This study outlines several functions that scenarios can serve. First,
scenarios can be used to generate knowledge about the present and the
future and to identify the limits of that knowledge. Second, scenario
analysis can serve a communicative function, since scenario development
is often based on an exchange of ideas between people with different
perspectives. Scenarios may also be used as a public communication
tool to draw attention to specific issues. Third, scenarios can aid
decision makers in formulating goals. Finally, scenarios can provide a
tool for examining the potential effectiveness of organizational strategies.