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1 – 10 of over 1000Marzia Morena, Tommaso Truppi, Verdiana Ierecitano and Gianluca Lorusso
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a particular type of property market, that of funeral homes, of which little is known, despite the fact that it is an expanding market…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate a particular type of property market, that of funeral homes, of which little is known, despite the fact that it is an expanding market, reflecting a social and cultural change in Italy.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative analysis of the funeral property market was carried out. Information and data were collected from funeral companies, with reference to their market strategy, and from institutional investors, in order to gauge their knowledge of that specific sector and their willingness to invest in this specific property type. The instruments used were questionnaires, telephone interviews and on-site visits.
Findings
The results of this study suggest that Italian funeral companies identified a new property market, responding to the demands of a changing social context, especially in Northern Italy. Limited experience in the management of this asset and the lack of a clear and uniform legislative regulation at the national level appear to be among the main difficulties. From the investors’ point of view, the main problems in investing in this property were the lack of adequate knowledge in the sector and moral qualms about the specific type of assets.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample restricts generalization beyond the companies that participated in the research. Furthermore, the research only focused on the private sector related to niche market strategy and property investments.
Practical implications
The paper could raise awareness of a specific and not well-known property market among the real estate operators.
Originality/value
The originality of the analysis lies in investigating a relevant phenomenon from the social point of view that has been little or not at all addressed from the point of view of real estate, particularly in Italy.
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In this study I explore how practices and creativity in the commercial context conceptualize death in the changing styles of funerals by depicting the supply of contemporary…
Abstract
In this study I explore how practices and creativity in the commercial context conceptualize death in the changing styles of funerals by depicting the supply of contemporary funeral services. The cases are primarily based on ethnographic accounts derived from my fieldwork in Japanese funeral homes. I focus on the work and efforts of the funeral industry that make innovative services to shape and shift a set of cultural values and practices in the funerals of today.
Bernard Korai and Nizar Souiden
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the service literature by investigating post-consumption evaluation in the context of unwanted services. In particular, it intends to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the service literature by investigating post-consumption evaluation in the context of unwanted services. In particular, it intends to delineate the main characteristics of funeral services.
Design/methodology/approach
Given the lack of substantive literature on funeral services, a qualitative exploratory design was used from in-depth interviews with ten managers of funeral services companies in Quebec (Canada).
Findings
The study shows that compared to other traditional services, funeral services are characterized by their strong emotiveness, non-recurrence, irreversibility, uncommonness, high level of symbolism and personalization and emotion control of the service provider. The study also argues that funeral services quality is strongly dependent on funeral houses’ integrated logistics, proximity and integrity.
Practical implications
Because of consumers’ lack of competency, funeral companies need to guide and educate consumers about the criteria they should use to evaluate the service quality. Because funeral consumers are strongly emotion-driven at the purchase time, funeral services providers should find the right balance of emotions to express. Thus, more staff training is needed.
Originality/value
Because funeral services are emotionally challenging and deal with grief and distressed clients, the present study contributes in shedding light on service quality assessment in the funeral industry. Although they have some characteristics of traditional services (intangibility, perishability and variability), funeral services are also different in many ways.
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Due to their pervasiveness in American society, cultural gender beliefs often organize workplaces and justify what jobs are suitable for men and for women (Ridgeway, 2009, 2011)…
Abstract
Due to their pervasiveness in American society, cultural gender beliefs often organize workplaces and justify what jobs are suitable for men and for women (Ridgeway, 2009, 2011). When an occupation experiences feminization, jobs and occupations once considered “men’s work” must be “retyped” to justify and accommodate the movement of women into the occupation (Lincoln, 2010; Reskin & Roos, 1990). Using the case of funeral directing, this chapter explores the “retyping” of funeral directing, a formerly male-dominated, currently feminizing occupation by examining shifting gender narratives about funeral work in trade journals published between 1995 and 2013. Findings indicate multiple gender narratives involved in explaining the movement of women into funeral directing and the implications for gender inequality in feminizing occupations. Some narratives (old boy and gender essential) explain women’s entry and justify sex segregation by drawing on stereotypical gender differences in physical strength and emotional labor between men and women. While other narratives (gender blind and gender progressive) reject and challenge essentialism by impugning the notion that gender stereotypes are a reliable indicator of skill.
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The literature available on how communities deal with mass death, in particular body handling procedures, is sparse. Describes the actions of the various people involved in the…
Abstract
The literature available on how communities deal with mass death, in particular body handling procedures, is sparse. Describes the actions of the various people involved in the immediate aftermath of the Halifax (Nova Scotia) 1917 explosion. Also, but in less detail, examples the Rapid City flood, the Gander air crash, the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, the Tangsham earthquake, the Texas City explosion and the Kobe earthquake. Highlights the problems of handling bodies after a mass fatality incident: respect accorded to the dead individual; whether skilled individuals are there to take on the tasks, the tagging and identification procedures required and the setting up of temporary morgue facilities.
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