Solid response postings to these discussion posts: (apa formatting)

1. This course taught me how budgeting and financial responsibility is important for public administrators and organizations to maintain trust and confidence with the community they serve. I have had some experience with how federal budgets are managed, but the scope was limited. How local, state and federal agencies prepare and utilize a budget have a variety of differences. Ultimately they are a guideline to balance the services the governments want to provide with the manner in which they are financed (Mikesell, J. L, 2018).

The budget is a living document that is subject to changes based on operations of the organization. Budgets serve as a checks and balance to make sure that spending is sustainable for services without exceeding appropriations (Mikesell, J. L, 2018). I knew budgets were complex, but I never realized they had such a variety of formats for organizations such as traditional, traditional performance, program or function and new performance/results oriented (Mikesell, J.L, 2019). These combined with cost-benefit analysis to evaluate services helps maximize resources which promote positive social change (Mikesell, J. L., 2019).

Working with the Army’s CAFR and the City of Leavenworth’s CAFR really highlighted to me the differences and similarities of budget planning, execution and evaluation between federal and local organizations. After I transition from the Army I may find myself as a public administrator in a local or state agency that requires a different budget perspective. I found that applying the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Programis a great baseline to ensure transparency of how tax payer dollars are used and the services the community can expect (Government Finance Officers Association., 2014).

Tax structures as revenue was probably one of the biggest learning points for me. While the Army uses tax payer dollars to fund their service, they are not in the business of collecting them. Researching how income tax, sales tax and property tax is collected and spent in my local community made me formulate an opinion that I do not specifically agree with how some of the services are provided. Mikesell, J. L. (2019) explains that tax rates are competitive across state and national lines and which is a powerful tool with keeping all government levels responsive to citizens demands.

Having a better understanding how budgeting works at every level of government will prepare me for future positions in civilian public administrator jobs. Closing the gap between interpersonal relations with the community and how resources are allocated will help me contribute ideas that are suited to the citizens. I believe that many lawmakers and public administrators are out of touch with citizens needs. I found this to be true in the City of Leavenworth. Having a better understanding would allow me to impact social change by making the revenue actually work for the people not just the perception made my people sitting in an office.

Mikesell, J. L. (2018). Fiscal Adminstration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (10^thed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth

Government Finance Officers Association. (2014). Distinguished Budget Presentation Award Program (Budget Awards Program). Retrieved from

http://www.gfoa.co/sites/default/files/BudgetDetailedCriteriaLocationGuideFY2015.pdf

2. The collaboration between organizations that foster global partnerships can be risky or rewarding. With the increased international mobility of capital, organizations can conduct business in foreign countries (Bretos & Marcuello, 2017). However, moving businesses to foreign countries take away local employment opportunities and appear to be only beneficial to the organization. Moreover, Ghemawat & Altman (2019) indicated that globalization is a domestic issue because most businesses are domestically located, and the U.S. imports the least related to its economic size.

However, globalization can help both markets such as with local production in the Chinese market supporting U.S. based innovations jobs and thus, can be rewarding (Zhang, 2019). Some companies are moving their productions from China because of tariffs that have been imposed by the President, and that is a risk to be considered (Zhang, 2019). The tariffs are one way to make companies consider bringing back their production to the U. S., but it might not affect the economy because of import to economic size (Ghemawat & Altman, 2019). Furthermore, because of low-cost manufacturing in foreign countries, globalization seems rewarding, and if the company returned to the U.S, they might not be able to sustain their organization (Zhang, 2019). Nevertheless, the benefits of globalization have to be weighed against the risks.

References

Bretos, I., & Marcuello, C. (2017). Revisiting global challenges and opportunities in the development of cooperatives. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 88(1), 47-73.

Ghemawat, P., & Altman, S. A. (2019). The state of globalization in 2019, and what it means for strategists. Harvard Business Review, 2-7.

Zhang, Y. (2019). USA today. (Are tariffs against China bringing factories and jobs back to the U.S.?) Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/07/12/jo…

3. At the beginning of my career I was stationed in Germany and had the opportunity to tour the George C. Marshall Center in Garmish. The center is a unique partnership between the United States and the German Ministry of Defense (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). This center focuses on global defense agency education and research on creating stable environments my promoting peace while emphasizing global partnerships to enhance security cooperations and outreach programs (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). The center offers conferences and graduate level degrees for military and civilian government officials ranging in European and North American nations (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). This center is unique because it brings together intellectuals from 10 different countries to serve as instructors (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). Studying at this center brings an equal education opportunity to military and civilian government official across the two continents where they use residencies and focused course curriculum to take on real world problems (Marshall Center, 2019). This is one way that advanced education becomes available to government officials in other countries that may perhaps be from low income and underrepresented (St. John, E. P., 2013).

The financial benefits for this center is the cooperative funding with the German Defense Ministry. The limitation is the burden of the majority of financial support comes from the United States budget. This however, has posed great positive collaboration among countries since its inception in 1993 (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). This has allowed countries to expand its knowledge based and utilize diverse cultural backgrounds to establish research and education to enhance security cooperation and techniques across the globe (George C. Marshall Center, 2019). The limitation has been a shift in financial support over the last 10 years with the United States accepting more of the financial responsibility for the maintenance and improvements of the center (George C. Marshall Center, 2019)

George C. Marshall Center (2019) The Marshal Center Mission and History. Retrieved from http://www.marshallcenter.org

St. John, E. P. (2013). Social Justice & Globalization. Harvard International Review, 35(1), 45-49 Retrieved from Walden Library databases

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