...Abstract The funeral industry, one of the oldest and among the most stable of industries regardless of economic trends, is facing one of the biggest challenges of its existence, and the threat is coming from an unlikely source – their own customers. People’s attitudes towards funerals have been changing and as a result, the number of traditional funerals has been declining. "Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people, their respect for the laws of the land, and their loyalty to high ideals." -- Sir William Gladstone Survival in the U.S. Funeral Industry: A PESTEL Analysis The funeral industry, one of the oldest and among the most stable of industries regardless of economic trends, is facing one of the biggest challenges of its existence, and the threat is coming from an unlikely source – their own customers. People’s attitudes towards funerals have been changing and as a result, the number of traditional funerals has been declining. Funeral customs and services are as old as civilization itself. Throughout the history of mankind, every culture and civilization studied has attended to the proper care and disposition of their dead by way of three common things: some type of funeral rites, rituals and ceremonies, a sacred resting place and memorialization (Whittaker, 2005). Researchers have discovered Neanderthal burial grounds dating back to 60,000 BC along with animal...
Words: 2287 - Pages: 10
...HISTORY OF THE INDUSTRY In the Philippines, the funeral service industry is relatively new. Until the 20th century, funerals were organized by family and neighbors and held at home. People were often buried on family property. As communities became larger and more established common cemeteries began to be used. Funeral homes were later established to relieve the family of the logistical problems presented by a death. The term “undertaker” refers to the person who “under took” responsibility for funeral arrangements. Many of the early undertakers were furniture makers because building caskets was a logical extension of their business. For them, undertaking was a second business rather than a primary profession. Embalming began during the Civil War when it became necessary to preserve the bodies of dead soldiers for the trip home. As embalming gained favor, the skills that it required helped to turn undertaking into a real profession. On the other hand, casket making also evolved from the early days when the undertakers made the coffins. By 1950, there are a lot of manufacturing caskets in the Philippines. At that time, over 50% of the caskets sold were made of cloth-covered wood or cardboard. However, metal caskets were gaining favor and they required a more sophisticated manufacturing process that could only be provided by larger companies. Merging of the casket manufacturers occurred during the same time as merging of the funeral homes and cemeteries. Consumer preferences...
Words: 439 - Pages: 2
...13 Proposal for Funeral Home Education Class Professor Hayes Deacquernita Davidson-Melton Proposal for Funeral Home Education Classes Pricing of Funeral Merchandise State Requirements For Funeral Directors by Dante’ L. Jelks By Deacquernita Davidson November 16, 2013 Purpose After care study, of the pricing of funeral home merchandise, the management and staff of Funeral Directors by Dante’ L. Jelks have decided to do a classes on the requirements for funeral services and burial. This proposed class will help the team to understand the requirements and needs for burial and the costs for these items. It is designed to help the team and directors better assist family when they come in for an arrangement conference and to make the expenses a little more economical. Proposed Course of Introduction This educational course will be taught by Mr. Dante L. Jelks who has been in the funeral service business for over 20 or more years. Mr. Jelks is a dynamic mortician, funeral director and embalmer. Because costs affects the consumer and the establishment, we would like to educate everyone on the requirements of funeral merchandise and services and what’s needed to get your loved one buried. Teaching/Learning Methods This activity-oriented training will involve role-playing, videos and lectures from other Professional Morticians. The trainer will act as the facilitator to assist each team member with portraying a funeral director. The training will actually involve working...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...America Funeral Process Funerals are some of the most difficult activities for most individuals to experience, especially when they involve the death of a loved one. Over the years, there has grown a common and yet distinct American custom when it comes to how funerals are perceived and conducted (James 348). However, most Americans still hold unto the traditional funerals as opposed to modern ones. Unfortunately, the American funeral customs put a lot of more emphasis on some activities that turn out to be very costly. Worst of all, the economic burden that this traditions put on the bereaved families is even more detrimental. Most of the old folks are the greatest defenders and proponents of the traditional funeral customs. Since these are people who have the greatest if not the final say when it comes to family matters, many American families have found themselves becoming slaves of this old and outdates funeral practices whose greatest achievement is soaring the expenses of such a process. Yes, that is very true. American funerals are one of the most expensive funerals to undertake in the whole world. The funerals expenses plans or insurances have done nothing but to augment the funerals expenses as well (Leamy). It is very important for Americans to realize that there are many hidden charges that come with such plans. Funeral rituals have remained part of the American funeral process for many years. Just like in other parts of the world, the history of the funeral services...
