Hean Tat Keh (郭贤达) is a Professor and Director of Research in the Department of Marketing at Monash University, Australia. His current research examines consumer psychology in the contexts of sustainable marketing, healthcare marketing, and services marketing. He has published in FT50 journals such as Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, and Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, in addition to other major journals such as International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Retailing, Journal of Service Research, Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Advertising, Marketing Letters, European Journal of Operational Research, and Omega. In recognition of his research and teaching accomplishments, he has received both the ANZMAC Distinguished Marketing Researcher and ANZMAC Distinguished Marketing Educator awards. Professor Keh has previously taught at the University of Queensland, Peking University, and the National University of Singapore. He obtained his PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle.  

     Latest journal articles:

• Keh, Hean Tat, Di Wang, and Li Yan (2021), “Gimmicky or Effective? The Effects of Imaginative Displays on Customers’ Purchase Behavior,” Journal of Marketing, forthcoming (accepted on Feb 2, 2021).
• Yan, Li, Hean Tat Keh, and Jiemiao Chen (2021), “Assimilating and Differentiating: The Curvilinear Effect of Social Class on Green Consumption,” Journal of Consumer Research, online preprint downloadable at https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucaa041.

     Research highlights: 

• 2019 ANZMAC Distinguished Marketing Researcher of the Year Award.
• A national-level outstanding research achievement award from the Ministry of Education, China in 2015 (Sun, Keh, & Lee, 2012, Journal of Consumer Research).
• Honourable mention for the 2011 Servsig Best Article award (Keh & Pang, 2010, Journal of Marketing).
• Runner-up for the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation Best Published Paper award in 2010 (Keh & Xie, 2009, Industrial Marketing Management).
• Citation in the Wikipedia entry on ‘Brand Equity’ (Chu & Keh, 2006, Marketing Letters).
• Received major research grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

     Teaching highlights:

• 2018 ANZMAC Distinguished Marketing Educator of the Year Award.
• Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence 2017, Monash Business School, Monash University. (Click on link for Youtube video)
• Nominated for Vice Chancellor's Teaching Award 2018.
• Six ‘Purple' and 'Blue' Letters for outstanding teaching at Monash University (2016-2020).
• Finalist for the 2016 MPA Supervisor of the Year at Monash University.
• Voted Most Popular MBA Professor (MBA 最喜爱的老师) at Peking University for three consecutive years (2007-2009).
• Outstanding Educator Award 2001, NUS Business School, National University of Singapore.
• Conducted executive programs and consulted with blue-chip companies such as European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, Glaxo Smith Kline (China), Samsung (China), SK Holdings, British Telecom, Dow Chemical, and China Merchants Bank.

     Engagement/Service highlights: 

• Associate Editor (Service Research) of Journal of Business Research. On the editorial boards of Australasian Marketing Journal, Frontiers of Business Research in China, and Asia Marketing Journal.
• Director of Research, Department of Marketing, Monash Business School (10/2020-present).
• 2020 Invited talks at Deakin University and UTS (postponed due to COVID-19)
• Overseas Study Program (Sabbatical) to visit overseas universities in March-April 2020 (cancelled due to COVID-19)
• 2019 Invited talks at University of Sydney and Macquarie University
• Visiting Professor, Macquarie University, September 2019.
• Panel member for Australia-China Youth Dialogue (ACYD) (中澳青年对话) 2019 in Shanghai.
• 2018 Invited talks at Beihang University and Monash University Malaysia
• On the academic advisory board of the CMO Council.
• Initiator and Organizer, Marketing Research Camp, Department of Marketing, Monash University (2015-present).
• Recruitment panel member, Department of Marketing, Monash University (2017-present).
• Teaching mentor, Department of Marketing, Monash University (2016-present).
• Executive Committee, Department of Marketing, Monash University (2013-present).
• Initiator and Organizer, Marketing Research Summit, UQ Business School, University of Queensland (2012-2013).
• Academic Director, Doing Business in China Program, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (2007-2010).
• Deputy Head of Department, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (2007-2010).
• PhD program steering committee, Guanghua School of Management, Peking University (2005-2009).     

