Project Life Cycle in Construction

Project Life Cycle in Construction The project is broken into phases, and then into control points that are relevant to the particular development. This gives management an organized structure to the overall development. Cooperatively, the project phases are known as the project life cycle. These are sequential. Phases and control points are agreed by management. Due to the complex nature of the office block phase will overlap the concurrent phase. This method will also fast track the project. Overlapping phases can save time and cost however the risk of discrepancies is increased due to progression without accurate information being available from the previous phase. The first phase initiates the project by establishing a need for the office spaces. A P.E.S.T analysis is generated to determine the objective. Perth has seen a significant growth in the number of National and Regional headquarters servicing the Mining, Resource and Oil and Gas sectors. It has been reported that a further 250,000 offices are required in Perth by 2014. F, Murphy. (2011). P.E.S.T. Analysis A PEST analysis was created for this project and the following information was recovered. (P)olitical Political is the factors that influence the project. These can be government, economic or even other business. Political factors represent policies such as taxes and environmental. The current rate of GST in Australia is 10%. J, Scully. (2012). this is added on to all purchases. Due to the client being a mining company a 30 per cent mining levy will also be charged, which was introduced in March 2012 for companies who have profits above $75 million. (E)conomic Economic refers to areas unique to economy and directly influenced by economy or comprised by economy, areas such as inflation rate and interest rate. With inflation rate reaching 1.5% in June 2012. P,Flynn. (2012). If the Inflation rate changes it would cause a dramatic impact on the development cost and profit margin. If an increase in the cost of capital and materials/labour rose then the break-even rate from this project would change. The cost of labour and materials could raise enough to deem the project unsuccessful, an increase in the cost of capital would significantly increase the cost of the project. All these areas can greatly influence the development, making them of high importance within the PEST analysis. (S)ocial Perth city is undergoing going a shortage of office space due to the growth in the mining industry. Many companies are expanding and require larger office while on the other hand many businesses are being created. The development has had a large increase in population over the last 10 years. (CSO 2011) this is mostly because of the mining boom, people started to relocate into Perth. 5.2 Organizing and preparing Once it has been proven that the project is viable the design and development phase commences. This involves outlining the build-method and developing detailed schedules and plans for making or implementing the product. Feasibility study and cash flow forecast are generated as part of this section. Feasibility study A company maybe trading successfully but if it does not have money to pay bills and wages then the company fails. Cash flow throughout the refurbishment of the office block will be an on-going requirement. For the business to succeed it needs efficient funds at all times. A profitable organisation can become bankrupt if they do not have enough cash to pay day to day bills. Factors such as expanded too ambitiously, or not receiving payment from debtors can cause this. To prevent from occurring a developers budget will be developed. 5.3 Carrying out project work This phase will implement the project as per the scope of work and design drawings. The Longest sequence of activities in the project will have to be completed on time to insure project is not delayed. A Critical path shows this and makes it possible to control all phases of the project. 5.4 Closing the project: The final phase of the development is closure. This confirms the development has been built to the design specification. There are various testing and procedures to be implemented these include inspections and any remedial work that may result from the inspections. In addition a checklist which includes certifications and approvals is signed off, finally a set of as built drawings are handed over before contractor receives final payment. Commission check list will be given to the contractor and all components will be checked and approved by superintendent before hand over to client. Commissioning of all equipment is undertaken and any faults are amended before all reports are handed over to the client. All Licences, certifications and registrations that are necessary by Australian Workplace Standards, shall be provided prior to the client accepting the project. A Defect liability period (DLP) of six months shall be in place and confirmed by the Australian Workplace standards. Adequate training sessions are held to educate the line managers in each sector. As-constructed or as-removed information must be submitted, prior to the project handover meeting. Executive control points are used in the development, this act like check points allowing progression on executive approval. These reinforce the construction manager on decisions to progress on the project. As the project proceeds through its lifecycle, the clients financial commitment and liabilities increase. At each control point a full management review is undergone this provides assurance that the development can progress to the next phase. It is determined that it costs about 10 times as much to implement a change during construction. This information gives the manager a level of control over the profile and timing of the project. The construction manager can therefore ensure that their project can be customized with minimum delay to the overall project. Equally, these formal approvals supply the project manager with the ability to drive the development to closure. It also provides guidance . The most significant control point in the project is the conclusion of the development phase. This symbolises the projects progression from feasibility to implementation. Feasibility studies provide this information. This information is document into a Project Brief. This gives the client an over view of what to expect. The project life cycle is subdivides the development into manageable project phases, in turn then are then subdivided into an input, process and output format. The following table shows the different components of the project lifecycle Control Points Each Phase is aligned one or more specific objectives for monitoring the project. These phases are all related the principal phase; the names are typically taken from their input into the development. Milestone and hold-points are created these provide focal point for the project team and impose control. These will close control of the interaction between activates to ensure full and proper integration and to minimize conflicts or misunderstandings. The contraction Phase is the most critical and every effort will be made to ensure all milestones are met. Close management is required to ensure delays are addressed. There are five control points that are key to the success of any project. Effective project management: make sure the safety, cost and schedules are implemented in the plan. Management staff is to understand and follow the projects critical path. Critical milestones play a significant part in sustaining an effective development. Cost management: The most effective approach is to develop a cost management function which focuses on all purchases. Budget control and expenditure tracking will be the most important. Supplier performance management: A QA (quality assurance) will reduce risk and improve the overall project. This improves third party performance which improves relationship with stakeholders. Healthy stage gates: develop a holistic capital project program with a control point for evaluating progress and enabling informed decisions about next steps. In addition to minimizing rework on front-end engineering and design, improve cycle time and generating punch lists for handoff maintenance, this discipline makes the project move more effectively. Early involvement is essential Risk assessment and reduction: To ensure the project is completed to a high standard cost controls and quality controls are implemented. This is completed on a day to day basic. Life cycle structure normally follows the following stages: Cost and staff requirements are high at the intervill of the project and slowly decrease as the project draws to a close. Figure 3 illustrates this. Stakeholder influences, risk and uncertainty are greatest at the start of the project. These decrease over the life of the project. Within the context of the generic life cycle structure, a project manager has the option to increase control over certain deliverables if required. More intricate projects may require additional level of control. In such instance, the work carried out to complete the projects objective ay benefit from being formally divided into phase.

