Professor of Marketing
Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of Indian Business and Enterprise
Vice-Dean for Faculty
Director of the Centre for India and Global Business (CIGB)
Fellow of Clare College
BTech (IIT Delhi), PhD (University of Southern California)
My research interests are in innovation, marketing, international business, strategy, policy and development. I particularly focus on frugal innovation in large and small firms in developed and emerging economies. I am also interested in frugal innovation in the public sector and how governments should cultivate and regulate new technologies in the economy.
I’m a member of the Marketing subject group at Cambridge Judge Business School, which focuses on strategy, modelling, and consumer behaviour.
Small teams in large and startup organisations can now innovate to solve the wicked problems of our time such as climate change and inequality.
Research interests
Specific interests include: cross-national issues concerning the antecedents and consequences of radical innovation in high-technology contexts such as banking, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; the role of firm culture in driving innovation in firms across nations; how multinational firms organise their innovation activities worldwide; the forces that drive R&D location decisions and the factors that influence the performance implications of these decisions; the internationalisation of firms from emerging markets; and innovation in emerging markets.
Professional experience
Jaideep Prabhu is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Marketing, Customer Needs and Solutions, and BMJ Innovations. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Product Innovation Management, the advisory board of Journal of Management Studies and The Schmalenbach Business Review, and is a member of the senior advisory board of the European Journal of Marketing.
He has consulted with or taught executives from ABN Amro, Bertelsmann AG, BRAC, British Telecom, the UK’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), EDS, Egg, IBM, ING Bank, Laird, the NHS, Nokia, Oce Copiers, Philips, Roche, Shell, Vodafone and Xerox among other organisations in Colombia, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, UK and US. He has been interviewed by or has had his work profiled on BBC News 24, The New York Times, MIT Sloan Management Review, BusinessWeek, US News & World Report, The Financial Times, Le Monde, The Times, The Times of India, The Economic Times, Anglia News, The Asian Age, The Deccan Chronicle, The Statesman, The Calcutta Telegraph, Exec Digital and elsewhere.
Previous appointments
Prior to his current position, Jaideep Prabhu was Professor of Marketing and Director of Research at the Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London; University Lecturer and University Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cambridge Judge Business School (at the time the Judge Institute of Management), University of Cambridge; Assistant Professor and Fellow at the Center for Economic Research, Tilburg University, the Netherlands; and Visiting Assistant Professor at the Anderson School of Management, UCLA.
Publications
Selected publications
- Hassan, M., Prabhu, J., Chandy, R. and Narasimhan, O. (2023) “When bulldozers loom: informal property rights and marketing practice innovation among emerging market micro-entrepreneurs.” Marketing Science, 42(1): 137-165 (DOI: 10.1287/mksc.2022.1379)
- Molner, S., Prabhu, J.C. and Yadav, M.S. (2019) “Lost in a universe of markets: toward a theory of market scoping for early-stage technologies.” Journal of Marketing, 83(2): 37-61 (DOI: 10.1177/0022242918813308)
- Jachimowicz, J.M., Chafika, S., Munrat, S., Prabhu, J.C. and Weber, E.U. (2017) “Community trust reduces myopic decisions of low-income individuals.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 114(21): 5401–5406 (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1617395114)
- Banerjee, S., Prabhu, J.C. and Chandy, R.K. (2016) “Indirect learning: how emerging-market firms grow in developed markets.” Journal of Marketing, 79(1): 1-28 (DOI: 10.1509/jm.12.0328)
- Barrett, M., Davidson, E., Prabhu, J. and Vargo, S. (2015) “Service innovation in the digital age: key contributions and future directions.” MIS Quarterly, 39(1): 135-154
- Radjou, N., Prabhu, J. and Ahuja, S. (2012) Jugaad innovation: think frugal, be flexible, generate breakthrough growth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Journal articles
- Sharma, D., Mairal, A., Prabhu, J. and Cotton, M. (2024) “Challenges faced by frugal surgical innovations.” Tropical Doctor, 54(3): 223-226 (DOI: 10.1177/00494755241253098)
- Hassan, M., Prabhu, J., Chandy, R. and Narasimhan, O. (2023) “When bulldozers loom: informal property rights and marketing practice innovation among emerging market micro-entrepreneurs.” Marketing Science, 42(1): 137-165 (DOI: 10.1287/mksc.2022.1379)
- Vassallo, J.P., Banerjee, S. and Prabhu, J.C. (2023) “Biocultural innovation: innovating at the intersection of the biosphere and ethnosphere.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 40(5): 610-629 (DOI: 10.1111/jpim.12669)
- Vassallo, J.P., Banerjee, S., Zaman, H. and Prabhu, J.C. (2023) “Design thinking and public sector innovation: the divergent effects of risk-taking, cognitive empathy and emotional empathy on individual performance.” Research Policy, 52(6): 104768 (DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104768)
- Agarwal, N., Chakrabarti, R., Prabhu, J. and Brem, A. (2020) “Managing dilemmas of resource mobilization through jugaad: a multi-method study of social enterprises in Indian healthcare.” Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 14(3): 419-443 (DOI: 10.1002/sej.1362)
- Bhatti, Y., Prabhu, J. and Harris, M. (2020) “Frugal innovation for today’s and tomorrow’s crises.” Stanford Social Innovation Review, 23 June 2020
- Jachimowicz, J.M., Szaszi, B., Lukas, M., Smerdon, D., Prabhu, J. and Weber, E.U. (2020) “Higher economic inequality intensifies the financial hardship of people living in poverty by fraying the community buffer.” Nature Human Behaviour, 4(Jul): 702–712 (DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0849-2)
- Sunikka-Blank, M., Bardhan, R., Schupp, J., Prabhu, J. and Penz, F. (2020) “Films as source of everyday life and energy use: a case of Indian cinema.” Energy Research and Social Science, 69: 101655 (DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101655)
- Molner, S., Prabhu, J.C. and Yadav, M.S. (2019) “Lost in a universe of markets: toward a theory of market scoping for early-stage technologies.” Journal of Marketing, 83(2): 37-61 (DOI: 10.1177/0022242918813308)
- Vassallo, J.P., Prabhu, J.C., Banerjee, S. and Voola, R. (2019) “The role of hybrid organizations in scaling social innovations in bottom-of-the-pyramid markets: insights from microfinance in India.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 36(6): 744-763 (DOI: 10.1111/jpim.12504)
Books, monographs, reports and case studies
- Prabhu, J. (2021) How should a government be? The new levers of state power. London: Profile Books.
