Spouse Abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Spouse Abuse - Essay Example Definition. Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS) is a variation of the self-defense claim in assault and murder cases where a woman asserts an affirmative defense based on her psychological state as the result of a pattern of abuse by her batterer. BWS seeks to justify a woman's criminal conduct as excusable due to a diminished mental capacity combined with an understandably urgent need to end the abuse. Standard Self-Defense Claim. In a traditional self-defense claim, the accused has the burden to show that they were in fear for their life, in imminent danger of physical harm, and had no recourse but to respond with reasonable, even deadly, force. This differs from BWS in that the former is based upon the facts surrounding a single event and the latter is predicated upon a psychological condition caused by extended abuse. In BWS, the accused is not required to demonstrate that, at the moment of the criminal activity, she was in immediate danger. Her proactive violence against her batterer, which would otherwise be inconsistent with the perilous situation-derived self-defense claim, does not have to be undertaken at the moment of suffering actual harm. Argument for BWS. A victim of habitual assaults over the course of time is viewed in a sympathetic light by a judge or jury. While her actions may not be within the letter of the law, they are understandable when presented as the result of a diminished psychological state brought on by repeated abuse. Any human being, be they judge or juror, can identify with the drive to commit a violent act to escape an abusive situation. No reasonable person wants to punish a woman who has endured physical abuse over the course of months or years just because she chose to end that abuse by assaulting her attacker when he was asleep, for example, and not posing an immediate danger to her at the moment. Surely, if given the chance, he would likely pose a threat in the future and her actions seem appropriate. Argument against BWS. Where BWS is flawed as a legal defense is within the scope of its analysis and the absence of empirical diagnosis. A BWS defense focuses solely on the state of mind of the abuse victim where she, while not in imminent danger, chooses to engage in an otherwise criminal act. This requires a judge or jury to suspend consideration of all the facts of the matter, as well as any available non-violent remedies to an abused woman, and accept that her state of mind would not permit her to escape the situation while it simultaneously allowed her to attack her attacker when he wasn't being abusive. Further, there is no definitive medical or psychological protocol to determine BWS, especially in self-reporters of abuse, making it impossible to obtain a sure diagnosis of the condition that can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. My Position. I believe the BWS is a valid defense. Even though it may be hard to diagnose as a psychological impairment, the fact is that any woman who has endured sustained physical abuse could exercise a traditional self-defense claim if she acted in the moment. The fact that she chose to wait until she was not being attacked before taking action does not mitigate the obvious; she would be battered again and the state of mind created by continued abuse should be considered when she comes before a court of law.

Choosing the one you love Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choosing the one you love - Essay Example After the completion of their college studies, both Tom and Julie started their search for employment. Tom succeeded in getting a good job in a highly reputed company located in a city around 200 kilometres away his home. It was difficult and painful for Tom and Julie to separate each other; but both of them agreed to contact each other at least twice in a day. Tom started his career as a computer programmer in that company. Initially, it was difficult for Tom to execute his responsibilities in a timely manner. Diana, another experienced programmer working with Tom, helped him a lot in managing his initial problems in that organization. Both Tom and Diana became good friends within a month. Diana was a charming girl and her mannerisms and behaviour were very much attractive to everybody. She liked modern dresses and looked pretty in her dress codes. Tom’s innocence and mannerisms were caught the attention of Diana. Tom was a strongly built, 6 feet taller handsome young man and Diana slowly started to fall in love with him. Tom realised the intentions of Diana, but it was difficult for Tom to avoid her considering the assistances, he was receiving from her in professional matters. Tom never said anything about his love affairs with Julie. He was afraid of the consequences. He never told Julie also about Diana and her intentions. But he maintained his deep love affairs with Julie. Diana started to give Tom the company on holidays. It was difficult for Tom to avoid the invitations of Diana for watching movies, shopping and spending time on parks and other public gathering places. Diana never asked Tom anything about his past life and Tom never said anything to Diana about his love affairs with Julie. As time passes, Dina’s love towards Tom strengthened and once she revealed her intentions and feelings to Tom. Tom was also started to love her; however it was difficult for him to avoid

Project Management and Virtual Teams Essay Example for Free