The Effects of Advertising Media on Sales of Insurance Products: a Developing-Country Case

The effects of advertising media on sales of insurance products: a developing-country case S. A. Aduloju Department of Insurance and Actuarial Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria A. O. Odugbesan Formerly of Department of Business Administration, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, and S. A. Oke Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria Abstract Purpose – Characterized by declining goodwill and exemplified sharp drop in gross premium, the Nigerian insurance industry, in recent times, has experienced turbulent economic challenges that necessitated re-engineering of its core activities.However, advertising and sales are core activities, which are important predictors of stability and growth in the insurance industry. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of advertising on sales of insurance products. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical investigation is carried out using a survey that utilizes quest ionnaires, interviews, and field observation as major research instruments. A total of 71 insurance companies in Nigeria, which represent the total operating insurance companies in Nigeria at the time of study, were surveyed.With 100 scientifically selected subjects sampled, descriptive analysis was employed to understand the relationship and the strength of such relationships. Findings – It was found that advertising had effects on sales volume and improved public image. However, the choice of advertising medium, the message, and the format are critical ingredients of a successful advertising program in the insurance industry. Research limitations/implications – The insurance industry in Nigeria was studied from a holistic viewpoint due to the need to present reliable and detailed information for decision makers.However, limitation in achieving this relates to the reluctance of respondents to release information for the study. Practical implications – The impli cation of this research is that proper control of advertisement budget vis-a` -vis the expected sales volume could be made. Thus, organizations could spend budgets more effectively on growth enhancing projects instead of excessive wastage of funds on advertisement. Originality/value – This paper seems to be the first original work that concerns the impact of advertising on sales in the Nigerian insurance industry.As such, it bridges a gap that is opened for investigations. It may be of great value to decision making seeking for control tools. Keywords Insurance, Nigeria, Advertising media, Sales management Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Over the years, there has been tremendous decline in the goodwill of the Nigerian insurance industry as a result of poor performance in the payment of insurance claims. The sharp drop in gross premium exemplifies this problem. Randle (2003) estimated a decline of more than 89. 4 percent in the 1999/2000 comparative periods.This decl ine may have worsened as a result of the global economic crisis. There is therefore the need to advertise insurance products in order to increase sales. Unfortunately, no reliable records exist on the impact of advertising on sales of insurance products, thus suggesting its strong need. The need to examine the impacts of advertising on sales volume is further strengthened by the significant value of the total premiums generated in Africa, which originated in South Africa (84 percent) while only an insignificant value (16 percent) is partly contributed by Nigeria.Thus, with the enormous advertising expenditures, it becomes necessary to know if such expenditures justify sales volume obtainable from the advertisement efforts. Luo and Donthu (2005) identified advertising media and spending inefficiencies in generating sales, and concluded that top 100 marketers’ advertising spending in print, broadcast, and outdoor media are not efficient and could bring in 20 percent more sales. Sadly, the case relating to insurance products was not treated. Also, there is a strong need for understanding the impacts of advertising on sales volume.Furthermore, although empirical evidence in major markets of the world shares a significant relationship between advertisement and sales volume, there is no reliable data and information on the subject in developing countries such as Nigeria. The absence of this information provides a wide gap and poor understanding on the effectiveness of advertisement on sales. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of advertising on the sales of insurance products. Advertising ranks among the major tools of promotion in general and awareness in particular.The study investigates if there are good advertising opportunities insurance industry can make use of, and examine the various advertising media commonly used by the insurers with particular reference to Nigeria. How would the customers know that a particular product will satisf y some needs unless such is communicated to them? As a pivot of economic development, insurance certainly has a major role to play. The issue now is that the sector performance is far below expectation. An important question is why?Is there any inherent difficulty in growing and promoting this business in developing world? Very many factors have been put forward for this performance, and it should be mentioned that it is not the intention of this study to discuss them. It is important, however, to find out the effectiveness of the choice of advertising media on the sales volume of insurance organizations. A study of this nature may prove to be of immense benefit to industry managers on how to make positive impression about their business and product given the dynamic nature of our socio economic environment.Past studies reveal a fairly strong relationship between advertising investments and sales. Twedt and Knitter (1964) observed some relationships between larger investments in pri nt media and profits. Sturgess and Young (1981) identified the direct relationship between sales and advertising expenditures as more relevant to a company’s performance variables than any other test of communication effectiveness of advertising. Perreault and McCarthy (2000) admit that one of the methods of measuring advertising effects is to evaluate sales.Schultz and Wittink (1976) revealed that although some studies have reported a positive influence of primary advertising on primary demand, no conclusive empirical evidence has been brought to bear on the major premise. It is therefore the goal of the current work to bridge this important gap. The effects of advertising media JRF 10,3 The paper is sectioned into the following: introduction, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion. The introduction provides an insight into the significance of the problem and the need to bridge the knowledge gap.Section 2 presents the methodology, which provides the framework for the pre sented study. In Section 3, data analysis is presented based on the results of the survey instruments. Section 4, the final section, provides concluding remarks. 2. Methodology The aim of this research is to carry out an empirical investigation of the extent to which advertising affects sales. This is a survey research whose objectives are to find answers to the following research questions, and test the relevant hypotheses. This section presents the methodological approach adopted to gather relevant data necessary for this study. . 