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.
The Arab realized that proverbs and their stories had a great literary and linguistic significance, accordingly, they collected them from their sources and wrote them down. Thus, researchers went in studying them in different directions. The aim of the present research is thus to study the stories of proverbs in the Holy Qur’an, Prophet’s hadiths, and in the sayings of Arabs. Such a study helps to show the extent of the relevance of their stories to the proverbs, their literary values, the points of convergence between them and what they highlight, and the extent of their proximity to reality. It further helps to determine the factors that contributed to the transformation of Quranic verses, Prophet’s hadiths, and some phrases of s
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Gas sensors are essential for detecting noxious gases that have a detrimental effect on people's health and welfare. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are the fundamental component of gas detectors. CQDs and graphene (Gr) were prepared using the electrochemical method. The gas sensitivity of these materials was evaluated at different temperatures (150, 200, 250 °C) to assess their effectiveness. Subsequently, experiments were conducted at different temperatures to ascertain that the combination of CQDs and Gr, with various percentages of Gr and CQDs, exhibited superior gas sensitization properties compared to CQDs alone. This was evaluated based on criteria such as sensitivity, recovery time, and reaction time. Interestingly, the combination was
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This research aims to improve the radiation shielding properties of polymer-based materials by mixing PVC with locally available building materials. Specifically, two key parameters of fast neutron attenuation (removal cross-section and half-value layer) were studied for composite materials comprising PVC reinforced with common building materials (cement, sand, gypsum and marble) in different proportions (10%, 30% and 50% by weight). To assess their effectiveness as protection against fast neutrons, the macroscopic neutron cross-section was calculated for each composite. Results show that neutron cross-section values are significantly affected by the reinforcement ratios, and that the composite material PVC + 50% gypsum is an effect
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The laminar fluid flow of water through the annulus duct was investigated numerically by ANSYS fluent version 15.0 with height (2.5, 5, 7.5) cm and constant length (L=60cm). With constant heat flux applied to the outer duct. The heat flux at the range (500,1000,1500,2000) w/m2 and Reynolds number values were ≤ 2300. The problem was 2-D investigated. Results revealed that Nusselt number decrease and the wall temperature increase with the increase of heat flux. Also, the average Nusselt number increase as Re increases. And as the height of the annulus increase, the values of the temperature and the local and average Nusselt number increase.
Optical properties of Rhodamine-B thin film prepared by PLD
technique have been investigated. The absorption spectra using
1064nm and 532 nm laser wavelength of different laser pulse
energies shows that all the curves contain two bands, B band and Q
bands with two branches, Q1 and Q2 band and a small shift in the
peaks location toward the long wavelength with increasing laser
energy. FTIR patterns for Rhodamine-B powder and thin film within
shows that the identified peaks were located in the standard values
that done in the previous researches. X-ray diffraction patterns of
powder and prepared Rhodamine-B thin film was display that the
powder has polycrystalline of tetragonal structure, while the thin film
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The parameters of resistance spot welding (RSW) performed on low strength commercial aluminum sheets are investigated experimentally, the performance requirements and weldability issues were driven the choice of a specific aluminum alloy that was AA1050. RSW aluminum alloys has a major problem of inconsistent quality from weld to weld comparing with welding steel
alloys sheet, due to the higher thermal conductivity, higher thermal expansion, narrow plastic temperature range, and lower electrical resistivity. Much effort has been devoted to the study of describing the relation between the parameters of the process (welding current, welding time, and electrode force) and weld strength. Shear-tensile strength tests were performed to ind
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This paper details the process of designing, analysing, manufacturing, and testing an integrated solid-state hydrogen storage system. Analysis is performed to optimise flow distribution and pressure drop through the channels, and experimental investigations compare the effects of profile shape on the overall power output from the fuel cell. The storing of hydrogen is given much attention in the selection of a storage medium, and the effect of a cooling system to reduce the recharging time of the hydrogen storage vessel. The PTFE seal performed excellently, holding pressure over 60 bar, despite requiring changing each time the cell is opened. The assembly of the vessel was simple and straightforward, and there was no indication of pressure
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A hydraulic platform was manufactured to serve palm trees and to enhance palm tree services, with a height of 12 meters, by the General Company for Hydraulic Industries, one of the Ministry of Industry's formations. This platform was tested in the field after being manufactured according to a randomized complete block design using split-split plots with three factors. The first factor represented the shape of the orchard land, with two levels (flat land and uneven land), serving as the main plots. The second factor had three levels representing palm tree heights (4, 8, and 12 meters), which served as the sub-plots. The third factor was the palm tree services, represented at three levels (pruning, pollination, and harvesting), with each trea
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