Project Management and Virtual Teams Essay Athabasca University Abstract Due to advanced communication technologies, globalization and outsourcing most of the project management teams are based on groups of individuals called virtual teams who work across time and space using communication technologies. Members of virtual teams may be employees of same company from same country, or they can be contractors, suppliers and company employees around the globe. Managing projects using virtual teams have some advantages and disadvantages. Also several studies have been done to try to determine the factors that are positively co-related to the effectiveness of virtual teams (Schwalbe, 2011). To manage virtual teams successfully in project management, the project manager must manage these factors successfully and also minimize the impact of disadvantages. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual teams in project management and outlines the factors that are positively correlated to the success of projects based on virtual teams. The paper also outlines some of the recommendations to successfully manage the virtual team in information technology projects. Keywords Globalization, outsourcing, virtual teams, video conferencing, telecommuting, Project Management, Trust and relationship, Advantages of Virtual teams, Disadvantages of virtual team. Introduction Imagine that you are a project manager in a multinational organization and managing a project to upgrade the server operating system and your team members are from different countries with different cultures and working in different time zones. To complete the project successfully that is based on virtual teams, project manager must understand the advantages and disadvantages of managing virtual teams and factors that positively affect the team members. Today most of the project management teams are based on virtual teams whose members work across time and space using communication technologies and project managers cannot rely on previous methods of project team management where they were able to build trust between team member by social interaction, face-to-face meetings, and direct observations of fellow team member commitment. Literature Review Virtual teams do have some advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages outlined by Kathy Schwalbe are: 24/7 availability of workers increasing competiveness and responsiveness, lowering the cost of project as many virtual team members do not need office space and support, providing more flexibility and expertise as project managers have access to the talent around the globe and increasing the work/life balance for team members by eliminating fixed office hours and the need to travel to work. (Schwalbe, 2011). Communication and trust are the most important factors that influence the virtual team performance. Saonee Sarker and others discussed the â€Å"theoretical linkages among trust, communication, and team member performance in virtual teams†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001). To prove their argument the researchers identified and tested three proposed models (additive, interaction, and mediation) describing the role of trust in its relationship. The results of the study indicated that the â€Å"mediating† model best explains how communication and trust work together to influence the performance of virtual team members. In simple words them study proves that â€Å"a communicative individual will be more likely to be trusted and will therefore be more likely to be a high performer†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001) Radostina K. Purvanova reviewed experimental literature and emerging field research on virtual teams. Author compared the â€Å"results from both type of literature and found that experimental literature has largely reported negative results for virtual teams, whereas ? eld investigations and case studies of real virtual teams employed by business organizations report positive outcomes for virtual teams. According to the article although results reported by experimental versus field studies are quite different, author concludes that both literatures have revealed negative attitudes toward virtual communication media. Advantages of Virtual Teams The main advantages of virtual teams include: The biggest advantage of virtual team enjoyed by an organization is the associated cost savings. The organization can save huge expenses on real estate, office spaces, utility bills such as gas, electricity, water etc. and executive’s travel. Team members can work from anywhere and anytime of the day. They can choose the place they work based on the mood and the comfort. You can recruit people for their skills and suitability to the job. The location does not matter. There is no time and money wasted for commuting and clothing. Physical handicaps are not an issue. Another advantage is the labour laws, some organizations prefer to have virtual teams because of strict local labour laws. Since the members span the time zones, there could be different team working on the same project 24/7, so when one member sleeps there will be another one somewhere else who would start work where the former had left. This shortens the product development time as well as faster response time to demands in both global and local markets. Disadvantages of Virtual Teams Disadvantages of virtual teams include: Since team members do not frequently meet or do not meet at all, the teamwork spirit may not be present. Some people prefer to be in a physical office when working. These people will be less productive in virtual environments. To work for virtual teams, individuals need to have a lot of self-discipline. If the individual is not disciplined, he or she may be less productive. The cultural difference between the members of virtual teams gives rise to number of conflicts. For example, while an employee from one part of the world would write a straightforward email describing a bad situation; this would be perceived as impolite by a member of the team from other part of the world. This would lead to conflicts, mistrust and difficulties in fruitful collaboration which is so vital for the success of virtual team functioning. These challenges are also precipitated by the absence of non-verbal cues so intrinsic to face-to-face interactions. Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical interactions. Most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. In today’s society where job is an important social force for most of us because many of our workplace colleagues also constitute our close friends, this gives a not-so-good feeling of social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress. In the virtual environment, it is better to communicate, clarify, and confirm everything to make sure that all members have the same understanding about the task at hand. This produces of ton of paperwork and files that could quickly fill your archives. Factors that positively affect virtual teams Succession planning and promotions involving virtual team members are important factors and if managed properly, virtual team members will feel that they are receiving recognition and credit and as a result they will be satisfied and their productivity will be increased. (Leonard, 2011) Since team members are not communicating face to face, constructive team and individual feedback early and often becomes more important and if managed properly can avoid many problems before hand. Trust between team members and project leader is an important factor that can affect the performance of team members. One important way to build trust between team members is effective communication. The more they communicate with each other and with project more they build the trust. Well defined and documented team process also important which saves a lot of time for especially new team members to find answers to their questions related to policies and procedures. A team member selection and role preference is also important factor to successfully manage the virtual teams. â€Å"Dr. Meredith Belbin defined a team role as a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way. 15 It is important to select team members carefully and to form a team where all roles are covered. Each virtual team member must also understand his or her role(s) on the team. † (Schwalbe, 2011) Discussion and Conclusions Organizations such as IBM, Microsoft, Whirlpool as well as SMEs are reaping the benefits of virtual teams for some time now. It has been a well-recognized fact that virtual team is not a passing tide but it is here to stay. Virtual teams are rising in numbers nowadays and even small technology companies are now adapting virtual team practice for recruiting the best people from all over the globe and reduce the cost. As outlined in previous sections, virtual teams do have advantaged and some disadvantages as well. To benefit from advantages and to minimize the impact of disadvantages a project manager can focus on factors that positively affect the virtual team’s performance. As indicated by previous researchers, increase in trust, comfort level and communication effectiveness leads to better project success. All of the above discussed disadvantages can be overcome by following a different leadership approach, trainings, greater role clarity and effective communication strategies. Also earlier discussed factors that affect virtual teams, if managed properly can result in a successful project. In addition, the companies using virtual teams can minimize their operating costs and maximize the profit margins. Additionally, the employees working in virtual teams are at advantages when it comes to working in their own home, own time, and reduction of commuting costs. Therefore, organizations should look into setting up virtual teams for different tasks whenever possible. To reap the benefits of virtual teams in projects and minimize the impact of disadvantages virtual team managers should manage the outlined factors properly and should also follow best practices outlined in next section. Best Practices When running virtual teams, some of the best practices include: An instant messaging program can be used to create a sense of presence amongst members of the team. Chat is a good way to have side conversations during meetings to gain consensus, confirm understanding or ask questions. Quick questions can be asked through instant messenger as a substitute for popping into someone’s cubicle. Services for syncing files, bug tracking, project management, source control, web conferencing, conference calls, screen recording, usability testing and so on. A virtual phone system allows mapping of phone extensions to any phone number. Advance features allow callers to dial by name, get placed into a phone queue or get recorded answers back from a phone tree. In-person meetings are also a good option; it helps build team cohesion and trust and can help people get to know each other on a deeper level. But they are by no means critical. Bringing everyone together once a year may cost a little, but it’s still often cheaper than paying local salaries and rent, and increases the efficiency of team.

