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.
To investigate the research objectives, the researchers put the following hypothesis:
There was no statistically significant difference at the level of (0.05) between the average score of the students of the experimental group who studied the language of rhetoric according to model of learning method, and the average score of the students of the control group who studied the same article in the traditional way acquiring rhetorical concept. The researchers relied on the experimental design with the partial setting of the post-test, which depends on the experimental group that is taught using the model of the learning method, and the control group taught using the traditional method.
... Show MoreAleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was born in 1918 in Kislovodsk. His father was educated, and despite his peasantry origin, he got a university degree. Unfortunately, however, Solzhenitsyn could not recognize his father, for he died before his birth.
Solzhenitsyn was accused of being an opponent to the Soviet Union due to his activities of that time. He was exiled to a forced labour camp for eight years, on the surroundings of Moscow. He spent three years in Kazakhstan, and was sent to the life exile. He was set free in 1956. He worked as a teacher in in rural schools in Vladimir and then in Rezhran.
His greatest works were in the reign of Kherchov, and in 1962 appeared his story under the title of "One day in
... Show MoreIn this current work, Purpose; to clearly the fundamental idea for constructing a design and
investigation of spur gear made of composite material its comes from the combination of (high
speeds, low noise, oil-les running, light weight, high strength, and more load capability)
encountered in modern engineering applications of the gear drives, when the usual metallic gear
cannot too overwhelming these combinations.
An analyzing of stresses and deformation under static and dynamic loading for spur gear tooth
by finite element method with isoparametric eight-nodded in total of 200 brick element with 340
nods in three degree of freedom per node was selected for this analysis. This is responsible for the
catastropic fa
Medicinal plants contain bioactive substances that are highly bioavailable in extracts or pure molecules, making them promising for therapeutic applications and precursors for chemo-pharmaceutical semi-synthesis. Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw) is widely recognized as one of the most potent therapeutic herbs. This study aimed to extract seeds from H. procumbens using two types of solvents and to assess both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the extracts. The two extracts were evaluated for antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities using agar well diffusion assays against four bacterial isolates and two yeast isolates. Qualitative analysis identified the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpen
... Show MoreMedicinal plants contain bioactive substances that are highly bioavailable in extracts or pure molecules, making them promising for therapeutic applications and precursors for chemo-pharmaceutical semi-synthesis. Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw) is widely recognized as one of the most potent therapeutic herbs. This study aimed to extract seeds from H. procumbens using two types of solvents and to assess both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the extracts. The two extracts were evaluated for antibacterial and anti-biofilm activities using agar well diffusion assays against four bacterial isolates and two yeast isolates. Qualitative analysis identified the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, and terpen
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to assess the nutritional status for samples at the age of 17-15 years. These samples were taken from secondary schools and universities in Baghdad area, 123 of them were male and 261 were female. Data on weight, height and body mass index (BMI) were determined in each individual. Smaller sample of 215 individuals (male and female) from the original sample was taken in order to record their nutritional behavior and daily food intake during the 24 hours prior to the visit through personal meeting using special questionnaire. The results showed that the weight and the height were within the range of the people of neighboring Arab countries, who are in the same age. Beside 44.4- 55.95% of these samples were within t
... Show MoreThe dewatering arrangement is required in execution works and it needs more attention due to the additional vertical settlement produced on the adjacent pile foundations. Raft foundations are being increasingly utilized for construction in cases of subsoil conditions with a high water table. Also, soil displacements in adjacent un-braced deep open pit may be a reason for high damages to the close buildings and foundations systems. The aim of this study is to examine the behaviour of piled raft foundations considering different pile locations under the effect of line drain and stage drilling of nearby open foundation pit. The line drain was used as dewatering process through the soil i
The present investigation developed the ester prodrugs of Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), Mefenamic acid and Flurbiprofen by conjugating with the natural antioxidant, 4-methyl umbelliferone that resulted the formation of Mefenamic acid-umbelliferone ester prodrug and Flurbiprofen-umbelliferone ester prodrug .The principal objective this study is the synthesis of the ester prodrugs of NSAIDs with the enhanced therapeutic activity and minimized side effects. Prodrugs were synthesized by coupling method using N,N’- dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/4-dimethylaminopyrimidine, subjected to physical, chemical characterization, spectral characterization (IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and Mass spectra),hydro
... Show MoreInternational law has proven that it is an evolving and flexible law over the years, and despite that, this development takes a very long time, as the concept of peremptory norms took 83 years to crystallize and have concrete and impactful applications, and within this development another modern concept emerged, which is the obligations Erga Omnes in the Barcelona Traction case 1970. We have concluded that these two concepts fall under a broader concept, which is peremptory norms, and this concept represents the common supreme interests of the international community, and consists of rules that transcend all other rules in international law, and it is not permissible to derogate or deviate from them. On the other hand, it bears the oblig
... Show More