1 Study population, sampling design, and research instrument The Nigerian Insurance Digest, 2006 indicates that there were 96 insurance companies operating in Nigeria as at December 31, 2006. No available records confirm that new companies have been formed since, except for the issues of mergers and acquisitions that characterized the recapitalization/consolidation exercise. A total of 71 companies have since emerged from this exercise. The study populat ion embraced all the staff engaging in marketing, public relations, and advertising in these 71 insurance companies.Most of these companies are direct insurers since they deal directly with the members of the public. Reinsurance companies, though, also engage in advertising activities, were excluded from this study because their impact or contact with the members of the public is indirect. Since it would not be feasible to contact all the staff that represents the population for the study, sampling method was used, and the study was limited to Lagos state, the commercial center of Nigeria. A sample of 100 subjects selected from some insurance companies in Lagos was used.The sampling method was used to avoid bias in the selection procedure, and to achieve maximum precision for a given outlay of resources. Essentially, two research instruments were used: questionnaire and interview. For the questionnaire, 100 copies were distributed to respondents selected from various insurance compa nies in Lagos, Nigeria. In order to ensure high response ratio, the questionnaires were administered personally. To achieve this a number of contacts have been made to the management of those companies soliciting for their cooperation.Also, diligent care was exercised to avoid ambiguity in drafting the questionnaire. Personal interview was conducted with selected executives in the insurance companies (Dillion et al. , 1994). The face-to-face contact with respondents assisted in obtaining high quality data since more information is communicated between human beings communicating directly with each other than using other means. 2. 2 Method of data analysis The research proposed to use such descriptive statistics as simple percentages to compute the data obtained.For hypothesis testing, coefficient of correlation would be employed. Lucey (2002) highlights the benefits of using correlation coefficient when trying to analyze independent and dependent variables in order to understand the relationship between them. The correlation coefficient reveals the strength of such The effects of relationships. advertising media 2. 3 Restatement of research questions The research questions are as follows: RQ1. Is a company’s failure to use advertising a result of lack of good advertising opportunities?RQ2. Do the results of other promotional tools affect the use of advertising? RQ3. Is the use of advertising dependent on the measurability of its results? RQ4. Is there any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure? 2. 4 Research hypotheses The hypotheses stated will be used to test the relationship between sales figures and advertising figures (Asika, 2006). The statistical procedure is to state the null hypothesis (H0), which is to be followed by the alternative hypothesis (H1).While a H0 is a statement that no change has occurred from the condition specified, the H1 is a reversal of a H0. Thus, if in hypothesis testing, a H0 is rejected, then, the H1 will be accepted: H0. There is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. H1. There is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. 2. 5 Research design The research uses explorative research design in order to gain insights into the subject studied. The research design is that of descriptive survey.It is meant to assess the importance attached to advertisement by insurance organizations. Specifically, the research design would reveal availability of good advertising opportunities for insurance firms, factors affecting a firm’s decision to use advertising, relationship between advertising and company’s performance in terms of sales volume, and justification of advertising expenditure, using profit as the bottom line. 3. Data analysis In Section 2, it was mentioned that empirical investigation would be carried out on the extent to which the choice of advertising medium affects sales.The summaries of the results of the survey q uestions, and how these answer the stated research questions are presented in this Section 3. In fact, we will like to find out whether a company’s failure to use advertising is a result of lack of advertising opportunities, whether the use of advertising is dependent on the measurability of its results, and whether there is any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. These results also attempt to seek support for the hypothesis stated. 3. 1 Response rate and respondents’ characteristicsA total of 100 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to respondents. The challenges of recapitalization in the insurance industry, and subsequent rearrangements including the necessary formalities made the task of getting JRF 10,3 audience difficult. A total of 84 questionnaires were collected out of which two were found unusable for the purpose of analysis. The response rate of 48 percent was thus achieved. The results were analyzed with the use of the fol lowing statistical procedures: (1) the frequency distribution of some parameters; (2) the percentages of the parameters studied; and 3) bar charts were also used for further illustration of some of the results obtained. The first five questions of the questionnaire deal with the characteristics of the respondents, specifically their bio data. These are presented in Table I. Out of the 82 respondents analyzed, 50 are males while 32 are females. The sample members were conveniently selected at random, rather than based on quota. Since 61 percent of the respondents are males and 39 percent are females, should one conclude that 61 percent of the workforce in the insurance industry is male and 39 percent female?This is an interesting possibility due to the fact that a good number of females prefer to be self-employed in order to care for their home responsibilities. From Table II, majority of the respondents are 40 years and below, an overwhelming 89 percent (i. e. 44 percent for below 3 0 years, and 45 percent for age bracket 31-40). About 11 percent of the respondents are above the age 41, while none of the respondents is over 60 years. This analysis suggests that productive and dynamic personnel marketing and public relations functions of these insurance companies.The analysis shows 43 single and 39 married persons indicating 52 and 48 percent respondents, respectively (Table III). This is a fair distribution. From Table IV, 46 of the 82 respondents possess higher national diploma and degrees, 14 respondents possess higher degrees in form of MSc/MBA, and 16 respondents possess professional qualifications. Sex Number Percentage Table I. Male 50 61 Sex distribution Female 32 39 of respondents Total 82 100 Age Number Percentage Table II. Age distribution of respondents Below 30 years 31-40 years 41-50 years 51-60 years Total 36 37 6 3 82 44 45 7 4 100Marital status Number Percentage Table III. Marital status of respondents Single Married Total 43 39 82 52 48 100 The fact that only six respondents (a mere 8 percent) possess national diploma and below shows that marketing and public relations job in the insurance industry is taken over by professionally and academically qualified personnel. From Table V, 71 respondents (which is 87 percent) have not more than ten years working experience, while those having more than 16 years working experience constitute only 4 percent. None of the respondents however, have worked more than 25 years. 3. Descriptive statistics of the sample responses In presenting the data obtained in response to section B of the questionnaire, we will use tables of percentages as well as bar charts. A cumulative of 91 percent agree that insurance is necessary for socio-economic development while a mere 4 percent disagree (Table VI). One may conclude that majority of the respondents believe that insurance has a vital role to play in an economy. Here, again, Table VII shows that 91 percent agree that the Nigerian public is apathe tic toward insurance purchase, while a mere 5 percent could not agree. A total of 69 respondents (20 ? 