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 use of ultraviolet rays is one of the methods of treating surface contamination of many foods especially pickles. however, there are some side effects to its use, especially in high percentage oil food products, it is necessary to determine the appropriate doses and time periods to avoid deterioration of its oil physicochemical characteristics. this study was conducted to see the effect of ultraviolet rays 15W on some chemical properties of olive oil when using it to preserve green olive pickles, treated for 5, 10 and 15 min daily. green olive fruits Iraqi variety (al-ashrasi), in season (2020-2021) were pickled using Spanish style, the best time period to pr
... Show MoreThis study has been carried out in the animal field of the college of agricultural engineering sciences, university of Baghdad, for the period from 12/15/2021 to 1/26 /2022 for 42 d, to investigate the effect of adding different levels of ellagic acid to the diet of broilers, on some physiological characteristics & oxidation indicators in meat compared to vitamin C in meat, 225 Ross 308 chicks were used, divided randomly to five treatments such us: T1: control group without additives to diet, & the other T2, T3, T4 was added ellagic acid (
... Show MoreBack ground; Selective re-absorption and secretion are the functions of the collecting tubules and ducts, in addition to concentrate urine through ADH-regulated and ADH-independent water channels.Method; twenty four male rats were used, they were divided into two groups of animals: Group (A) included twelve rats of five weeks old age (before puberty) that were divided into three subgroups, four rats in each subgroup. Subgroup I was control one, subgroups II and III were treated orally with melatonin in a dose of 250 & 500 µg/kg body weights subsequently. Group (B) included twelve rats of seventeen weeks old age (after puberty) that were divided into the same subgroups and treated with the doses of melatonin as in the rats of group (
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) approved for use in North America since 1997 despite the fact that the concept of using SNS to treat patients with voiding dysfunction discussed first almost 50 years ago. AIM: The objectives of the study were to assess the effectiveness of SNS the short and long term for patients with overactive bladder (OAB) dysfunction and its relation to age, gender, and causes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a clinical prospective study that involved 50 cases (32 females and 18 males) with OAB. It was carried out at Ibn Sina Hospital, and the neurosciences hospital in Baghdad/Iraq from April 2015 to April 2018. All the patients were assessed preoperatively and certain inclusion criteria were
... Show MoreToxicity with advanced glycation end products (AGEs) is a major problem in uremic patients. Treatment with peritoneal dialysis (PD) exacerbates AGE formation as a result of bioincompatibility of the conventional peritoneal dialysis fluid (PDF). The presence of glucose degradation products (GDPs) in PDF is the main cause of its bioincompatibility. Carnosine is an endogenous dipeptide with a powerful antiglycation/antioxidant activity. In an attempt to improve PDF biocompatibility, we evaluated the effect of carnosine in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) incubated with PDF or GDPs in vitro. Methods: HPMC were incubated for short or prolonged time with PDF in the presence or absence of carnosine. Similarly, HPMC were incubated in the s
... Show MoreField experiment was conducted to test the effect of saline water 2 and7 dSm-1 potassium fertilizer rate 150,300 and 450 kg/donum on nitrogen fixation in Pisum sativum L. nodules. The experiment included anatomy study .Results water salinity ( 2,7 dSm-1) as a main plot and fertilizer rates as a sub plot. Results indicated that irrigation with saline water 7 dSm-¹ caused a significant decrease in N contents especially in the lower parts of the plants. The percentage of the N decreased in lower leaves to (0.01%) under 7dSm-¹ and 300 kg/donum fertilizer; however the percentage increased in the upper leaves to (2.80%) under with 2dSm-¹of irrigation water and 300 kg/ donum fertilizer rate. Fresh weight decreased to 6.26g under 7 dSm
... Show Morethe association between celiac disease and viral infection
Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer world wide. Despite greater emphasis on multi-modality therapy including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma continues to have poor 5-year survival rates (0-40%) that have not significantly improved in the last (30) years. To improve outcomes for this deadly disease , It is required a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment resistance. This study evaluates the Immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and CD44 adhesion molecules in OSCC and to correlate the expression of either marker with each other, with lymph node
... Show MoreCeliac disease (CD) is the most common genetically - based disease in correlation with food intolerance. The aim of this study is to measure the activity of ALT enzyme and purify enzyme from sera women with celiac disease. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity has been assayed in (30) women serum samples with celiac disease, age range between (20-40) year and (30) serum of healthy women as control group, age range between (22-38) year. In the present study, the mean value of ALT activity was significantly higher in patients with celiac disease than healthy group (p<0.01). The ALT enzyme was partial purified from sera women with celiac disease by dialysis, gel filtration using Sephadex G- 50 and ion exchange chromatography using DEAE- cell
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