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.
Background: First six to twelve months after initial urinary tract infection, most infections are caused by Escherichiacoli, although in the first year of life Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas, Enterobacter spp andEnterococcus spp, are more frequent than later in life, and there is a higher risk of urosepsis compared with adulthood
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of bacterial isolates from Urinary Tract Infections of children at a children hospital in Baghdad and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.
Type of the study: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: During six months of study (1 June to 31 Dece
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Background: Multi- drug resistant (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus infections have become a major public health concern in both hospital and community settings.Objective: to investigate the antibacterial activity of T. Foenum- groecum essential oil against skin infection with S. aureus and to study probable synergistic activity in combination with Clindamycin.Type of the study: Cross-sectional study.
Methods: Antibacterial activity of T. Foenum- groecum essential oil extract (1.2gm/100 µl) was investigated in multi- drug resistance (MDR) Staphylococcus aureus specimen isolated from patients with skin infection in Baghdad. T. Foenum- groecum use externally for cellulites and skin inflammation due to the presence of diosgenin .fast liq
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Government expenditure represents one of the controlling financial policies in the economic affairs and management of the economic cycle in order to achieve price stability, raise the rate of output growth and decrease the level of unemployment. The price stability represents one of the macroeconomic goals that all countries seek without exception, regardless of the economic philosophy adopted by each country; in addition to this is raising the productive capacity and reaching the actual output to the level of the expected output, that is, the level of output related to the natural unemployment rate or what is sometimes called the Non-inflationary unemployment rate. The restriction of government expenditure (G=T+∆B/iP+∆M/P) is
... Show MoreA gracious invitation was extended to us on 9/11/2002 AD, by the University of Tikrit / the Preparatory Committee, for a symposium (Sheikh Daoud Al-Tikriti, and his Scientific Effects), to participate in it.
The symposium was scheduled to be held on the 25th and 26th of March 2003 AD, but God Almighty decreed that our country be occupied, so the Preparatory Committee set another date for the symposium on 10/21/2003 AD.
It was not possible for the symposium to be held until 25-26/4/2004 AD, and many researchers attended, who were assigned to investigate some manuscripts of Sheikh Dawood (may God have mercy on him) or to write about his personal and scientific biography.
And God (Glory be to Him) did not enable us to attend, becau
The studies on unbonded post-tensioned concrete members strengthened with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRPs) are limited and the effect of strengthening on the strain of unbonded pre-stressed steel is not well characterized. Estimating the flexural capacity of unbound post-tensioned members using the design methodology specified in the design guidelines for FRP strengthening techniques of bonded post-tensioned members does not provide a reliable evaluation. This study investigates the behavior of unbonded post-tensioned concrete members with partial strand damage (14.3% and 28.6% damage) and strengthened with CFRP laminates using a near-surface mounted technique with and without U-wrap anchorages. The experimental results show
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This paper describes a new finishing process using magnetic abrasives were newly made to finish effectively brass plate that is very difficult to be polished by the conventional machining processes. Taguchi experimental design method was adopted for evaluating the effect of the process parameters on the improvement of the surface roughness and hardness by the magnetic abrasive polishing. The process parameters are: the applied current to the inductor, the working gap between the workpiece and the inductor, the rotational speed and the volume of powder. The analysis of variance(ANOVA) was analyzed using statistical software to identify the optimal conditions for better surface roughness and hardness. Regressions models based on statistical m
... Show MoreNonlinear differential equation stability is a very important feature of applied mathematics, as it has a wide variety of applications in both practical and physical life problems. The major object of the manuscript is to discuss and apply several techniques using modify the Krasovskii's method and the modify variable gradient method which are used to check the stability for some kinds of linear or nonlinear differential equations. Lyapunov function is constructed using the variable gradient method and Krasovskii’s method to estimate the stability of nonlinear systems. If the function of Lyapunov is positive, it implies that the nonlinear system is asymptotically stable. For the nonlinear systems, stability is still difficult even though
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