| Course | MGT 414 Principles of Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Environmental analysis |
| Length | About 1,034 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 414 Module 2
Fewer Burials, New Rivals: An Environmental Analysis for a Family-Owned Funeral Home
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
MGT 414: Principles of Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Fewer Burials, New Rivals: An Environmental Analysis for a Family-Owned Funeral Home
Wilmore Funeral Home, a composite business in Dayton, Ohio, has served families in its neighborhood for three generations. It arranges about 310 funerals a year from a historic building with a chapel, two viewing rooms and a garage for two hearses. For most of its history, a typical family chose embalming, a viewing, a church funeral and burial. That pattern is changing quickly. The home's revenue per family has fallen by about a fifth in ten years, and two competing homes nearby were bought by a national company. The owners want to understand what is changing around them and how to respond.
The General Environment
Demographic and sociocultural forces are the most significant. Wilmore's own records show cremation rising from 31% of families served in 2015 to 58% in 2025, and families increasingly ask for gatherings that celebrate a life rather than a traditional service. Fewer families belong to a church, which weakens a long-standing source of referrals. Technological forces have also arrived: families research prices online, some arrange services entirely by email and many expect services to be livestreamed for relatives who cannot travel. Economic forces matter because many families now compare prices carefully. Legally, the Federal Trade Commission's Funeral Rule requires funeral homes to give itemized prices, which makes comparison easier.
The Task Environment
In the task environment, competitors have changed most. National consolidators bring purchasing power and marketing budgets, while direct cremation companies offer simple cremation without a service at low prices, often arranged online. Suppliers include casket makers, the crematory Wilmore uses and cemeteries. Customers are grieving families, often making decisions within a day or two, and referral sources such as churches, hospices and nursing homes.
| Force | Environment | Effect on Wilmore |
|---|---|---|
| Shift toward cremation | General, sociocultural | Lower revenue per family; less need for traditional services |
| Declining church membership | General, sociocultural | Fewer referrals from clergy |
| Online research and arrangements | General, technological | Price comparison; demand for livestreaming |
| National consolidators | Task, competitors | Pressure on price and marketing; former rivals now well funded |
| Direct cremation firms | Task, competitors and substitutes | Low-price alternative for families wanting simplicity |
| Hospices and nursing homes | Task, referral sources | Growing source of first calls |
How Uncertain Is the Environment
Duncan (1972) found that managers' perceived uncertainty depends on two dimensions: whether the environment is simple or complex, with few or many factors to consider, and whether it is static or dynamic, stable or changing. Environments that are both complex and dynamic produce the most uncertainty. Wilmore's environment was once simple and static; it is now complex, with many new competitors and customer preferences, and dynamic, changing year to year. This explains the owners' sense that past experience no longer guides them.
What the Home Depends On
Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) argued that organizations depend on their environments for resources and that managers must manage these dependencies, for example through relationships, contracts or changes in what they offer. Wilmore depends on referral sources for first calls, on a single outside crematory and on its reputation in the neighborhood. As church referrals decline, relationships with hospices and nursing homes matter more. Reliance on one crematory gives that supplier power over timing and quality.
Competitive Forces
Porter (2008) described five forces that shape competition in an industry: rivalry among existing competitors, the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitutes, the bargaining power of buyers and the bargaining power of suppliers. For Wilmore, rivalry has intensified with consolidators, the threat of substitutes has risen with direct cremation and memorial events held outside funeral homes, and buyers have more power because prices are easy to compare. Entry is easier for online direct cremation firms than for traditional homes.
Responding to the Environment
The owners should adapt rather than defend the old pattern. First, they should offer a full range of cremation options, from simple cremation to cremation with a memorial gathering, and renovate the chapel as a flexible space for celebrations of life with music, photos and food. Second, they should reduce dependence on one crematory by negotiating a partnership with a second provider. Third, they should build relationships with hospices and nursing homes through education sessions for staff on what families need. Fourth, they should publish prices online and offer online arrangement planning, turning transparency into an advantage, and add livestreaming to every service.
Opportunities in the Change
Environmental change is not only a threat. Families choosing cremation still want to gather, and many now want gatherings that are more personal than a traditional service, with favorite music, food and stories. Few places in Dayton offer a comfortable space for such events along with the experience of a funeral director who can guide grieving families. Wilmore's century-old reputation and its chapel are assets a direct cremation website cannot match. Families who arrange online also value a local home that answers the phone at 2 a.m. The change opens room for a home that combines tradition with flexibility.
Costs and Risks of the Response
The chapel renovation is estimated at $180,000 and livestreaming equipment at $12,000. A second crematory partnership costs nothing up front but requires staff time to set up. The largest risk is that lower-priced cremation services draw families who would otherwise have chosen a full traditional funeral, reducing revenue further. The owners will price cremation with a gathering close to the margin of a traditional service, so the mix shift does not erode profit. A second risk is that a consolidator offers to buy the home; the owners should decide now what price or conditions would make selling acceptable, so the decision is not made in haste.
