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.
Some physical and chemical characteristics of Jurf Al- Sakar drinking water plant in Babylon governorate have been studied. Seven locations for this plant were selected. These were the drinking water treatment plant source on Euphrates River before entering the plant, precipitation, filtration and collection tanks, and also after leaving the plant at distances of one meter, 4 and 8 km. The samples were collected bimonthly from October, 2002 to August, 2003. Some results match with the national and international standard characters while the other characters (Turbidity, total hardness, calcium, nitrate, phosphate and the biological oxygen demand values) were not match. The present study showed that drinking water treatment plant is undrinka
... Show MoreThe development of information systems in recent years has contributed to various methods of gathering information to evaluate IS performance. The most common approach used to collect information is called the survey system. This method, however, suffers one major drawback. The decision makers consume considerable time to transform data from survey sheets to analytical programs. As such, this paper proposes a method called ‘survey algorithm based on R programming language’ or SABR, for data transformation from the survey sheets inside R environments by treating the arrangement of data as a relational format. R and Relational data format provide excellent opportunity to manage and analyse the accumulated data. Moreover, a survey syste
... Show MoreThe study aimed to identify the E-leadership practice at Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University and to explore the obstacles that are facing the leaders in the implementation of E-leadership, in addition to find mechanisms to improve the practice of electronic driving at the university in light of the Corona pandemic. A descriptive analytical approach was used by depending on a questionnaire to collect the needed data. The study sample consisted of (139) heads of departments, attorneys' colleges and support Deanships universities. The study results showed that E-leadership employment recorded a medium to high degree. Especially at university, that publishing decisions electronically and uses technical means in providing its services.
... Show MoreThe present investigation developed the ester prodrugs of Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Mefenamic acid and Flurbiprofen by conjugating with the natural antioxidant, 4-methyl umbelliferone that resulted the formation of Mefenamic acid-umbelliferone ester prodrug and Flurbiprofen-umbelliferone ester prodrug .The principal objective this study is the synthesis of the ester prodrugs of NSAIDs with the enhanced therapeutic activity and minimized side effects. Prodrugs were synthesized by coupling method using N,N’- dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/4-dimethylaminopyrimidine, subjected to physical, chemical characterization, spectral characterization (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and Mass spectra),hydro
... Show MoreThe reservoir characterization and rock typing is a significant tool in performance and prediction of the reservoirs and understanding reservoir architecture, the present work is reservoir characterization and quality Analysis of Carbonate Rock-Types, Yamama carbonate reservoir within southern Iraq has been chosen. Yamama Formation has been affected by different digenesis processes, which impacted on the reservoir quality, where high positively affected were: dissolution and fractures have been improving porosity and permeability, and destructive affected were cementation and compaction, destroyed the porosity and permeability. Depositional reservoir rock types characterization has been identified de
The Accommodation industry in Iraq suffers from many problems, especially after 2003, when the Accommodation industry was exposed to many crises due to the security and political situation in Iraq, which negatively affected the administrative operations inside the industry and created many problems, the most important of which are deterioration, high costs and poor performance, so some hotel administrations sought To find alternative solutions that help in the advancement of hotels, one of the proposals is to go to technology, as technology is currently one of the most important solutions to solve large complex problems, as the world has turned to automation to solve complex problems such as increasing production, reducing costs, and rai
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