Words: 1673 - Pages: 7
...America Funeral Process Funerals are some of the most difficult activities for most individuals to experience, especially when they involve the death of a loved one. Over the years, there has grown a common and yet distinct American custom when it comes to how funerals are perceived and conducted (James 348). However, most Americans still hold unto the traditional funerals as opposed to modern ones. Unfortunately, the American funeral customs put a lot of more emphasis on some activities that turn out to be very costly. Worst of all, the economic burden that this traditions put on the bereaved families is even more detrimental. Most of the old folks are the greatest defenders and proponents of the traditional funeral customs. Since these are people who have the greatest if not the final say when it comes to family matters, many American families have found themselves becoming slaves of this old and outdates funeral practices whose greatest achievement is soaring the expenses of such a process. Yes, that is very true. American funerals are one of the most expensive funerals to undertake in the whole world. The funerals expenses plans or insurances have done nothing but to augment the funerals expenses as well (Leamy). It is very important for Americans to realize that there are many hidden charges that come with such plans. Funeral rituals have remained part of the American funeral process for many years. Just like in other parts of the world, the history of the funeral services...
Words: 1673 - Pages: 7
...Rayner Funeral Home of Chicago. In the analysis I will provide an analysis including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths A.A. Rayner and Sons was established in 1947. Ahmed A. Raymer was a graduate of Prairie View University, Worsham College of Mortuary Science and John Marshall Law School. The A.A. Rayner Funeral home has a rich family history in Chicago and has been a staple in the African American community since its inception. The A. A. Rayner and Sons has 2 locations 318 E. 71 St. and 5911 W. Madison St. The business is currently managed by the third generation of the Rayner family. Its annual estimated revenue from each funeral home is $500,000 - $1,000,000. The Rayner’s were involved in historically high profile burials. Emmett Till, a young African American man who was killed in Mississippi and his and the late Mayor Harold Washington. A. A. Rayner Jr. was a pilot in the Air Force and one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. He was also elected to the Chicago city council to the 6th ward in 1967. “We are honored to have been able to serve our community, and we consider it a privilege and an important responsibility to offer our very best. A.A. Rayner & Sons leadership and commitment to affordable, ethical and professional service will continue for generations to come. “ The Rayners’ are one of the few funeral homes that provide services for recipients of public assistance. The Rayners’ underwrite the remaining costs of the services. The state...
Words: 341 - Pages: 2
...HISTORY OF THE FUNERAL RULE The roots of the Funeral Rule are found in two books that were published in the late 60’s - - Unsafe At Any Speed by Ralph Nader and The American Way of Death by Jessica Midford. In the late 1960’s, the FTC was a paper tiger. Ralph Nader, who began the consumer protection movement in this country with the publication of Unsafe At Any Speed, was a sharp critic of the Federal Trade Commission for its lack of consumer protection. Specifically, the FTC was criticized because it relied too heavily on consumer complaints and brought enforcement actions only on a case-by-case basis. The consumer protection movement wanted the FTC to proceed against entire industries rather than individual businesses. The Federal Trade Commission felt it did not have the power to regulate an entire industry. So Congress in the late 60’s and early 70’s gave the FTC trade regulation rulemaking powers. This enabled the FTC to enact regulations that would bind an entire industry. With this power, the FTC set out to transform itself as the nation’s consumer protection watchdog. It hired a group of liberal young lawyers and charged them with identifying industries that were ripe for regulation. Using this power, the FTC enacted trade regulation rules on hearing aids, used cars, eyeglasses, vocational schools, children’s advertising, and funeral service. In early 1972, during an FTC Staff meeting, it was suggested by a staffer who had read Jessica Midford’s book,...
