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.
Background: Implantology is a fast growing area in dentistry. One of the most common issues encountered in dental implantation procedures is the lack of adequate preoperative planning. Conventional radiography may not be able to assess the true regional three-dimensional anatomical presentation. Multi Slice Computed Tomography provides data in 3-dimentional format offering information on craniofacial anatomy for diagnosis; this technology enables the virtual placement of implant in a 3-Dimensional model of the patient jaw (dental planning). Patients, Material and Methods: The sample consisted of (72) Iraqi patients indicated for dental implant (34 male and 38 female), age range between (20-70) years old. They were examined during a time p
... Show More<span lang="EN-US">Increase the in population and kindergarten number, especially in urban areas made it difficult to properly manage waste. Thus, this paper proposed a system dedicated to kindergartens to manage to dispose of waste, the system can be called smart garbage based on internet of things (SGI). To ensure a healthy environment and an intelligent waste in the kindergarten management system in an integrated manner and supported by the internet of things (IoT), we presented it in detail identification, the SGI system includes details like a display system, an automatic lid system, and a communication system. This system supplied capabilities to monitor the status of waste continuously and on IoT website can show the pe
... Show MoreBeen using a pv system program to determine the solar window for Baghdad city . the solar window for any location can be determine by deviating left and right from the geographical south as well as deviation according to the amount of tilt angle with the horizon for fixed panel so that will not change the average of solar radiation incident over the whole year and this lead to help in the process of installation of fixed solar panel without any effect on annual output .the range of solar window for Baghdad city between two angles ( -8 - +8 ) degrees left to right of the geographical south and tilt angle that allowed for the horizon range between angles (21- 30) degrees so that the amount of solar radiation that falling on the solar pan
... Show MoreModifying of HY/Zeolite is by loading nickel for applying catalyst in thermal catalytic cracking of furfural extract-40 from the lubricating base oil unit. The study involved the characterizing of HY-zeolite and promoted catalyst with nickel by X-ray diffraction analysis, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller), and infrared ray analyses FTIR. The catalytic thermal cracking tubular reactor with a fixed bed with two type catalysts; HY/zeolite and Ni HY/zeolite, individually at a temperature of 580oC with LHSV 5h-1 was investigated. The results indicated that increase the conversion of catalytic cracking of furfural extract-40 also increases the yield of useful petroleum
... Show MoreIn this study, plain concrete simply supported beams subjected to two points loading were analyzed for the flexure. The numerical model of the beam was constructed in the meso-scale representation of concrete as a two phasic material (aggregate, and mortar). The fracture process of the concrete beams under loading was investigated in the laboratory as well as by the numerical models. The Extended Finite Element Method (XFEM) was employed for the treatment of the discontinuities that appeared during the fracture process in concrete. Finite element method with the feature standard/explicitlywas utilized for the numerical analysis. Aggregate particles were assumedof elliptic shape. Other properties such as grading and sizes of the aggr
... Show MoreThe aim of this research work is to study the effect of stabilizing gypseous soil, which covers vast areas in the middle, west and south parts of Iraq, using liquid asphalt on its strength properties to be used as a base course layer replacing the traditional materials of coarse aggregate and broken stones which are scarce at economical prices and hauling distances. Gypseous soil brought from Al-Ramadi City, west of Iraq, with gypsum content of 66.65%, medium curing cutback asphalt (MC-30), and hydrated lime are used in this study. The conducted tests on untreated and treated gypseous soil with different percentages of medium curing cutback asphalt (MC-30), water, and lime were: unconfined compression strength, and one dimensional confine
... Show MoreIn the present work a dynamic analysis technique have been developed to investigate and characterize the quantity of elastic module degradation of cracked cantilever plates due to presence of a defect such as surface of internal crack under free vibration. A new generalized technique represents the first step in developing a health monitoring system, the effects of such defects on the modal frequencies has been the main key quantifying the elasticity modulii due to presence any type of un-visible defect. In this paper the finite element method has been used to determine the free vibration characteristics for cracked cantilever plate (internal flaws), this present work achieved by different position of crack. Stiffness re
... Show MoreThe aerodynamic characteristics of general three-dimensional rectangular wings are considered using non-linear interaction between two-dimensional viscous-inviscid panel method and vortex ring method. The potential flow of a two-dimensional airfoil by the pioneering Hess & Smith method was used with viscous laminar, transition and turbulent boundary layer to solve flow about complex configuration of airfoils including stalling effect. Viterna method was used to extend the aerodynamic characteristics of the specified airfoil to high angles of attacks. A modified vortex ring method was used to find the circulation values along span wise direction of the wing and then interacted with sectional circulation obtained by Kutta-Joukowsky the
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