Reminder - Honours Surveys

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

    Just a quick reminder, in addition to the interviews and fieldwork I will be conducting two short surveys as part of my honours thesis.  Each surveys should take 10 minutes or less, and all answers will be kept anonymous. Your participation will be greatly appreciated and will really help my study!! :)


The Public Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone from the general public and has never worked in the funeral industry. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

Direct link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sp6_muhcGpNX4MU05eQg3CG6t9iK94sXn9od1pEGtWA/viewform

The Funeral Staff Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone who has worked in the funeral industry in any capacity or role. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

Direct link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nAa04xdAv9EJdQhIlwIi4DYmjCEmzd3qiQ2GLoBtYY4/viewform

    Feel free to share the surveys with anyone who might be interested. You are also welcome to participate in interviews, follow the link below for more information:

Click here for information about the interviews & how to participate.

All participation in this project is appreciated, if there's any further questions or comments feel free to email me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.

    This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. If there are any questions or issues you can contact me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com or my supervisor Dr Amanda Kearney at the University of New South Wales.

Picnic Reminder & Update

Rookwood Picnic:
    Just a quick reminder, there is a picnic at Rookwood this Sunday 18th. We will be meeting at 12 for a relaxed and friendly little gathering. Anyone interested is welcome. For more information (including how to get there and what to bring) follow the link below:

http://theothersideoffunerals.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/event-rookwood-picnic.html

Thesis Update:
    Right now is a very busy time in terms of the thesis work, so blog content will slow down and be sporadic for a while. But don't worry, it will be over soon as the thesis deadline is in November. I'm not sure if that is a good thing yet, but at least it will be finished soon and not drag on.

   The thesis research is going along well, right now I'm collecting data (such as interviews) and writing several chapters. There is a LOT more work to be done, another 15,000 words or more, but it is coming along nicely. By the end of this month I should have my methodology chapter essentially finished and considerable amounts of both the background and methods chapters completed.

    A few funeral homes have been very supportive and so importantly helpful in gathering data. The individual funeral staff interviews and the field observation of companies have been informative. Also, the Funeral Celebrants Association has been REALLY helpful and wonderful. Many members have been so happy to participate in interviews.

    This study is only possible due to the great support of various people and organisations. So thank you to all those who have participated in any capacity!

~~

Research Participants Needed - reminder

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

The Public & Private Domains of Everyday Life: Social Sanitation & Australian Understandings of the Funeral Industry 

    I am looking for people to participate in my honours project!  This project seeks to develop a better understanding of our society through the modern Australian funeral industry.

    To do this I will need people to participate in interviews.  There are two types of participants I am after; those who have direct experience working in the funeral industry (funeral staff), and others with no experience working in the industry (the general public).  This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW.

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Selection Criteria (for funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Work within the funeral industry, past or present.  This can include any role with direct funeral experience.  Such as an undertaker, crematorium staff, transfer crew, mortician, gravedigger, celebrants, and so on.  You do not need to be directly employed by a funeral company as long as you have direct experience working within the funeral industry in some capacity.
• Aged 18 to 70.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Selection Criteria (for non-funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Very little to no direct experience with funeral industry procedures.  As in, never employed by a funeral company.
• Aged 21 to 60.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Other Important Information:

• All interviews will be conducted between the 25th of June and 30th of August.
• Interviews will last 30 minutes.
• Voice recordings and written notes will be taken, no videos or photos will be taken.
• Interviews are face-to-face and semi-structured.  This means there will be a set of open ended questions which the participant can direct.
• It should be noted, this project is separate from the blog and its own project done through the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

    There is a copied of the project flyer below which has more information about the project.  You are welcome to share this flyer (and post) with anyone who might be interested in participating.

Funeral Industry Study

Hello, my name is Peter Minucos, and I am conducting a study exploring perceptions of the funeral industry in Sydney. This study will be looking at the public and private aspects of what happens after death and people’s attitudes and understandings of the industry. 

This study is for the purposes of my Honours research project in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales, and this research has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. Through this study I hope to gain a better understanding of ‘social sanitation’ within society, how undesirable processes are removed from the public. I also hope to learn more about the funeral industry itself, from how it operates to why it works the way it does. 

I am seeking people and organisations willing to participate in the project and discuss their views on this topic. 