Strategies for Campus Sustainability

Strategies for Campus Sustainability DR. VIDYA.H.N DR. PUTTARAJU.K. CRAFTING CAMPUS AWARENESS – STRATEGIES TOWARDS CREATION OF CAMPUS SUSTAINBILITY FULL TEXT OF THE PAPER â€Å" First challenge in the design of a new campus is not to create new buildings, but to create a shared vision towards sustainability†. INTRODUCTION –In a College campus each student has a unique role to play in making the campus a sustainable place . One can incorporate values of environmental responsibility in the campus . Students can be made to involve directly by joininga sustainability action team or form their own club or forum and become a sustainability leader through adoption of innovative sustainability goals. A college can create responsiveness of sustainability goals by engaging the campus community in sustainability awareness programs. Students can be made attentive towards rendering individual efforts in reducing the ecological stress in the campus. All the Staff, faculty and students should exert together to reduce energy consumption, promote waste reduction strategies, alternative transportation options, and other sustainability initiatives in offices, classrooms, labs, libraries, buildings, residences and in personal lives. The following was the initial methodology adopted by our Institution INITIAL CAMPUS ACTION PLAN- Identifying the in-campus behavior for each student. Determining group behaviour. Identifying the students present level of conceptualization of sustainability Listing the steps to make them aware of the concept of sustainability Finalizing the skills towards orienting the campus behavior towards sustainability with an action plan After these steps were initialized as our Institution took steps to strategize the concept. THE STRATEGIES OF ACHIEVING CAMPUS SUSTAINBILITY To engage the campus community in the implementation of sustainability goals and actions, certain strategies were required which could be achieved through . Our Institution provided peer support to sustainability programs of each department. Provision for environmental education programs that promote sustainability was taken up Environmental studies as a topic was introduced through Mysore university. Motivation through creativity to identify new procedures and initiatives to promote sustainability was taken up through orientation programs to fresher students . Here they were offered opportunities to exchange ideas, experiences and plans. Our Institution recognized and rewarded successes. Award of Excellency to departments and Student volunteers was mooted To Reduce energy consumption, all students made to turn off the lights when they leave their class rooms. To reduce Greenhouse gas emissions local students were advised to take cycles to college instead of bikes. A beautiful in house campus garden was thus developed .It also served as demonstration gardens to showcase the beauty and diversity of edible landscaping in a campus setting. Additionally, the gardens provided service opportunities for student volunteers to serve n the garden in their free time. The flowers of the rose garden are used in functions to welcome the dignitaries for decorative purposes The flowers are also used to worship the goddess Saraswathi idol inside the campus garden. The herbal plants such as hibiscus tulasi help the environs with healthy air. The Trees of teak , neem asoka are helping the campus with fresh air water sustainability. PROCESS PHASES OF PROGRAMME A formalized process for advancing sustainability in our college campus was done in phases .Phase One had targeted outreach. -This included identifying and providing support for students, volunteer student leaders, building student capacity and communicating with all stakeholders. The Stake holders such as Parents, Alumni , college development Council members were convinced of the concept of campus sustainability. Phase Two, helped campus sustainability activists create general awareness and broaden outreach programs . NSS student volunteers were involved in campus cleaning activities. Faculty joined hands with peer support. Phase Three, consultation with all departments developed into a coherent Action Plan. On this basis the campus was made greener every year our College could fetch the Best maintained garden award . CAMPUS SUSTAINABILITY OUTCOMES ACHIEVED All students strive to turn off the lights when they leave their class rooms. All students voluntary themselves to deposit waste in specific areas only. . In the computer lab students shut down their PCs completely at the end of the day. The Office has set all printers and copiers to default double-sided mode. Using Cycle inside campus -Toward promoting sustainability on campus, on the model of Hyderabad campus was launched the â€Å"cycles on campus† but most of the students come from far off places they are supported by Public transportations facility. Our institution has the intention of ordering high efficiency multi-purpose machines to consolidate printers, faxes, scanners and copiers. All faculty administrative staff carry a reusable water bottle with them. All faculty have set their PC computer screen to go into standby mode after 15 minutes of inactivity Several of the Faculty can Leave the car at home take a walk in the second session of the College. Use natural light to light your office instead of Tube lights CFLs. Using 100% post-consumer recycled paper for use in the office is All faculty carry their own bags for shopping outside the campus. Students are advised to avoid wasting food inside the campus. Reducing the wastage of stationery inside the campus is gradually picking up Watering the plants through channels with waste water recycling. THE OUTREACH METHODOLOGY Our Institution is striving towards enhancing the concept further more through Engaging the faculty and students in research and creative projects in campus Sustainability. Such as conducting environmental art exhibitions, energy saving demonstration projects such as solar street lighting, solar hot water for hostels, solar thermal cooking, institutional biogas plants , electrical mobility, etc , adopting a water Harvesting System etc. All these initiatives will lead to outcome such as reducing the negative environmental impact of the college or university, Saving the college money, educating and empowering students thereby creating a sustainable generation for future. CONCLUSION- Campus sustainability is the need of the hour and is one of key focus areas for sustainability initiatives. These initiatives will make a sustainable difference in campus communities and will assist students to focus on building capacity at individual level and institutions at large . These strategies will help to drive inclusive growth and enable institutions and individuals to work towards achieving their full potential. These initiative will also aim