AN EVALUATION OF MARKETING OF TERM ASSURANCE IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
A close look at the Nigeria insurance market indicate that the sale and purchase of term, assurance policy is declining. And this decline was assumed an unpro-portinate dimension since the Nigerian’s independence in 1969, hence it calls for urgent attention. This research therefore is intended to provide empirically both the conceptual and operational views of what term assurance means to the insurers, insurance intermediaries and the insuring public. It lay’s particular emphasis on the various elements that determine and affect the successful marketing of a term assurance policy from the view point of an insurance intermediary. The analytical model used is integrated into theory, logic practical and worked out in percentage. It was discovered that lack of education awareness, motivation and adequate training and government imposed constraints inhibits the successful marketing of term assurance policies in Nigeria. The researchers therefore gave some advance suggestion, recommendations based on the findings which hopefully will alleviate the problems in successful marketing of term assurance policies in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Term assurance is one of the types of life assurance. It is defined as a contract that furnishes life assurance protection for a limited number of years. The face value of the policy being payable only if death occurs within the stipulated term and nothing being paid in case of survival. Customarily, term assonance policy was issued in 1983 A.D, Richard marine premium of sixteen pounds (16) percent for a term of 1113 months with sum assured of 64.66 the effective date of the policy was from 18th June 1583 to 17th June 1854. During the course of the policy, the assured died on the 9th of May 1584 and the sixteen underwriters who subscribed to policy had to redeem their obligation after courts judgment in favour of the assureds beneficiaries in a suit instituted by the assures challenging the validity of eh developed a large number of term assurance products each suited or designed to meet the requirements of different types of customers.
These products include:
Renewable term Assurance: this option permits the insured at the expiration of the first term period or at the end of any subsequent term period to renew the policy without a medical examination and irrespective of eth insured health at the time of renewal
Convertible term Assurance: this insured has the option to converted the policy to a permanent types of contract upon a proper adjustment in the premium charge without medical examination.
Decreasing Term Assurance: this types decrease in face value, it is widely used as a rider for permanent contract and as a separate policy to provide portage protection. There is a year by your decline in face value be coming zero at the contract term
Increasing term Assurance: this is virtually never sold as a contract alone. Connection with combination to provide a benefit that increases with time and is payable on death.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
The following problems emirates from the topic:
Lack of public Awareness: due to the low level pf advertising insurance products i.e. ( term assurance) most of the public are not aware of the insurance products and this has resulted to low level of patronizing insurance products (term assurance)
Low level of Promotional Strategy: promotional strategies used here are not attractive to the customers and this has resulted to low level of patronizing term assurance products.
Low of Level of Pricing Strategies: insurance to a layman is regarded as fraud business. And this is causing low demand in insurance products.
Poor Management Strategies: management are regarded as the pillar of insurances, but where there is poor management it could result to low demand of term assurance products.
The quick commission syndrome and marketing myopia are said to contribute immensely to the falling market at term assurance in Nigeria
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The general objective of the study is to evaluate the problems of marketing of term assurance in Nigeria.
Specifically, the study is intended to:
Evaluate the promotional strategy
Evaluate the pricing strategies of term assurance products in Nigeria.
Make recommendations as to how to increase the product of term assurance there by reducing the problems of marketing of term assurance.
To evaluate the poor management strategies.
Finally the researcher wants to find out the impact of lack of awareness in marketing of term assurance.
The researcher wants to find out the impact of inflations in the marketing of term assurance.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The study of the problems facing term assurance marketing in Nigerian is significant in may respects, especially to the insurer, eh insurance intermediaries and the insuring public. This, at the end of the study the insurers and the insurance intermediaries will be able to identify the problems militating against effective marketing of term assurance policies in Nigerian, the study will also provide the insurer and insurance intermediaries with means of improving term assurance market in the Nigerian insurance market.
The research work will contribute enormously to the plans of the various life assurance. Association toward a better understanding of the problems facing life assurance in particular. Moreover, the study will expose the insurance intermediaries to the various factors affecting a prospective insured’s decision to demand a particular term assurance policy. However the findings and suggestion resulting from this study could awaken the interest of insurance intermediaries and the public to sale and demand different kinds of term assurance polices.
1.5 SCOPE OF STUDY AND LIMITATIONS
This research work is set out to cover the entire insurance industries in Nigeria. The high degree of privacy with which documents and information are kept by the insurance companies hampers the collection of first level information from some of our respondents and company management and agent/broken to conceal certain documents and information, such as monthly sales volume and register, policy registers and the policy type in most demand, greatly inhibited the conduct of the work.
