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.
The present study aimed to investigate the effects of cages of fish farming of Mussayyib district,The fish farming have been selected at Euphrates river with in Mussayyib districtBabylon province the area of study extend 3 Km at the river and includes 541 cages in water with in 46 fish farming . Water samples were taken from 3 stations three times within one month for each two of them were taken from two water purification stations in mussayyib ,physical and chemical examination of water quality were taken ,The results for samples from the fish farming indicated that PH and salinity of water within acceptable levels, high proporation of dissolved oxygen and vital oxygen required were very high while the turbidity was more t
... Show MoreThis study investigated the effect of using brainstorming as a teaching technique on the students’ performance in writing different kinds of essays and self regulation among the secondary students. The total population of this study, consisted of (51) female students of the 5th Secondary grade in Al –kawarzmi School in Erbil during the academic year 2015-2016. The chosen sample consisted of 40 female students, has been divided into two groups. Each one consists of (20) students to represent the experimental group and the control one. Brainstorming technique is used to teach the experimental group, and the conventional method is used to teach the control group. The study inst
... Show MoreThe research aims to shed light on the importance of forensic accounting and its impact on the outcome of the activity of the Iraqi general insurance company by winning the lawsuits filed against the company because the forensic accountant (the judicial expert) possesses the ability to interpret and analyze the data. The research community represents the insurance companies in Iraq. Iraqi insurance, and the researchers adopted the descriptive approach in covering the theoretical aspect and the deductive approach in covering the practical side, depending on the financial statements of the Iraqi insurance company for the years of research.
One of the most important conclusions reached by the researchers was that forensic accounting
... Show More
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is the refractive technique that began with a physical scraping of the epithelial layer of cornea subsequent by laser treatment. Post this procedure to about 48 hours the removed epithelial layer regenerated to protect the eye again. The regeneration process (called re-epithelization) started from the limbus of the cornea toward the central part of it. The re-epithelization mechanism consists of a change in cell density (mitosis) and cell concentration (migration) with a velocity in two directions: radial and tangential. In the present study, an estimation for both radial (responsible for the overlapped layers toward the outward direction of the cornea) and tangential comp
... Show More
The purpose of this research is to design a list of the scientific and moral values that should be found in the content of the computer textbook for the second intermediate grade, as well as to analyze the content of the above- mentioned book by answering the following question:
What is the percentage of availability of scientific and moral values in the content of the computer textbook for Second Intermediate grade issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Education / the general directorate of the curriculum, for the academic year (2017-2018)?
In order to achieve the research objectives, the descriptive method (content analysis method) was adopted. The research community has been iden
... Show MoreThe city of Karbala is one of the most important holy places for visitors and pilgrims from the Islamic faith, especially through the Arabian visit, when crowds of millions gather to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussein. Offering services and medical treatments during this time is very important, especially when the crowds head to their destination (the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (a.s)). In recent years, the Arba'in visit has witnessed an obvious growth in the number of participants. The biggest challenge is the health risks, and the preventive measures for both organizers and visitors. Researchers identified various challenges and factors to facilitating the Arba'in visit. The purpose of this research is to deal with the religious an
... Show MoreThe study aims at knowing students’ academic assistance at the Department of Kindergarten. It further aims to know the difference of academic assistance among these students with respects to variables like (college of education for women, Baghdad, Thi-Qar). It also aims to know about the difference according to the academic level variable, in addition to its relation to some other variables. To achieve the objectives of the study, a number of university female students were selected from both Baghdad an Thi-Qar Universities in the academic year 2019-2020. The sample of the participants consisted of (400) students from the (second, third, and fourth) levels. To measure the study variable represented by the concept of academic assistance
... Show More
Cardiovascular risk is independently increased by plasma lipids abnormalities (low- density and high density lipoprotein -cholesterol and triglycerides). Most patients have more than one lipid abnormality. Combination therapy with lipid-modifying agents could offer an important therapeutic option for improving the overall lipid profile. Combinations have demonstrated to provide additive efficacy and significant reductions in coronary events . This study was designed to evaluate the effect of ezetimibe, when used in combination with other hypolipidaemic agents ( statins) on lipid profile as well as on liver function ,renal function, oxidative stress, and platele
... Show More
(1)
Trace elements concentrations are frequently reported to be a good indicator for diagnosis and prognosis of some disease. The levels of copper, zinc, manganese, and magnesium were measured in serum of two group. Group one contains (52) newborn jaundice patients while the second group contains (20) healthy newborn used as controls.
In this study the concentration of Cu, Zn, Mg, and Mn were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). It has been found that zinc level is significantly lower in newborn jaundice patients compared with normal subjects at (p<0.05) , also the level of Cu, Mg, and Mn were significantly
... Show More