to increase awareness among the student community on the issue of sustainability, to keep the campus clean and green while improving the overall health of the student community. A holistic approach, more commonly including social, economic and traditional environmental considerations in sustainability goals has to become a part of the syllabi in the campus. Colleges and universities across the globe are making the concept of campus sustainability a reality. These initiatives are influencing curriculum decisions, operational budgets, f acility plans, and campus culture. Students, faculty, staff are leading these earnest efforts. Certainly bringing about a campus culture is a difficult work, requiring coordination and cooperation yet a common motivation towards achieving sustainability will follow. ***************** References- Poyyamoli- G- A critical review of campus sustainability in India- a road map for the future A critical review of campus sustainability in India- a road map for the future Bantanur shaila others -Sustainability issues in Indian universities of Higher education Brundtland Commission. ( 1987) World commission on environment and development. Our common future. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press; 1987. Leal Filho, Walter (ed.)( 2012 )Sustainable Development at Universities: New Horizons Series:Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation und Nachhaltigkeit / Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability- Volume 34: 2012 Alshuwaikhat.H.M,Abubakar I (2008)â€Å"An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: assessment if the current campus environmental management practice†, Journal of Cleaner Production2008 ********************

Mary Baker Eddy: Her indelible mark :: essays research papers

Mary Baker Eddy Mary Baker Eddy, http://www.marybakereddy.org, born in rural New England in the 1800's, overcame many hurdles to become an acclaimed author, publisher, and religious leader whose impact is still being felt today. In 1995, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame for â€Å"making an indelible mark on society, religion, and journalism.† How did this independent New England woman rise from obscurity to become, as Human Life magazine described in 1907, "the most famous, interesting and powerful woman in America, if not the world, today"? Eddy (1821-1910) was born and raised on a farm near Concord, New Hampshire, in the United States. Because of many bouts of illness, she received most of her education at home, sometimes with the help her brother, Albert, a student at Dartmouth College. This turned out to be an advantage, given the many restrictions on women’s education in 19th century America. She experienced some difficult years as a young woman. She was widowed (and pregnant) six months into her first marriage. Some six years later, her family, thinking her rambunctious son was too taxing for her, removed him from her and sent him to live with foster parents. Hoping to regain a stable home life for herself and her son, she married again, but eventually divorced her unfaithful second husband. In poor health during much of this time, she experimented with allopathic medicine and alternative therapies -- particularly with homeopathy. She was seeking an understanding of the relationship between mind, body, and spirit. Simultaneously, she continued a life-long study of the Bible searching to uncover its promise of spiritual healing. In 1866, at age 44, in what marked a turning point, she was healed of a life-threatening accident through spiritual insights gained from the Bible. Over the next few years she studied the Scriptures deeply, looking for a spiritual system behind the healing works of Christ Jesus. She tested what she was learning by healing other people, including some considered medically incurable. She also taught others to heal using this system, which she later called: "Christian Science." She called it "Science" because she saw it as the provable, universal laws of God. Eddy emphasized both the motherhood and fatherhood of God in her teachings. Later, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the women's rights activist, published "The Woman's Bible," also referring to God as the "Heavenly Mother and Father." Because Eddy's ideas seemed so radical, challenging conventional, theological views, she faced much opposition and prejudice.

Myths, Dreams and the Epic of Gilgamesh :: Epic of Gilgamesh Essays

The Epic of Gilgamesh, a masterpiece of world literature, is considered to be one of the oldest epics in the world. It is called an epic, but it is really a myth. In order to be able to understand a myth, it is necessary to have an historical point of view from two perspectives, so to speak, an outer and an inner one. The outer one concerns the necessity to understand the historical form in which the archetypes appear, the historical background to which the myth is related - in our case, the Babylonian culture and religion. The inner aspect concerns the essential problems of the time, with which that particular epoch struggled consciously, or in which it was unconsciously involved. Although this is primarily a scientific task, I believe that it is nevertheless a matter of immediate necessity for us to understand such documents humains in relation to our own life, for all the ages live in us, and we cannot really understand ourselves unless we know our spiritual roots. What particular age and what spiritual contents are evoked in us by the unconscious is, to a certain extent, a question of individual fate. Since Western culture is based to a great extent on Judaism and Christianity, Babylonian culture as one of their roots may be looked upon as of immediate psychological interest to us all. The archetypes live in their realm, beyond time and space. This builds the bridge of understanding between men of all ages, and makes it possible to realize that we ourselves with our essential problems are bound up in the continuity of the eternal problems of mankind, as they are mirrored in myths. But the form in which the archetypes appear, their garments so to speak, depends on the historical conditions: the symbols in which they appear change. In the human being these changes correspond to the development of human consciousness. Thus the myths, in my opinion, represent not only eternal archetypal events, but a certain level of the development of human consc iousness. During my work on this remarkably rich material this connection thrust itself more and more into my mind, so that I should like to define it as the basic idea, as the starting point of my attempt to explain this myth. It was only in 1872 that scholars first became aware of this myth, when the English Assyriologist George Smith made public "The Chaldean Account of the Deluge," as he titled his translation of the eleventh tablet of the epic.

