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.
Specimens of the hedgehog Hemiechinus auritus Gmelin. which were trapped in two places on the Eastern shores of the Tigris River, some 50 and 60 Km, south of Baghdad. central Iraq. were searched for ectoparasites. They revealed the following parasites: One species of Anoplura: polyplex spinulosa (Burm.), family Hoplople uridae, two species of fleas: Synostrnus pallidus (Tasch.) and Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche), family pulicidae, One mite species: Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst), family Macronyssidae and two tick species: Rhipicephalus leporis and R. turanicum family Ixodidae. All these ectoparasite species are new records on this hedgehog in Iraq.
Objective: This experiment was conducted to study the effects of ionized water on certain egg quality traits and the levels of proteins and enzymes in the blood of the Japanese quail Coturnix japonica . Materials and Methods: One hundred 42-day-old quail were randomly distributed among five treatment groups with four replicates for each group. The following treatments were used: T1 (control): The birds were provided normal water, T2: The birds were provided alkaline water (pH = 8), T3: The birds were provided alkaline water (pH = 9), T4: The birds were provided acidic water (pH = 6) and T5: The birds were provided acidic water (pH = 5). A Complete Randomized Design (CRD) was used to investigate the effects of the studied treatments on diffe
... Show MoreAmino and fatty acids in the liver tissue of Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis during the periods of hibernation (December) and activity (May) were estimate by a high performance liquid chromatography, liver of a lizard during the activity and hibernation seasons, contained 18 amino acids, which include, 10 essential amino acids and 8 non-essential amino acids, and the liver in the male lizard contained five fatty acids during each season, the concentration rates of all the amino acids during the activity season were higher than their counterparts during the hibernation season, the total concentrations of essential and non-essential amino acids during the activity season were 19434.8 µg/ml, which was greater than the total concentrations leve
... Show MoreThe present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of fungi Gigaspora margarita and Glomus desriticola in stimulating the resistance of the capsicum annuum L. towards the chromium and lead after 60 days, planting and using the pots in the glass house. The highest concentration of chromium and lead in the root was found in the presence of the mycorrhizal mixture (194.93, 150.40) μg / g, respectively, compared to the lowest concentration (90.69, 79.37) μg / g respectively, while the highest concentration of chromium and lead in the shoot was found in the presence of the mycorrhizal mixture (94.63, 79.33) μg / g respectively, compared with the lowest concentration in the control treatment (72.58, 60.70) μg / g respectively. The results
... Show MoreThis study aims to clarify areas of using information technology in accounting and its impact on the profession of auditors by reviewing the concept, types, areas and the importance of information technology and its implications on the audit profession as well as to clarify the extent of contribution of information technology in developing of procedures of the audit profession and what its requirement, also this study aims to enhance the theoretical side by identifying the views of a sample of auditors in Arab countries selected (Iraq, Syria, Jordan), for the extent of using of information technology in their work and level of their perception for the importance of that
Semi-empirical methods were applied for calculating the vibration frequencies and IR absorption intensities for normal coordinates of the {mono (C56H28), di (C84H28), tri (C112H28) and tetra (C140H28)} -rings layer for (7,7) armchair single wall carbon nanotube at their equilibrium geometries which were all found to have D7d symmetry point group.
Assignment of the modes of vibration (3N-6) was done depending on the pictures of their modes by applying (Gaussian 03) program. Comparison of the vibration frequencies of (mono, di, tri and tetra) rings layer which are active in IR, and inactive in Ramman spectra. For C-H stretching vibrat
... Show MoreABSTRACT. A new three metal complexes of La(III), Ce(IV) and UO2(II) ions have been synthesized based on a Schiff base derived from the condensation of L-histidine and anisaldehyde. All prepared compounds were characterized by different spectroscopic techniques and Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. The complexes were proposed to have an octahedral structure based on the investigated results. The optimized shape, numbering system, and dipole moment vector of Ligand and La, Ce, and UO2 (1:1) chelates were investigated. The Schiff base ligand and complexes exhibit moderate action against all of the bacteria tested, with P. aeruginosa, Klebsiella sp., and E. faecalis respectively being the order of inhibition.
... Show MoreThe experiment was carried out in the green house of botanical garden belong to Department of Biology/College of Education for Pure Science Ibn AL-Haitham, University of Baghdad for growing season 2017-2018 to evaluate effect of lead stress with concentrations (0, 50, 100, 150) mg.L -1 and Selenium concentrations (0, 15, 30) mg.L-1 on growth of dill plant using pots. The experiment was designed according to completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Result indicated that dill plants subjected to lead stress with height concentrations caused decrease in plant parameters (plant height, no. of branches. plant-1, root length, shoot dry weight, the content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, protein concentration, no. of umbe
... Show MoreThin films of ZnSe arc deposited on glass substrates by thermal evaporation in vacuum with different thickness (1000, 2700, 4000) A° temperature (293-373) °K are studies the electrical properties before and after annealing. The result show decrease D.0 conductivity and increasing the activation energy Eat.