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.
Adsorption studies were performed at different initial Tetracycline (TC) and Amoxicillin (AMO) concentration, different biomass dosage and type, contact time, agitation speed, and initial pH. In the batch mode were investigated. The optimum pH of solutions is 6.5 for TC and 5 for AMO, agitation speed 200 rpm and concentration 50 ppm. The results in FTIR showed that there were -OH and amides (N-H) and other functional groups on the surface of Cladophora and Spirulina algae. The equilibrium isotherm data were modeled with Freundlich, Temkin, and Langmuir isotherm models. The data best fitted with the Langmuir model. The maximal adsorption capacity from the Langmuir model was (9.86, 20. 5 mg/g) for TC and (7.89, 17.4 mg/g) for AMO on
... Show MoreThe present study was undertaken to study the effect of apigenin and luteolin on physiological and histological changes in rats treated with cytarabine drugs. Thirty-five albino healthy male adult rats with equal age weighing 250 -300g were enrolled. Rats were randomly divided into seven groups according to the treatment. Group “1” was treated with normal saline and served as the control group. Groups “2,3 and 4” received cytarabine, apigenin, and luteolin respectively, while groups 5, 6, and 7 received a combination of “apigenin + cytarabine”, “luteolin + cytarabine”, and “apigenin + luteolin + cytarabine”, respectively. After one week of treatment, all seven groups of rats were
... Show MoreArterial aneurism and stenosis are disorders that lead to circulation malfunction. Stenosis often leads to hypoxia of the organ depending on the affected artery, whilst aneurism can lead to dissection with known lethal consequences. On both cases, the pulse wave produced by the contracting heart is reflected at these discontinuities, and estimating the size of these reflected waves using wave intensity analysis (WIA) is the main aim of this work. We also aim to measure wave speed, or pulse wave velocity (PWV) as more commonly known within the discontinuities. We manufactured 4 stenosis and 4 aneurism silicon sections, connected one at a time to a mother tube, and tested in vitro. Pressure and flow were measured proximal to the discontinuity
... Show MoreAn oxidative polymerization approach was used to create polyaniline (PANI) and Fe2O3 /PANI nanoparticle combination. Various characterization approaches were used to investigate the structural, morphological, and Fe2O3 /PANI nanoparticle structures. The findings support the synthesis of polycrystalline nanoparticle PANI and Fe2O3 /PANI spherical nanoparticle composites. Gram-positive bacteria are tested for antibacterial activity. Various quantities of Nanoparticles of PANI and Fe2O3 /PANI nanoparticle composites were used to test Staph-aureus and gram-negative bacteria, E-coli, and candida species. PANI has antibacterial properties against all microo
... Show MorePolyvinal alcohol was Cynoethylated , complex compound with Iodin in presence of Cu++ ions were preparated and their ultra violet (U.V) and infra red( IR) spectra were investigated. The prepared derivative and complexes were evaluated as antibacterial and antifungal agents following the standard dilution method. MIC(minimum inhibitory concentration) for each polymer using ten types of gram + ve and gram _ ve bacteria were determinated in addition to three types of fungi. The results obtainded showed that MIC, s were around 0.0011 × 103 molar for different polymetric derivatives tried.
In the present study NiPcTs, CdS thin films, and Blends of NiPcTs:CdS were prepared with 1:2 content mixing ratio of NiPcTs to CdS solutions. Cadmium chloride and thiourea were used as the essential materials for deposition CdS thin films while using organic powder of NiPcTs to deposit NiPcTs nanostructure films. The spin-coating technique was employed to fabricate the NiPcTs , CdS films and NiPcTs-CdS blend. Structural properties of films have been investigated via X-Ray diffraction(XRD),and show that thin films of NiPcTs, and CdS have monoclinic and polycrystalline hexagonal structure respectively while the blend has two polycrystalline structure with cubic and hexagonal phases. Atomic force microscope (AFM) confirmed that the surf
... Show MoreOver the past few decades, the global usage and applications of different kinds of complementary and alternative medicine are greatly exaggerated among the general population, this requires improving the knowledge of all health care provider including pharmacists toward proper and safe use of different complementary and alternative medicine modalities. The current study aims to assess the Iraqi pharmacists' knowledge, use, and recommendation toward complementary and alternative medicine A cross-sectional pilot survey was done on a convenient sample of Iraqi pharmacists. Data were collected using a pretested
This work is devoted to define new generalized gamma and beta functions involving the recently suggested seven-parameter Mittag-Leffler function, followed by a review of all related special cases. In addition, necessary investigations are affirmed for the new generalized beta function, including, Mellin transform, differential formulas, integral representations, and essential summation relations. Furthermore, crucial statistical application has been realized for the new generalized beta function.
