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.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious challenge for infectious disease prevention and treatment, according to the World Health Organization. It is a worldwide problem caused primarily by inappropriate and insufficient therapy, misuse of antimicrobials without physician supervision, unnecessary hospital readmissions, and other factors. AMR has several consequences, including increased medical costs and mortality. The present study aimed to evaluate imipenem resistance in gram-negative bacteria in Central Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, and determine this bacteria resistance in different samples. Initially, a total of 100 different samples were collected from child patients from October 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021. Each is
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The electrical and thermal performance of a typical single pass hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) air collector is modeled, simulated and analyzed for two selected case studies in Iraq. An improved mathematical thermo-electrical model is derived in terms of design, operating and climatic parameters of the hybrid solar collector to evaluate its important characteristics: collector flow and heat removal factors, PV maximum power point and its temperature coefficient, and overall power and efficiency. Unlike previous PV/T thermal models, the present model is obtained with some additions and corrections in radiation and convection heat coefficients for the top loss and for the air duct with more applicable sky temperature correlation. The well
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In this study we try to make a first step for making a new list for fauna and flora of Kurdistan in particular and Iraq in general. This is very important study of biodiversity of Iraq. We recognize 52 migratory and resident birds including Alectoris chukar asoica which is recently described. Also, 20 amphibians and reptiles including two snakes recently recorded Zamenis hohenackeri and Platyceps ladacesis, a new form of Asaccus sp. and sub- species of Varanuns griseus caspeius for the first time in Iraq, with many rare specimens. Thirteen different species of mammals were recognized, with comme
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Inflation is one of the important issues that the economic authorities in all countries of the world care about, where the loss of money for its function is one of the most important and largest inflationary effects that this phenomenon leaves on the economy, and Iraq, like other countries, has had its share of the problem of inflation for a long time due to the circumstances that He went through it, whether it was the wars he fought or the economic blockade that was imposed on him in the nineties of the last century. Economically, the problem of inflation is addressed through the use of fiscal policy tools, including tax increases in order to abso
... Show MoreInflation is one of the important issues that the economic authorities in all countries of the world care about, where the loss of money for its function is one of the most important and largest inflationary effects that this phenomenon leaves on the economy, and Iraq, like other countries, has had its share of the problem of inflation for a long time due to the circumstances that He went through it, whether it was the wars he fought or the economic blockade that was imposed on him in the nineties of the last century. Economically, the problem of inflation is addressed through the use of fiscal policy tools, including tax increases in order to abso
... Show MoreThe expenditures of the general budget, in its operational and investment divisions, are a basic factor in the economic and social growth of any country, and its impact on various economic activities such as income, employees , and the standard of living of members of society. This was based on a basic premise: Does increasing or decreasing investment expenditures have an effect on increasing or decreasing the tax proceeds, What is the level of relationship between them? and to achieve the goal of the research, an inductive and analytical method was chosen to measure the impact of the investment budget expenditures on the tax outcome quantitatively using the financial data obtained from The General Authority for Taxes, Ministry of Financ
... Show MoreA groundwater quality assessment has been carried out in northeast part of Anbar governorate in western Iraq. We analyzed hydrochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids presence of ions to describe groundwater quality. The study area has the only confined aquifer within the geological formation extended in area. Values of groundwater hydrochemical parameters were ranged from (7) to (7.9) for ph, (1599) to (6800) µmhos/cm for electrical conductivity (EC) and (1048) to (4446) mg/l for total dissolved solids (TDS). The origins and types of groundwater in the area were of marine origin and MgCl2 water type while only (6) samples were of continental origin and Na2SO4 wate
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Background: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia due to an inability to produce insulin. Uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes is clinically associated with increased susceptibility to delay healing. Many recent researches have shown that stem cell therapy can be the best choice for treatment of this disease. The aims of this research were investigating regeneration of pancreatic beta cells of diabetic induced rabbits after stem cell transplantation. Materials and Methods: 64 rabbits weighting an average of (2.5 - 3 kg) were used in this experimental study, and divided into 4 groups as follows; group A ( contains 16 healthy rabbits regarded as control group ) , Group B ( contains 16 diabetic rabbits
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