TY  - BOOK
AU  - MacLean,Katherine
AU  - Emshwiller,Ed
TI  - The Snowball Effect
T2  - Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1952
AV  - PS 
PY  - 2015///
CY  - Salt Lake City, UT
PB  - Project Gutenberg
KW  - Science fiction
KW  - Short stories
KW  - United States -- Fiction
KW  - Universities and colleges -- Fiction
KW  - Sociology -- Fiction
N1  - Release date is 2015-12-25; Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net; Original publication data not identified
N2  - "The Snowball Effect" by Katherine MacLean is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The book explores the concept of social dynamics through the lens of organizational growth, using a fictional university scenario to illustrate its themes. It probes the mechanisms by which small groups can grow exponentially and the unintended consequences that ensue from such growth.  The story follows Mr. Halloway, the president of a university, as he engages with Professor Caswell, head of the Sociology Department, over the department's relevance and financial viability. Caswell's unique mathematical theories delve into the patterns of organizational growth, which he refers to as the "snowball effect." They decide to test this theory using a local sewing circle as an experimental group, instilling the elements of self-interest and recruitment to observe its expansion. As expected, the group grows rapidly and evolves into a more powerful organization, the Watashaw Mutual Trade and Civic Development Corporation, ultimately spiraling out of control and threatening to dominate society. This narrative serves as a thought-provoking examination of human motivation, ambition, and the complexities embedded in social structures. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
UR  - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50766
ER  -