Death Penalty as an Effective Method of Punishment Essay -- Argumentat

Death Penalty as an Effective Method of Punishment An issue that has continually created tension in today's society is whether the death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. Whenever the word "death penalty" comes up, extremists from both sides start yelling out their arguments. One side says deterrence, the other side says there's a potential of executing an innocent man; one says justice, retribution, and punishment; the other side says execution is murder. Crime is an evident part of society, and everyone is aware that something must be done about it. Most people know the threat of crime to their lives, but the question lies in the methods and action in which it should be dealt with. In several parts of the world, the death penalty has been apportioned to those who have committed a variety of offenses from the time of ancient Babylon to present-day America. The Roman Empire made use of the death penalty liberally, as did the Church of the Middle Ages. As history tells us, capital punishment, whose def inition is "the use of death as a legally sanctioned punishment," is an acceptable and efficient means of deterring crime. Today, the death penalty remains an effective method of punishment for murder and other heinous crimes. There is debate over the morals and effectiveness of such a harsh sentence. Most commonly, the death penalty is challenged as a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which says that the U.S. cannot use "cruel and unusual" punishment. Due to the fact that "punishment" is a legal infliction of suffering, it must be somewhat "cruel.† As for being unusual, it is anything but, due to the long history of its usage. People will plunder, take advantage of others, and commit cri... ...does not violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause. Capital punishment has proven to have good benefits upon the country in determining the consequences that criminals deserve. This is needed to ensure the safety and moral values of society. If this is the case, there is no need for us to consider the expenses involved in the death penalty. Certainly human lives are more important, for it may easily be yours. We should not abolish capital punishment, but hold our country accountable for properly exercising the death penalty upon those who deserve it. Works Cited Anonymous: "Death Penalty and Sentencing Information in the United States." Internet. "Death Penalty Statistics," North Carolina Attorney General's Office. 1997. Nancy Jacobs, Alison Landes, and Mark A. Siegel. Capital Punishment, Cruel and Unusual?. Wylie: Information Plus, 1996.