9) agree that the level of insurance sales in the country is not encouraging, which is 84 percent of the respondents (Table VIII). On the other hand, 10 percent of the respondents disagree. This naturally confirms the response presented in Table VII indicating that the Nigerian public is apathetic toward insurance purchase. Academic qualification Number Percentage WAEC/NECO/GCE National diploma HND/BSc MSc/MBA Professional qualification Total 3 3 46 14 16 82 4 4 56 17 19 100 Table IV. Academic qualifications of respondents The effects of advertising media Length of service Number Percentage Below 5 years -10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years Total 48 23 7 2 2 82 59 28 9 2 2 100 Table V. Length of service/working experience of respondents Response Number Percentage Strongly agree Agree Undecided Strongly disagree Total 37 38 4 3 82 45 46 5 4 100 Table VI. Insurance necessary for socio-economic development JRF 10,3 About 49 percent believe that insurance performance follows the fortunes of the other sectors while 27 percent disagree (Table IX). The interesting thing is that 24 percent could not state whether or not the insurance industry performance depends on the performance of the other sectors.Here, respondents were allowed to choose more than one factor they considered as responsible for the low sales of insurance products. In order of frequency, low level of awareness, poor industry image, high level of illiteracy, and low per capital income top the list with 73, 57, 45, and 45 percent, respectively (Table X). These factors are represented on the bar chart (Figure 1). About 67 percent of the respondents agree that the principles involved in marketing tangible products apply with equal force to marketing intangible products such as Response Number Percentage Table VII. Whether public is pathetic toward insurance Strongly agree Agree Undecided Strong ly disagree Total 12 63 3 1 82 14 77 4 1 100 Response Number Percentage Table VIII. Level of insurance sales in Nigeria not encouraging Strongly agree Agree Undecided Disagree Total 20 49 5 8 82 24 60 6 10 100 Reponses Number Percentage Table IX. Performance of insurance Strongly agree Agree Undecided 7 33 20 9 40 24 industry dependent on the performance of other sectors Disagree Strongly disagree Total 17 5 82 21 6 100 Factor Number Percentage Low per capital income Low level of awareness 37 60 45 73 Table X. Factors responsible for ow sales of insurance High level of illiteracy Religious beliefs Poor industry image Availability of substitute 37 23 47 4 45 28 57 5 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Poor image Substitute insurance while 33 percent disagree (Table XI). One may assert that while marketing principles are universal, their application to categories of products varies. All the respondents confirm that their companies have marketing or public relations department (Table XII). This shows that the issue of marketing or public relations is given adequate attention with staff assigned specific responsibilities.An overwhelming 93 percent of the respondents agree that their companies engage in one form of advertising or the other (Table XIII). It shows that companies could no longer be content with the provision of goods and services alone, they also see the need to inform the general public of their existence and the benefits they offer to the society. From Table XIII already discussed above, six respondents confirm that their companies do not engage in any form of advertising. In response question 9 on the questionnaire asking for the reasons, they pointed to the factors shown in Table XIV.Out of the six respondents, three chose â€Å"preference for other promotional tools,† four chose â€Å"high cost of advertising,† and two chose â€Å"difficulty in measuring advertising Low income Low awareness Illiteracy Religion Response Number Percentage Yes No Total 55 27 82 67 33 100 The effects of advertising media Figure 1. Chart showing factors responsible for low sales of insurance products Table XI. Can the principles involved in marketing tangible products be applied to insurance marketing? Response Number Percentage Table XII. Does your company have Yes 82 100 marketing or public Total 82 100 relations department? Response Number PercentageTable XIII. Yes 76 93 Whether respondents’ No 6 7 companies engage in Total 82 100 advertising activities JRF 10,3 effects on sales. † Interestingly, none chose â€Å"lack of good advertising opportunities† as a reason for not advertising. This means there may be good advertising opportunities, but measuring the effect of advertising on sales is a problem. In response to the question on advertising objectives, 72 percent of the respondents chose â€Å"inform the public about the company,† 55 percent chose â€Å"increase sales,† and 52 percent chose †Å"improve company’s image† among the major objectives of advertising (Table XV).From the above analysis, increase in sales is the leading advertising objective, apart from giving information about the company. Ranking in frequency, newspapers, radio, and magazines are the most favored advertising media with 79, 59, and 49 percent, respectively (Table XVI). These and other media used are presented on the bar chart (Figure 2). The analysis above indicates that 51 percent of the respondents reveal that developing advertising activities is a joint responsibility of the company’s staff and the advertising agencies (Table XVII).About 41 percent of the respondents show that it is entirely the work of advertising agencies while only 8 percent state that it is an internal responsibility. The report shows that insurance companies in developing their advertising program actively seek for the inputs of the advertising agencies. While only 5 percent of the respondents could n ot decide, a cumulative of 83 percent agree that the success of advertising activities depends on the integration of all marketing promotional tools. While no respondents strongly disagree, 12 percent disagree (Table XVIII).The 83 percent in agreement point to the fact that there is the need for integration of all marketing communications in order to achieve good result. Response Number Percentage Table XIV. Reasons why some Preference for other promotional tools 3 50 companies do no High cost of advertising 4 67 advertising Difficulty in measuring advertising effects 2 33 Response Number Percentage Table XV. Objectives of advertising Inform the public about the company Introduce new product Increase sales Improve profitability Improve company’s image 59 33 45 34 43 72 40 55 42 52 Response Number PercentageTable XVI. Advertising media used Radio Television Outdoor advertising Newspapers Magazines Journals 48 24 29 65 40 21 59 29 35 79 49 26 The effects of advertising media Fi gure 2. Bar chart showing the preferred advertising media Radio TV Outdoor Newspapers Magazine Journals 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Response Number Percentage (a) Advertising staff (b) Advertising agencies (c) Both (a) and (b) above Total 7 34 41 82 8 41 51 100 Table XVII. Those responsible for developing advertising activities Response Strongly agree Agree Undecided Disagree Total Number 23 45 4 10 82 Percentage 8 55 5 12 100 Table XVIII. Whether advertising success is dependent on the integration of all marketing promotional tools From Table XIX, an overwhelming majority of the respondents agree that the choice of advertising medium is critical to the success of advertising activities. This is indicated by the sum of 20 percent for â€Å"strongly agree† and 70 percent for â€Å"agree† respondents making 90 percent. While 6 percent could not decide, a mere 4 percent disagree. Insurers therefore will have to pay attention to the medium selection if their advertising objectives are to be met.In Table XX, the respondents neither â€Å"disagree† nor â€Å"strongly disagree† with the notion that the choice of message can make a difference between success and failure of any advertising activity. While only 1 percent of the respondents could not decide, 99 percent agree with the notion that the choice of message is critical to any successful advertising program. Again, insurers need to pay attention to the message in endeavoring to reach the public. JRF 10,3 About 96 percent of the respondents support the notion that advertising has made positive impact on their company performance (Table XXI).This needs no further elaboration. Owing to the importance of this issue, question 16 in section B was reframed again as question 17 with the aim of testing the genuineness of the respondents’ answer. Interestingly, as in Table XXI (which analyzed responses to question 16), 96 percent of the respondents affirm that advertising has had posi tive effects on their company’s performance (Table XXII). Specifically, 73 percent of the respondents agree that advertising leads to increased sales, the figure which is marginally exceeded by 74 percent for â€Å"favorable public image† (Table XXIII).Also 61 percent of the respondents agree that advertising leads to increased number of prospects. This is presented in the bar chart shown in Figure 3. None of the respondents picked â€Å"no† for the answer, although it was included in the three options (Table XXIV). While 76 percent of the respondents believe that advertising expenditure is justified based on the results achieved, 24 percent could Response Number Percentage Table XIX. Strong agree Agree Undecided 16 57 5 20 70 6 The choice of advertising medium is critical to the success of advertising Disagree Strongly disagree Total 2 2 2 2 2 100 Response Number Percentage Table XX. The choice of message can make or mar advertising campaign Strongly agree Agre e Undecided Total 21 60 1 82 26 73 1 100 Table XXI. Whether advertising has impacted positively on company performance Response Yes No Total Number 79 3 82 Percentage 96 4 100 Response Number Percentage Table XXII. Description of advertising effects on company performance Positive effect No effect Negative effect Total 79 1 2 82 96 1 3 100 not decide. One may align with the fact that advertising expenditure, if properly done, is not a wasteful resource, after all.The fact that only 27 percent agree, and 37 percent could not decide in support of the notion shows that advertising agents have a long way to go in measuring up to international standard (Table XXV). About 36 percent (30 ? 