Managing the servicescape for the funeral home industry

Abstract

This paper examines the complex issue of how small traditionally family owned businesses compete with larger, more sophisticated and better financed corporate run competitors. To this end we use as a case study a small service firm from the funeral industry. We explore managerial dilemmas related to making both tactical and strategic decisions about administering the physical environment in order to develop and expand a competitive advantage in an increasingly multifaceted and growing industry. Furthermore, we propose a servicescape framework for managers across the funeral service industry to consider before investing limited business resources.