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 objective of the study was to identify the effectiveness of a training program based on the employment of the educational portal in the development of the skills of the administrative body in the basic education schools in Dhofar Governorate. To achieve the goal, a training program was designed that includes the skills of the educational portal to be met by the administrative body and measuring its effectiveness. A questionnaire to identify training needs, and a notecard to evaluate performance. The study sample consisted of (70) individuals of the administrative staff. The researchers used the descriptive-analytical method to identify the training needs, design and build the training program and the experimental method for applying
... Show MoreMorphologies of ceramic hollow fiber membranes prepared by a combined phase-inversion and sintering method were studied. The organic binder spinning solution containing suspended Al₂O₃ powders was spun to a hollow fiber precursor, which was then sintered at elevated temperatures( 300 ˚C, 1400 ˚C, 25 ˚C) in order to obtain the Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes. The spinning solution consisted of polyether sulfone (PES), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), which were used as polymer binder, solvent, respectively. The prepared Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is believed that finger-like void formation in asymmetric ceramic membranes is initiated by hydrodynamically unstable vis
... Show Moreformation constants for the conrdination of aniline pyridine dimethyl sulfoxide dimethyl formamide ethanol dimethylamine have been determined the cordination
The research has been concerned with the modalities of foreign trade payments (foreign trade financing), and made an accounting comparison between them to choose the best way to pay for the imported goods (payment of the real values of imported goods), given the importance of the impact of this activity on the national economy of all countries of the world, especially Iraq for the adoption of a very large amount of imported goods to meet the requirements of the people, which require the flow of huge amounts of foreign currency outside Iraq to pay for these goods, and therefore dealing incorrectly with it leads to the destruction of the national economy and the spread of a number of negative social and economic phenomena of
... Show MoreThe challenge in studying fusion reaction when the projectile is neutron or proton rich halo nuclei is the coupling mechanism between the elastic and the breakup channel, therefore the motivation from the present calculations is to estimate the best coupling parameter to introduce the effect of coupled-channels for the calculations of the total cross section of the fusion , the barrier distribution of the fusion and the average angular momentum 〈L〉 for the systems 6He+206Pb, 8B+28Si, 11Be+209Bi, 17F+208Pb, 6He+238U, 8He+197Au and 15C+232Th using quantum mechanical approach. A quantum Coupled-Channel Calculations are performed using CC code. The predictions of quantum mechanical approach are comparable with the measured data that is
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid carcinoma that represents a set of characteristic of nuclear features in which the diagnosis is depend. AIM: The study aimed to review different variants of PTC which has different malignant potential in correlation with many prognostic and clinical factors in Iraq. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Paraffin blocks of 227 cases of PTC were selected, subtyped, and grouped according to the malignant potential. The prognostic and clinical factors were studied. RESULTS: The mean age was (39.29 ± 12.17) years, with female predominance (86.3%), where (55.5%) of them below 40 years, conventional variant was most common (40.1%), followed by papillary microcarcinoma
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to identify the depth of the mouth and its shape in some local fish belonging to the Cyprinidae family, and the extent to which the depth of the mouth is related to the way of feeding and the nature of food as well as the feeding habits of those species collected specifically from the Tigris River, the results showed a relationship of depth oral cavity with head length was highly significant at (P < 0.01) for all studied species. Also, there was a highly significant relationship between the height of the pharyngeal tooth-bearing bone and the depth of the oral cavity for fish of this local family.
Objective: Geographic differences in clinical and pathological aspects of ameloblastoma have been suggested, therefore the purpose of this study was to analyze cases of ameloblastoma in terms of clinical and radiographic manifestations, histopathological types, treatment modalities and recurrence rate and compare them with reports from other parts of the world. Methods: The medical reports of patients diagnosed with ameloblastoma were reviewed and the data concerning the age, gender, chief complaint, the anatomical site of the lesion, radiographic appearance, histopathological diagnosis, treatment approach and recurrence were retrieved. Surgical treatment consisted of either enucleation with curettage and peripheral ostectomy or resection;
... Show MoreSome Factors determining the virulence of Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) isolates were studied ,of 25 isolates , 17(group A) uropathogenic E. coli ,6 (group B) infected gastrointestinal tract , 2 (group C) infected wound , beside these group we use the standard strain E. coli HB101 as control group. The twenty five isolates were tested for adherence capability to human buccal cavity epithelial cells by in vitro experiment . The results showed that all isolates have different adhesion capability with mean ranging from (14.35±11.39) to (33.80 ± 22.68) bacteria / epithelial cell It was noticed that isolates EU9, ES6, EW17 displayed high adhesive capability with mean value (33.80 ± 22.68), (32.60 ± 21.19), (29.90±22.50) bacteria /epithelial
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