Suriya Coffins: traditions become market opportunities

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the manner in which a traditional ceremony with a high emotional content is being transformed into a capitalist market industry through a case study of the Thai company Suriya Coffins.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study involves a critical analysis of secondary data together with ethnographic observation of Buddhist funerals in Thailand.

Findings

Suriya Coffins has achieved a degree of market success by providing a basic package of services that can be supplemented by additional services on a network model. However, there have to date been certain constraints to growth.

Research limitations/implications

The paper considers one single model in a single location in Thailand and so results cannot be taken to be widely generalisable.

Practical implications

Urbanization attenuates the link between people and traditional village communities and this opens spaces for commercial corporations to operate.

Social implications

Globalization means increasing amounts of the sphere of traditional culture enter the world of commerce and this can lead to a certain degree of alienation.

Originality/value

Few if any studies of the funeral industry in Thailand have been undertaken from a business perspective. The link between tradition and commercialism is generally underresearched.

Citation

Walsh, J. (2011), "Suriya Coffins: traditions become market opportunities", Society and Business Review, Vol. 6 No. 2, pp. 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465681111143984