Analyse the Political Implications of Concentrated Media Ownership and Control Essay

The media is primarily used to disseminate information. It is a platform for communication between the people and those who hold authority. In today’s world the media has an immense role in the functioning of society and has the ability to reach a mass audience through technologies such as print, Internet, television, film and radio. There has been increasing concern over the growing concentration of media ownership as well as how this increased media control influences and shapes democracy. Concentrated media ownership refers to the number of individuals or corporations who control an increasing share in the mass media market, which at present is very few. For example, eleven out of twelve major Australian Newspapers are owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation or John Fairfax Holdings (Independent Australia, 2011). Society has seen media moguls, such as Rupert Murdoch, dominate cross-media ownership with companies in print, television, film etc. The media and politics are closely intertwined and with an increase in concentrated media ownership and control, issues such as political bias; the trivialisation and sensationalism of political issues in the pursuit of profits; and the decreasing amout of editorial diversity and expression, have become issues of concern for the consumers of this mass media. Street describes bias as â€Å"the idea that the practices of journalists and editors result in articles and programmes that favour one view of the world over another, providing sustenance for one set of interests while undermining an alternative† (Street, 2011). Bias is a large issue within all media, and authorities enforce a myriad of regulations and restrictions on media corporations to try and eliminate it. With an increase in media concentration, and the power that the media yields, eliminating political bias within the media has become an important issue. Since most of the media institutions are owned by corporations, such as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, the most common assumption is that the media as a whole may be influenced by its owners. For instance, there are times when the owners’ decision may affect the kind of information that media would disclose to the public. Wagner makes the point that â€Å"the news media distribute much of the information we receive about the world around us. Thousands of politicians, policy researchers and opinion makers wish to transmit information to the public at large. The news media serve as intermediaries in this information market, selecting to transmit a fraction of the millions of potential messages to an audience† (Wagner, 1997). For example, Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News channel was been criticised for its right-tilted news coverage. Murdoch has always been seen to favour the conservative side of politics and the Fox News channel has been seen to show preference toward the Republican Government in America. Fox Founder and president Rodger Ailes was a republican political operative in Washington. He helped with The Nixon and Reagan campaigns as well as the elder Bush’s media strategy for his presidentiary campaign in 1988 (Ackerman, 2001). David Asman, The Fox News Channel’s daytime anchor was known for his association with the right- wing Wall Street Journal. Another anchor for Fox News, Tony Snow, was a conservative columnist and also the chief speechwriter for the first bush administration (Ackerman, 2001). The Fox News Channel also hosted employees and presenters such as Eric Breindel, John Moody and Bill O’Reilly, all of whom were known for their conservative, right wing views (Ackerman, 2001). Rupert Murdock stated, â€Å" â€Å"I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel. (Ackerman, 2001) However, looking at the individuals that were in charge of disseminating the news at Fox, it is hard to believe that none of the political stories covered by Fox did not favour the more conservative side of American politics. Media conglomerates, such as News Corporation, have the ability to sway public opinion and with the increasing control they have access to, it is naive to think that they would not use this power to influence and sway public opinion to fit with their own agendas and ideologies. The size of the enormous media firms of today exceeds the size of the largest firms fifteen years ago by a factor of ten. (McChesney, 1999). With this increase in the size of the major media corporations also comes the increased pursuit of profits by these firms. Sometimes, this pursuit of profit can be to the detriment of information and in turn democracy. Corporations look for stories that will attract and entertain readers and viewers, sometimes neglecting stories that hold high information content and reflect political policies and agendas. McChesney refers to this need to aximise profits when he states â€Å"With the tremendous pressure to attract audiences but to keep costs down and not take chances, the standard route of the media giants is to turn to the tried and true formulas of sex and violence, always attention getters† (McChesney, 1999, p34). With the increased emphasis on profit maximisation and the commercialisation of news media, there is a risk that consumers of news media will cease to have access to information regarding smaller issues in society such as local political policy/s and other more localised issues. Because these issues are small and aren’t seen