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.
Automatic Programming Assessment (APA) has been gaining lots of attention among researchers mainly to support automated grading and marking of students’ programming assignments or exercises systematically. APA is commonly identified as a method that can enhance accuracy, efficiency and consistency as well as providing instant feedback on students’ programming solutions. In achieving APA, test data generation process is very important so as to perform a dynamic testing on students’ assignment. In software testing field, many researches that focus on test data generation have demonstrated the successful of adoption of Meta-Heuristic Search Techniques (MHST) so as to enhance the procedure of deriving adequate test data for efficient t
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The issue of the public in the directions and theories of the theater director in the world theater, especially after the emergence of realism and the crystallization of the term direction and the definition of the role of the director in 1850 AD by the Duke Max Mengen took different paths to the Greek, Roman and even Elizabethan audience because it was here subjected to the theatrical equation from its production and presentation due to the fact that the theatrical performance is a technical artistic production, and the audience participation, watching and consumption, and here the participation of the audience was subjected to three directions: the enlightenment in the sense of arousing sense, the incitement in the se
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Benthic invertebrates diversity on the Al-Dalmage the Lake in the middle of Iraq, in addition to the some chemical properties was the aim of the present study, for a period from January to the December 2013. Six stations of the lake were chosen for monthly samples collection. The result revealed that the water temperature ranged from (9-34) ◦C. According to the values of salinity (1.5-14.6) ‰ the lake was classified as Brackish, while the pH values were neutral tends to near alkaline and ranged from (7.2- 9). The study showed that the lake were well oxygenated due to the dissolved oxygen values which ranged from 7-12 mg/l. The lake considered as very hard according to the total hardness values which range from (825-6980) CaCo3 mg/l.
... Show MoreThe anatomic characteristics of the leaves of 22 taxa of Stachys L. representing seven of the currently recognized sections distributed in northern Iraq, were examined. The study did not found any variations in the characteristics of the stomata system of the leaves.Therewere variations with a good taxonomic value in other anatomic characteristics.Thevariations in characters of the mesophyll tissue in S.kurdica var.brevidens Bom ex Bhattacharjeewas bifacial but in S.kurdica var.kurdica Boiss. & Hohen.was unifacial .The study also found that the taxa S.benthamiana Bioss., S.lanigera (Bornm.) Rech.f. andS.kotscyi Bioss. with 3 vascular bundles in the middle vein while the taxa S.ballotiformis Vatke., S.megalodonta Hausskn. &Bornm.exP.H.Davis
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The anatomic characteristics of the leaves of 22 taxa of Stachys L. representing seven of the currently recognized sections distributed in northern Iraq, were examined. The study did not found any variations in the characteristics of the stomata system of the leaves.Therewere variations with a good taxonomic value in other anatomic characteristics.Thevariations in characters of the mesophyll tissue in S.kurdica var.brevidens Bom ex Bhattacharjeewas bifacial but in S.kurdica var.kurdica Boiss. & Hohen.was unifacial .The study also found that the taxa S.benthamiana Bioss., S.lanigera (Bornm.) Rech.f. andS.kotscyi Bioss. with 3 vascular bundles in the middle vein while the taxa S.ballotiformis Vatke., S.megalodonta Hausskn. &Bo
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This study aims to establish an empirical correlation between biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sewage flowing in Al-Diwaniyah wastewater treatment plant. The strength of the wastewater entering the plant varied from medium to high. High concentrations of BOD5 and COD in the effluent were obtained due to the poor performance of the plant. This was observed from the BOD5 /COD ratios that did not confirm with the typical ratios for the treated sewage. To improve the performance of this plant, regression equations for BOD5 and COD removal percentages were suggested which can be used to facilitate rapid effluent assessment or optimal process control. The equations relating the percentage removal of
... Show MoreThere is a scarcity of data regarding algal flora of Tigris River in the territory of Baghdad. The present study deals with Tigris River in Al-Dora site in Baghdad province from November 2014 to June 2015 in order to shed light on its epiphytic Algae on (Phragmites australis) and epipelic algae. An amount of 183 and 154 species of epiphytic and epipelic algae are identified respectfully. The Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) are the dominant algal group followed by Cyanophyceae and Chlorophyceae. Moreover, 90 species are shared between two groups of algae (epiphytic and epipelic) and identified at the study site. Additionally, the seasonal variations and diversity of algal species are noticed. The highest number of epiphytic algae is 772.05 x 104
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The aims of this study to diagnose the role of the (relationship and impact) Academic driving practices dimensions (model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, encourage the heart ) in the activation of human capital (investment and development) for (knowledge, skills, expertise, creative and training capabilities) in a sample of university professors in Baghdad city(Baghdad University, Al Mustansiriya University, University of Technology). (367 )samples were distributed to (232 at the University of Baghdad, 97 at Al-Mustansiriya University and 38 at the University of Technology). The goals of descriptive analytical method research have been used, questionnaire has been a main tool for dat
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This research will deal in a simple way with the concept of urban expansion and taking the decision to sign the spatial signature of residential investment projects in order to reach through them in a real way to the extent of the proportionality of the decision taken, in light of the fulfillment of the conditions that must be met in the matter of making the decision of the spatial signature of the residential investment project and the extent of commitment to them, in which the conditions are: (Ease of access to services and transportation, adequacy of services, commitment to urban land uses) when establishing the investment project represented by the Al-Ayad residential project in the Hittin neighborhood of Al
... Show MoreThe personality characteristics of the Leader are considered one of the main elements to reach into business organizations entrepreneurship; and because of the development of the organizations of the continuous transformations as result of huge Competition in private High Education sector, there is a great need for Leaders characterized of certain personality capable of managing their organizations and can positively effect on them. Also these organizations' success to reach into entrepreneurship requires a main significant element that is (strategic flexibility) which is considered one of the important elements for success.
Accordingly, this research is trying to fin
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