Category: Essay

Week 5 Discussion
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Balanced Federal Budgets
Economists differ in their ideas about using government spending to stimulate the economy. Some economists follow British political-economist John Maynard Keynes in advocating increased government expenditure to stimulate the economy when it is in recession. In their view, the federal deficit will decline when the economy improves. Others favor allowing market forces to restore equilibrium when the economy is in recession. They believe that the deficit stifles economic growth and prosperity.
You can learn the policy preferences of a city, county, state, other government agency, or a non-profit organization by analyzing its budget. The budget is a plan for allocating the resources required to provide specific services and address strategic priorities.
For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources and focus on the implications of the federal deficit on a public and non-profit organization. Then, select a position either for or against a balanced federal budget. Consider whether the gap needs to be closed or whether there are legitimate reasons for borrowing.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 a description of your position on a balanced national budget. Justify your position for or against a balanced national budget by explaining the gains and losses associated with your position.
Be sure to support your posting and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Respectfully challenge a colleague’s position on a balanced national budget using the Learning Resources or personal experience.
Ask a probing question about your colleague’s position on a balanced national budget.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.

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Week 4 Discussion
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Obstacles to Strategic Financial and Fiscal Planning
Every organization, including governments, must survive in an environment full of opportunities and threats. Governments must find ways around threats and take advantage of opportunities that arise. Complicating the existence of government organizations is the fact that they are open systems that are affected by both external and internal forces. External forces include economic or political opportunities and obstacles. Internal forces relate to human resource strengths or weaknesses, or other inherent conditions of the organization.
In this Discussion, you focus on internal and external factors that may affect the development of a successful strategic financial plan in a government organization.
Review this week’s Learning Resources. Then, select a public organization and consider how what you read about factors affecting strategic financial planning relates to this specific organization.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 a brief description of the government or non-profit organization you selected. Then, explain the internal and external factors that might impede the development of a successful financial strategic plan. Provide examples of at least two internal factors and one external factor, and explain how they could impact the organization. Then, identify how these obstacles may be overcome.
Be sure to support your posting and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Validate a colleague’s posting using the Learning Resources and/or your personal experiences.
Expand on your colleague’s posting using the Learning Resources and/or your personal experiences.

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Week 3 Discussion
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Mandate Laws and the Governments That Impose Them
In the United States, one of the chief manifestations of fiscal federalism is the creation of federal mandates, which are orders from the federal government requiring state and local governments to implement policies or regulations. Examples of federal mandates include the Affordable Health Care Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and the Real ID Act, which requires states to incorporate security features into driver’s licenses and identification cards. The Unfunded Mandates Act of 1995, with certain threshold requirements, discourages the federal government from placing new mandates on state and local governments without providing the necessary funding and requires cost estimates of new mandates. However, federal mandates still affect the budget and financial situations of public organizations by, for example, restricting fiscal autonomy and excessive costs.
In this Discussion, you identify a mandate law and analyze the impact of the law on the fiscal and budgetary operations of public organizations. Review the Learning Resources for this week. The Urban Institute has a number of articles that discuss the impact of the Affordable Health Care Act on the states. Then, select a law made by a superior level government that imposes mandates on lower levels of government, and reflect on intergovernmental finance and fiscal relations in public organizations.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 an example of mandate law that has had a significant impact on state or local governments. First, describe the mandate law you selected. Next, describe the effects of the mandate law, such as the ACA, on the fiscal and budgetary operations of the state or local governments. In your analysis, specify whether the impact is positive or negative and explain why.
Be sure to support your posting and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Validate a colleague’s posting with your own experience or research on unfunded mandates.
Expand on your colleague’s posting using the Learning Resources and/or personal experience.

