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This thesis explores what makes a good funeral in contemporary Britain today. Situated within the discipline of practical theology, it examines the funeral from anthropological, psychological and historical perspectives. This provides the context for the qualitative study which involved interviews with ten bereaved people who have arranged a funeral within the last two years and ten funeral officiants including clergy, humanist and civil officiants. The methodological framework was provided by mutual critical correlation and the findings analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study suggest that funerals are generative and as such bring new life in the midst of death. Previous research has highlighted the life motif present in many funeral ceremonies. This research adds to earlier studies by identifying many ways in which funerals can be generative. In this study the role of the officiant is perceived as one involving considerable professional skill. The marks of a good funeral were identified as compassionate care, tailored rituals, ceremonial expertise and death containment. This is the first study that applies the concept of compassionate care, widely researched within the health profession, to the work of the funeral officiant. Within this study the psychological concept of containment is applied to funerals for the first time, arguing that through providing containment, the funeral ritual can prevent death being overwhelming to the bereaved. Christian ceremonies were seen to offer a unique aspect of Christian hope whilst Humanist ceremonies may offer hope in a different form.

This thesis takes as its starting point the use of extracts from the works of historical authors who wrote in England in the early to mid twelfth-century. It focuses upon the ways in which their works began to be incorporated into three particular texts in the later twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Through the medium of individual case studies – De Abbatibus (Abingdon), CCCC 139 (Durham) and The London Collection three elements are explored (i) how mediaeval writers used extracts from the works of others in ways which differed from modern practices with their concerns over charges of plagiarism and unoriginality (ii) how the structural and narrative roles which the use of extracts played within the presentation of these texts (iii) how the application of approaches developed in the twentieth century, which transformed how texts are now analysed, enabled a re-evaluation and re-interpretation of their use of source material with greater sensitivity to their original purposes This analysis casts fresh light upon the how and why these texts were produced and the means by which they fulfilled their purposes and reveals that despite their disparate origins and individual perspectives these three texts share two common features: (i) they follow a common three stage pattern of development (ii) they deal with similar issues: factional insecurities and concerns about the quality of those in power over them – using an historical perspective The analysis also reveals the range of techniques which were at the disposal of the composers of these texts, dispelling any notion that they were either unsophisticated or naïve in their handling of their source materials. Together these texts demonstrate how mediaeval authors used combinations of extracts as a means of responding quickly and flexibly to address particular concerns. Such texts were not regarded as being set in stone but rather as fluid entities which could be recombined at will in order to produce new works as required.

The inception of the low-cost carrier (LCC) into the UK in the early 1990s revolutionised passenger aviation. The now saturated short-haul market finds airlines increasingly manipulative of their business model, seeking to further differentiate their product offering from their rivals. With an abundance of airlines to choose from, the consumer is faced with what at times can be a complex decision-making process as to which airline to fly with. This research seeks through empirical research to identify key characteristics and attitudes of airline passengers (with particular emphasis upon LCCs) and the implications for pre-trip decision-making and airline choice. The study begins with an overview of the airline business models that dominate the UK passenger aviation sector, before introducing Birmingham Airport (BHX) as a case study airport on which part of the main findings of this research are based. A detailed literature review then seeks to offer insight to attitude formation and the decision-making process that facilitates behaviour, before examining the implications for airline choice. The fieldwork was undertaken in two stages with passenger decision-making explored through structured-interviews conducted with passengers in the airside departure lounges at BHX (n = 490). In addition, the attitudes of airline passengers were explored using an online attitudinal survey, distributed internationally to a self-selected sample (n = 307). The quantitative analysis of both strands of research suggests key differences exist in the decision-making processes and research methods employed by passengers’ of airlines operating different business models, but particularly for passengers of LCCs. Both socio-demographic and situational factors are identified as influential in decision-making and choice processes. Attitudes, based upon actual experience and social representation are also considered significant. The findings present a classification of airline passengers based upon the primary research and suggest further quantitative research should explore decision-making over time and in different situational contexts.