6 percent) disagree that advertising professionals are performing at world standard. Response Number Percentage The effects of advertising media Increased number of calls received 10 Increased number of prospects visits 50 Increased number of orders received 21 Increased volume of sales 60 Increased quan tum of profits 31 Favorable public image 61 2 61 26 73 Table XXIII. 38 Specific effects of 74 advertising on companies Figure3. Bar chart showing effects of advertising 10 30 40 50 60 70 80 Calls Visits Orders Sales Profits Image Response Number Percentage Table XXIV. Yes 62 76 Going by the result, is Undecided 20 24 advertising expenditure Total 82 100 justified? Response Number Percentage Strongly agree 4 5 Agree 18 22 Table XXV. Undecided 30 37 Is performance of Disagree 25 30 advertising agencies in Strongly disagree 5 6 Nigeria is of international Total 82 100 standard? JRF 10,3 3. Analysis of research questions In Section 3, the research questions proposed in Section 1 were restated. These research questions, four in number, are analyzed as follows based on the information received from the respondents: RQ1. Is a company’s failure to use advertising a result of lack of good advertising opportunities? To answer this question, Table XIV (already analyzed somewhere above) is hereby represented in Table XXVI. In response to question 8 on the questionnaire, six out of the 82 respondents confirmed that their companies do no advertising at all.Question 9 asked for the reasons and four options were listed as follows: (1) company’s preference for other promotional tools; (2) high cost of advertising; (3) lack of good advertising opportunities; and (4) difficulty in measuring advertising effects. From Table XXVI, none of the respondents chose option (3), i. e. â€Å"lack of good advertising opportunities† as the reason for not advertising. One can therefore conclude that there are a number of advertising opportunities in the country for companies who care to advertise: RQ2. Do the results of other promotional tools affect the use of advertising?Again, this question would be answered using the response analysis presented in Table XIV. Out of the six respondents whose companies do no advertising, three stated that it was because their companies preferred the use of other promotional tools. When compared with the sample size, which is 82, the position of the three respondents is too insignificant to infer a generalization. One could thus conclude that the results of other promotional tools do not negatively affect the use of advertising: RQ3. Is the use of advertising dependent on the measurability of its result?Using Table XXVI, out of the six respondents who confirm that their companies do not advertise, two chose â€Å"difficulty in measuring advertising effects† as the reason. Again, this position of the two respondents is too insignificant when compared with that of the entire sample size of 82: RQ4. Is there any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure? In answering this question, the response to question 17 in the questionnaire will be used. The response as analyzed using Table XXIII (already analyzed somewhere above) is hereby represented in Table XXVII.Response Number Percentage Table XX VI. (Repeated) Reasons why Preference for other promotional tools 3 50 some companies do not High cost of advertising 4 67 advertise? Difficulty in measuring advertising effect 2 33 From this table, advertising has a number of positive effects on the organization. Among others, 74 percent of the respondents believe it has improved public image, 73 percent believe it has increased sales volume and 61 percent believe it has increased the number of prospect visits. All these show a positive relationship between advertising and sales. 3. 4 Test of hypothesisThe hypothesis to be tested is termed the H0 – a statement that no change has occurred from the position specified for a hypothesis. If however we reject the H0, the H1 will be accepted. An H1 is a statement, which is a reversal of a H0. 3. 4. 1 Restatement of the hypothesis. H0. There is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. H1. There is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figu re. In order to test for this hypothesis, data obtained from some insurance companies in respect of their sales figures (gross premium incomes) and their advertising expenditures for a five-year period was used. . 4. 2 Five-year figures of premium and advertising. These are shown in Table XXVIII. Our main objective is to test whether or not there is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales volume. The statistical tool used here is Pearson’s product moment coefficient of correlation denoted by r. This coefficient gives an indication of the strength of the linear relationship between two variables. In our case, the two variables are: (1) Advertising expenditure, which is the independent variable represented by x. (2)Sales figures (gross premium income) which is the dependent variable denoted by y. Response Number Percentage The effects of advertising media Increased number of calls received 10 Increased number of prospects visits 50 Increased number of orders re ceived 21 Increased volume of sales 60 Increased quantum of profits 31 Favorable public image 61 12 61 26 Table XXVII. 73 (Repeated) Specific effects 38 of advertising on 74 companies Year Advert expenditure (N Premium income (N ?) ?) 2001 7,532,670 1,145,565,930 2002 8,980,422 1,456,227,292 2003 10,581,702 2,048,360,018 004 14,216,019 2,825,270,405 2005 16,186,851 3,485,046,944 Table XXVIII. JRF 10,3 For ease of computation, the figures for both advertising and sales (premium income) have been approximated as follows: XXXX X x ? 575; y ? 1; 096; x 2 ? 71; 369; y 2 ? 277; 194; and xy ? 139; 915: The formula for product moment correlation coefficient is: P PP n xy 2 x y r ? rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ? :99: P P2 * P P2 n x2 2 x ny2 2 y According to Lucey (2002), r can range from ? 1, i. e. perfect p ositive correlation where the variables change value in the same direction as each other, to 21, i. e. perfect negative correlation where y decreases linearly as x increases. Lucey states further that a strong correlation between two variables would produce an r value in excess of ? 0. 9 or 20. 9. If the value were less than, say 0. 5 there would only be a very weak relationship between the variables. The value of our computed coefficient of correlation (r) is 0. 99.This indicates a very strong positive correlation between the two variables, i. e. advertising expenditure and sales figure denoted by x and y, respectively. The decision is that we reject the H0, which states that there is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure, and accept the H1, which states that there is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. 