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Week 2 Assignment
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Application: Technological Solutions
One of the vexing problems for government organizations is the lack of adequate information technology (IT) systems and information technology staff. Many argue that this may keep some governments from maximizing effective use of resources for meeting their missions. Some consider computers to be as important as plumbing and electricity. Thus, government organizations need to fulfill their technology needs with newer hardware and enhanced software. In this Assignment, you recommend technological solutions that could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of finance and budgeting within a specific government organization. Review the Learning Resources for this week. Then, select an organization and two technological solutions that could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of finance and budgeting within this organization.
The Assignment:
Write a 4- to 5-page double-spaced paper (not including the cover and reference pages) in which you do the following:
Briefly describe a government or non-profit organization in your state or nation.
Briefly describe the current finance and budgeting situations/practices that could be positively affected by technological solutions.
Briefly describe the technology your organization is currently using.
Recommend two additional technological solutions, and explain how each could improve the efficiency or effectiveness of finance and budgeting within the organization.
Use from the library at least two scholarly sources that were published within the past five years to support your paper. Be sure to follow APA guidelines when citing your sources.
Submit your assignment by Day 7.

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Many government organizations and the professionals who work within them operate under ethics and accountability codes. Operating under a shared understanding of ethics is in the best interest of any organization. Certainly, when this occurs, stakeholders are more likely to gain and maintain trust in the organization. Conversely, when ethics are absent or violated, trust is eroded.
In this Discussion, you describe an actual ethical issue in a public organization related to finance and budgeting, such as pension padding, and consider how the issue is being addressed. Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider some general ethical guidelines for those working in finance and budgeting in public organizations. Then, select a government or non-profit organization with an ethical issue or violation related to finance and budgeting.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post by Day 4 a brief description of the government or non-profit organization you selected. Describe the ethical issue or violation you identified as it relates to finance or budgeting. Using the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Code of Ethics or the ethical guidelines within your organization and/or nation, explain why it is/was an ethical issue or violation. Then, explain how the organization is addressing or has addressed it. If a violation has not occurred, how would you recommend preventing one?
Be sure to support your posting and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 6 to at least two of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Share an insight gained about ethical violations from having read your colleague’s posting.
Provide a different perspective.
Make a recommendation about preventing a violation.

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Week 1 Project
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Final Project
In the Final Project for this course, due by Day 7 of Week 10, you have the opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of, and apply and critically evaluate, the major concepts presented in this course.
For the Final Project, you will select a public organization (federal, state, or local) or non-profit organization with which you are familiar. This may be an organization for which you currently work or have worked, know about from others, or have learned about through academic resources and/or the media, as long as it is not a private for-profit organization. With this organization in mind, you will explore the various topics of the course. As you progress through the readings and assignments in the course, think about how these topics relate to finance and budgeting within the organization you selected. The Learning Resources, the Discussions, and the Assignments will assist you in completing each section of the Final Project.
Your Final Project should contain the following sections (the sections can be reordered for appropriate flow):
Mission and goals of the organization
Ethical considerations related to finance and budgeting within the organization
Technological considerations for improving the efficiency or effectiveness of finance and budgeting within the organization
Applicable laws, regulations, and policies impacting the organization’s financial and budgetary operations
Evaluation of the organization’s budget process and revenue sources
Internal factors impacting successful strategic financial planning
The organization’s usage of cost-benefit analysis
Overview of the organization’s cash management and investment strategies
Assessment of the organization’s overall financial condition
Your Final Project must demonstrate both breadth and depth of knowledge and critical thinking appropriate to graduate-level scholarship. It must follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association guidelines and be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors. Also, you must use at least six scholarly sources from the library that were published within the past five years to support the paper.
The project should be 14–15 pages in length (double-spaced), not including the title page, the abstract, and references.
Be sure to support your Final Project with specific references to all resources used in its preparation.
The Final Project will be evaluated according to the four indicators in the Final Project Rubric located in the Course Information area of the course navigation menu.
Information on scholarly writing may be found in the APA Publication Manual and at the Walden Writing Center website.
The Final Project is due on Day 7 of Week 10. See the Week 10 Project area for submission details.

