Jaideep Prabhu

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.

Jaideep Prabhu.

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

Journal articles

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

Young Indian farmer talking on mobile phone and using laptop at home.

A new Playbook from Cambridge Judge Business School on how developing economies can use digital infrastructure aims to provide a model for countries around the world.

ExecEd delegates.

Eden and Jaideep discuss the importance of ESG values to long-term organisational success, ESG-centred marketing and how to establish it, and the challenges facing firms seeking to instil ESG principles into their marketing operations.

Jaideep Prabhu.

Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing at Cambridge Judge who focuses on innovation and internationalisation, is named one of 86 new fellows of the British Academy.

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.

The Hindu Business Line, 6 January 2023
Capital ideas. The perils of being a celebrity

Cambridge Network, 5 October 2022
Why affordability is not enough in attracting poorer customers

The Economic Times India, 21 July 2022
Governments need private sector strategies like an ‘outside-in’ approach to meet challenges like climate change: Jaideep Prabhu

IPS News, 13 July 2022
BRAC celebrates 50 years – A case for social development founded and led by the Global South

Reuters, 23 March 2022
Nestle to suspend ‘vast majority’ of sales in Russia

Times of India, 7 March 2022
How Indians are leading some of world’s best B-schools

Bloomberg Quint, 16 February 2022
Tata sons under Chandrasekaran – the journey so far and the road ahead

Forbes, 19 January 2022
‘The factory of the world’ could be coming to a town near you

International Investment, 18 November 2021
Groundbreaking HSBC study reveals four fifths of global Indians invest in home country

Khaleej Times, 2 September 2021
Rise and rise of Asian biz in Britain

The Times, 24 August 2021
Diversification is all the rage but isn’t it better to stick to the knitting?

The Times of India, 17 July 2021
‘India developed the pillars of a circular economy – this approach preserves nature’

Financial Times, 5 July 2021
The frugal ingenuity that everyone needs in a crisis

Project Syndicate, 26 May 2021
The state’s new balancing act

Prospect Magazine, 4 May 2021
Jeremy Heywood and the flawed brilliance of a Whitehall master

Khaleej Times, 15 April 2021
The long read: Recycling nostalgia

Business Daily Africa, 6 April 2021
The power of innovating by being frugal

The Times, 6 April 2021
Small is beautiful for factories in brave new world of manufacturing

SME Times, 16 March 2021
‘Social media platforms, tech have led to rise of disruptive leaders’

Cambridge Independent, 7 March 2021
Professor Jaideep Prabhu discusses his new book

Financial Times, 1 March 2021
Good news from governments

BBC, 24 November 2020
A room in Mumbai

The Hindu Business Line, 26 August 2020
Cambridge researchers look at Bollywood to understand consumption patterns

DD News, 11 July 2020
Special programme: COVID-19 and the global economy

India Today, 22 April 2020
Five books every student needs to read in lockdown to boost their career success

Phys.org, 30 March 2020
Poor people experience greater financial hardship in areas where income inequality is greatest

Financial Times, 22 January 2020
Why India’s global ambitions require more pursuit of WEF principles

Eastern Eye, 5 December 2019
Brexit, India’s domestic woes will weigh down bilateral trade

East Anglia in Business, 14 November 2019
‘Frugal innovation’ isn’t just for developing countries

FE News, 10 October 2019
Shaping the future of education

The Hindu Business Line, 14 April 2019
India can tell the world to ‘Do Better With Less’

The Economist, 24 January 2019
Companies can appeal to workers and consumers with liberal messages

BBC Vietnam, 18 October 2018
A different approach to life in India

Cambridge Network, 11 October 2018
Cambridge Festival of Ideas: how do we secure our food supply in a changing world?

Cambridge Independent, 18 September 2018
Should the state control what we eat?

BBC, 3 September 2018
India’s ingenious approach to life

Canadian Inquirer, 22 August 2018
Small firms thrive as customers seek more unique clothing

Politics Home, 24 July 2018
Purpose vs Profit: Are they compatible in 21st century business?

Cambridge Global Food Security, 1 June 2018
Meet the researcher

BBC Radio 4, 26 May 2018
Today

Wired, 18 May 2018
15 top thinkers on innovations that will most change our lives by 2050

Financial Times, 1 April 2018
How upstarts drive progress at Honda

Hindustan Times, 27 March 2018
Hay Festival 2018

The Future Leadership Institute, 28 December 2017
Reducing food waste

Harvard Business Review, 19 December 2017
How large food retailers can help solve the food waste crisis

Global Finance, 6 December 2017
Reforms give a major boost to banking business

BBC, 7 November 2017
The non-stop problem solver who loves to invent

Forbes, 31 October 2017
If Twitter offers you 280 characters just say no

BBC World Service, 22 October 2017
The secrets of jugaad

The Guardian, 30 September 2017
Trump clips Britain’s wings as Tories put faith in free-trade deals

Cambridge Network, 19 September 2017
Cambridge Festival of Ideas: India uncovered

