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.
Aim: surface modification of titanium using fiber laser 1064 nm to enhance the bond strength to resin cement. Material and Methods: thirty titanium discs of 0.6 cm x 0.3 cm (diameter and thickness respectively) were categorized after preparation into three groups (n=10) as follows: control group with no surface treatment and two test groups were treated with fiber laser after estimation the appropriate parameters in the pilot study which are 81 ns pulse duration, 30,000 Hz frequency, 50 µm spot size and 10,000 mm/s scanning speed and different average power values (10 W and 20 W) depending on the tested group. Titanium discs surface characterization was performed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), a
... Show MoreThe transition from low Earth orbit 200-1500 (km) to geostationary Earth orbit 42162 (km) was studied in this work by many methods of transfer. The delta-v requirement (Δv), the time of flight (Δt), the mass ratio of propellant consume (Δm/m) and total mass was calculated for many values altitude in the same plane also when the plane is change. The results from work show that (Δv) that required for transfer when the plane of orbit change is large than (Δv) required when the transfer in coplanar maneuvers while the bi-elliptical transfer method need time of transfer longer than a Hohmann transfer method. The most energy efficiency was determined when the transfer in coaxial between elliptical orbits
... Show MoreThis Action research aimed at Assisting Students of Faculty of Educational Sciences at Al-Quds Open University to design computerized lessons using the Power Point software and according to ADDIE model. The study sample consisted of 40 students who were taking a course titled Technology of Education during the second semester of the 2014-2015 academic year and three academic instructors . To collect the required date , the researchers used focus group technique and structured interviews to get information from the 40 students and the three academic instructors involved in the course Technology of Education in QOU /Nablus Branch. In addition to these methods, a workshop with a guiding checklist was employed t
... Show MoreThis work includs synthesis of several Schiff bases by condensation of 6- methoxy – 2- amino benzothiazole with some aldehydes and ketones (2- hydroxyl benzaldehyde, 4- hydroxyl benzaldehyde, 4- N,N –dimethy amino acetophenone, benzophenone) to abtain schiff bases (1-5). These schiff bases were found to react with phthalate anhydride to give oxazepine derivatives (6-10) that were reacted with primary aromatic amines to give Diazepine derivatives (11-15). Besides, we prepared new tetrazole derivatives (16-20) from the reaction of the prepared Schiff bases with sodium azide in the prepared compounds that were characterized by physical properties, FT-IR and some of the 1H-NMR and 13C –NMR spectroscopy.
Abstract
In this work, diabetic glucose concentration level control under disturbing meal has been controlled using two set of advanced controllers. The first set is sliding mode controllers (classical and integral) and the second set is represented by optimal LQR controllers (classical and Min-, ax). Due to their characteristic features of disturbance rejection, both integral sliding mode controller and LQR Minmax controller are dedicated here for comparison. The Bergman minimal mathematical model was used to represent the dynamic behavior of a diabetic patient’s blood glucose concentration to the insulin injection. Simulations based on Matlab/Simulink, were performed to verify the performance of each controll
... Show More
This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of black tea on Pseudomonas
aeruginosa isolated from eye infection. One hundred samples (corneal scrapings)
were obtained. Approximately, 77% of the cases were due to contact lens wear
followed by 15 % trauma and 8% with unknown history. The isolates identified as
P. aeruginosa were 30% (23/77 CL) and 25% (2/8 Unknown). On the other hand,
the Kirby-Bauer antibiotic sensitivity assay showed that 100% of the isolates were
sensitive to Neomycin, Gentamicin and Amikacin. While 91.6% were sensitive to
Carbenicillin and Ceftriaxone; 66.6% were sensitive to Cefotaxime and 0% were
sensitive to Tertacycline. Only two isolates were found to be multidrug resistant.
Screenin
Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) was added to P-N,N-dimethyl amino benzaldehyde (PDAB) by condensation reaction in acidic medium to form, a yellow colored dye compound which exhibits maximum absorption (λmax) at 450.5 nm. The concentration of (SMX) was determined spectrophotometrically. The optimum reaction conditions and other analytical parameters were evaluated. In addition to classical univariate optimization, design of experiment method has been applied in optimization of the variables affecting the color producing reaction. Beer’s law obeyed in the concentration range of 0.1-10 μg.mL-1 with molar absorptivity of 5.7950×104 L.mol-1.cm-1. The limit of detection and Sandell's sensitivity value were 0.078 μ
... Show MoreBecause of the rapid development and use of the Internet as a communication media emerged to need a high level of security during data transmission and one of these ways is "Steganography". This paper reviews the Least Signification Bit steganography used for embedding text file with related image in gray-scale image. As well as we discuss the bit plane which is divided into eight different images when combination them we get the actual image. The findings of the research was the stego-image is indistinguishable to the naked eye from the original cover image when the value of bit less than four Thus we get to the goal is to cover up the existence of a connection or hidden data. The Peak to Signal Noise Ratio(PSNR) and Mean Square Error (
... Show More
The major target of this paper is to study a confirmed class of meromorphic univalent functions . We procure several results, such as those related to coefficient estimates, distortion and growth theorem, radii of starlikeness, and convexity for this class, n additionto hadamard product, convex combination, closure theorem, integral operators, and neighborhoods.
