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.
This study examines the causes of time delays and cost overruns in a selection of thirty post-disaster reconstruction projects in Iraq. Although delay factors have been studied in many countries and contexts, little data exists from countries under the conditions characterizing Iraq during the last 10-15 years. A case study approach was used, with thirty construction projects of different types and sizes selected from the Baghdad region. Project data was gathered from a survey which was used to build statistical relationships between time and cost delay ratios and delay factors in post disaster projects. The most important delay factors identified were contractor failure, redesigning of designs/plans and change orders, security is
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The issue of the protection of the environment is a shared responsibility between several destinations and sectors, and constitutes a main subject in which they can achieve sustainable development. In the sectors of government programs can be set up towards the establishment of the government sector to the green environment, so to be the implementati
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Patient aggression is a global health care problem. This study examined the impact of patient aggression on the quality of care that patients receive as perceived by their family members and the ethical challenges involved from the nurse’s perspective. A descriptive–analytical method was used. The participants of this study were nurses working on psychiatric units and family members of patients in Iraq. Two questionnaires were used: one on nursing care quality and one on ethical challenges in clinical situations. The results showed that the quality of care for these patients was reduced, with a
The process of evaluating data (age and the gender structure) is one of the important factors that help any country to draw plans and programs for the future. Discussed the errors in population data for the census of Iraqi population of 1997. targeted correct and revised to serve the purposes of planning. which will be smoothing the population databy using nonparametric regression estimator (Nadaraya-Watson estimator) This estimator depends on bandwidth (h) which can be calculate it by two ways of using Bayesian method, the first when observations distribution is Lognormal Kernel and the second is when observations distribution is Normal Kernel
... Show MoreThe easternmost extent of the Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus (Savigny, 1809)
distribution has remained enigmatic due to id entification problems and lack of owl research.
In Iraq, B. ascalaphus has been reported from only few localities in western Iraqi deserts;
while its occurrence in Iran has not been reported before this study. In 2017 2020, several
new records of B. ascala phus in western through southeastern Iraq were made and a new
distribution range in western Iran was confirmed. Furthermore, field identification,
interspecific relationships and conservation status of B. ascalaphus in Iraq and Iran were
comprehensively di scussed.
Idioms are a very important part of the English language: you are told that if you want to go far (succeed) you should pull your socks up (make a serious effort to improve your behaviour, the quality of your work, etc.) and use your grey matter (brain).1 Learning and translating idioms have always been very difficult for foreign language learners. The present paper explores some of the reasons why English idiomatic expressions are difficult to learn and translate. It is not the aim of this paper to attempt a comprehensive survey of the vast amount of material that has appeared on idioms in Adams and Kuder (1984), Alexander (1984), Dixon (1983), Kirkpatrick (2001), Langlotz (2006), McCarthy and O'Dell (2002), and Wray (2002), among others
... Show MoreThe developed financial system is essential for increasing economic growth and poverty reduction in the world. The financial development helps in poverty reduction indirectly via intermediate channel which is the economic growth. The financial development enhancing economic development through mobilization of savings and channel them to the most efficient uses with higher economic and social returns. In addition, the economic growth reduces the poverty through two channels. The first is direct by increasing the introduction factors held by poor and improve the situations into the sectors and areas where the poor live. The second is indirect through redistribution the realized incomes from the economic growth as well as the realiz
... Show MoreThe conservation of natural resources such as water is one of the areas that sustainable agriculture seeks to preserve, rationalize its use and protect it from pollution, because water is a specific factor for agriculture. Despite Iraq's possession of two international rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which pour into the Shatt Al-Arab, it suffers from water shortages in recent times, As a result of several reasons combined, including water policies initiated by the riparian countries to reduce the quantities of water coming from the two rivers to Iraq, led by neighbor Turkey through the construction of dams and reservoirs and the establishment of irrigation projects, as well as climate changes from rising temperatures and lo
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to study chemical constituents of aerial parts of Cardaria draba since no phytochemical investigation had been studied before in Iraq. Aerial parts of Cardaria draba were defatted by maceration in hexane for 72 h. The defatted plant materials were extracted using Soxhlet apparatus, the aqueous Methanol 90% as a solvent extraction for 18 h, and fractionated with petroleum ether- chloroform (CHCl3)- ethylacetate- and n-butanol respectivly. The ethyl acetate, n-butanol, and n-butanol after hydrolysis fractions were investigated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) for its phenolic acid and flavonoid contents. Flavono
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