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 presents a mathematical model describing the interaction of gut bacteria in the participation of probiotics and antibiotics, assuming that some good bacteria become harmful through mutations due to antibiotic exposure. The qualitative analysis exposes twelve equilibrium points, such as a good-bacteria equilibrium, a bad-bacteria equilibrium, and a coexisting endemic equilibrium in which both bacteria exist while being exposed to antibiotics. The theory of the Sotomayor theorem is applied to study the local bifurcation around all possible equilibrium points. It’s noticed that the transcritical and saddle-node bifurcation could occur near some of the system’s equilibrium points, while pitchfork bifurcation cannot be accrued at
... Show MorePolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent condition in women of reproductive age. It is characterized by androgen excess and chronic anovulation. Some trace elements, macroelements, and heavy metals have been linked to pathophysiological mechanisms of PCOS .
To study the alterations in the serum levels of the trace element manganese (Mn), some macroelements, magnesium(Mg) and calcium (Ca), and the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), in obese and non-obese PCOS patients; and the association of these alterations with some of the hormonal changes occurring in PCOS.
The study was carried out at Kamal Al-Samarrai Hospital (Center for Infertility treatment and in vitro Fertilization "IVF") Baghdad- Iraq. Eig
... Show MoreThe research aims to know the reverberation of the the electronica news bulletin of the ministry of higher education and scientific research in the newspapers of: (AL-Taakhi, AL-Zaman, ALAdala,AL-Sabah and Baghdad) for period from 2nd October 2011 to 1st November 2011 to explain its activity and advantage for the other newspapers and to show the importance which the newspapers showed for the study of the news subject in the bulletin, as well as,to show the proportional differences in which the newspapers interested in the subjects of the published news, and to reach to the results which lead us to good conclusions for the service of decision owner and open new horizons for the researchers to expanding in the s
... Show MoreIn this study, the genus Xylocopa Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) was revised. There were 4 species registered in our investigations: X. hottentotta Smith, 1854; X. olivieri Lepeletier, 1841; X. pubescens Spinola, 1838 and X. valga Gerstäcker, 1872, the first species was described as being found for the first time for the insect fauna of Iraq, which were obtained from Solanum melogena L. flowers. Key to the species was constructed and supported by figures of the main diagnostic characters and some morphological features, illustrated and compared with other species, which are recorded in the current survey.
Dust storms are typical in arid and semi-arid regions such as the Middle East; the frequency and severity of dust storms have grown dramatically in Iraq in recent years. This paper identifies the dust storm sources in Iraq using remotely sensed data from Meteosat-spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) bands. Extracted combined satellite images and simulated frontal dust storm trajectories, using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, are used to identify the most influential sources in the Middle East and Iraq. Out of 132 dust storms in Iraq during 2020–2023, the most frequent occurred in the spring and summer. A dust source frequency percentage map (DSFPM) is generated using ArcGIS so
... Show MoreThe present study aimed to identify the therapeutic evaluation of chitosan extracted from the fungus cushroom and pure chitosan on glucose and lipid profile in the blood of 35 male rabbits with hyperlipidemia induced experimentally by cholesterol. The tests included estimation of glucose levels, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, and very low-density lipoproteins. hyperlipidemia was induced in the male rabbits used in the study which was administered orally with cholesterol 150mg/kg body weight for a week. rabbits were divided into seven groups: control, cholesterol, pure chitosan, mushroom chitosan, cholesterol and pure chitosan, cholesterol and mushroom chitosan and cholestero
... Show MoreIsolation had been done for active substances from Thyme plant (Thymus Vulgaris) such as volatile oils, Saponins and Tannins. The percentage in form was (21.1%),(59.2%),( 9.7%) respectively. Also a study of anti-bacterial activity of extracts from Thyme using two types of pathogenic bacteria Escherichia Coli and aurous Staphylococcus showed the ability of inhibition for all different extracts by vary inhibition diameters for different active substances, concentrations and bacteria. One type of cancer cellular line used to study the effect of Thyme extracts on the growth of cells in the laboratory and thus know the specifications of extracts as anti-tumor, (L20B) cell line have been used which is mice Transformed cell Line. The possibility o
... Show MoreAll major organs may be impacted by the connective disease systemic lupus erythematosus, a separate risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). Adhesion molecules like intercellular adhesion molecules (ICAM) and vascular cell adhesion molecules (VCAM) can detect endothelial damage and dysfunction, which appear to play a crucial role. This study investigated whether people with SLE had elevated subclinical and clinical atherosclerosis risk factors. Traditional CAD risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia cannot entirely explain this elevation. It is thought that immunological dysfunction also increases CAD risk in SLE patients. The study aimed to assess early endothelial changes in SLE Iraqi female patients w
... Show MoreThe sol-gel preparation technique of transparent silica monoliths containing up to 0.5 M of samarium have been described. The sol-gel processing parameters are: acid catalyzed hydrolysis and controlled drying. The prepared monoliths are analyzed by X-ray diffraction, pycnometer measurements, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and optical spectroscopy. The oscillator strengths of the Sm3+ ions in the silica monoliths are calculated. The results show a linear concentration dependence of some Sm3+ transitions in UV/Vis absorption spectra and formation of Sm3+ clusters inside the pores structure of silica monoliths at high Sm3+ concentration
The fouling depositions of crude oil stream were studied theoretically in a shell and tube heat exchanger to investigate the effect of depositions on the heat transfer process. The employed heat exchanger was with steam flowing in the inner tubes and crude oil in the shell at different velocities and bulk temperatures. It is assumed that fouling occurs only on the heated stream side (crude oil). The analysis was carried out for turbulent flow heat transfer conditions with wide range of Reynolds number, bulk temperature and time. Many previously proposed models for fouling resistance were employed to estimate a new model for fouling rate. It is found that the fouling rate and consequently the heat transfer coefficient were affected by Rey
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