Watching for Further Change
The owners will review their mix of services, revenue per family and referral sources every six months, and will track what families ask for in arrangement conferences.
Conclusion
Wilmore's environment has moved from simple and stable to complex and changing. Duncan's framework explains the uncertainty, resource dependence highlights shifting referral and supplier relationships, and Porter's forces show rising pressure from substitutes and buyers. By offering what families now want, building new relationships and using transparency as a strength, the home can serve its neighborhood for a fourth generation.
References
Duncan, R. B. (1972). Characteristics of organizational environments and perceived environmental uncertainty. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(3), 313-327. https://doi.org/10.2307/2392145
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. Harper & Row.
Porter, M. E. (2008). The five competitive forces that shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 78-93.
Reading the MGT 414 Module 2 assignment instructions
Organizations and their environments form an early topic in Aspen's MGT 414, and a paper here usually asks students to analyze one organization's external environment and recommend how managers should respond. Defer to your classroom's Module 2 directions; the example studies one small business. Distinguish the general environment, such as demographic, economic, technological and legal forces, from the task environment of customers, competitors and suppliers. Describe the most important changes with evidence. Assess how uncertain the environment is. Use frameworks such as resource dependence or industry forces. Explain what the organization depends on. Recommend responses that fit its size and values, with their costs, their risks and ways to watch for further change.
Inside the MGT 414 Module 2 example
The paper begins with Wilmore Funeral Home, a third-generation business serving about 310 families a year. Its own records show cremation rising from 31% of families in 2015 to 58% in 2025, while average revenue per family fell. Duncan's Administrative Science Quarterly article classifies environments by complexity and rate of change, placing the home in the complex, dynamic cell. Pfeffer and Salancik's book on external control explains dependence on referral sources. Porter's Harvard Business Review article on five forces shows substitutes, such as direct cremation firms, and buyer power rising. A table sorts forces into general and task environments with their effects. The response adds an on-site crematory partnership, memorial gatherings in a renovated chapel, online arrangement planning and a published price list.
MGT 414 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
Environmental analysis papers are judged on separating the general from the task environment, using evidence for each force, applying frameworks correctly and recommending responses that follow from the analysis. This example uses the funeral home's own data to show change rather than relying on general claims. Duncan's framework assesses uncertainty, which explains why the owners feel unsure. Pfeffer and Salancik's resource dependence view adds a perspective many students miss, the relationships an organization relies on. Porter's forces organize competitive pressure from rivals, substitutes and buyers. The table summarizes forces and effects, and the response addresses the most important ones with costs and risks stated.
MGT 414 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Environmental analysis papers often list every possible force without saying which matter most. Rank forces by their effect on the organization and support each with evidence. Another weakness is mixing the general and task environments; keep them separate. Use frameworks to interpret, not just to label. Explain what the organization depends on and how it can manage those dependencies. Fit each recommendation to what a business of that size and character can actually do. Avoid treating change as purely a threat; many changes create opportunities. Finally, suggest how managers will keep watching the environment, since the analysis will age quickly. Estimate what the response will cost and what could go wrong.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More MGT 414 and Business Administration sample papers
- MGT 414 Module 1: Managers and Management Thought
- MGT 414 Module 3: Ethics and Social Responsibility
- MGT 414 Module 4: Planning, Goals and Strategy
- MGT 414 Module 5: Organizing and Organizational Structure
- MGT 414 Module 6: Human Resources and Diversity
- MGT 414 Module 7: Leading, Motivating and Teams
- MGT 414 Module 8: Controlling and Performance Measurement
- MGT 240 Module 2: Labor Content and Line Balancing
- BUS 499 Module 7: Recommendations and Implementation
- BUS 495 Module 4: Trade and Investment
- BUS 484 Module 7: Legal Form and Launch
MGT 414 Module 2 questions, answered
What does MGT 414 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 414 covers the organizational environment in this module, so analyzing an organization's external environment and recommending responses is typical. Look at your classroom prompt.
What is the difference between the general and task environment?
The general environment includes broad forces such as demographics and technology; the task environment includes customers, competitors and suppliers that directly affect the organization.
What did Duncan find about environmental uncertainty?
Duncan found uncertainty depends on how complex the environment is and how quickly it changes, with complex, dynamic environments the most uncertain.
Where can I find a free MGT 414 Module 2 sample paper?
The complete analysis above examines a family funeral home's environment as cremation rises and consolidators expand, with a table of forces and a response.
What is resource dependence theory?
Pfeffer and Salancik's view that organizations depend on external parties for resources and must manage those dependencies to survive.