PLANNING YOUR OWN FUNERAL: A HELPFUL PEDAGOGICAL TOOL.

This paper highlights an experiential class activity wherein students must plan their own funeral. The instructor uses the funeral industry as the context in which to apply consumer and marketing management concepts. Morbid you may say. Valuable and highly recommended say students who have gone through the activity. Students demonstrate their understanding of consumer decision models, services marketing management, applied regulatory, budgeting, and cultural issues. Instructors benefit from an on going project on which to base discussion in and out of class for a highly relevant topic, yet one rarely discussed academically or at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]