tool.
Kira leaned forward in her chair as if to refresh the argument, thought better of it, then sank glumly back. "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I'm right." Daniel sought for something to distract her from further contemplation of her guilt.
Kira had great talent, and, God knew, the tobacco companies needed to cultivate every ounce of talent they could find these days. The enemies were so numerous, the fields of opportunities from which they needed to clear opponents were so vast, he needed to find a way to get Kira involved as rapidly as possible. A little bit of quiet conspiracy might be just the ticket. People loved to work together in conspiracies, to strike against great enemies, and Daniel had need for a new conspiracy. "Do you fully understand why we've recruited your agency?"
As Kira gave him a blank stare, Daniel came around his desk to take a chair close to her. He sat inside the range of the air conditioner; dry, cool air swished against his face.
"We recruited you because we have such a continuing problem with the media. They're constantly accusing us of brainwashing people. We're looking to you, with your young organization, for new ideas to combat this. The media is very effective at brainwashing people into thinking that we are the ones who do the brainwashing." He shook his head. "How can we make people realize that the media is more dangerous than the tobacco industry could ever be?" He leaned closer. "The news media is a continuing problem, but we've been dealing with them successfully for decades. However, a new problem's come up, and this one could really destroy us."
He paused to let the tension build. Her eyes narrowed. Finally she responded, in a whisper that matched his own. "What?"
"The Zetetic Institute."
A dozen little shifts showed her surprise. His hand pressed against the tabletop, her breathing paused. "What?" she asked for explanation in a low voice that pitched up in a final question mark.
"The Zetetic Institute is our new problem." He waved at a report sitting on his desk. "It's a network of project group organizers and information salesmen. They're more a cult than a corporation, but they've got their fingers in just about every pie in America. And two years ago they put their fingers into our pie."
Kira nodded. "I've heard of them. But I can't believe they're dangerous to the Wilcox-Morris Corporation."
"So you've heard of them. Excellent." Her reaction to the mention of the Institute didn't match up with just a passing familiarity. She must have friends there. That could be useful. "Do you know about the Zetetic anti-smoking clinics? Those information salesmen have collected all the anti-smoking techniques ever devised into a single, consistent framework. Individually, those techniques are all pretty ineffective. But the Institute developed a method for matching techniques with individual strengths and weaknesses. After the Institute gets done tailoring a set for a particular person . . ."
Kira had recovered her composure. She now seemed eager, though puzzled. "But the Institute is a tiny organization! How can they threaten Wilcox-Morris?"
"They can threaten us with their growth rate." Daniel turned to his computer work station, tapped rapidly across the keys, and spun the display so Kira could see it. "They've shown exponential growth in the number of smoking clinics they've run for the last two years. If we wait until they're big enough to be a noticeable force, they'll be within one year of destroying our cigarette sales in the United States."
"What makes you think their growth curve won t flatten out?"
Daniel took a last heady drag off his menthol, ground out the stub, and fit a new one. He rose and started pacing across the room. "Eventually it will. But we need to flatten out their growth curve now , while they're still just a wiggle in the market research. If we wait, they'll surely cut into our bottom line." He turned at the end of the room to come back. The
Kira leaned forward in her chair as if to refresh the argument, thought better of it, then sank glumly back. "I suppose you're right."
"Of course I'm right." Daniel sought for something to distract her from further contemplation of her guilt.
Kira had great talent, and, God knew, the tobacco companies needed to cultivate every ounce of talent they could find these days. The enemies were so numerous, the fields of opportunities from which they needed to clear opponents were so vast, he needed to find a way to get Kira involved as rapidly as possible. A little bit of quiet conspiracy might be just the ticket. People loved to work together in conspiracies, to strike against great enemies, and Daniel had need for a new conspiracy. "Do you fully understand why we've recruited your agency?"
As Kira gave him a blank stare, Daniel came around his desk to take a chair close to her. He sat inside the range of the air conditioner; dry, cool air swished against his face.
"We recruited you because we have such a continuing problem with the media. They're constantly accusing us of brainwashing people. We're looking to you, with your young organization, for new ideas to combat this. The media is very effective at brainwashing people into thinking that we are the ones who do the brainwashing." He shook his head. "How can we make people realize that the media is more dangerous than the tobacco industry could ever be?" He leaned closer. "The news media is a continuing problem, but we've been dealing with them successfully for decades. However, a new problem's come up, and this one could really destroy us."
He paused to let the tension build. Her eyes narrowed. Finally she responded, in a whisper that matched his own. "What?"
"The Zetetic Institute."
A dozen little shifts showed her surprise. His hand pressed against the tabletop, her breathing paused. "What?" she asked for explanation in a low voice that pitched up in a final question mark.
"The Zetetic Institute is our new problem." He waved at a report sitting on his desk. "It's a network of project group organizers and information salesmen. They're more a cult than a corporation, but they've got their fingers in just about every pie in America. And two years ago they put their fingers into our pie."
Kira nodded. "I've heard of them. But I can't believe they're dangerous to the Wilcox-Morris Corporation."
"So you've heard of them. Excellent." Her reaction to the mention of the Institute didn't match up with just a passing familiarity. She must have friends there. That could be useful. "Do you know about the Zetetic anti-smoking clinics? Those information salesmen have collected all the anti-smoking techniques ever devised into a single, consistent framework. Individually, those techniques are all pretty ineffective. But the Institute developed a method for matching techniques with individual strengths and weaknesses. After the Institute gets done tailoring a set for a particular person . . ."
Kira had recovered her composure. She now seemed eager, though puzzled. "But the Institute is a tiny organization! How can they threaten Wilcox-Morris?"
"They can threaten us with their growth rate." Daniel turned to his computer work station, tapped rapidly across the keys, and spun the display so Kira could see it. "They've shown exponential growth in the number of smoking clinics they've run for the last two years. If we wait until they're big enough to be a noticeable force, they'll be within one year of destroying our cigarette sales in the United States."
"What makes you think their growth curve won t flatten out?"
Daniel took a last heady drag off his menthol, ground out the stub, and fit a new one. He rose and started pacing across the room. "Eventually it will. But we need to flatten out their growth curve now , while they're still just a wiggle in the market research. If we wait, they'll surely cut into our bottom line." He turned at the end of the room to come back. The
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