- Radjou, N. and Prabhu, J. (2020) Do better with less: frugal innovation for sustainable growth. London: Penguin.
- Radjou, N. and Prabhu, J. (2015) Frugal innovation: how to do more with less. London: Profile.
- Radjou, N., Prabhu, J. and Ahuja, S. (2012) Jugaad innovation: think frugal, be flexible, generate breakthrough growth. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Awards and honours
- Elected Fellow of the British Academy, 2023
- Excellence in Global Marketing Research Award (for the 2015 paper, “Indirect learning: how emerging-market firms grow in developed markets”, co-authored by Sourindra Banerjee and Rajesh Chandy, Journal of Marketing), AMA Global Marketing SIG, 2022
- Shelby Hunt/Harold Maynard Award (for the 2019 paper “Lost in a universe of markets: toward a theory of market scoping for early-stage technologies”, co-authored by Sven Molner and Manjit S. Yadav, Journal of Marketing), 2020
- Finalist, JM Sheth Foundation Award (for the 2015 paper “Indirect learning: how emerging-market firms grow in developed markets,” co-authored by Sourindra Banerjee and Rajesh K. Chandy, Journal of Marketing), 2020
- AMA Global Marketing SIG Excellence in Global Marketing Research Award (for the 2009 paper “Radical innovation across nations: the preeminence of corporate culture”, co-authored by Gerard J. Tellis and Rajesh K. Chandy, Journal of Marketing), 2019
- Gerald E. Hills Best Paper Award (for the 2008 paper “The fruits of legitimacy: why some new ventures gain more from innovation than others”, co-authored by R.S. Rao and R.K. Chandy, Journal of Marketing), 2018
- Chartered Management Institute’s (CMI) Management Book of the Year Award (for Frugal Innovation, co-authored by Navi Radjou), 2016
- Finalist, Thomas P. Hustad Best Paper Award in Journal of Product Innovation Management (for the 2015 paper “The antecedents and consequences of affordable value innovations for emerging markets”, co-authored by H. Ernst, H.N. Kahle, A. Dubiel and M. Subramaniam, Journal of Product Innovation Management), 2015
- Finalist, Marketing Science Institute/H. Paul Root Award (for a paper published in the Journal of Marketing that makes a significant contribution to marketing practice), 2015
- Highly Commended Paper, Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence (for the 2013 paper “The democratizing effects of frugal innovation: implications for inclusive growth and state-building”, co-authored by H.N. Kahle, A. Dubiel and H. Ernst, Journal of Indian Business Research), 2014
- Runner-up, Harold H. Maynard Award (for a paper published in the Journal of Marketing that makes a significant contribution to marketing theory and thought), 2009
- IBM Faculty Award for Research on Innovation and Indian Retail, 2009
- Advanced Institute of Management (AIM) Research, Innovation Fellowship, 2007-2009
- AMA TechSIG Award for the Best Article on Technology or Innovation, 2008
- Runner-up, AMA TechSIG Award for the Best Article on Technology or Innovation, 2007
- AMA TechSIG Award for the Best Article on Technology or Innovation, 2004
News and insights
We should get used to the fact that our workplaces and interactions with government will change dramatically with the emergence of AI – but should we be concerned? Job losses, privacy infringements and rights erosion are growing themes in the media, but in this article we look beneath the hype and use the latest research from Cambridge Judge to explore the growing influence of AI and what the means for the future of human agency, potential and inclusion.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has evolved beyond being just a tool for efficiency. It’s now a game-changer in how businesses approach innovation.
Faculty news
What does 2025 have in store?
Cambridge Judge faculty offer their New Year’s thoughts on sustainability, enterprise, disinformation, the workplace and business education.
Media coverage
India Education Diary | 21 March 2023
Student entrepreneurs win Cambridge Zero Student Climate Challenge with innovation
Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing and Jawaharlal Nehru Professor of Indian Business and Enterprise at Cambridge Judge Business School, served as a judge in Cambridge Zero Climate Challenge for students.
Cambridge Network | 23 February 2023
Issues of safety, trust and truth tackled during tech-related events at the Cambridge Festival
Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing at Cambridge Judge Business School, is featured in this article about a series of technology-related events to be held at this year’s Cambridge Festival.
Business Weekly | 22 January 2023
Simprints commits to Cambridge Judge drive to enhance social impact
Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing, and Carlos Montes, Visiting Fellow at Cambridge Judge Business School, are featured in this article regarding a framework report for the Brokering Trust to Accelerate Innovation, published in conjunction with the Centre for India and Global Business.
“This framework is designed to broker projects between government champions and innovative companies that seek high social impact. Having a third-party broker could be the key to getting many projects off the ground given uncertainties and other issues facing both private companies and governments,” says Jaideep Prabhu.