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 author addresses the issue of the linguoculturological component in the process of teaching Russian to Arabic students, focuses on the peculiarities of the national character of students. The author also refers to the long-standing ties of Russian and Arab cultures, thus emphasizing the relevance of this aspect for the current state and situation of the Russian language in Arab countries.
Автор статьи обращается к вопросу лингвокультурологической составляющей в процессе преподавания русского языка арабским студентам, останавливается на особенностях национального хара
... Show More
Background: Hair loss is a common distressing disease and challenging problem for many dermatologist. Telogen effluvium is the most common hair loss disease in which nutritional deficiencies may precipitate the disease through their effect on hair structure and growth.
Study Aim : Validating role of serum ferritin level and body mass index in Chronic Telogen Effluvium and analyzing association between these factors with socioeconomic, demographic, gynecological factors and weight loss effect. Establishing a nutritional preventive advice to improve treatment successfulness and decrease the disease occurrence.
... Show More
(12)
the Current research aims to identify the psychological stressors coping strategies and their relationship to the cognitive motivation among Al-Anbar University students through the following hypotheses: 1) no statistically significant differences at a level (0.05) among the sample according to the instrumental support strategy depending on the variable type and specialization, 2) No statistically significant differences at a level (0.05) among the sample in regard of coping avoiding strategy depending on the variable type and specialization, 3) There is no statistically significant difference at a level (0.05) in cognitive motivation level among Al-Anbar University students, 4) No statistically significant differences at a level (0.05)
... Show MorePraise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the Master of Messengers and his family and companions.
The study of the jurisprudential opinions of scholars, their choices, or their weightings, sheds light on the approach they followed in their choices, and reveals the originality of the scholar or his influence on those who preceded him from among the scholars.
And the commentators of the noble hadith of the Prophet have their important contributions in this aspect, as they undertake the task of explaining the noble hadith, the second source of legislation
Contemporary commentators have their share in the service of the honorable hadith, and the statement of their choices and preferences, and am
... Show MoreBackground: Obesity has become one of the most important public heath problems all over the world.An epidemic of obesity is affecting children and adolescents across the developed and developing countries in recent years. As the prevalence of obesity increased, so did the prevalence of co morbidities like metabolic and endocrine diseases.Objectives: To overview obesity clinical features and the prevalence of associated co morbidities in children and adolescents attended the obesity researches and therapy center in Alkindy medical collage.Type of study: This is a cohort observational studyMethods : Obese child and adolescents aged 4-15year attended the obesity research and therapy unit in AL Kindy medical collage from the 1st of September
... Show MoreIn this investigation, metal matrix composites (MMCs) were manufactured by using powder technology. Aluminum 6061 is reinforced with two different ceramics particles (SiC and B4C) with different volume fractions as (3, 6, 9 and 12 wt. %). The most important applications of particulate reinforcement of aluminum matrix are: Pistons, Connecting rods etc. The specimens were prepared by using aluminum powder with 150 µm in particle size and SiC, B4C powder with 200 µm in particle size. The chosen powders were mixed by using planetary mixing setup at 250 rpm for 4hr.with zinc stearate as an activator material in steel ball milling. After mixing process the powders were compacted by hydraulic
... Show More
(1)
Laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation are considered the most invasive stimuli in anesthesia. They provoked cardiovascular responses that include hypertension, tachycardia and dysrhythmias. Various pharmacological approaches have been used to blunt or attenuate such pressor responses. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of medazolom, lignocaine and propranolol as a valuable adjuvant to fentanyl in attenuating hemodynamic responses to endotracheal intubation in normotensive patients. Thirty two patient with physical status I or II according to the score of American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA), scheduled for elective surgery under standard general anesthesia, were randomly allocated into four groups (8 patients in ea
... Show More