02557cam a22003853u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000350011324500240014826400510017230000470022333600260027033700260029633800360032249000570035850000310041550801080044652012910055453400450184565300200189065300180191065300290192865300410195765300250199870000310202383000570205485600430211199900170215450766UtSlPG20260610134151.0mcr n260607r2015||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aMacLean, Katherine,d1925-201914aThe Snowball Effect 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2015  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1952.  aRelease date is 2015-12-25  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"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.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aUnited States -- Fiction  aUniversities and colleges -- Fiction  aSociology -- Fiction1 aEmshwiller, Ed,d1925-1990 0aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction September 1952.40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50766  c91604d91604