   Media and Impact:

• Expert commentary in "Don’t panic: Supermarkets have a plan", The Australian, July 4-5, 2020, pp. 21 & 24.
• Expert commentary in "Supermarkets reinstate product limits at first signs of panic buying in Melbourne", Inside FMCG, June 24, 2020.
• Expert commentary in "Remote Communites Hit by Panic Buying", CRANAplus Magazine, June 2020.
• Featured in A Different Lens: The COVID-19 Ripple Effect video by Monash University (April 2020).
• Expert commentary on panic buying in response to COVID-19 ("Don't panic, coronavirus stockpiling is just 'FOMO'", Canberra Times, Mar 19, 2020).
• Radio interviews on consumer psychology behind panic buying in response to COVID-19 on 2SER 107.3 (Ruby Mar 10, 2020), 2NM AM981 (Andrew Reynolds Mar 17, 2020) and 93.1 Triple M Bundaberg (Jules and Nik Mar 17, 2020).
• My research findings on the effects of high service attentiveness published in Journal of International Marketing (2019) have been written-up in the Harvard Business Review ("The Downside of Attentive Service", March-April 2019) as well as on the AMA website ("U.S. Consumers Love Attentive Brands. Other Countries? Not So Much").
• My research findings on consumers' susceptibility to cross-selling persuasion published in Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (2017) have been written-up in the Keller Center Research Report (March 2019), which is distributed to approximately 9,000 real estate sales professionals in the U.S.
• Radio interviews on Peer vs. Expert Online review research on Ultra 106.5 (David Wood Dec 17, 2018), ABC Southeast NSW (Simon Lauder Dec 18, 2018), and ABC Melbourne (Ali Moore Dec 20, 2018).
• Radio interviews on Nostalgia and Food Indulgence research on BBC5 (Rhod Sharp Nov 22, 2018), ABC Far North (Kier Shorey Dec 04, 2018) and ABC Southern Queensland (Sheridan Stewart Dec 12, 2018)
• Media write-up on Nostalgia's leading role in the festive season food coma (Dec 18, 2018)
• Media write-up on Nostalgia and Food Indulgence (Nov 20, 2018)
• Media write-up on Peer vs. Expert Online review (Nov 21, 2018)
• Thought Capital Podcast on 'Opening the Gate to China' (Aug 28, 2018)
• Interview on Doing Business with China (Apr 24, 2018)

My current research examines consumer psychology in the contexts of sustainable marketing, healthcare marketing, and services marketing. Illustrative research topics include:

1. sustainable marketing (e.g. social class and sustainable consumption, the role of positive emotions on sustainable consumption, antecedents and mechanisms of frugal behavior, scarcity and consumer responses)

2. healthcare marketing (e.g. effect of God salience on food preference and physical activity, well-dressed people and street-food consumption)

3. service characteristics (e.g. applications of service separation in different contexts, AI and machine learning in services, service intangibility, consumer emotions and service employees)

4. nudging consumer behavior (e.g. order effect of personal information on prosocial behavior, nudging consumption through decoy effects, effects of novel product displays on purchase intention, role of haptic information on consumer preference, power and gender branding)

Potential PhD applicants

I receive many supervision requests from potential PhD applicants every year. Please note that I require my PhD students to conduct behavioural experiments (lab and field studies). I do not supervise survey, qualitative or case study research. To help determine your suitability, in your email to me please address the following 10 questions and requests:

1. Attach your updated CV and academic transcripts.
2. Why are you interested in doing a PhD? (i.e., What is your goal after finishing your PhD?)
3. Why are you interested in applying to Monash University/Australia?
4. Attach your research proposal, which has to be related to my current research interests on either (a) sustainable marketing, (b) healthcare marketing, or (c) services marketing. Also explain why/how your research proposal contributes to the literature.
5. What is your research experience to date? (If you have written or published academic articles, attach them to your email.)
6. Does your previous degree (bachelor and/or master) have at least a 25% research component (e.g. thesis or dissertation)?
7. To what extent are you familiar with experimental research (design, implementation, and analysis)?
8. What software packages have you used or are familiar with in analyzing data?
9. To what extent are you familiar with psychological theories as applied to marketing/consumer research? (List these theories and the key papers you have read)
10. If you've taken the GMAT/GRE and TOEFL/IELTS, scan and email me your scores.

Postdoctoral applicants

I welcome supervision enquiries from postdoctoral fellows trained in social psychology, consumer psychology, and services marketing who share my research interests. However, please note that I currently do not have funding for postdoctoral positions. You will need to apply for funding from other sources (government agencies, your current organisation, etc.).