4. Conclusions This study investigates how advertising could be used by the insurers to disseminate information on the vital role they play. The study concludes that: .The image problem and the poor sales of insurance products are not necessarily the result of the bad economy but the failure to engage in marketing communications. . Emphasizing other roles of insurance as financial intermediation and supplement to government’s efforts in providing social security will make it more attractive. . Greater benefits accrue when advertising is fully integrated into the whole mass of marketing communications. . There are good opportunities for the insurers to advertise their products, advertising practitioners have not measured up to international standards. .For good advertising output, the message and format are the joint responsibility of the insurance staff and advertising agencies. . The major advertising media used by the insurers are the newspapers and the radio. The use of the internet in Nigeria should be given due attention. . The choice of advertising medium is a critical success factor in any a dvertising activity. . The major effects of advertising on companies were found to include sales volume and improved public image. A number of obstacles militate against attainment of growth in the insurance subsector, notably, hostile economic environment.Relentless advertising campaign can take a company to the next level of growth. The research has also shown that advertising expenditure is justified going by the positive effects such expenditure has on a company’s performance. Furthermore, the message and the format have also been found to be critical ingredients of a successful advertising program. It is recommended that: . The insurance executives should realize that their activities do not end with producing good services. Passing information to the public about their services and benefits thereof must be vigorously pursued through advertising. For sustainable competitive advantage there is a need for integration of all marketing communications, as this will reduce con flicts in organizations. . A careful blend of print and electronic media is very essential in order to properly serve each market segment. . Sales persons are the ones on ground since they are always in the field. Their inputs must always be sought while designing advertising message and format. . The lack of records regarding advertising budget and actual expenses is a problem in many insurance organizations.There is a need to keep adequate records of advertising expenditure, as this is necessary for proper evaluation. . The practitioners must promote other important roles of insurance such as savings, financial intermediation and provision of social security. . In the area of image laundry there can still be mutually beneficial cooperation in the midst of competition among the insurers. . In this regard, the insurance industry as a whole should embark on an industry’s advertising in order to promote subjects of common interest.This will also reduce the overall cost of adver tising. In this work, a convenience sampling method is used. While the size of the sample is fairly large (100), a major limitation is that the sample is taken in Lagos: one state out of 36. The fact that some major towns in the country (i. e. Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Ibadan) were left out could limit the degree of representativeness of the sample. However, the fact that Lagos is home to almost 90 percent of the headquarters of insurance companies in Nigeria makes the findings of this study representative of the population.Consequently, these findings would form a platform on which companies can base some of their marketing decisions. Future research could focus on the effects of publicity and public relations on sales, and on the better methods of separating advertising effects from the total marketing effects. References Asika, N. (2006), Glossary of Terms and Concepts in Research and Statistics, 1st ed. , Maxwell, Lagos, pp. 50-8. Dillion, W. R. , Madden, T. J. and Firtle, N. H. (1994), Marketing Research in a Marketing Environment, 3rd ed. , Irwin, Chicago, IL, pp. 124-5. Lucey, T. 2002), Quantitative Techniques, 6th ed. , MPG, Bodmin, p. 96. Luo, X. and Donthu, N. (2005), â€Å"Assessing advertising media spending inefficiencies in generating sales†, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 28-36. The effects of advertising media JRF 10,3 Nigeria Insurers Digest (2005), Statistical Journal of the Nigerian Insurers Association, p. 47. Nigeria Insurance Digest (2006), Statistical Journal of the Nigerian Insurers Association, pp. 23-4, 43. Perreault, W. and McCarthy, J. Jr (2000), Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach, 14th ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, pp. 51-6. Randle, J. (2003), â€Å"Mergers and acquisition: a survival strategy for the insurance industry†, The Nigerian Insurer, November, pp. 14-18. Schultz, R. L. and Wittink, D. R. (1976), â€Å"The measurement of industry advertising effects†, Journal of Ma rketing Research, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 71-5. Sturgess, B. and Young, R. (1981), â€Å"The sales response to advertising: a reconsideration†, Management and Decision Economics, No. 3, pp. 133-8. Twedt and Knitter (1964), â€Å"What about the relationships among sales, advertising, and earnings†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 68-9.Further reading Achumba, I. C. (1985), Sales Management Concepts, Strategies and Cases, rev. ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos. Achumba, I. C. (1995), Sales and Management Concepts, Strategies and Cases, 1st ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos, p. 2. Asika, N. (2004), Research Methodology: A Process Approach, 1st ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos, pp. 20-3. Bickelhaupt, D. (1967), â€Å"Trends and innovations in the marketing of insurance†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 17-22. Connor-Linton, J. (2003), Chi-square Tutorial, updated by C.Ball, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Coon ey, B. (1999), â€Å"Reuter XL capital announces web-based initiative to help manage organizational risk†, PR Newswire USA, April 12. Davidow, D. and Uttal, B. (1990), The Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon, 1st ed. , Harper Collins, New York, NY. Dayton, D. (1999), Total Market Domination, 1st ed. , Adams Media Corporation, Halbrook, MA, pp. 37-41. Denny, R. (1988), Selling To Win, 1995 ed. , Kogan Page, London. Dibb, S. , Simkin, L. and Pride, W. (1991), Marketing, European ed. , Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA.Farmer, R. N. (1987), â€Å"Would you want your grand daughter to marry a Taiwanese marketing man? †, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, pp. 111-6. Keith, R. (1960), â€Å"The marketing revolution†, Journal of Marketing, January, pp. 35-8. Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2006), Principles of Marketing, 11th ed. , Prentice-Hall, New York, NY, pp. 428-44. Kotler, P. and Connor, R. A. Jr (1977), â€Å"Marketing professional services†, Journal of Mar keting, Vol. 41 No. 1, pp. 71-6. Lancaster, G. and Massingham, L. (1988), â€Å"Essentials of Marketing†, McGraw-Hill, London. Le Boeuf, M. 1987), How to Win Customers and Keep Them for Life, 1st ed. , Berkley Books, New York, NY. McWhorter, S. (1958), â€Å"Advertising and public relations activities of insurance companies with special emphasis on health insurance†, Journal of Insurance, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 8-20. Makki, S. and Somwaru, A. (2001), â€Å"Finance’ participation in crop insurance markets: creating the right incentives†, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 83 No. 3, pp. 662-7. Miner, R. B. (1961), â€Å"Application of the theory of marketing tangible goods to the marketing of insurance†, Journal of Insurance, Vol. 8 No. 1, pp. 41-4. Nigeria Insurers Association (2006), Where to Insure 2006, Nigeria Insurers Association, Lagos, pp. 28-43. Pappas, C. (2000), â€Å"AdNauseam†, Advertising Age, July, pp. 16-18. Polley, R . W. (1987), â€Å"On the value of reflection in the distorted mirror†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 27 No. 6, pp. 104-9. Prisca, S. (2004), â€Å"Developing public trust in insurance. A critical appraisal†, Journal of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Vol. 5 No. 13, p. 17. Rejda, G. (2002), Principles of Risk Management and Insurance, 7th ed. , Pearson Education, Delhi. Rejda, G. 2003), Principles of Risk Management and Insurance, 7th ed. , Pearson Education, Singapore, p. 20. Ryan, L. (1985), â€Å"New distribution channels for microcomputer software†, Business, October/December, pp. 21-2. Wikipedia (2006), The Free Encyclopedia, available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Advertising Corresponding author S. A. Aduloju can be contacted at: [email  protected] com To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints The effects of advertising media

