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.
Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a potent vasoconstrictor hormone that has been identified as an important factor
responsible for the development of cardiovascular dysfunctions. ET-1 exerts its vasoconstrictor activity
through two pharmacologically distinct receptors, ETA and ETB that are found in vascular smooth muscle
cells (VSMCs) and the vasodilator activity through an ETB receptor located on endothelial cells. This study
aimed to show the impact of 1µM L-arginine (LA), 100µM tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), and their combined
effect on ET-1 activity in both lead-treated and lead-untreated rat aortic rings. This means, investigating how
endothelial dysfunction reverses the role of nitric oxide precursor and cofa
Background: Prolonged infections caused by High-risk HPVs have the potential to cause cancer in the regions of the body where they infect cells, including the cervix or the oropharynx, which refers to the rear part of the throat. Aims: To detection of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) -IgM , IL-10 and TNF among Iraqi women Methods: A total of 89 blood sample were collected from females with various cervical lesions and 40 blood samples were collected from apparently healthy along with a control group of 40 healthy females. The presence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) -IgM, IL-10 and TNF in the collected samples was assessed using the ELISA technique. Results: The positivity rate of HPV IgM was 13.5%. This positivity was higher among individuals age
... Show MoreThe most significant function in oil exploration is determining the reservoir facies, which are based mostly on the primary features of rocks. Porosity, water saturation, and shale volume as well as sonic log and Bulk density are the types of input data utilized in Interactive Petrophysics software to compute rock facies. These data are used to create 15 clusters and four groups of rock facies. Furthermore, the accurate matching between core and well-log data is established by the neural network technique. In the current study, to evaluate the applicability of the cluster analysis approach, the result of rock facies from 29 wells derived from cluster analysis were utilized to redistribute the petrophysical properties for six units of Mishri
... Show MoreBackground:In this study,TiO2 layer was thermally grown as a diffusion barrier on CP Ti substrate prior to electrophoretic deposition of HA coatings, to improve the coating’s compatibility also macro and micro pores in nano Hydroxyapatite dual coatings were created and their effect on the bond strength between the bone and implant was evaluated. Materials and methods: Electrophoretic Deposition technique (EPD) was used to obtain coatings for each one of four types of Hydroxyapatite(HA)on CP Ti screws (micro HA, nano HA, dual nano HA with micro pores, dual nano HA with macro pores) where carbon particles used as fugitive material to be removed by thermal treatment to create porosity.For examination of the changes occurred on the subs
... Show MoreAbstract
Objective (s): To evaluate reasons for partial compliance and non-compliance to the
routine childhood vaccination schedule in Al-Karkh district
Methodology: Descriptive study , using the evaluation approach, is carried throughout the present study to determine the reasons for the Routine Childhood Vaccination at health care sectors and primary health care centers at Al-Karkh District in Baghdad City, Convenient, non-probability, sample of (90) mother who are recruited from health care sectors at Al-Karkh District in Baghdad City. All mothers, who ha
... Show MoreBanks face many of the various risks: which are of dangerous phenomena that cause the state achieved a waste of money and a threat to future development plans to be applied to reach the goals set by: prompting banks and departments to find appropriate solutions and fast: and it was within these solutions rely on Banking risk management and effective role in defining and identifying: measuring and monitoring risk and trying to control and take risks is expected to occur in order to encircle and make it in within acceptable limits: and try to avoid them in the future to reduce the losses that are likely to be exposed to the bank: and it began to emerge and dominate a lot of legislation that seeks to structure the year risk management and t
... Show MoreVitamin D is one of several nutrients essential for calcium metabolism. Body weight status and magnesium may influence vitamin D activity. To determine whether salivary vitamin D, magnesium, and calcium levels are associated with body weight status and dental caries severity in children, this cross‐sectional research was conducted.
The sample consisted of 180 boys aged 6–8 years. According to their body mass index (BMI), children were assigned to three groups of 60 boys (normal weight, overweight, and obese). Moreover,
Background: Helicobacters are motile curved, oxidase and catalase positive,
gram negative rods similar in morphology to vibrios. The cells have polar flagella
and are often attached at their ends given pairs "S" shapes or seagull
appearance.
Object i ves: The present study was undertaken to estimate the serodiffusion of
H. pylori and hepatitis A virus (HAV) in 300 patients attending two centers in
Baghdad.
Metthods:: HAV was determined by the detection of HAV-IgM in the serum samples. Detection of H. pylori was by ELISA and endoscopic examination.
Resul t s: The serodiffusion of H. pylori was 40% (n=120). Out of the 120
patients infected with H. pylori, 50(41 .6%) patients were diagnosed clinically to
have g