Yesterday, today and tomorrow. The lifecycle of the UK funeral industry

Parsons, Brian

doi:10.1080/713685969

Cited by 27 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…There are also a growing number of flexible zero-hour contracts 4 and starting salaries tend to be low. 5 Mandatory registration has been an objective of the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFDs) since its foundation in 1905, but ensuing attempts to implement this have been unsuccessful (Parsons, 1999). The NAFD's commitment to raising standards has involved the provision of a Code of Practice and a Diploma in Funeral Directing, with the requirement that at least one member of a firm's team have the qualification.…”

Section: The Regulation Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The work and role of the funeral director has long been a topic of interest within this journal (see Bailey, 2010;Bremborg, 2006;Emke, 2002;Parsons, 1999Parsons, , 2003Schäfer, 2007Schäfer, , 2012 and further afield (see Howarth, 2007;Litten, 2002;Sanders, 2009). Within this literature, much attention has been paid to the occupational status of funeral directors, as well as the increasing complex nature of services they provide.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Opportunities and barriers to forming a professional identity: communities of practice within UK funeral directing

2013

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The status of funeral directors, including whether or not the industry can be considered a legitimate 'profession', has long been a topic of interest in this journal. Contributing to this ongoing debate, this paper considers opportunities and barriers to professional development in the UK funeral industry. In so doing, the paper makes particular reference to 'communities of practice' (CP), a model of situated learning. Previous research in comparable sectors has indicated that CP enhances individual and organisational performance through emphasising commitment to sharing and developing best practice within an area of common interest. Drawing on interviews with and presentations given by funeral directors/arrangers, the paper examines perceptions of performance, alongside issues of mistrust and resistance to change. Data will show that participants conveyed a situation of competing forces in terms of a hierarchical structure within the industry that perpetuates a lack of incentive to invest in education and training. At the same time, a new generation of staff is developing an alternative vision of funeral directing, which includes wider public recognition of their skills. In view of the industry's long-standing drive for professional standing, the paper identifies the potential of CP as a means of negotiating such competing forces to provide a medium through which issues associated with regulation can be addresse

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Section: The Regulation Debatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Opportunities and barriers to forming a professional identity: communities of practice within UK funeral directing

2013

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“…But what about the future? Parsons (1999) identifies internal and external areas which might propose changes within the British funeral industry, and these areas can provide a foundation to discuss the future of the Swedish funeral industry. Among the internal, Parsons mentions the growth of pre-paid funerals, the increasing number of women working in the industry, and structural changes of the industry.…”

Section: The Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…''Throughout the twentieth century, undertakers have systematically developed all of these attributes,' ' Howarth notes (1996, p. 18). Howarth, as well as other researchers who have studied the professionalization of funeral directors in Britain (Parsons, 1999), Australia (Carden, 2001), Canada (Emke, 2002), and New Zealand (Schafer, 2002), seem to have had no need to discuss the professionalization theory applied to the empirical findings. The development in Sweden seems to be different and raises questions about the theories.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Professionalization without dead bodies: the case of Swedish funeral directors

Davidsson-Bremborg

2006

Mortality

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The aim of this article is to discuss Swedish funeral directors from a professionalization perspective with a focus on the last decades. The article is primarily based on a research study made in 1998 -2002 where multiple data were used: interviews, field observations, text analysis, and a questionnaire. Later findings have been added to update. The results show that the funeral directors have acquired a professionalization by broadening their work tasks in different fields. Initially they took care of dead bodies and organized the logistics. In the last decades, new task areas have opened within the law, bereavement, and ceremonial rites. Of specific significance is that Swedish funeral directors seem reluctant to develop work tasks connected with the dead body; rather it is as public experts on death and bereavement that they want to be recognized. A step forward in this direction came with the public need for funeral directors in the aftermath of the tsunami.

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“…Например, крематории могут быть частными или принадлежать местным органам власти [Parsons 1999;Walter 2005;Jalland 2006]. …”

Section: похоронный бизнес: мировой опытunclassified