An Analysis of Marilyn Monroes Life - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2643 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2019/08/16 Category People Essay Level High school Topics: Marilyn Monroe Essay Did you like this example? This is a research and psychoanalysis paper on Marilyn Monroe and the life that she lived. The first part explores many aspects of her life, starting with her childhood and ending in the passing of Marilyn. The start goes into her heritage and later discusses how that, and the rest of her life, affected her psychologically. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Analysis of Marilyn Monroes Life" essay for you Create order The second aspect of this paper is the analysis of her psychologically, diving into the multiple psychological theories and perspectives and how her entire life is taken into context by these perspectives. Her personal views are all considered with these perspectives and how they made her the person she was. Lastly, this paper ends with personal thoughts and a reflection of how I felt individually toward the information given and researched. An Analysis of Marilyn Monroes Life Marilyn Monroe. When those words were uttered in the 1940s through 60s, most all would associate a feeling of sensuality and womanhood. Marilyn had a life that was unlike a regular persons and she was remembered for several aspects of this life she lived. A woman of independence, grace, and sexual appeal, Monroe had a background that not many investigated during her lifetime, yet that had an impact on who she was, how she felt internally and how her life came to an end. Her life story, starting with her childhood, had an impact on many people and she will be remembered throughout history for her looks, career and various relationships in which she was involved, which all roots back to her psychological state and mental state of mind. A mystery in a nutshell, Marilyn Monroe is a woman to be studied and analyzed closely because of her disturbing childhood, life of fame, and tragic death, all making analyzers wonder, what was truly going on in her mind?   Description of Marilyn Monroes Life   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Marilyn Monroe did not start her life with the idolized name that we now call her; she was formally known as Norma Jean Mortenson. An innocent, young girl, starting out a life with a desperate need of love, Norma Jean was raised in orphanage and foster homes because her mother was admitted into a mental institution and her dad deserted her family when she was young. When looking in to the past of this little girl who became a woman too young, it is easy to see how her mother had an impact on her life. Norma Jean, or Marilyn Monroe, had a mother named Gladys Pearl, who was born in May of 1902. Gladys had her own struggles growing up, which rooted within her own upraising. Gladys mother, Della, was married to a man named Otis Elmer Monroe, Gladys father. Otis ended up dying mysteriously after a terrible sickness, which led to her mother having men in the house, left and right. (Spoto 5) So, as Marilyns mother was on the edge of young adulthood, she was rece iving mixed signals about marriage, family and parenthood from her own mother and was observing her mothers actions closely, which were implying that men were   [a necessity] to a womans life. (Spoto 6) As life continued, Gladys branched off onto her own path, as her mother was not a fully dependable woman for her. She met new people and new men, and eventually had a child of her own, Norma Jean. Sadly, Norma Jean did not have good figures or leaders to look up to as she grew up, as her father abandoned her at a young age and her mother, Gladys, ended up being admitted to a mental hospital, due to her own mental disease and troubles. She later passed away, leaving Norma Jean alone. Catherina Henry makes a very accurate point on her childhood, stating that [Norma Jeans] genetic heritage did nothing to encourage her to envision a future as a responsible adult. (Henry 849) After her mothers passing, Norma Jean was put into the orphanage and fostering system, where she developed her i nitial sense of loneliness in life and she was defined as emotional neglect as a child. She became the victim of sexual abuse at the age of 8, and continued her life through the neglect and abuse that she had already faced at such a young age. (Haas 607) Norma Jean then married at 16 to avoid staying in the foster system and dependence on old family friends, to a man four years older. Marriage spared Marilyn from further sexual abuse from older men and alleviated the obligation of family friends to care for her. (Haas 607) Soon after though, her husband went away to war and she found a job at the Radio Plane munitions plant, where she spent most of her time. At this job, she was discovered by a photographer who asked to photograph her for a shoot that encouraged women working while men were away at war. After this, the photographer helped her land a modeling contract, and she then dyed her then-brown locks to bleach blonde, divorced her husband, and started to pursue her personal interests of acting. Norma Jean was twenty at the time, and she quickly found good acting jobs, which led to her being the newest lead of talent at Twentieth Century Fox. This booming movie production company renamed Norma Jean as Marilyn, and she took Monroe as her new last name, which she based off of her grandmothers last name. Throughout her acting career, Marilyn Monroe was affected by her past, letting her own insecurities impact her life greatly. She did not quite know what to do with her fame and how to get the things that she wanted. Monroe [involved] herself repeatedly with men in general and also to score movie auditions. (Haas 607) So, this in itself did not lead to a long acting career for Marilyn and led to even more insecurities being created and dug up from her childhood. Marilyn Monroe was known as a sex symbol throughout her life, as she radiated beauty and elegance. When she married again to baseball player Joe DiMaggio, he was possessive of her and most could not handle how sexualized she was in Hollywood, and in the eyes of other men. Not too long after, Marilyn married a well-known playwright named Arthur Miller, and soon after this she created her own company, named Marilyn Monroe Productions. Marrying Miller was something that Marilyn did for a variety of her own personal reasons, but one that was observed was so that she could be taken more seriously in the acting industry. This marriage ended up failing though, as Monroes enormous psychological and emotional needs and her increased reliance on prescription drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of miscarriages, insomnia, and crippling stage fright weighed heavy on herself and other around her. (Haas 608) Because of her dwindling and declining mental state, Marilyn Monroes acting career came to a n end. Slowly, because of her own personal pain and psychological issues, including but not limited to, depression, anxiety, and being affected by abuse, Marilyn began to lose her spark and motivation in life. In August of 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found in her bed, her life lost to the effects of a barbiturate overdose. Integration of Marilyn Monroes Life with Psychological Theory The number of negative events in Marilyn Monroes life were vast and are truly sad to read. There are many different perspectives that can be used to analyze her life and that most definitely have to do with her psychological development and destruction. Looking into Marilyns biology, it is seen that her inheritance had a big impact on her throughout her entire life. Her mothers psychological state is one of the biggest impacts on her genetically and biologically, as she inherited some of the same characteristics of strong anxiety and depression. Marilyns mother, Gladys, had parents that were not secure and dependable, as one passed away and the other was more concerned with herself than her daughter. Gladys was most definitely psychologically affected by the upraising and it is easy to believe that this affected Marilyn biologically, as Gladys is the one who birthed her. Looking biologically, also, it can be observed that Marilyns feelings were not always stable, and, in this day and time, they are detectors of biological and psychological issues in someone. But Marilyn was not only affected biologically, as there were many unconscious behaviors that had to do with her psychological state. Sigmund Freud studied the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic perspectives, which have to do with these unconscious thoughts and behaviors, and his studies reflect and relate to Marilyn Monroe. Mannie Sher talks about how there are several components to the unconscious mind and why it either inhibit or prohibits us from doing certain things or having certain behaviors. For example, Sher talks about anxiety and how that is something that can be an unconscious issue for people, and