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.
Grass trimming operation is widely done in Malaysia for the purpose of maintaining highways. Large number of operators engaged in this work encounters high level of noise generated by back pack type grass trimmer used for this purpose. High level of noise exposure gives different kinds of ill effect on human operators. Exact nature of deteriorated work performance is not known. For predicting the work efficiency deterioration, fuzzy tool has been used in present research. It has been established that a fuzzy computing system will help in identification and analysis of fuzzy models fuzzy system offers a convenient way of representing the relationships between the inputs and outputs of a system in the form of IF-THEN rules. The paper presents
... Show MoreSeveral stress-strain models were used to predict the strengths of steel fiber reinforced concrete, which are distinctive of the material. However, insufficient research has been done on the influence of hybrid fiber combinations (comprising two or more distinct fibers) on the characteristics of concrete. For this reason, the researchers conducted an experimental program to determine the stress-strain relationship of 30 concrete samples reinforced with two distinct fibers (a hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol and steel fibers), with compressive strengths ranging from 40 to 120 MPa. A total of 80% of the experimental results were used to develop a new empirical stress-strain model, which was accomplished through the application of the parti
... Show MoreThis research deals with leverage and its impact on the profitability of Islamic banks in Iraq for the years (2015-2018), the research variables of leverage have been analyzed and measured as an independent variable, profitability as a dependent variable, and the research is based on a main hypothesis: there is a moral relationship of statistical significance. Between leverage and profitability at The Islamic Cooperation Bank for the period (2015-2018). The results of the research showed that there are moral (exorcist) relationships between the ratio of leverage and profitability indicators, as the higher the leverage ratio, the higher the profitability indicators. In addition, The Islamic Cooperation Bank has adopted a conservative poli
... Show MoreFounding a System to secure deposits and protecting the depositors is considered one of the important and exchanged subjects out there in the banking system/field in Iraq at the current time, and the reason behind the exchange and spread of this subject is due to the financial crisis of which the banking sector is suffering from and the stumbling of many banks, those factors have had led to the insecurity of the depositors and their mistrust towards banks, thus, it is necessary to create a system to secure deposits in which depositors would be compensated for the losses caused by the banks' failures. in addition, it could be a countermeasure system which maintains the banking stability, protects the rights of depositors and gains
... Show MoreThis research includes a study of Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene’s allele 677C?T and its correlation with oxidative stress and their impact on female infertility. Fifty infertile women with the range age (23-42) years and twenty five fertile women with the range age (22-39) years as control group living in Erbil city were selected. The serum level of Malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), prolactin hormone (PRL), Luteinizing hormone (LH), Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), Triiodothyronine hormone (T3), and Thyroxine hormone (T4) were measured, also a body mass index (BMI) was calculated. A restriction enzyme (Hinf1) was used to improve the mutation in DNA bands of infertile women. The results showed significant inc
... Show MoreGeography of industry has been considered a branch of important economic geographical branches. This importance has been regarded as a reflection on the industrial sector contribution in economies of any state since they contribute into the total national product ; it also assimilates a huge number of labor hands . The industry of grains grinding has been considered as one of the main food industries having a main role in satisfying the need of the population from the foods. The industry is continued to use the food as daily meal . Here, it should predict the population in Baghdad and for every district until the end of 2025 and knowing either these grains grinders are able to meet and satisfy the needs of populations of flours, making s
... Show MoreThe present study aims to illuminate the assessment of the Turkish elite of the role of the Turkish media in forming the attitudes of public opinion vis a vis the attempted military coup of 15 July 2016. The authors utilized the survey method of a nominal sample of 315 individuals, equally distributed among the three foremost categories of the Turkish elite, namely: the political academic, and media elite. The foremost findings of the study are that the orientation of the coverage of the Turkish media of the events of the attempt military coup of 15 July, based on the perception and assessment of the Turkish elite, was positive to a high degree; it refuted the news and the inciting information given to foreign media revealed the bloodine
... Show MoreBackground: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a compound articulation formed from the articular surfaces of the temporal bone and the mandibular condyle.CBCT imaging of TMJ is that it allows accurate measurements of the volume and surface of the condyle. The aim of the study is to assess the sagittal position of mandibular condyle in patients with temporomandibulardysfunction using Cone Beam Computed Tomography in centric occlusion. Materials and Methods: CBCT images for all patients were obtained in an upright position using New Tom Giano CBCT with different field of view (11 x 8), (11 x 5), and (8 x 8) and exposure factors was changed accordingly using NNT version 5.1 software for sagittal reconstruction, anterior, superior and posterior
... Show MoreThe research aims to analysis of the current financial crisis in Iraq through knowing its causes and then propose some solutions that help in remedy the crisis and that on the level of expenditures and revenues, and has been relying on the Federal general budget law of the Republic of Iraq for the fiscal year 2016 to obtain the necessary data in respect of the current expenditures and revenues which necessary to achieve the objective of the research , and through the research results has been reached to a set of conclusions which the most important of them that causes of the current financial crisis in Iraq , mainly belonging to increased expenditures and especially the current ones and the lack of revenues , especially non-oil o
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