Interview with Tommaso Pardi: «New Geopolitics of Automobile Industry» (translated by Olessia Kirchik)

Abstract

The article is devoted to consumer choice-making in markets of funeral services, influence of social networks on market transactions, and role of emotions in the indicated processes. Choice-making in markets of funeral services is considered in terms of social interaction. Physical death of an individual is not supposed to result in eliminating his (her) social roles. Social role is well known to be generated from social interactions and social situations. Thus, even after his (her) death an individual may be involved into social interactions affecting decisions taken by his (her) family members. Choosing certain goods and services, relatives demonstrate their attitudes toward the dead person, and funeral agencies may turn out to have a success in profit seeking. To Viviana Zelizer, when people perform any economic actions, they don't stop differentiating significant social relations. In markets of funeral services the patterns of social relations which are prevalent (but not the only ones) include gift-making, i.e. consumers interpret the way how funerals are organized and conducted in terms of gifting. Gift's appropriateness and funeral's worthy, which are expressed in a specific sum of money, are generally determined by the fact how family members value the dead person.