Words: 1230 - Pages: 5
...Final Paper Even in Death we Worship: Death Rituals, Rites and Burial Traditions Introduction to Christian Worship Professor Angela Hibbard March 11, 2015 Sandra James Even in Death we Worship: Death Rituals, Rites and Burial Traditions Across the human Diaspora there have been many experiences that not only impact the individual but the community in which they hold membership. This includes being present with families for the joy and sorrows of their lives and the transitional rites of passages found along the way. This circle of life at times includes transitional events such as birth, marriage and death. And while in religious circles they are considered to be occasional services; they do have secular counterparts...
Words: 4878 - Pages: 20
...early according to Polybius. In Polybius’ Histories (Book 6.53-54), Polybius described some of the benefits of a typical elite funeral for younger citizens, arguing that the given orations and grand celebrations invoked pride and inspired young men to emulate the behaviour and deeds of the deceased. These funerals told the youth that glory awaited the brave who put everything on the line for the success of the Roman Empire. It reiterates of how Roman society encouraged patriotism and would not let the noble deeds of one go uncelebrated, or let the memory of the virtuous die. Polybius gives a description of an aristocratic Roman funeral. In the extract, he speaks of eulogies and the emotional reactions of the mourners who are reminded of the virtuousness and success achieved by the dead. Polybius, who was Greek, was clearly fascinated by the Roman funeral practices. Specific extracts make it obvious that Polybius believed that the Roman funeral was an important tool in educating the Roman youth on crucial teachings and values of classical Rome, “There could not easily be a more inspiring spectacle for a young man who aspires to fame and virtue” this tells of how virtue was an important value, one of which instilled by the procession. It is also important to notice the fact that Polybius quotes "fame and virtue" and not fame and fortune. As this defines how virtue, in this specific era, far outweighed fortune in Roman society. Funerals summarized the life of their subject and...
Words: 1057 - Pages: 5
...made them worthy of tier family tree. For example, the nobility were expected to have wisdom and knowledge. On an epitaph from sarcophagus, Lucius Cornelius Scipio observes that the stone is held by great virtues and great wisdom a clear indication of bow high knowledge was regarded. And this knowledge and great wisdom could possibly have been applied by the judges during court proceedings. The position of dispensing justice lay at the heart of Roman culture as seen in an epitaph at Scipio Hispanus who was a, ‘member of the Board of Ten for Judging Law-suits.’ The Romans had elaborate funeral ceremonies for the nobles with many people attending. Such ceremonies laid out in the open what they had achieved and challenged the public to emulate their achievement. The exploits of the dead immortalized them in the Roman society and they became points of reference and inspiration for posterity. Funerals themselves were meant to be occasions to celebrate the departed with dignity. How this was achieved varied and Livy observes that the best way to achieve such a goal was by concentrating more on parading ancestral portraits. Indeed, there was a culture...
Words: 1235 - Pages: 5
...Carolina State Museum tells the story of South Carolina through its many exhibits and programs. The museum shares many cultural history, natural history, science, technology, and art that display an interconnection to its tourists. The museum is located in the Columbia, South Carolina downtown area in a large building that holds many historical items and accommodates large groups of people. The museum’s elevator has a capacity that holds about 75 people, which is larger than the average elevator. There are four floors of historical pieces for viewing. The museum exhibits some of South Carolina most tangible and historical collection of the early 18th, 19th and 20th centuries including an area dedicated to the civic war, African American (slavery) and first discovered equipment such as, various communication equipment, audio, television, and electricity. The African American area exhibits some inspiring cultural displays. During my visit to the South Carolina State Museum on Friday, September 9, 2011, my most memorable African America exhibit was the African America Custom Funeral display. The museum displayed a hearse that African American used to carry a coffin for the decease. The black box hearse had a glass view on both sides revealing a wooden box coffin inside. The Americans used horses to pull the hearse as it move through the funeral procession. The black box hearse is very different from the hearse used in today. Today, a station wagon type vehicle carries...
