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.
This study is considered to be the first on this sector of Tigris River after 2003, to evaluate the effect of Tharthar Arm on the composition and diversity of Copepoda in Tigris River. Six sampling sites were selected; two on the Tharthar Arm and four sites along the Tigris River, one before the confluence as a control site and the others downstream the confluence; thirty-five copepod taxa were recorded, 34 taxa in the Tigris River and 25 taxa in the Tharthar Arm.
The highest density of Copepoda was in site 2 at Tharthar Arm was 265584.2 Ind./m3 lead to an increasing in Copepoda density in Tigris River from 63878.2 Ind./m3 in site 1 before the confluence to 127198.3 Ind./m3 in site 4 immediately downstream the confluence. Also, the me
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Background: Relapse of previously moved teeth, is major clinical problem in orthodontics with respect to the goals of successful treatment. This study investigated the effect of orthodontic relapse on the proliferation of fibroblast and epithelial rests of Malassez cells in periodontal ligament of rat molars. Materials and Methods: Sixteen ten-week- old male Wister rats were randomly divided into four groups composed of four animals each: Group I received no orthodontic force (control). In both Group II and Group III, uniform standardized expansive springs were used for moving the maxillary first molars buccally for periods of one and three weeks respectively. The spring initially generated an average expansive force of 20 g on each side.
... Show MorePigeons have accompanied humans since ancient time because they are used as a source of food, pets, hobby, and religious symbols. Pigeons have shown high prevalence rate of infection with gastrointestinal helminths and protozoan. This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of parasitic infections in the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica) from October, 2017 to April, 2018, purchased from bird market of Zakho City, Kurdistan region. The samples were taken from 50 adult pigeons (28 males and 22 females). The birds were transferred to Parasitology Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Zakho University. In the laboratory, each bird was sacrificed and immediately the feather and skin of under wings, chest and the rest of the
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The dividends is one of difficult and important decisions taken by the administration in the economic units, because this decision has a direct impact on the investor and economic unit, so the main objective of any investor is achieve earnings, as well as information borne by dividends about the earnings quality of the economic unit and the level and efficiency of management to achieving earnings.
The research aims at explaining the effect of the dividends policy on the earnings quality in the companies listed in the Iraq Stock Exchange. The Miller model was used to measu
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Bacterial meningitis is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide. It is crucial for clinical and public health care, as well as disease control, to identify the meningitis-causing agent promptly. Between June 2021-February 2022, a total of 100 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood samples were collected from suspected cases of meningitis admitted to Raparin Paediatric Teaching Hospital, Erbil city-Iraq. Cytochemical, cultural, and biochemical tests were conducted, and confirmed by molecular techniques. Bacterial culture findings were positive in 7% of CSF samples and just one positive among blood samples. The most common pathogens found by cultural characteristics and VITEK 2 Compact System were Staphylococcus sciuri in two
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The world's renewable energy sources have taken on great importance, for its cleanness and its environmental effects as well as being a renewable source, Increased demand for fossil energy sources is also causing global warming and climate change. Iraq is an appropriate area for renewable energy This study shows that renewable alternative energy has not been used sufficiently enough at present. But this energy can play an important role in the future of renewable energy in Iraq. This research aims to study the renewable energy in Iraq (solar energy) and it is appropriate to develop this alternative energy for crude oil, which is characterized by the use of the most appropriate and less economical and more environmentally friendly. Solar
... Show MoreDiabetes imposes a substantial public health burden; according to the International Diabetes Federation, there were about 3.4 million diabetes related deaths worldwide in 2024, and in Iraq, the Federation reports that one in nine adults lives with diabetes in 2024, with 14,683 adult deaths attributable to diabetes and a total diabetes related health expenditure of 2,078 million United States dollars. The dataset analyzed in this study contains 1,000 records collected in 2020 from two Iraqi teaching hospitals and includes multiple clinical and laboratory measurements with three outcome classes, namely Non diabetic, Pre diabetic, and Diabetic, with a low prevalence of the Pre diabetic class and an imbalanced overall class distribution; the da
... Show MoreThe current study included a review of the registration and description of the Theretra alecto Boi, 1827 (Levant hawk moth), samples were collected from various areas of the Baghdad belt and the provinces of the Middle Euphrates, confirmation in the description was on the most important parts of the body included the head and it's appendages, pronotum, wings as well as male and female genitalia. The morphological characteristics under study were enhanced by illustrations and images. Information on the locations and date of the collection was also confirmed. This study aims to identify the most important characteristics of the diagnosis of the species and the review of appearance variations, especially the analytical style of wings, coupling
... Show MoreThe present study involves experimental analysis of the modified Closed Wet Cooling Tower (CWCT) based on first and second law of thermodynamics, to gain a deeper knowledge in this important field of engineering in Iraq. For this purpose, a prototype of CWCT optimized by added packing under a heat exchanger was designed, manufactured and tested for cooling capacity of 9 kW. Experiments are conducted to explore the effects of various operational and conformational parameters on the towers thermal performance. In the test section, spray water temperature and both dry bulb temperature and relative humidity of air measured at intermediate points of the heat exchanger and packing. Exergy of water and air were calculated by applying the exergy
... Show MoreSports management is a fundamental pillar that supports sports institutions and plays a pivotal role in achieving advanced levels of success in talent development. The Talent Development Project is one of the key strategic initiatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. This study compares department heads with effective managerial competence to those with ineffective competence to highlight differences in performance quality. Through this comparison, the urgent need to assess the administrative performance skills of the heads of sports talent departments becomes evident, particularly their ability to lead and manage the Sports Talent Development Project. The objective is to identify strengths and weaknesses, establish a clear framework fo
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