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 Rasha Hameid Jehad Baghdad University Background: The high reactivity of hydrogen peroxide used in bleaching agents have raised important questions on their potential adverse effects on physical properties of restorative materials. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of in-office bleaching agents on the microhardness of a new Silorane-based restorative material in comparison to methacrylate-based restorative material. Materials and method: Forty specimens of Filtek™ P90 (3M ESPE,USA) and Filtek™ Supreme XT (3M ESPE, USA) of (8mm diameter and 3m height) were prepared. All specimens were polished with Sof-Lex disks (3M ESPE, USA). All samples were rinsed and stored in incubator 37˚C for 24 ho
... Show MoreBackground: Information concerning the maximum bite force in human population is important to clinical orthodontics. Additionally, the influence of bite force on the vertical stability of any treatment result is important. The new position of the dentition should be compatible with the dynamics of the muscular and occlusal forces in all planes. This study was conducted to 1) to measure and compare maximum bite force, body height and weight among normal occlusion and malocclusion groups (cl I,cl II,cl III) in both gender 2) to evaluate the correlation between bite force and craniofacial morphology, body height and weight. Materials and Methods: The sample consists of 100 Iraqi adult subjects aged 18-25 years. It was classified in to four gr
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The research study about the empowerment as an independent variable, in which details include (training and improvement, incentives, information sharing, trust, and delegation), has also focused on the performance of the service organization as a dependent variable in all dimensions which include (improve work efficiency, building the core competencies, focus on the beneficiary of the service, increasing the feeling of satisfaction of the employees, and the organizational support commitment). The research has been based on the opinions of a chosen sample of 75 service officers of the Ministry of Interior who work at the General Directorate of Traffic. The research problem has been identified by t
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The present study deals with the strategies used in the Arabic translations of the most popular genres of children’s literature; namely fairy tales and fables as an attempt to identify the best methods and strategies to be adopted in translating these genres to fulfill the ultimate purpose of enriching the children’s knowledge in addition to attracting their interest and arousing the joy sought for in every piece of literature.
The study sets off from three dominating trends: the first calls for the adoption of domestication strategy of translation as the most appropriate and effective strategy in translation for children. In the same line, the second opposes using the foreignization strategy, w
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In the latest years there has been a profound evolution in computer science and technology, which incorporated several fields. Under this evolution, Content Base Image Retrieval (CBIR) is among the image processing field. There are several image retrieval methods that can easily extract feature as a result of the image retrieval methods’ progresses. To the researchers, finding resourceful image retrieval devices has therefore become an extensive area of concern. Image retrieval technique refers to a system used to search and retrieve images from digital images’ huge database. In this paper, the author focuses on recommendation of a fresh method for retrieving image. For multi presentation of image in Convolutional Neural Network (CNN),
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The purpose of this research is to identify the youth issues in Talk Shows in the Iraqi satellite channels via monitoring a sample of episodes of the Talk Shows episodes which are concerned and analyzed the youth issues in the Iraqi satellite channels, namely, «Hala Shabab Program» at Al-Iraqia satellite Channel and «Shabab wa Banat Program» at Al-Sumaria satellite Channel by recording and re-watching them again. This research is classified as one of descriptive researches. The survey method was adopted in this study.
For this purpose, the researcher prepared an analysis form. The researcher de
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The aim of the study is to diagnose the level and nature of the relationship between cognitive interactions, cognitive ignorance and the achievement of strategic excellence). The aim of this is to explore theoretical philosophy and intellectual implications of these variables, and, then test the correlation and impact relationships and their feasibility in the application environment, which was formed from the seven directorates in the Ministry of Education. The sample of the study was determined by the directors, their assistants, and the department directors. The sample number is (130). The importance of the study is to come out with a philosophical basis for the nature of the variables, based on an app
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This study deals with knowing the types of research in public relations studies at the Faculty of Mass Communication for the period from 1989 to 2007 and knowing the methods that researchers used in their studies, as well as knowing the methods and tools of scientific research that were used, and whether one method or tool is used more than others, and knowing Samples used in the analysis. As well as the contents and types of this research The institutions that were subjected to the study, and the preparation of the respondents This research aims to answer the following questions:. A- What are the types of research and methods that were used in university theses that dealt with the topic? Public Relations at the Faculty of Media from 1989
... Show MoreThe current research attempts to examine the relationship between social-psychological conflict and their relation to family upbringing approaches among the adolescents of intermediate stage according to sex and economical level. To do this, the researcher prepared a questionnaire to measure social-psychological conflict that consisted of (32) item divided on four dimensions, and also she prepared a questionnaire to measure family upbringing approaches which composed of (28) item divided on four dimensions. The sample was (260) male and female student from intermediate stage chosen randomly. The results revealed that there were significant differences between social-psychological conflict which went to male, there was a negative correlat
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