The notion of generational cohort hinges upon the supposition that individuals are intrinsically influenced by major societal and historical events which occurred during their formative years, which is also known as coming-of-age years, and not just because they are of a particular age-range. In light of this, it is posited that the postulation about the segregation and duration of years for defining the generational cohorts in the West, particularly the U.S., being applicable in Malaysia is theoretically and practically unfounded. Inglehart (1997) has long highlighted the deficiency in cross-cultural studies when they use common age-groups or median year of birth as proxies for generation rather than the socio-historical events that more accurately define a country’s generational cohorts. Regrettably, these concepts and literature from the West are still being widely adopted in local training programs and educational syllabuses, such as in organizational studies and marketing. Age is predominantly and even solely used to determine the cut-off points between cohorts in Malaysia. As a result, the defining events that have actually impacted the Malaysians and brought about the formation of cohorts, and the actual label and description of cohorts in the Malaysian context are still largely unknown.

For more information and potential collaboration, please contact Dr Hiram Ting (hiramparousia@gmail.com) or Prof Dr Ernest (drernest@unimas.my)