Anyone interested in the funeral industry or this topic is free to participate. I am seeking anyone who might have experience relating to the funeral industry, such as having attended a funeral, or work in a funeral company. But I am also looking for anyone curious in the funeral industry. The interviews should go for no longer than 30 minutes, and there will be no compensation from participation, although it will be greatly appreciated! 

If you are interested in participating please contact me with the information provided below OR if you know someone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this flyer. If you are interested you can contact me for more information on how you can participate to this research. 

I can be contacted on the following:

Email: Peter Minucos at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com 

Or you can contact my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Kearney.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! 

Thank you to all those who have participated and are interested in participating!!

~~

Will Baby Boomers Significantly Impact the Funeral Industry?

    The baby boomers are considered somewhat of a prized commodity by many within the funeral industry. Essentially the theory is that over the next few years there will be a growth of deaths as the boby boomers die. Hence current marketing is attempting to tap into this desirable market.

    Yet I question this notion, maybe the baby boomer generation will push death rates up, but will it really be a notable rise?  In this post I explore the rising deaths of baby boomers and whether this might be as significant for the funeral industry as assumed.

Reminder - Interviews Needed

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

Project Title: The Public & Private Domains of Everyday Life: Social Sanitation & Australian Understandings of the Funeral Industry 

    I am looking for people to participate in my honours project!  This project seeks to develop a better understanding of our society through the modern Australian funeral industry.

    To do this I will need people to participate in interviews.  There are two types of participants I am after; those who have direct experience working in the funeral industry (funeral staff), and others with no experience working in the industry (the general public).  This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW.

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Selection Criteria (for funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Work within the funeral industry, past or present.  This can include any role with direct funeral experience.  Such as an undertaker, crematorium staff, transfer crew, mortician, gravedigger, celebrants, and so on.  You do not need to be directly employed by a funeral company as long as you have direct experience working within the funeral industry in some capacity.
• Aged 18 to 70.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Selection Criteria (for non-funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Very little to no direct experience with funeral industry procedures.  As in, never employed by a funeral company.
• Aged 21 to 60.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Other Important Information:

• All interviews will be conducted between the 25th of June and 30th of August.
• Interviews will last 30 minutes.
• Interviews are intended to be conducted at the UNSW Library, Kensington Campus, in private rooms.  Other locations around Sydney can be arranged.
• Voice recordings and written notes will be taken, no videos or photos will be taken.
• Interviews are face-to-face and semi-structured.  This means there will be a set of open ended questions which the participant can direct.
• There is no compensation for participating.
• It should be noted, this project is separate from the blog and its own project through the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

    There is a copied of the project flyer below which has more information about the project.  You are welcome to share this flyer (and post) with anyone who might be interested in participating.

Funeral Industry Study

Hello, my name is Peter Minucos, and I am conducting a study exploring perceptions of the funeral industry in Sydney. This study will be looking at the public and private aspects of what happens after death and people’s attitudes and understandings of the industry. 

This study is for the purposes of my Honours research project in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales, and this research has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. Through this study I hope to gain a better understanding of ‘social sanitation’ within society, how undesirable processes are removed from the public. I also hope to learn more about the funeral industry itself, from how it operates to why it works the way it does. 

I am seeking people and organisations willing to participate in the project and discuss their views on this topic. 

Anyone interested in the funeral industry or this topic is free to participate. I am seeking anyone who might have experience relating to the funeral industry, such as having attended a funeral, or work in a funeral company. But I am also looking for anyone curious in the funeral industry. The interviews should go for no longer than 30 minutes, and there will be no compensation from participation, although it will be greatly appreciated! 

If you are interested in participating please contact me with the information provided below OR if you know someone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this flyer. If you are interested you can contact me for more information on how you can participate to this research. 

I can be contacted on the following:

Email: Peter Minucos at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com 

Or you can contact my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Kearney.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! 

Research Participants Needed !!!!

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

The Public & Private Domains of Everyday Life: Social Sanitation & Australian Understandings of the Funeral Industry 

    I am looking for people to participate in my honours project!  This project seeks to develop a better understanding of our society through the modern Australian funeral industry.

    To do this I will need people to participate in interviews.  There are two types of participants I am after; those who have direct experience working in the funeral industry (funeral staff), and others with no experience working in the industry (the general public).  This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW.