Real Juice Analysis

Market With an annual consumption of more than 300 million litres (Source: Tetrapak India Study), fruit juice is not an alien concept for the Indian market. However, a very large part of the Indian consumer today feels alienated when fruit juice is packaged. Perhaps, that is why packaged juice accounts for only between 15% and 20% of the total juice consumption in India. Compared to the West, packaged fruit juice penetration, at just 4%, is still very low (Source: NRS 2005). Symbolised by the orange fruit, packaged juices and nectars are driven by fresh juice made at home and popularised by the street-side juice vendor. Dabur Foods Limited (DFL) has always taken an uncompromising stand on these consumer barriers and has consistently been thinking out of the box for the last nine years, with a resolve to innovate and evolve new products. The Real concept of sweetened juices grew from the insight that Indian consumers preferred juice sweetened – not bitter as is commonly available in the West. It innovated variants like Litchi and Guava and also introduced the latest packaging technologies in the Indian market. These innovations, driven through Real and its sub-brands, have become accepted paradigms for the industry. Innovations, coupled with rising affluence and the justarrived consuming class have injected new life into this Rs. 300 crore (US$ 66. 7 million) market – today growing at 40% per annum. Achievements With an innovative range, Real has driven the growth of the packaged fruit juice market in India. Along with its sub-brands, Real commands a market share of more than 50% in the packaged juices and nectars market (Source: ACNielsen, December 2005), achieving for itself a position of an undoubted category leader. The most important achievement of Real has been introducing the taste dimension into a category traditionally driven by health and dogood properties. With Real, DFL was also able to segment the market early, thus effectively creating a differentiated niche in the no-added sugar juice category with its sub-brand, RealActiv. The success of this variant was demonstrated in numbers, when Real-Activ garnered two-thirds share in the no-added sugar juice category within six months of its re-launch in 2005 (Source: Tetrapak India). Today, Real and its sub-brands retail across 100,000 retail outlets and 4000 food-services accounts, selling approximately 4. 5 million packs every month to more than one million consumers. Testimony to Real’s achievements has come from various quarters. While a host of brands – domestic and international – have entered this high growth market in the last few years, Real continues to be the brand consumers trust the most. In this context, Real won the Platinum award in the 9th Reader's Digest Trusted Brands Survey in the Juice category, for the year 2006. A Platinum award means that Real achieved a rating score of more than three times its nearest competitor. Since 2002, Real has been consistently winning the award for the Highest Sales Growth achieved by a brand in a non-dairy product category, at the National Dairy and Beverage seminar – Innovation for Growth – organised by Tetrapak. History The introduction of Real fruit juices and nectars was triggered by a personal unmet need of Amit Burman, the CEO of DFL who, on returning to India after working in the US, found the absence of packaged fruit juices frustrating. Traditionally, drinking fruit juices in urban India has been a social indulgence or consumed for seeking health benefits. DFL foresaw the imminent inflection point in this consumer behaviour, glimpses of which were already being witnessed in rapid urbanisation, growth in income and lifestyle changes. Also Dabur was in an ideal position to grow on the potential of the processed foods category. Its understanding of the Indian consumer, experience in managing natural foods and expertise in creating and marketing successful consumer brands was a rare mix that gave it a cutting edge. Acknowledging these positive indicators, DFL introduced the Real range in 1996 as India’s first completely natural, healthy, packaged fruit juice with no preservatives. The value add-ons revolved around several factors – ready availability of great tasting, natural, preservativefree juices in a range of fruit variants, availability in all seasons; convenience of open-pour-anddrink packaging; complete hygiene; and a healthy beverage option that gave consumers more choice. Recognising the trend that an increasing number of Indians were eating out, DFL also identified the institutional opportunity much earlier. In fact as early as 1998, Dabur became the first fruit juice company to set up a separate food services division to cater to the institutional segment. This division also partners and develops customised solutions for hotels, 156 SUPERBRANDS airlines, restaurants, caterers and hospitals. However, the road to success for Real was not a smooth one. It had to understand the very special Indian nuance of adding sugar to fruit juice extracted at home. The second learning was the fact that Indian consumers believe that packaged juices are inferior and become stale over time and that chemicals are added to extend shelf-life. Dabur invested considerably in convincing consumers that Real fruit juice was natural, preservativefree, healthy and convenient. But perhaps, the biggest challenge was developing a food-sensitive warehouse-management training programme at all levels of the channel to ensure that the freshest product reached the market. Recent Developments In recent times, Real’s single most important endeavour has been to drive relevance through segmentation and widen brand appeal. With a view to attract consumers of fruit drinks into Real’s portfolio, Real Mango Twist was launched in 2005. Mango Twist is a unique blend of mango nectar with other fruit juices. It is available in two variants – Mango Orange and Mango Papaya. In the no-added sugar category, Real-Activ offers a range of healthy fruit variants like Orange and Apple and fruit-vegetable blend juices such as Orange-Carrot, Mixed Fruit-Beetroot-Carrot and Mixed Fruit-Cucumber-Spinach. Coolers, a range of summer fruit drinks is an occasion-led variant of Real, which offers variants made from fruits known for their cooling properties. It is currently available in four variants – Aampanna, Watermelon-Mint, Lemon-Barley and Rose-Litchi. Product Targeted at the family, Real offers the largest range of fruit variety in its juice and nectar range. It has consistently innovated to re-define and strengthen its position in the Indian market. Real not only offers the most basic and generic-to-category variants like Orange and Mango, but also an assortment of varieties like Pineapple, Mixed Fruit, Grape, Tomato and fruit nectars like Guava and Litchi. On the more exotic side, Real also has Cranberry nectar. Research conducted by Blackstone Market Facts found that Real was preferred by over 50% of the respondents. Real was liked for being the better tasting juice – a category where likeability is primarily driven by taste. Ensuring that batch after batch of the right taste is delivered to the end consumer, DFL has instituted an internal taste panel, which evaluates every new product before it is sent out for product test or test marketing. DFL also recognised very early that packaging was the cornerstone of innovation in this category. This was even more critical in today’s environment where packaging has become so integral to the whole product experience and marketing communication. DFL was the first company to introduce cap on-pack. This enabled consumers the flexibility of re-use even as the cap helped retain freshness. Real uses the Tetrapak spin cap, cold fill technology and spill-proof double seal cap for packaging. This technology protects the juice and keeps it fresh longer. The spin cap also makes it convenient to pour the juice without spillage. In introducing Real-Activ, Dabur became the first juice brand in India to offer the Tetra Prisma packaging format, which is easy-to-open and has better pouring control. ability to effectively use innovative merchandising opportunities and promotions at a local level – for example, merchandising Real at fruit kiosks – to draw out the association with fruits strongly and communicate the key brand benefit of ‘As good as eating a fruit’. Promotion At DFL, the belief is that brand equity can be developed by promotions that are strategic. The advertising campaign for Real communicates the key brand benefit of ‘As good as eating a fruit’. While the family consumes the brand, the child is always at the centre of any communication. Besides the mainline communication, Real has also accomplished some innovative consumer promotions. Real Taste Challenge, for instance, was an interesting way to communicate the core benefits of Real and reinforce the brand’s core position. It involved asking consumers to identify the fruit by tasting the juice. When consumers guessed correctly, they were offered a trial discount on purchase of a onelitre Real juice pack. The ‘Real Fruit ka Juice’ offer was an innovative national promotion in which consumers were invited to contribute fresh fruit in exchange for a pack of Real. The fruits collected at various centres were donated to local NGOs working for the cause of underprivileged children. With Real, DFL is also actively involved in conducting consumer education programmes to promote nutritional awareness. These programmes are conducted at various levels – schools, doctors, nutritionists and corporates. In schools, the communication is centred on the concept of Power of 5, which conveys the importance of a well balanced, nutritious packed lunch for school kids. The doctors and nutritionists' programme is focused around the role of a septic technology in fruit juices, the benefits of packaged juices and about nutrition and safety. The corporate programme, on the other hand, addresses the role of fruit juices in building a healthy lifestyle and importance of a nutritious diet in disease prevention. One of the biggest assets for Real has been its teams’ Brand Values A housewife has succinctly put the essence of Real during a focus group session – â€Å"Real naam se hee lagta hai real juice hoga. † In the consumers’ mind, Real stands for authentic fruit juice, which defines the standard of taste and quality. As a brand, Real radiates originality; it offers the most novel products, fruit variants and a taste that the consumer is familiar with. The core essence of the brand is Original Goodness tangibly displayed by delivering healthy juices through tasty fruit variants. www. daburfoods. com THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT Real Fruit Juice Real is India’s first packaged fruit juice brand. Real and its sub-brands served more than 140 million juice helpings last year. 75% of all mocktails served in India are made from Real juices. The number of packs sold by Real last year, laid side-by-side, would exceed India’s coastline of 7516 kilometres. Evolution of the Real packaging SUPERBRANDS 157

