Imagery in the Business Policy Course: An Experiential Pedagogy

Abstract

There is common agreement among most instructors of the business policy course that many aspects of the course are futuristic in nature. These aspects, which include such topics as issues management, scenario development, and trend projection, demand a futuristic orientation for the student. In a 1983 survey, Boyd and Summers reported that goal-setting tied for first place with strategic planning as items that should be included in the business policy course. Again, these are items that challenge students to envision images of a future state in time. To do this adequately, students must have fully developed their imaginal and creative skills.Although attempting to build students' imagery skills would have generated a great deal of skepticism in the past, a number of factors point to its potential value in today's business environment. Current domestic business problems dictate that business colleges produce a new breed of business manager trained to develop new and novel approaches to existing business problems. Foreign competition, with its long-term philosophies, is causing domestic businesses to begin to develop more long-range goals.

Images in public administration: using popular media to bridge theories and practices

“…Imagery has been used in psychology (Forrester, 2000) to gain insights into the psyche. It can enhance role‐playing exercises and enhance experiential learning (Wheatley et al , 1987, 1988). Even early discussions of gestalt psychology make clear connections between learning situations, the need for similarity, and the stimuli presented (Hilgard, 1956).…”