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.
An efficient modification and a novel technique combining the homotopy concept with Adomian decomposition method (ADM) to obtain an accurate analytical solution for Riccati matrix delay differential equation (RMDDE) is introduced in this paper . Both methods are very efficient and effective. The whole integral part of ADM is used instead of the integral part of homotopy technique. The major feature in current technique gives us a large convergence region of iterative approximate solutions .The results acquired by this technique give better approximations for a larger region as well as previously. Finally, the results conducted via suggesting an efficient and easy technique, and may be addressed to other non-linear problems.
The analytic solution for the unsteady flow of generalized Oldroyd- B fluid on oscillating rectangular duct is studied. In the absence of the frequency of oscillations, we obtain the problem for the flow of generalized Oldroyd- B fluid in a duct of rectangular cross- section moving parallel to its length. The problem is solved by applying the double finite Fourier sine and discrete Laplace transforms. The solutions for the generalized Maxwell fluids and the ordinary Maxwell fluid appear as limiting cases of the solutions obtained here. Finally, the effect of material parameters on the velocity profile spotlighted by means of the graphical illustrations
This research deals with a shrinking method concernes with the principal components similar to that one which used in the multiple regression “Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection: LASS”. The goal here is to make an uncorrelated linear combinations from only a subset of explanatory variables that may have a multicollinearity problem instead taking the whole number say, (K) of them. This shrinkage will force some coefficients to equal zero, after making some restriction on them by some "tuning parameter" say, (t) which balances the bias and variance amount from side, and doesn't exceed the acceptable percent explained variance of these components. This had been shown by MSE criterion in the regression case and the percent explained v
... Show MoreBackground: Removing dental plaque is important to maintain a good oral hygiene and prevent periodontal disease; this could not be accomplished by the use of toothbrush alone, it needs the help of interdental aids or intra-oral irrigator devices. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of using Waterpik flosser as adjunct to tooth brushing than using the dental floss with the brushing. Materials and methods: A single blind, six weeks study included 45 subjects divided into three groups of 15 subjects at each group. Group B (brushing) was instructed to use the toothbrush only, group BF (brushing & flossing) was instructed to use dental floss and tooth brushing while group BW (brushing and Waterpik flosser) was instructed to use Water
... Show MoreWireless Body Area Network (WBAN) is a tool that improves real-time patient health observation in hospitals, asylums, especially at home. WBAN has grown popularity in recent years due to its critical role and vast range of medical applications. Due to the sensitive nature of the patient information being transmitted through the WBAN network, security is of paramount importance. To guarantee the safe movement of data between sensor nodes and various WBAN networks, a high level of security is required in a WBAN network. This research introduces a novel technique named Integrated Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm with Artificial Neural Network (IGO-ANN) for distinguishing between trusted nodes in WBAN networks by means of a classifica
... Show More<span lang="EN-GB">This paper highlights the barriers that have led to a delay in the implementation of E-Health services in Iraq. A new framework is proposed to improve the E-Health sector using a SECI model which describes how explicit and tacit knowledge is generated, transferred, and recreated in organizations through main stages (socialization, externalization, combination and internalization). Class association rules (CARs) is integrated to mine the SECI model by extracting related rules which correspond to the medical advice. The proposed framework (SECICAR) can be done through a web portal to assemble healthcare professionals, patients in one environment. SECICAR will be applied to the hypertension community to show th
... Show MoreThis study represents an optical biosensor for early skin cancer detection using cysteine-cupped CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots (QDs). The study optimizes QD synthesis, surface, optical functionalization, and bioconjugation to enhance specificity and sensitivity for early skin cancer cell detection. The research provides insights into QD interactions with skin cancer biomarkers, demonstrating high-contrast, precise cellular imaging. Cysteine-capped CdSe/CdS absorption spectra reveal characteristic peaks for undamaged DNA, while spectral shifts indicate structural changes in skin-cancer-damaged DNA. Additionally, fluorescence spectra show sharp peaks for undamaged DNA and notable shifts and intensity variations when interacting with skin cancer. This
... Show Morethis paper presents a novel method for solving nonlinear optimal conrol problems of regular type via its equivalent two points boundary value problems using the non-classical
Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) is the technology of electronically extracting intended data from marked fields, such as squareand bubbles fields, on printed forms. OMR technology is particularly useful for applications in which large numbers of hand-filled forms need to be processed quickly and with a great degree of accuracy. The technique is particularly popular with schools and universities for the reading in of multiple choice exam papers. This paper proposed OMRbased on Modify Multi-Connect Architecture (MMCA) associative memory, its work in two phases: training phase and recognition phase. The proposed method was also able to detect more than one or no selected choice. Among 800 test samples with 8 types of grid answer sheets and tota
... Show MoreCompanies compete greatly with each other today, so they need to focus on innovation to develop their products and make them competitive. Lean product development is the ideal way to develop product, foster innovation, maximize value, and reduce time. Set-Based Concurrent Engineering (SBCE) is an approved lean product improvement mechanism that builds on the creation of a number of alternative designs at the subsystem level. These designs are simultaneously improved and tested, and the weaker choices are removed gradually until the optimum solution is reached finally. SBCE implementations have been extensively performed in the automotive industry and there are a few case studies in the aerospace industry. This research describe the use o
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