for an organization. The budget is financial. Although volumes and prices play their part, the budget is finally expressed in terms of amounts of money thus allowing of the well-known two-way counting and balancing of double bookkeeping. (Whether items appear twice on the assets and liabili­ ties sides of balances, or are counted twice in the rows and columns of a matrix is immaterial. ) The budget is short-term. It is a detailed, quantitative plan of action in the near future. In this sense, budgeting is opposed to strategic planning which considers the course of action to be taken in the medium and long term. Strategic planning is of a more aggregative, qualita­ tive nature than is budgeting. The budget is a plan for an organization, and as such it is complete.