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.
Zubair Formation is one of the richest petroleum systems in Southern Iraq. This formation is composed mainly of sandstones interbedded with shale sequences, with minor streaks of limestone and siltstone. Borehole collapse is one of the most critical challenges that continuously appear in drilling and production operations. Problems associated with borehole collapse, such as tight hole while tripping, stuck pipe and logging tools, hole enlargement, poor log quality, and poor primary cement jobs, are the cause of the majority of the nonproductive time (NPT) in the Zubair reservoir developments. Several studies released models predicting the onset of borehole collapse and the amount of enlargement of the wellbore cross-section. However, assump
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he study aims to build a model that revolves around the main question of the role of strategic agility (SA) in enhancing organizational excellence (OE). For the purpose of achieving OE and to determine the extent of interest and knowledge of managers at the Midwest Refineries Company (MRC) on the theoretical and practical implications, and on the performance foundations of these two vital variables with the aim of continuous improvement. A questionnaire was used and distributed to a random sample of 54 managers in this important energy production company. The study followed the descriptive analytical approach to answer the questions raised. The study model and dimensions were built according to reference models, most notably the models (Al-
... Show MoreThe industrial production sector has an important role in the national economy of the advanced countries as well as the developing ones to get higher levels for their economy . We in Iraq , just like most of the develpoing countries , our economy still suffers of great shortage in this active sector in spite of the repeated statements about the desire of activating the contribution of this sector in the national economy . The industrial sector in Iraq suffers in general of many problems , especially the public industrial sector (manufacturing) . These problems have been existed because of the unnatural conditions that Iraq has passed during the previous decades especially in the political and security sides . which reflecte
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Bringing about urban, economic, and social changes in rural areas similar to those occurring in urban areas aims to reduce urban-rural disparities by providing services in those areas, decentralizing the management of these services, expanding citizen participation in local governance (decentralized administration), and achieving comprehensive development, developing and empowering localities, and keeping pace with new transformations and their impacts on the functions of the center and localities. In fact, the lack of clarity of the role of local government in planning and managing services has hindered development plans, and declined the level of services in rural areas, and has negative
... Show MoreLimited importance of research in a stand on the most important difficulties faced by both faculty and parents to communicate with each process to follow up on their children, and the analysis and inventory of the obstacles that hinder the educational process, and work to develop a vision of how to address these constraints and the important role of technology in the treatment of problems of the society so as to develop frameworks future to minimize the errors and the problems they face, and the development outlook for future generations in order to promote the educational level, especially that Iraq is going through a change in conditions in all sectors. Through the questionnaire, which includes questions set that was made on a sample o
... Show MoreThe Tulostoma genus, known as stalkballs or stalked puffballs, belongs to the Agaricaceae family. This study was designed to identify an unknown fungal species collected from the Al‐Dujail district in Iraq based on morphological examination and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Between April and July 2019, samples were collected from garden soil in the Al‐Dujail district, Salah Al‐Din Governorate, Iraq. Morphological characteristics were documented using light microscopy. Genomic DNA was extracted and purified, and the ITS region was amplified using conventional PCR with specific primers. The amplified products were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis was conducted using MEGA11 software. Morp
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This paper deals with the subject of demarcating as appropriate scientific techniques to rationalize consumption and to control segments of the society for the technical conduct of its handling of the product depending on the mix of elements (product and the volume of demand, Price, promotion and distribution), but inverse manner designed to adjust the working condition of balance between supply and demand and to ensure that rates continue in the marketing process properly, and therefore the research aims to shed light on some of the practices that reflect the Demarketing techniques, As well as the statement of the reality of attitudes towards the practice of those techniques through a sample survey of officials in Baghdad company for so
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