Value Chain Analysis in the Context of Funeral Service: A Research Note

Abstract

This research note focuses on an issue that is not often addressed in value chain management: the cremation vs. burial alternative after the death of an individual. Any funeral service is indeed based on a set of material and human elements deployed to design, create and develop the service that a company or organization wishes to offer on the market, according to a level of cost and quality chosen by the client (here, most often, the family). For several years now, work has been done on an ecological approach to the cremation vs. burial alternative, emphasizing the importance of calculating the ecological footprint of each of the two options. The main finding of the research note is to propose elements of reflection to contribute to the debate on the desirable future of the value chains associated with funeral service.