Managing the Chaos of Financial Management

<p>This paper addresses a two-part research question: Do USAF installation-level financial managers confront undue chaos in budget execution? If so does this chaos result from recent Department of Defense (DoD) initiatives to decentralize control of previously centrally managed accounts? World political changes domestic spending priorities and expanding defense missions have complicated budget execution. Financial managers must use limited resources to satisfy less limited requirements despite an environment of external controls lack of flexibility and changing rules. Although financial red-tape is not a new phenomenon decentralization adds new ramifications. Because no systematically developed body of knowledge exists concerning the degree of unnecessary budget chaos or the efficacy of decentralization this project proposed to define such data. Since this is a perception-based issue this project developed a methodology dependent on the perception of the individuals most qualified to render an opinion: USAF installation commanders and major command (MAJCOM) and installation comptrollers.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p>