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
That Iraq's dependence on the revenues of the oil product in financing its development programs and growth rates , Making the economy affected by external forces represented by fluctuations in crude oil prices in the global market, Which is directly reflected on the performance and efficiency of the Iraqi economy.
The study adopted its objectives to analyze the time series for the period (1988 - 2015) through the use of standard and statistical methods, Four standard models were estimated to reach those targets, Where the results of the stability test showed instability of most variables at their original level, But to achieve stability when taking the first differences, While the result
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Faith is a feature of the Mesopotamian population, since the ancient Mesopotamian was a believer and obedient to his God in any case, and this encouraged the emergence of some of the phenomena interpreted by historians as an integral part of the civilization and ancient history of this country, and these phenomena are the phenomena of the deification of kings for themselves, The first phenomenon was a personal endeavor for the uniqueness of power, sometimes to correct some mistakes in societies to balance the state, and civil rule is independent of religious rule, and the second was the result of divination and predictions of omen, in the case of any bad harbinger of the king, such as the occurrence of eclipse To the sun or a lunar eclip
... Show MoreThe anatomical features of leaves and stems of seven species belonging to five genera of the Papaveraceae family were studied, including: Fumaria bracteosa Pomel, 1875; Glaucium grandiflorum Boissier & A. Huet,1856; Hypecoum pendulum Linnaeus, 1753; Papaver fugax Poiret,1804; Papaver macrostomum Boissier & A. Huet, 1867; Papaver rhoeas Linnaeus, 1753 and Roemeria refracta de Candolle,1821. The results showed that the anticlinal cell walls of the adaxial surface were more thickened in P. fugax, H. pendulum, P. macrostomum and R.refracta, while it was thin in P. rhoeas. The cur
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Recent research looking for acknowledgment of strategically influence of Robinson and self question at progressing the reading comprehension for students of sixth class .
To achieve research goal so the researcher mentally chose primary sixth class at the school (Tashti the primary) that followed education directorate of province (Jamjamal)/Suliymania for the scholastic year 2012-2013 as application field for their experiment of boys' number reached to (95) (female and male)students in reality (32) of the first experimental group and (31) student (female and male) from controlled group, the researcher rewarded between of three variable groups (timing period, intelligence ,Kurdish language degr
... Show MoreThe present work presents design and implementation of an automated two-axis solar tracking system using local materials with minimum cost, light weight and reliable structure. The tracking system consists of two parts, mechanical units (fixed and moving parts) and control units (four LDR sensors and Arduino UNO microcontroller to control two DC servomotors). The tracking system was fitted and assembled together with a parabolic trough solar concentrator (PTSC) system to move it according to information come from the sensors so as to keep the PTSC always perpendicular to sun rays. The experimental tests have been done on the PTSC system to investigate its thermal performance in two cases, with tracking system (case 1) and without trackin
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The enhancement of the thermal and thermo-hydraulic performance of a semi-circular solar air collector (SCSAC) is numerically investigated using porous semi-circular obstacles made of metal foam with and without longitudinal porous Y-shaped fins. Two 10 and 40 PPI porous material samples are examined. Three-dimensional models are built to simulate the performance of SCSAC: model (I) with clear air passage; model (II) with only metal foam obstacles, and model (III) with metal foam obstacles as well as porous Y-fins. COMSOL Multiphysics software version 6.2 based on finite element methodology is employed. A conjugate heat transfer with a (k-ε) turbulence model is selected to simulate both heat transfer and fluid flow across the entir
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Hydrogen and nanocarbon were produced by the catalytic decomposition of electrocracking gas obtained by the pyrolysis of liquid organic waste via electric arc discharge. The GIAP-16 (NiO-Al2O3) industrial catalyst was used to reduce the maximum decomposition temperature to 700 °C. In a fixed-bed reactor, under atmospheric pressure, reasonable amounts of high-purity hydrogen were produced, accompanied by deposits of nanocarbon by-product. The NiO-Al2O3 catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity. X-ray powder diffraction analysis of the NiO-Al2O3 composite revealed the presence of cubic NiO and rhombohedral Al2O3, which were chemically stable. However, above 500 °C, NiAl2O4 began to appear. The specific surface area of the catalyst was de
... Show MoreThe conservatorship is a legal action to protect troubled banks from credit risk and bankruptcy risk that banks cannot hedge them .The Central Bank role has to protect the financial system from these risks by controlling and supervising. This research studied these risks and explained the role of The Central Bank. This research presented and analyzed the legal framework for supervision and the imposition of conservatorship bank to address the effects that have been achieved as a result of poor management and weak internal controls. Baraka Bank for Investment and Finance was a research sample to measure the financial ratios for the troubled bank, and analysis the results that led to put the conservatorship. The research depends on the hyp
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