as revenue earners, or important issues, they may be sacrificed to make way for big stories and scandals. In other words, profit and revenue may become more important, in the eyes of media conglomerates, than information. The pure size of the media and its influence over information has huge impacts on democracy and politics. Meier (2011) sites Giddens in his work. Giddens talks about the trivializing of political issues and personas and states â€Å" The media†¦ have a double relation to democracy. On the one hand †¦ the emergence of a global information society is a powerful democratising force. Yet, television, and the other media, tend to destroy the very public space of dialogue they open up, through relentless trivializing, and personalizing of political issues. Moreover, the growth of giant multinational media corporations means that unelected business tycoons can hold enormous power† (p 298). In essence, Giddens is stating that while news media and media corporations may broadcast political issues and policies, these views are somewhat destroyed with the constant emphasis on the politicians themselves. Because of this a great deal of emphasis is taken away from the real political issues. An example of this is the constant criticism of Julia Gillard and her lifestyle. For example, she is an unmarried woman; her partner is a hairdresser. There is also constant evaluation of her hairstyle, wardrobe, her figure and her voice. Gillard is constantly known for stabbing Kevin Rudd in the back. She has also been portrayed as untrustworthy as well as a liar. Instead of the media evaluating and critiquing her policies and looking critically at her as a leader, we see the media sensationalising the above trivial issues instead of concentrating on what she is doing for the country politically. As Media concentration and control increases, diversity of expression decreases. In all healthy democracies, a wide range of assorted opinions are offered, and media offer a large variety of different positions, values and biases. No individual is obliged to accept any particular position or argument, but they are encouraged to have put their own views and criticisms forward. The core problem that comes with media concentration is that it diminishes ideological diversity within the media system. Studies have been conducted that show that although there may be more media outlets, there is not necessarily more information or diversity in media. â€Å"Rather than the new platforms leading to a diversity of voices, voices are in fact being snuffed out†¦ An analysis of independent media showed that 96 per cent of stories simply came from recycling stories found in the mainstream press. However, The study also showed that the mainstream press was producing 73 percent less information than 10 years ago† (independent Australia, 2011). Curran states that â€Å"they can use their financial power to drive new entrants out of the marketplace by launching expensive promotional campaigns, offering discounts to advertisers or buying up key creative personnel† (Curran, 2005) Because of the increased power of media corporations, they have the ability to eliminate their competition and therefore decrease the amount of diversity available to the consumer. Robert W. McChesney outlines in his book Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy that there are three factors that allow democracy to work at its best. The first is â€Å" it helps when there are not significant disparities in economic wealth and property ownership across the society† (1997, p5). The second requires there to be â€Å" a sense of community and a notion that an individuals well- being is determined to no small extent by the community’s well-being† (1997, p5). Finally McChesney states â€Å"democracy requires that there be an effective system of political communication† (1997, p5). Media concentration and control works to the detriment of each of these factors. Firstly the multi billion dollar media corporations, do not represent economic equality within the society, in fact they help to make the gap between the working classes and authority increase. Media concentration disputes McChesney’s second factor as media moguls and corporations have become increasingly focused on the pursuit of large profits and personal gain, and are not heavily influenced around society’s wellbeing. Finally, an effective system of political communication should be based around diversity of news coverage and diversity of political issues, both locally and nationally, large and small. However, with the increasing size of corporations the diversity of expression has steadily decreased. Australia has one of the highest media concentrations in the free world. With the increasing control held by mass media conglomerates various political issues arise such as political bias; the trivialisation and sensationalism of political issues in the pursuit of profits; and the decreasing amount of editorial diversity and expression. The above issues threaten democracy and the media must be regulated and controlled before it threatens how the political system in Australia functions. Governments need to manage media moguls, such as Rupert Murdock before they gain too much power, and control, over political issues and coverage. The key to a democratic society is freedom of information, positive political debate and communication. These key functions of a democratic society are being threatened by concentrated mass media and the increasing control held by these corporations.