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.
Diabetes mellitus is a set of metabolic diseases, the most prevalent of which is chronic hyperglycemia. The culprits include insulin synthesis, insulin action, or both. Osteoporosis is a progressive systemic skeletal disorder defined by decreased bone mass and micro architectural degeneration of bone tissue, resulting in increased bone fragility and fracture risk, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The degree of Nervosa damage determines how much a diabetic patient's body has been compromised. The current study's goal is an estimation: Age, BMI, FBS, HbA1C, D3, ALP, Ca, P, and Osteocalcin in Iraqi T2DM Women's patients with and without Osteoporosis. Three vitamins are required for Osteocalcin biosynthesis: vitamin K for Gla f
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This work involves the manufacturing of MAX phase materials include V2AlC and Cr2AlC using powder metallurgy as a new class of materials which characterized by regular crystals in lattice. Corrosion behavior of these materials was investigated by Potentiostat to estimate corrosion resistance and compared with the most resistant material represented by SS 316L. The experiments were carried out in 0.01N of NaOH solution at four temperatures in the range of 30–60oC. Polarization resistance values which calculated by Stern-Geary equation indicated that the MAX phase materials more resistant than SS 316L. Also cyclic polarization tests confirme
... Show MoreThe antimicrobial potency of the crude ethanolic extracts from different Iraqi plants were evaluated . Further more, total sesquiterpene lactones and phenolic compounds were isolated and their antimicrobial activity attempted. The results indicated that crude extracts have no activity except that of Callistemon lanceolatus. Also, the sesquiterpene lactones and phenolic compounds isolated from Callistemon lanceolatus were the most significant antimicrobial active constituents of the studied plants.
BACKGROUND: Preterm labour is a major cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality, so it is important to predict preterm delivery using the clinical examination of the cervix and uterine contraction frequency. New markers for the prediction of preterm birth have been developed such as transvaginal ultrasound measurement of cervical length as this method is widely available. OBJECTIVE: To determine, whether transvaginal cervical length measurement predicts imminent preterm delivery better than digital cervical length measurement in women presented with preterm labour and intact membranes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two hundred women presented with preterm labour between 24 and 36+6 weeks of gestation were included in this study. All women subjecte
... Show MoreAn experiment was conducted in the Date Palm Research Units labs / College of Agricultural Engineering Sciences / University of Baghdad to assess the tolerance toward salinity stress in potato after two mutagens treatments in vitro. Potato cv. Arizona and Rivera nodal segments were irradiated with four dosages of gamma rays at 0, 10, 20, and 30 Gray and immersed in (EMS) with four concentrations included 0, 10, 20, and 30 mM. The survival rates after mutagenesis treatments were calculated and 449 lines were obtained. The lines were tested for salinity tolerance by growing in MS medium supplemented with four concentrations of NaCl at 0, 100, 150, and 200 mM and data were analyzed according to the CRD with 10 replicates and means were
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This study was carried out to study effect of magnetic water ( M0 and M) and different concentrations of coconut extract in Fragaria x ananassa (Duch) C.V Festival. The results showed significant differences in the plants treated with magnetic water ( 0.12 Tesla) and different concentrations of coconut extract C1 (0%), C2 (2.5%), C3 (5%), C4 (7.5%) and C5 (10%) in vegetative parameters as in leaf area and chlorophyll in treatment M0C3 was (53.72 Dcm2, 50.00), respectively, highest leaf number and plant dry weight in MC4 (12.77,14.22 gm), respectively. Results recorded significant differences in fruit parameters such as weight in MC1 (18.97 gm). The maximum fruit number was in MC3 (110), the greatest fruit size was in MC4 (15.78 cm3) and the
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Reducing a structure’s self-weight is the main goal and a major challenge for most civil constructions, especially in tall buildings and earthquake-affected buildings. One of the most adopted techniques to reduce the self-weight of concrete structures is applying voids in certain positions through the structure, just like a voided slab or BubbleDeck slab. This research aims to study, experimentally and theoretically, the structural behavior of BubbleDeck reinforced concrete slabs under the effect of harmonic load. Tow-way BubbleDeck slab of 2500mm×2500m×200mm dimensions and uniformly distributed bubbles of 120mm diameter and 160mm spacing c/c was tested experimentally under the effect of harmonic load. Numerical analysis was als
... Show MoreBackground: Nutritional Rickets is a condition produced by an absence of Vitamin D, calcium or phosphate. It clues to relaxing and fading of the bones. Dental expression of children with rickets contains enamel hypoplasia and delayed tooth eruption. This study was conducted in order to assess caries experience (dmfs) and enamel defects among study and control groups, and to evaluate and compare the levels of selected salivary biomarkers between children with nutritional rickets and apparently healthy children. Material and methods: Assessment of caries according to WHO in 1987, and assessment of enamel defects according to enamel defect index EDI of WHO in 1997. In addition a stimulated saliva samples were collected according to Palone e
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