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Selection Criteria (for funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Work within the funeral industry, past or present.  This can include any role with direct funeral experience.  Such as an undertaker, crematorium staff, transfer crew, mortician, gravedigger, celebrants, and so on.  You do not need to be directly employed by a funeral company as long as you have direct experience working within the funeral industry in some capacity.
• Aged 18 to 70.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Selection Criteria (for non-funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Very little to no direct experience with funeral industry procedures.  As in, never employed by a funeral company.
• Aged 21 to 60.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Other Important Information:

• All interviews will be conducted between the 25th of June and 30th of August.
• Interviews will last 30 minutes.
• Voice recordings and written notes will be taken, no videos or photos will be taken.
• Interviews are face-to-face and semi-structured.  This means there will be a set of open ended questions which the participant can direct.
• It should be noted, this project is separate from the blog and its own project done through the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

    There is a copied of the project flyer below which has more information about the project.  You are welcome to share this flyer (and post) with anyone who might be interested in participating.

Funeral Industry Study

Hello, my name is Peter Minucos, and I am conducting a study exploring perceptions of the funeral industry in Sydney. This study will be looking at the public and private aspects of what happens after death and people’s attitudes and understandings of the industry. 

This study is for the purposes of my Honours research project in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales, and this research has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. Through this study I hope to gain a better understanding of ‘social sanitation’ within society, how undesirable processes are removed from the public. I also hope to learn more about the funeral industry itself, from how it operates to why it works the way it does. 

I am seeking people and organisations willing to participate in the project and discuss their views on this topic. 

Anyone interested in the funeral industry or this topic is free to participate. I am seeking anyone who might have experience relating to the funeral industry, such as having attended a funeral, or work in a funeral company. But I am also looking for anyone curious in the funeral industry. The interviews should go for no longer than 30 minutes, and there will be no compensation from participation, although it will be greatly appreciated! 

If you are interested in participating please contact me with the information provided below OR if you know someone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this flyer. If you are interested you can contact me for more information on how you can participate to this research. 

I can be contacted on the following:

Email: Peter Minucos at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com 

Or you can contact my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Kearney.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! 

Interviews Wanted!

    I am looking for people to participate in interviews for the blog!  If interested I explain everything in more detail below.

Symbolism & Significance of the Hearse

    The hearse has an odd relationship with the public.  On one hand the hearse is seen as highly symbolic, wrapped up in meaning and significance, representing a variety of things from death to tradition.  Yet at the same time the public only takes a short glance at the hearse, looking upon it briefly and noticing little past the colour.

    In this post I look at how the public sees the hearse, from my admittedly limited research into this area.

Need Ethics Letter of Support !!

    As many might know I am diving into honours in anthropology/sociology this year, and will be studying the funeral industry.  Today my mentor suggested I get letters of support from some companies or organisations within the funeral industry to help with my ethics paperwork.

    So I am putting out a public request for a letter of support from any company or organisation willing to work with me!!

    If interested let me know and I will give you the details, I am even writing a letter template so all you will need to do is fill in the specific company name and stick their letterhead on it.  As always, feel free to ask me any questions about this.

    The letter is NOT a commitment of any sort!  It is a simple letter to say that, in theory, the company or organisation is willing to work with me, signing the letter does not require a company to work with me in any way.  Furthermore those companies and individuals who do work with me will have the option to withdraw at any point for any reason.

An~~

On a side note; for anyone interested some of the ethics documents are available to the public via the links below:

http://research.unsw.edu.au/human-research-ethics-committee-hrec

https://www.neaf.gov.au/Default.aspx

Facebook Graph Search: Useful research tool

    A while ago Facebook announced the new 'Graph Search' feature, which I paid little attention to at the time.  Recently however, I had a look at it and it looks incredibly useful to me, and to the funeral industry.  So I thought I would share it with others who might not be aware of it.

Preliminary Results: Funeral Industry Knowledge

    These are the results for the second survey, on how well people know the funeral industry. This survey was only ever intended as a test, to see if certain concepts were worth exploring further.  In that regard it was a huge success as tje results were rather informative and interesting (at least for me). 

    As always, a big thank you to those who participated!!  This would not be possible without the support and involvement from everyone.

Preliminary Results: Funeral Attendance

    Here are the early results from the first survey on funeral attendance.  The results were quite interesting, and while mostly what I expected there were a few surprises.

    As always, a big thank you to those who participated!!  This would not be possible without the support and involvement from everyone.

What I Will Study

    What I "study" has often caused some confusion amongst people.  Many misunderstand my objectives and focus.  So it is time to explain how I "study" the industry.

