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.
Through this descriptive study of the image of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the independent Iraqi press, the researcher relies on surveys, content analysis, and observation tools. The research community selected was the Iraqi independent press, represented by the Al-Zaman, Al-Dustour, and Al-Mada newspapers. The researcher adopts the comprehensive inventory method for newspaper issues produced between October 2019 and January 2020.
The results of this study show that Iran's interference in Iraq's internal affairs was one of the most prominent components of the picture that independent Iraqi newspapers seek to paint about the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Background: The accuracy of fitness of any dental casting is imperative for the success of any prosthodontic treatment. From the time that dental casting was first introduced, efforts have been made to produce more accurate and better fitted castings with minimal marginal discrepancy. The aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of three different investing and burnout techniques on the vertical marginal discrepancies ofceramometalcopings invested with two types of phosphate- bonded investments. Materials and methods: Sixty wax patterns were fabricated on a standardized prepared brass die representing an upper central incisor by the aid of a custom-made split mold. Three different investing and burnout techniques were applied
... Show MoreShowing animal shapes is one of the primary topics since the discovery of cave drawings, with semantic discourses, as they appeared in the ancient civilization of Iraq, with their discourse and intellectual structure, and their reflections on their plastic achievements. The research deals with three topics: the first (an introduction to the concept of discourse), the second: (the historical roots of animal forms), and the third (the manifestation of animal forms and their discourse, in Mesopotamia). Mesopotamian fauna and its concepts? What are the?, Its importance was also represented in: the presence of animals and their semantic and conceptual discourse, especially the sculptures (the lion and the bull), with the aim of revealing the
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The research has designed for studying the relationship between manufacturing strategy and its flexibility under the flexible manufacturing system with their reflection on the competitive environmental performance of the firm. To interpret and tackle the problem, a hypothesis has formulated stating that “ the competitive performance of a firm is interpreted by the manufacturing strategy and flexibility which are derived from the firm and its business strategies under the flexible manufacturing system”. Related literatures with their theoretical dissertations, which enhanced the thoughtful content, have analyzed. An illustrative case study on the flexible manufacturing system at Toyota Motors Corporation working at the g
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The recent advances in technology, the increased dependence on electrical energy and the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) were all factors in the increased need for smart, efficient and reliable energy systems. This introduced the concept of the Smart Grid (SG). A SG is a potential replacement for older power grids, capable of adapting and distributing energy based on demand. SG systems are complex. They combine various components and have high requirements for real time reliable operation. This paper attempts to provide an overview of SG systems, by outlining SG architecture and various components. It also introduces communication technologies, integration and network management tools that are involved in SG sys
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Mixed convection heat transfer to air inside an enclosure is investigated experimentally. The bottom wall of the enclosure is maintained at higher temperature than that of the top wall which keeps in oscillation motion, whereas the left and right walls are well insulated. The differential temperature of the bottom and top walls changed several times in order to accurately characterize the temperature distribution over a considerable range of Richardson number. Adjustable aspect ratio box was built as a test rig to determine the effects of Richardson number and aspect ratio on the flow behavior of the air inside the enclosure. The flow fields and the average Nusselt number profiles were presented in this wo
... Show MorePremature degradation is the problem of maxillofacial silicones, significantly affected by ultraviolet exposure, contributing to silicones photodegradation. Degradation necessitates frequent replacement of prostheses that increase the total cost of rehabilitation.
This study evaluated the effect of bisoctrizole on the ultraviolet absorption properties of silicone material and the stability of this absorption over time. Also, the bisoctrizole effect on the surface roughness of silicone was evaluated.
Background: The study was designed to evaluate the effect of local application of exogenous VEGF/collagen I separately and as a combination in socket healing. Sixty male Albino Wistar rats were subjected for a surgical tooth extraction of upper 1st molar of both sides (right side was considered as experimental site, while left be the control one, treated with 1µL of normal saline). The rats were scarified at 3, 7, 14, 28 days post extraction. Socket healing was histologically examined with immunohistochemistochemical localization of ALP&FGF2. Materials and Method: Sixty male Albino Wistar rats were subjected for a surgical tooth extraction of upper 1stmolar of both sides (right side was considered as experimental site, while left be the
... Show MoreBackground: White spot lesions are esthetic problems caused by subsurface enamel demineralization that seen as white opacity. Aim of the study: This study aimed to evaluate and to compare the color change after the treatment of the white spot lesions with resin ‹nϔ‹Žtrƒt‹on and micro abrasion. Materials and Methods: rt‹ϔ‹…‹ƒŽ white spot lesions were generated on 48 premolar teeth by the use of a demineralization solution. The teeth were randomly divided using the Diagnodent into three study groups (16 teeth for each group) depending on the depth of the induced lesions: outer enamel, inner enamel and outer dentine. Then each group was fatherly subdivided into two groups (8 teeth for each group) the ϔ‹rst group was treated wit
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