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Application: Comparing Levels of Government
Federal, state, and local governments require different funding (revenue) and spend different amounts (expenditures) to deliver programs and services. Government budgets are greatly affected by the level at which the organization is operating.
In this Assignment, you compare expenditures and revenues among the federal, state, and local governments. Then, you explain how expenditures and revenues relate to the functions of each level. Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider how finance and budgeting in public organizations relates to the level (federal, state, or local) at which a government organization is operating. Think about how the functions of government organizations depend on individualized finance and budgeting plans.
The Assignment:
Write a 4- to 5-page double-spaced paper (not including cover and reference pages) in which you do the following:
Compare federal, state, and local government budgets based on expenditures and revenues. In your comparison, note the similarities and differences of key expenditures and revenues for each level of government.
Explain how expenditures and revenues relate to the functions of the national, state, and local governments. Provide evidence that supports your answer.
Use from the library at least two scholarly sources that were published within the past five years to support your paper. Be sure to follow APA guidelines when citing your sources.
Submit your assignment by Day 7.

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Week 3 Assignment
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Situation Leadership Survey
Reflect on the project team you considered in this week’s Discussion. Imagine you have brought the team together to discuss the project’s phases. As the project team manager, you have assessed your team members’ varying skillsets. Some of your team members are very motivated but could use some coaching and light training to be able to accomplish their individual project responsibilities. Other team members have a high level of skills but might need a little motivation to get started because of their workload. Still others have a great deal of experience and skills and are highly motivated. You would not likely need to manage your entire team in the same way.
To prepare for this Assignment, go to the “Situational Leadership Exercise” in your course text, Leadership: Theory and Practice. Complete the exercise and be as honest and objective as you can. Keep your scores on the exercise for analysis in the Final Research Paper
Write a 1- to 2-page paper describing your experience with the “Situational Leadership Exercise.” Analyze how your questionnaire responses indicate your personal leadership philosophy. Describe any questionnaire results that may have surprised you. Analyze the impact that the characteristics of the Situational Approach to Leadership might have on your personal leadership style. Explain how the Situational Approach might help you become a more effective leader.
Submit your paper by Day 7.

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Skills and Style in Leadership
The Skills Approach to Leadership is another leader-centered approach to leadership, but rather than emphasizing the traits of the leader, it focuses on abilities or competencies of the leader. The Skills Approach appeals to many people because it postulates that skills can be learned, and therefore, leadership is available to anyone who can learn.
The Style Approach differs from both the Trait and Skills approaches because the Style Approach focuses on leader behavior, not on what leaders are or on their capabilities. The Style Approach postulates two types of leader behavior: task behaviors and relationship behaviors. This approach focuses on how these two behaviors relate to and influence one another.
As you begin this Discussion, reflect on an effective leader with whom you have either worked or are familiar. Consider how this leader has demonstrated specific Leadership Skills and Style. Focus on what Skills Approaches and Style Approaches to leadership this leader might need to become an even greater leader, either domestically or internationally.
Post by Day 3 a description of the effective leader you have either worked with or are familiar with. Explain what has made this leader effective, both in regard to Leadership Skills and Leadership Style. Explain what more this leader might need in order to become a great leader. Compare this to what this leader might need to be a great leader in other parts of the world.
Note: Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond by Day 5 to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:
Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleague’s posting.
Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

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Week 5 Assignment
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Leader Relationships
The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory encourages leaders to be respectful to subordinates and to build relationships with all subordinates for a fair and equitable working environment. Transformational Leadership encourages leaders to be aware of their own behavior in their relationships with subordinates. So, together, these theories might make a big impact on how a leader and the leader’s subordinates unite as a team to create a healthy working environment.
To prepare for this Assignment, go to the “Leader-Member Exchange 7 Questionnaire” and the “Sample Items from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Form 5X-Short” of the course text, Leadership: Theory and Practice. Take each survey and be as honest and objective as you can. Keep your scores for analysis in the Final Research Paper.
Write a 2- to 3-page paper describing your experience with the “Leader-Member Exchange 7 Questionnaire” and the “Sample Items from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) Form 5X-Short.” Analyze how your responses to both questionnaires indicate your personal leadership philosophy. Describe any questionnaire results that may have surprised you. Analyze the impact that the characteristics of the Leadership-Member Exchange Theory and Transformational Leadership might have on your personal leadership style. Explain how these characteristics might help you become a more effective leader.
Submit your paper by Day 7.

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