM1 mutation in 10.34%. Most of thepatients are presented with pallor. FLT3-ITD mutation had a higher blast cell count (74%) while NPM1mutation had higher WBCs
... Show More
(1)