that with this acting against somebody in their unconscious mind, they might have issues [managing] themselves in their systematic roles. (Sher 1260) Marilyn started her life as a neglected, abused girl, and when she became older and started to get the attention that she did as a sex symbol, she took it and ran with it. To a certain extent, Monroe defined her own identity by what other people thought of her, and the anxiety of her losing that attention and fame was very real. The psychoanalytic state of mind was activated for Marilyn Monroe by this craving to maintain attention and fame, which shows that she was under pressure   from [herself and] from outside perspectives and opinions. (Sher 1260) Marilyns behaviors are also something that can be deeply analyzed, in many aspects, as she acted certain ways because of her environment. Being a sex symbol, she had to have had her guard up to a certain extent, most likely not feeling safe at all times. Men were constantly staring at her, sexualizing her and considering her an object. This is not the best place to be in and would lead many women including Marilyn assumedly, to feel internally insecure and as if her outside if the only thing that matters. But, on the outside, Marilyn most always looked calm, cool and collected as she liked the attention she got, even when there were many people that made her feel uncomfortable, because of the way that she was viewed. Also, as a child her feeling of abandonment and loneliness most definitely could have led to her wanting to have attention, even if it was sexually. So, her collected behavior could have been a reflection of her persisting urge to be valued and wanted. Looking at Marilyn in a humanistic perspective, it is recognizable that she lacked in feelings of fulfillment and seemed to usually end up in a negative place internally rather than positive. Since humanistic perspective focuses on well-being based on self-image and some other factors, Marilyn Monroe is easily seen to be lacking in a stable perception of herself and life. Marilyn constantly wanted to maintain a perfect demeanor and flawless looks, which is not a healthy way to go about life, since as humans we are not flawless, and we do make mistakes. She was definitely motivated in some parts of her life; to reach her goals in acting, modeling and gaining the attention of others, but the dependence on others and getting their attention being the ultimate goal behind all of her others, is what was unhealthy for her mental state. In a humanistic perspective, it is not a healthy way to go about life because if feeling fulfilled and whole comes from dependence on others and their attention, your psychological state will end up deteriorating. As for Marilyns cognitive state of mind, perception and problem solving are things to be analyzed in her life. Marilyn perception of things were once again, deep down, solely based on attention from other people, and wanting to be fulfilled by them. But this was not good for her mental health, as humans are not always dependable and will repeatedly let you down. So, her depending so much on others and their opinions of her was believed to have led to her depression and later overdose. Marilyns perception of life was also affected by this depen dence on others and finding her identity in other peoples opinions of her. Her depression and mental decline are things that most definitely could have started with her dependence on others, which became such a significant element to her life originally because of her neglect as a child. Overall, Marilyn Monroe was psychologically affected in her life by many circumstances, starting with her childhood, which than led to a constant yearning for love and affection throughout her life, ending her life journey at a tragically young age. Personal Thoughts and Reflection Researching Marilyn Monroe has been one of the most interesting yet heartbreaking things to do. I was personally affected by this because it breaks my heart to think of somebody wanting and yearning for love so strongly that they want to take their own life, because the pain is too extensive. Seeing how Marilyn was affected psychologically throughout her life was very interesting to read about, as it really did root back to her childhood and even to her mothers childhood too. Marilyn did not necessarily meet my preconceived notions, because based on the information I have collected lightly over the years, I just thought of her as that woman who was a sex symbol to a lot of people and really popular for her beauty. (Spoken in my own casual, initial thoughts) I honestly did not even originally know how popular she had been for her acting, and I did not know that she started her own production company. What was challenged or brought up for me in my head throughout this analysis, was TRU LY how hard it was for her to simply be viewed as a pretty girl. I would never want to be viewed purely for looks. Especially when trying to find someone to spend your life with, she not only had to deal with her fame but men truly only wanting her for her physical appearance. And that must have been extremely discouraging for her, making her think several times that being physically beautiful is all that she was worth. That specifically is so sad because what is on the inside is what is MOST important, because looks only go so far in your own self esteem. I imagine feeling beautiful on the outside but the opposite on the inside as an awful feeling, and to think that Marilyn may have experienced that based on what others thought of her, is so sad to me. I find it hard to say, if I was Marilyn   because I was not. I did not experience the childhood, pain or being viewed as an object like she did. But what I would say to her, if I could, is that she needs to not depend on other peop le. I personally think that since it is a given for humans to mess up, you can never fully depend on them. Family is one of the few things that I depend on, but she did not even have that. So, if I could speak to Marilyn Monroe, I would say, all you need is God. Humans are going to hurt you, doubt you and think you arent enough, but you are always enough to God, and he loves you endlessly. That is my personal view on Marilyn Monroe and I am sad that her life had to end the way that it did, and that she experienced the pain that she did. I believe that she is in a better place now and I hope that I can be a light and a true friend to anyone and people that experience the kind of pain that she did, in their lives.

Social Cognitive Theory of Learning Essay - 1658 Words

Social Cognitive Theory of Learning Social cognitive theory of learning is a theoretical perspective that focuses on learning by observing others and eventually assuming control over one’s own behavior (Ormrod, 2011, p.323). Social cognitive theory is a perspective that helps us understand about learning by observing other people doing the same thing. This theory is a blend of behaviorism and cognitive psychology (Ormrod, 2011). Behaviorism theory relates to learning as a stimulus- response relationship and suggests that learning involves a behavior change whereas according to social cognitive theory learning is an internal process that may or may not lead to a behavior change. For example one might attempt to ride a bicycle as soon as†¦show more content†¦People learn by observation is the basic assumption of the social cognitive theory. The person who demonstrates a behavior for someone else is the model for the learner (Ormrod, 2011). According to instrumental cond itioning, learning is a process of trial and error (Ormrod, 2011, p.324). Learners observe different behaviors and try to adopt those behaviors, if any of the learned behaviors bring desirable results; those behaviors stay with the learner. For example if in a classroom a student gets teacher’s attention by answering the questions and receives good grades, the behavior is followed by other students. In the Canoga Park video the students are in the groups of two students and every student is discussing the importance of printing press with the partner. In this process every student is a model for their partner. The students are learning about the printing press by listening to their partner and when it is the turn of the other partner in the group, he or she is trying to express the same ideas in a different or better way (4th Grade, Canoga Park, n.d.). Learning is an internal process that may or may not lead to a behavior change. 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