An empirical investigation of product symbolism from an ethnic subcultural perspective

Abstract

This study identifies and empirically assesses some determinants of product symbolism within and across two ethnic subcultures. A conceptual model with five causal antecedents of product symbolism was developed based on the theoretical perspectives on semiotics, symbolic interactionism, and information processing. The study posits the applicability of the conceptual model across ethnic subcultures. The extent of applicability of the conceptual model was then examined using a multi-sample covanance structure model (USREL VI) on data obtained from a sample of Malays and Chinese in Malaysia. Study results indicate that the conceptual model fits the data differently among the two ethnic groups. Several differences in parameter estimates between Malays and Chinese were also discussed.