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.
Abstract
The main goal of this study is to showcase the aesthetic values contained in Nahj Al-Balagha by exploring its wide horizons and enriching the subject of rhetoric with new forms and images that did not exist in other books, as they characterized no other book but Nahj Al-Balagha. Imam Ali mastered the use of rhetorical forms in his speech to the fullest extent that such forms raced to his thought one after the other to book their place amongst the topics of religious and earthly life. One of those rhetoric forms is synecdoche, in its various parts. Due to this form great importance and high status, it was used by the Imam at many
... Show MoreThe purpose of this research its study of Natural Consideration that contributed in turning of Dairy products in Baghdad Governorate , this subject deal with centered geographical location in the midlle of Iraq ,it’s also main market in discharge and marketing to rest of Iraqi’s governorate pointed to it’s an active role in localized of it’s factory(milk ,cheese,cream ,butter, yoghurte)and it’s constant ,thus distributedin all district of Baghdad ,flat governorate surface encourage this industry ,also climate (temperature, wind, (it’s speed and it’s direction) ,rainfull and relative wet) also water resources and it’s influenced that nessacity of production process with important inculclusion that researcher came out throu
... Show Moreof the research is one of the poetic purposes that expresses the philosophy of the intellectual poet who experienced life and learned the tendencies and the gulf of the human soul and the fact that an intellectual attitude towards them, intensified within the poems do not need to be frequently narrated and elaborated, but based on the few words in the rich meanings and expressed the point of view he wanted to convey to the recipient without taking the position of disorientation and retreat to himself expressing his rejection of this reality, but faced this reality different manifestations and reflections and the conditions of human beings in it detailed His opinion is constructive criticism, and accurate observations reveal the culture o
... Show MoreWorshipersrighteousness in declaration of purposes of belief
Laith Salman Dawood
Iraqi Sunni Affairs/Department of Religious and Charity Institutions
Abstract
Praise is to God and Prayers and peace is upon the Messenger of Allah and his family and companions and then:
The research here presents to the question of standing on the purpose of belief and its importance, which corresponds to going into the purposes of the Sharia acts and Worship, which are no less important and perhaps the most important. The health of belief is the only way to correct work and worship. The research first dealt with the definition of the doctrine and its pil
... Show MoreThe Theoretical bases of women's rights in Islamic shariate
Architecture forms theoretical summaries and multi systems that have the essence of change, and that what distinguishes Architecture from other sciences and their systems. Architecture means way of life via its expressional products and that appears through its systems. These systems are based on formative and technological properties in form, structure, services and materials as well as
their moral forms. All these are associated with techniques and facilities in order to establish integrated system.
Architectural creation does not come from void but it depends on a conception base to create a new condition for creative architectural product. The general problem of the research concentrated on limited theoretical and practica
Evaluating the part of historical center in Baghdad City
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Before the unit environmental problems serious the issues of the environment and conservation of contemporary issues important in the developed and developing worlds, it was natural that leads increasing global awareness to alert a group of intellectuals, scientists and politicians to the seriousness of this problem and the call to take steps deeper and more comprehensive with respect to the environment humanitarian based on the study of the various elements of this environment and a greater understanding of the relationships among them, and on this basis, steps have been taken to target the environment and to identify problems and make efforts to achieve the goals I: stop the deterioration of the environment and the second impro
... Show MoreThe cartographic representation of geographical phenomenon considers the essential base in geographical analysis since as it supports the vertical house which is apartment houses consist of apartments which represent civil phenomenon , the aim of this study is to project the rule of cartographic representation methods in geographical analysis and make comparison in economic and social aspects for two approaches , the vertical and construction building methods.
The expand of city horizontally represent a problem in itself because it leads to loss of civil lands and overpass the agricultural lands as a result ,the ratio of habitation of land usage is so large in comparison with another usages of lands of the cities ; therefore ; many co
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