Words: 1190 - Pages: 5
...Beowulf in Old English [ˈbeːo̯wʊlf] or [ˈbeːəwʊlf]) is the conventional title[note 1] of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. It survives in a single manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. Its composition by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet[note 2] is dated between the 8th[1][2] and the early 11th century.[3] In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through a building housing a collection of Medieval manuscripts assembled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton. The poem fell into obscurity for decades, and its existence did not become widely known again until it was printed in 1815 in an edition prepared by the Icelandic-Danish scholar Grímur Jónsson Thorkelin.[4] In the poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats in Scandinavia, comes to the help of Hroðgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall (in Heorot) has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland in Sweden and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is fatally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants bury him in a tumulus, a burial mound, in Geatland. Story The main protagonist, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hroðgar, the king of the Danes, whose great...
Words: 3855 - Pages: 16
...developed to maintain social distance and prestige. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic analysis since the early 19th century. Study of Todas and Kotas has also been influential in the development of the field of anthropology. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 150 years. They have maintained a lifestyle as a jack of all trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and black smiths and as musicians for other groups. Since the British colonial period they have availed themselves of educational facilities and have improved their socio-economic status and no longer depend on the traditional services provided to make a living. Some anthropologists have considered them to be a specialized caste as opposed to be a tribe or an ethnic group. Kotas have their own unique language that belongs to the Dravidian language family but diverged from South Dravidian sub family at some time in BCE. Their language was studied in detail by Murray Barnson Emeneau, a pioneer in the field of Dravidian linguistics. Their social institutions were distinct from mainstream Indian cultural norms and had some similarities to Todas and other tribal people in neighbouring Kerala and the prominentNair caste. It was informed by a fraternal polyandry and polygyny where possible. Kota religion was unlike mainstream Hinduism and believed in non-anthropormorphic male...
Words: 2202 - Pages: 9
...meaning of a biblical text? 3. For people living in an “instant application” society such as ours, what can persuade them to put forth effort to study the historical-cultural context? “Historical-cultural context relates to just about anything outside the text that will help you understand the text itself.” (Duval & Hayes, pg. 51) Historical-cultural context is imperatively important when reading God’s word. When people approach the Bible without concern for the historical-cultural context it can lead to gross misunderstanding of the divine text. If someone reading biblical text is to fully understand the revelations being brought forth in a particular book from the Old Testament they must understand the culture in that point in history, as well as the background, circumstances, relationships and many other factors. If we take time to understand the context, we will more fully grasp the relevance. Not understanding all these different...
Words: 853 - Pages: 4
...O’Malley, a second-year student at the Harvard Business School, accepted a position at Empire Investment Group. Ted received a call from his boss, Townsend “Sandy” Beech, the head of his four-person deal team and founding member of the firm. Sandy requested Tad, on a Friday afternoon, to review three presentations for possible buyout targets. Tad was to make a presentation at the partners’ meeting on Monday morning, recommending only one (1) investment and detailing the strengths and weaknesses of all three. The Empire Investment Group had a strong “brand name” and historically sponsored very successful business partnerships. The company was strong in “structuring deals” and had just recently added an advisory services operation as a way to expand its services internationally and provide deal flow. By 2005, Empire’s buyout unit consisted of 25 seasoned partners with a range of backgrounds that encompassed financial, consulting, and operations experience. The objective of a “leveraged buy-out” is to find companies, either domestically or internationally (or both), where Empire can utilize borrowed funds or debt to finance its acquisition. Often times a leveraged buy-out does not involve much committed capital (maybe a 70% debt to 30% equity) that will achieve high returns for Empire. Basically, Empire buys a company with debt, fixes the company, and sells it. After the purchase of the company, the debt to equity ratio is generally greater than 1.0x. During the ownership...
Words: 3011 - Pages: 13