Death & Funerals: Sex

    In these series of posts I will be looking informally at the taboo nature of death and funerals.  This post explores how death and funerals are like sex in our avoidance of them.

Funeral Advertisements

    Funeral advertisements are a debated topic.  Some see them as a negative thing, that ads aimed at the general public forget the individual and de-personalise the industry.  But these public ads also do a lot of good, they help to bring funerals back to the public.  As such grief and the funeral industry are made more acceptable.

Inside the funeral home: Walter Carter Funerals

    A while ago I spent a couple of hours with the CEO of Walter Carter Funerals.  It wasn't a study so much as a meeting.  But I learnt a lot and had a great time.  The CEO is incredibly knowledgeable  approachable and open.  No question or topic was inappropriate.

The InvoCare Investigators

    Quite a while ago I was at a funeral and noticed someone rather odd.  Someone I believe to be an 'InvoCare investigator'.

Funeral Rights - a critique

    This has been on my to-do list for a while, to review 'Funeral Rights' by Robert Larkins.  It is the only book of its kind that I can find on the Australian funeral industry.

    Unfortunately it is not a good book in many ways, nor is it a good representation of the funeral industry.  So I have decided to pick out a couple of faults with it.

New Surveys !!!

    I have put together three separate surveys to explore different concepts within the funeral industry.  All three surveys will be very useful to me (and others) so please, do them if you have the time.

    They are all relatively short, and take an average of 10 minutes or less each.

    As always, the surveys are completely anonymous and confidential.  If there are any issues or questions do not hesitate to contact me: theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com


First Survey - Funeral Company Knowledge:
    The first survey looks at how well people know the funeral companies operating in Sydney.  In this survey I explore memory (both recognition and recall) to see if people actually know and remember different companies.

    Anyone can do this survey, as the focus is on Sydney companies yet mand are national brands.  It is also applicable for both funeral staff and non-funeral staff.

    You can complete the survey by following the link below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDdJS0tOUVBMTEVyMlAySlBvdWJURWc6MQ#gid=0

<> Unfortunately you have to copy and paste a url for certain questions.  I cannot embed the image :( so I understand it's not ideal, but it's the best I can do <>

    This survey might be most interesting to funeral companies, to see if their methods actually work.  Although it has several limitations, the point of this survey is to see if a certain concept is worth future exploration.


Second Survey - Funeral Attendance:
    The second survey is aimed at exploring funerals people have attended as a mourner.  There are a few things at work in this survey, the results could be rather useful.  While anyone can do this survey the focus is on the role of the mourner.

    You can complete the survey by following the link below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGZ2VHl1dUFDTDNWTjMteTh5UlcybFE6MQ#gid=0

    This survey is fairly simple, and aimed only at those who have attended a funeral as a mourner.  With luck the results might be quite informative of funeral practices and attitudes.


Third Survey - Age & Working Funerals:
    The third and final survey looks at age and funerals.  How we perceive the age of staff working in the industry and how age plays a role.  This survey is for funeral staff only, those who currently work or have worked in the funeral industry.

    You can complete the survey by following the link below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGZZUHMyUTdsalZsalo5M21fVHNLM0E6MQ#gid=0

    This survey explores a rather important and common issue in the industry.  Age and the funeral industry are contentious topics, so it would be interesting to investigate things like ageism.


Other & Future Work:
    If you are interested in participating in future research, as an individual or on behalf of a group/company, please email me: theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.

    I am always looking for people willing to participate in a study of ageism, and to a lesser extent sexism, within the funeral industry.  If you or anyone you know are interested in this please email me: theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.  As always all information and participation will be kept confidential, no personal identity or details will be recorded.

    Alternatively you can leave a comment on this post, I will read all comments left on the blog.

An~~

Modernity in the Funeral Industry: A look at Disneyization and McDonaldization in the Australian funeral industry

    This is my third essay on modernity in the funeral industry.  In these essays I am taking concepts from tourism studies and applying it to the funeral industry to show how the two industries are quite similar.

    I have found that many consider the funeral industry to be 'old fashioned' and traditional.  Yet this is not really the case as the funeral industry is modern industry, with large international corporations, mass consumption models and so on.

    In this essay I apply two key concepts of modernisation to the funeral industry.  Essentially both of these concepts come out of tourism and are used to explain modernity in society.  You can read my abstract below, and find the link to the whole essay.