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.
Reactive Powder Concrete (RPC) is one of the most advanced recent high compressive strength concrete. This work explored the effects of using glass waste as a fractional replacement for fine aggregate in reactive powder concrete at levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%. Linear and mass attenuation coefficients have been calculated as a function of the sample's thickness and bremsstrahlung energy. These coefficients were obtained using energy selective scintillation response to bremsstrahlung having an energy ranging from (0.1-1.1) MeV. In addition, the half-value thickness of the samples prepared has been investigated. It was found that there is a reversal association between the attenuation coefficient and the energy of the bremsstrahlu
... Show MoreFive heavy metals, namely Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Pb in the surface water and through the water column were studied at 10 selected stations in the Razzazah lake and Karbala drainage canal for the period between November 1990 to October 1991*. pH and total hardness were also measured. Lead was found to be the highest in concentration as overall average values, followed by an manganese, iron, copper then cadmium at the surface as well as along the water column. All the studied metals were below or close to the maximum allowed limits of Iraqi standards for inland water. The spatial and seasonal variations were discussed.
Mobile ad hoc network is nothing but the temporary network which is having the collection of mobile nodes. Routing and broadcasting are major operations of MANET network. The major operation in ad hoc mobile network is the broadcasting which sometime results to storm problem of the broadcast if the forwarding mechanism is not properly designated. Thus the challenges in the MANET are to reduce the broadcasting redundancy and under high transmission error rate provides high delivery ratio. Hence in our proposed research, we are introducing and investigating the new mechanism of broadcasting called Dual Covered Broadcast. This method takes the broadcast redundancy advantage order to improve packet delivery ratio especially under environments w
... Show MoreHedera helix L. plant belongs to the family Araliaceae that provide a host of bioactive compounds (mainly saponins) of important biological activities, like spasmolytic, secretolytic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. Literature survey revealed that there was no previously study concerning H. helix L. which is cultivated in Iraq, so we decided to carry out this study which include extraction, isolation, purification and identification of biologically important triterpenoid saponin hederacoside C from leaves of H. helix L. Extraction of hederacoside C was carried out using two methods; in the first method maceration was done with methanol 99.8% and in the second method soxhlet extraction wit
... Show MoreIn the early 1990s, as the beginning of the new unilateral leadership of global power by the United States, a new climate of rivalry emerged between revolutionary jihad and national jihad. Al-Qaeda has played on both sides to promote its agenda in support of global jihad. The veteran Afghan warriors returned to the Arab world after the play against the Soviet army "infidel" in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and until the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1990. The Arab world is looking for roles to attract international forces seeking to implement specific projects that need a combat tool . Al-Qaeda has tried to exploit national conflicts and the emergence of sectarian political streams in the Middle Eas
... Show MoreIn this paper, the researcher suggested using the Genetic algorithm method to estimate the parameters of the Wiener degradation process, where it is based on the Wiener process in order to estimate the reliability of high-efficiency products, due to the difficulty of estimating the reliability of them using traditional techniques that depend only on the failure times of products. Monte Carlo simulation has been applied for the purpose of proving the efficiency of the proposed method in estimating parameters; it was compared with the method of the maximum likelihood estimation. The results were that the Genetic algorithm method is the best based on the AMSE comparison criterion, then the reliab
... Show MoreVaccine hesitancy poses a significant risk to global recovery from COVID-19. To date however, there is little research exploring the psychological factors associated with vaccine acceptability and hesitancy in Iraq.
To explore attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination in Iraq. To establish the predictors of vaccine uptake and vaccine hesitancy in an Iraqi population.
Using a cross-sectional design, 7,778 participants completed an online questionnaire exploring their vaccination status, likelihood of infection, perc
A survey statistician for cholera in Iraq for 1980 and until 2003 show that cholera is endemic in Iraq and that the highest number of casualties recorded in the years 1998-1999 and increasing spread of the disease during the wars in hot climates, wet a study bacteriological used where circles selective and tests Alkouhaoah examinations serological system