The perception and influence of global brands on the cultural values of Malaysia's middle class

As a developing nation that embraces the global economic policy, the succession of cultural transformation of the Malaysian society has been quite evident. Additionally, the nation's consistent economic growth and stable political situation which encouraged the massive inflow of goods from the West and the establishment of multinational corporations have been instrumental in the creation of a consumerist society amongst the population. This situation becomes more explicit with the rise in the number of Malaysia's middle-class community who are vigorously occupied with contemporary economic activities in industry and services. Alongside their relative affluence in lifestyle and consumption patterns is the progression of the media's role as major instruments for advertisements and the display of consumer goods. While this thesis accepts the significant role of advertisements as an important facilitator of Western cultural lifestyles, it is focussed on unearthing the sensitivity and magnitude of influence of Western global brands on the cultural values of the various sub-segments of Malaysia's middle-class population. To establish the scale of impact of global brands on the cultural values of Malaysia's diverse middle class community, the focus group discussions was employed as a major research technique whilst the q-sort technique was engaged as a complementary research approach. [Continues.]