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: Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity, it can affect a person's thoughts, behavior and sense of well-being. It can affect oral health and lead to an increased risk of dental caries. Dental caries is the most common oral infectious diseases that stresses the immune system and causes changes in cellular and molecular components of peripheral blood and C-Reactive Protein is one of these components, considered a key biomarker of inflammation. This study was conducted to assess the effect of depression status on dental caries among 17 years old secondary school female students in relation to salivary C-Reactive Protein. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried and the whole sample composed of
... Show MoreAim of the study: Is to evaluate the effect of myrrh oil local application on the healing process of skin wounds histologically , histomorphometrically and , histochemically. Materials and methods:Twenty male white New Zealand rabbits were used in this study. An incisional wounds with full thickness depth and of 2 cm length were done on both sides of the cheek skin of each rabbit. The left sided incisions (the control group) were irrigated with distilled water (10µL). The right sided incisions (the experimental groups) were treated with myrrh oil (10µL). Each group was subdivided into 4 subgroups according to the healing interval into 1,3,7 and 14 days(5 rabbits for each group). Results: Histological findings of our current study s
... Show MoreGliotoxin (GT) is sulfur-containing mycotoxin within the 2,5-diketopiperazines class. First discovery from Gliocladium. Later discovered from different strains belonging to Aspergillus fumigatus mainly those have glicluster. This study outlines a study on the histological effects of gliotoxin (GT) on mouse brain and spleen tissues using light and electron microscopy, with a focus on its interaction with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Histopathological changes through MMPs expressing variability estimated by using Immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mature mice were injected intraperitoneally with acute doses determined by data response analysis (EC50/IC50) as (125, 250, and 500 μg/ml) of GT and compared with a control group that received (metha
... Show MoreThe Effect of Chicken Eggshell Extract on Microhardness of Artificially Induced Dental Erosion in Permanent Teeth (In Vitro Study), Shatha A Abbas*, Alhan A Qasim
Modern communication and media technology has pioneered new horizons and curried out deep changes in the various fields of social life, It effected enormously human communication as well.
Content one Who late the developments which have effected the social relations ،due to the new media ،especially Face book ,will certainly notice the far cry changes of the social relation net which has been effected ,in a way or another ،the accelerated development ،under the appearance of the so called the virtual society .
Face book has embodied the means – communication ,which has become an important turn point in the social communication .
It is the point the present paper tries to expose an discuss by a field study curried on a sam
The interest of many companies has become dealing with the tools and methods that reduce the costs as one of the most important factors of successful companies, and became the subject of the attention of many economic units because of the impact on the profits of company, and since the nineties of the last century the researchers and writers gave great attention to this subject, especially in light of the large competition and rapid developments in cost management techniques, as well as the wide and significant change in production methods that have been directed towards achieving customer satisfaction, all this and more driven by economic units in all sectors whether it is service or productivity to find methods that would reduc
... Show MoreThe current article focuses on studying the social organization reality of the Iraqi society; it aims to construct an Iraqi organized personality that believe in the principles of Islamic religion by making use of the sociology thoughts in explaining the strength of social organization, and the causes of social deviance in attempt of decreasing the deviance and strengthening the cohesion of Iraqi character.
The researchers put forward some questions: to what extent the western theoretical pattern can succeed in explaining the social organization of the Iraqi society? What is the more appropriate western theory for diagnosing the cohesion and deviance of the society? What is the s
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The research problem Focused about extent adoption of the financial reporting obligations and assets of the deferred income tax attributable to the concepts of accounting theory and whether the tax laws or accounting principles as well as local accounting rules to recognize the obligations and assets of deferred income tax in the financial statements, and what is the impact of the financial reporting of liabilities and assets Deferred tax in the quality of accounting information, and research aims to the statement of the accounting concepts of the theory of financial reporting obligations and assets of deferred income tax, view and analyze the differences in reporting, resulting from a discrepanc
... Show MoreThe article approaches the characteristics of Russian literature in the time of Khrushchev or the "thaw" period a very short period of Soviet history, characterized by the easing of the dictatorship of power and relaxation in various areas of people's lives. The interest in the research is focused on the importance of interpreting the family portrait in a short but distinct period in the development of Russian/Soviet literature. The research material is the story of Sholokhov's “The Fate of Man” 1956, the story of Panova “Serioga” 1955, and Abramov’s story “Fatherless” 1961. В статье рассматриваются особенности художественной литературы периода хруще
... Show MoreThe Research dealt with the role of the target costs in reducing the cost of products in the General Company for soft drinks. One the modern approaches reduce costs and thus increase the ability and continuity to compete in the market. Where the problem of research in identifying the shortcomings in the traditional method used in the company sample research. Which led to a weak control of the cost and the researcher relied on data and costs of the company. The research recommended that the target cost of the company should be applied to the research sample. Training the employees. In addition, preparing training courses for them. He stressed the need to address obstacles that prevent the existence of an effective cost system. Including t
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