Posted on May 16, 2019 by Wendy Frost
When Hanyong Park began his doctorate in marketing, he was drawn to the college’s program based on his research fit with marketing faculty members. His laser focus on research was instrumental in his hiring as an assistant professor at top-ranked Michigan State University upon graduation this May.
“My research focuses on how resource scarcity influences an individual’s choices and behaviors,” said Park, who is a native of Korea. “I’m also working on numerical aspects of pricing.”
His work on resource scarcity is reflected in his dissertation, “Two Essays on the Psychology of Scarcity and Its Impact on Consumer Product Evaluations and Choice.”
“UTSA has a great learning environment,” said Park. “Faculty has an open-door policy that greatly enhances research productivity, and I enjoyed working with people from different backgrounds.”
Park is one of nine doctoral students who will graduate from the College of Business this month.
“Our entire department works closely together to mentor our doctoral students,” said Suman Basuroy, chair of the Department of Marketing. “By harnessing the energy of the faculty, we were able to support Hanyong by guiding him on his research, leading mock interview sessions and reviewing his job talk.”
Park’s research in the area of resource scarcity has been conditionally accepted at the Journal of Consumer Research, an elite journal in the field of marketing. His research finds that when people perceive that their resources are scarce, people’s tendency to associate price with quality becomes weakened.
“I’m grateful for the support that I received from my department and the college,” said Park. “Dr. Basuroy provided me with the best guidance and created a culture focused on student success.”
Giving back to other doctoral students, Park spent his last year in the program mentoring his peers. He encouraged students to stay motivated, to broaden their research networks and to focus on the quality of their research.
“No one knows your research better than you do,” he said.
When he joins Michigan State this fall, he hopes to continue to build upon their strong reputation in marketing by expanding their expertise in the area of consumer behavior.
“I want to be a good researcher and teacher,” said Park. “My goal is to produce pioneering work in the area of pricing and numerical cognition so I can contribute academically to this field. I also want to thank my parents who supported me and gave me inspiration throughout my life.”
— Wendy Frost