Hierarchy of Roman Offices in the Cursus Honorum

The order of advancement through elected offices (magistracies) in Republican Rome was known as the cursus honorum. The sequence of offices in the cursus honorum meant that an office couldnt be skipped, in theory. There were exceptions. There were also optional offices that could be steps along the cursus honorum. Sequence Leading to the Top Office of Consul A Roman male of the upper classes became Quaestor before he could be elected Praetor. He had to be elected Praetor before Consul, but the candidate need not have been either an Aedile or Tribune. Other Requirements for Progress Along the Cursus Honorum The Quaestor candidate had to be at least 28. Two years had to elapse between the end of one office and the beginning of the next step on the cursus honorum. The Roles of the Cursus Honorum Magistrates and the Senate Originally, the magistrates sought the advice of the Senate when and if they wished. Over time, the Senate, which was made up of the magistrates past and present, insisted on being consulted. Insignia of the Magistrates and Senators Once admitted to the Senate, the magistrate wore a wide purple stripe on his tunic. This was called the latus clavus. He also wore a special scarlet colored shoe, the calceus mulleus, with a C on it. Like the equestrians, senators wore gold rings and sat in the reserved front row seats at performances. The Meeting Place of the Senate The Senate usually met in the Curia Hostilia, north of the Forum Romanum and facing the street called the Argiletum. [See Forum Map.] At the time of Caesars assassination, in 44 B.C., the Curia was being rebuilt, so the Senate met in Pompeys theater. The Magistrates of the Cursus Honorum Quaestor: The first position in the cursus honorum was Quaestor. The term of Quaestor lasted a year. Originally there were two Quaestors, but the number increased to four in 421, to six in 267, and then to eight in 227. In 81, the number was increased to twenty. The Assembly of the thirty-five tribes, the Comitia Tributa, elected Quaestors. Tribune of the Plebs: Annually elected by the plebeian section of the Assembly of the Tribes (Comitia Tributa), known as the Concilium Plebis, there were originally two  Tribunes of the Plebs, but by 449 B.C., there were ten. The Tribune held great power. His physical person was sacrosanct, and he could veto anyone, including another Tribune. A Tribune could not, however, veto a dictator. The office of Tribune was not a mandatory stage of the cursus honorum. Aedile:  The Concilium Plebis elected two Plebeian Aediles each year. The Assembly of the thirty-five tribes or Comitia Tributa elected two  Curule Aediles annually. It was not necessary to be an Aedile while following the cursus honorum. Praetor:  Elected by the Assembly of the Centuries, known as the Comitia Centuriata, the Praetors held office for a year. The number of Praetors increased from two to four in 227; and then to six in 197. In 81, the number was increased to eight. Praetors were accompanied by two lictores within the confines of the city. The lictores carried the ceremonial rods and ax or fasces that could, in fact, be used to inflict punishment. Consul:  The Comitia Centuriata or Assembly of the Centuries elected 2 Consuls annually. Their honors included being accompanied by 12 lictores and wearing the toga praetexta. This is the top rung of the cursus honorum. Sources Marsh, Frank Burr; revised by H.H. Scullard. A History of the Roman World From 146 to 30 B.C. London: Methuen Co. Ltd., 1971.www.theaterofpompey.com/rome/reviewmagist.shtml Regular Magistracies of the Roman Republic From T. S. R. Broughtons Magistrates of the Roman Republic.The Procedure of the Senate, by A. G. Russell.  Greece Rome, Vol. 2, No. 5 (Feb., 1933), pp. 112-121.Jona Lendering Cursus Honorum