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: The formation of white spot lesions around fixed orthodontic attachments is a common complication during and after fixed orthodontic treatment, which hinders the result of a successfully completed orthodontic treatment. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of the Caries Infiltrant (ICON®) on prevention of caries on the smooth enamel surface when applied alone or combined with conventional adhesives. Materials and methods: Seventy eight human premolar enamel discs were randomly assigned to six groups (n=13). The discs were etched and treated with resins of different monomer content forming the following groups: (1)Untreated etched samples served as the negative control, (2) ICON® (DMG), (3) Adper™ S
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ABSTRACT Background: The main goal of chemomechanical endodontic treatment is the reduction or elimination of microorganisms from root canal system. The intracanal medicaments were used to enhance the disinfection process. This study was conducted to evaluate the antibacterial effect of thymus vulgaris, tea tree essential oils and cold pressed black seed oil (BSO) against E.faecalis. Materials and methods: E.faecalis was isolated from ten patients in need for endodontic treatment. The sensitivity of E.faecalis to the tested oils was evaluated in different concentrations in agar well diffusion method and compared with calcium hydroxide. The sensitivity of E.faecalis to vapor of the tested oils was also evaluated, in disk vaporization method
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This study seeks to identify the role that the leadership trend plays in the management of health institutions in Iraq and its impact on improving the quality of the health service provided by analyzing some opinions of affiliates working in the Iraqi health sector where a survey list was used as a main tool for collecting primary data, as it was subjected to this analysis ( 60) of the medical staff, of whom (40) are doctors and (20) are affiliated with the rank of assistant physician, and (60) members of the administrative cadre have undergone their various job ranks and administrative specializations (department manager, auditor, observer, accountant, statistician, secretary). Reliance on statistical software (spss) in data ana
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The purpose of this research is to develop a proposed framework for achieving the Integration of the Target Cost and Resource Consumption Accounting Techniques and to show the role they play in reducing products costs and supporting the competitive advantage to cope with contemporary changes. To achieve this goal, the researchers followed the analytical method using the statistical questionnaire as a means of collecting data from the research sample include accounting, administrative, technical, engineering staffs and others. The research sample consists of (56) individuals and for the purpose of conducting statistical analysis of the data and testing hypotheses, the statistical program (SPSS) wa
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There is poverty because of the difference in capacity and material resources, Previously poverty known on the basis of disparity between income and inadequate income. It realize later that fare wore effects of poverty is the erosion of human capital. The human poverty is the loss of food, education, health care and shelter.
In order to provide a database that target the poor , it have been propped a document on the features of poverty and the whereabouts of the poor and the rate of disparity between provinces.
Here the goal of the research is the identify the factors affecti
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The study relied on data about the health sector in Iraq in 2006 in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Central Bureau of Statistics and Information Technology in 2007 Included the estimates of the population distribution of the Baghdad province and the country depending on the population distribution for 1997,evaluate the health sector which included health institutions, and health staff, and other health services. The research Aimis; Measurement an amount and size of the growth of health services (increase and decrease) and the compare of verified in Iraq and Baghdad, and evaluate the effectiveness of the distribution of supplies and health services (physical and human) of the size of the population distribution and
... Show MoreIn the present study, radon gas concentration in the shallow groundwater samples of the Abu-Jir region in Anbar governorate was measured by using Rad-7 detector. The highest radon gas level in the samples is up to 9.3 Bq/L, while the lowest level is 2.1 Bq/L, with an average of 6.44±1.8 Bq/L. The annual effective dose is varied from 33.945 μSv/y to 7.66 μSv/y, with an average of 0.145±0.06 μSv/y. Consequently, the radon level in the groundwater studied is lower than the standard recommended value (11 Bq/L) reported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The potential source of radon is uranium-rich hydrocarbons that are leakage to the surface along the Abu-Jir Fault. This research did not indicate any ris
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Due to the increasing interest in the quality of auditing by writers, researchers and regulators of the auditing profession. The matter necessitated a statement of the extent to which the auditor practices professional skepticism, because of its significant impact in discovering errors and material misrepresentations contained in the financial statements in order to give the financial community confidence in them and the success of the audit process. The research aims to clarify the concept and importance of the practice of professional skepticism and its effect on the quality of the auditor's performance in Iraq. To achieve the research objectives, the two re
... Show MoreThe current research is concerned with methods of formation and their effect on the sintering process of ceramic materials. The research is divided into a number of chapters. The first chapter addressed the research structure (the research problem, importance, objective, limits, and it also defined the terms used in the research). The second chapter addressed the theoretical framework, where the theoretical framework has been divided into three sections. The first section dealt with methods of formation of ceramic materials including: Plasticizing method 2- semi-dry pressing method 3- dry pressing method 4- extrusion method 5- casting method.
The researcher found that there is a clear difference between the methods through her formati