BBC Radio 4, 29 August 2017
Disrupted Development

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 July 2017
‘Frugal innovation’ can do a lot for inequality

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 June 2017
Multinationals need to aim for middle market in emerging markets

Quartz, 2 May 2017
The conditions that help poor people make better decisions

Harvard Business Review, 25 April 2017
The business case for providing health insurance to low-income employees

World Economic Forum, 21 April 2017
Some ideas that might help reduce inequality

Stanford Social Innovation Review, 21 April 2017
Solving big social problems by thinking small

The Conversation, 19 April 2017
How ‘frugal innovation’ can fight off inequality

DNA India, 8 April 2017
Cambridge varsity report on Dehli principals’ performance

Cape Talk, 13 March 2017
How to do (much) more with (far) less

Deccan Herald, 5 February 2017
There’s always a way

United Nations, 24 January 2017
Q&A with Jaideep Prabhu

Share Radio, 13 December 2016
Rupee ban hurts Indian economy – could the damage get worse?

Associated Press, 4 November 2016
UK looks for stronger business ties with India

Financial Times, 3 November 2016
The path to frugal innovation

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 November 20165
Scaling-up for social businesses in developing countries

The Sunday Times, 30 October 2016
Tearing down the walls that can block creativity

Phys.org, 22 September 2016
Study identifies different ways to help social businesses grow

Financial Times, 22 August 2016
Apple has chance to pick better R&D model in China

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 May 2016
The challenge of scaling up ‘inclusive’ markets

The Daily Star, 22 April 2016
The budget approach to innovation

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 April 2016
Has globalisation overreached itself?

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 April 2016
Worldwide solutions to meet the needs of the ‘next four million’

The Daily Star, 25 March 2016
Resilience S Asians’ survival instinct

Indian Express, 29 February 2016
Smartphones and jugaad innovation: Inclusive growth in the palm of our hands

BBC News, 27 February 2016
Talking Business

City AM, 9 February 2016
Why modern managers need these five vital old-school skills

The Bookseller, 8 February 2016
Frugal Innovation wins Management Book of the Year

The Conversation, 4 January 2016
How frugal innovation can kick-start the global economy in 2016

City AM, 20 November 2015
Frugal innovation: Doing more with less

Bloomberg Business, 13 November 2015
Rolls-Royce crisis tests East’s mettle after Silicon Fen success

New Statesman, 12 November 2015
Six business deals to look out between Narendra Modi and David Cameron

The Conversation, 11 November 2015
Six deals to look out for as Indian PM Modi visits Britain

Strategy and Business, 2 November 2015
The frugal way to go

Phys.org, 15 October 2015
A touch of frugal genius

Business Because, 13 October 2015
MBA careers: Shortage of digital chiefs presents employment opportunities

The Huffington Post, 5 October 2015
Six lessons in innovation from Cuban entrepreneurs

Strategy and Business, 15 September 2015
Aetna’s Frugal Healthcare Strategy

Financial Times, 14 August 2015
UK innovators: Ready to launch

China Daily, 14 June 2015
The will to change the world

Business Standard, 11 May 2015
Jugaad is both a necessity and a hobby

The Independent, 12 April 2015
MBA Guide: Five fresh business books to give you the edge

India Info Online, 16 February 2015
Frugal Innovation: How to do better with less

Gulf News, 15 February 2015
An empowered consumer takes over the ‘frugal’ economy

Project Syndicate, 6 February 2015
The rise of the frugal economy

The Irish Times, 2 February 2015
Book review: Frugal Innovation

Cambridge Business Magazine, 1 February 2015
How the West was won over to frugal innovation

The Wall Street Journal, 30 January 2015
The surprising secret of India’s success could be its brain drain

The Economist, 23 January 2015
Cheap and cheerful

The Economic Times, 21 January 2015
Flipkart top seller WS Retail to separate logistics arm Ekart into wholly-owned unit

The Economic Times, 2 January 2015
Imagineering 2015: how India Inc can go frugal this year

Harvard Business Review, 10 December 2014
What frugal innovators do

Harvard Business Review, 28 November 2014
4 CEOs who are making frugal innovation work

Cambridge Network, 28 October 2014
Your opportunity to learn about frugal and other innovation

BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, 21 October 2014
Chris Mann’s Drivetime

BRAC blog, 8 April 2014
Scaling digitality: Does scaling technology have to mean losing the human touch

Cambridge Network, 17 March 2014
Cambridge students unite in order to improve lives in Africa

Telegraph India, 10 March 2014
Book banks to rescue kids

BizEd, 1 March 2014
Bookshelf: Jugaad Innovation

YouTube, 26 February 2014
CDI crowdfunding pitch

Global Post, 9 February 2014
It’s tough to be an Indian Olympian

Innovation Forum, 12 January 2014
What can ‘frugal innovation’ do for development

Lessons in Business, 7 January 2014
The economy of scarcity and adversity are drivers of innovation: the case of India

Strategy and Business, 18 December 2013
Beating competitors with high-speed innovation

Thomson Reuters, 12 December 2013
What can ‘frugal innovation’ do for development?

YouTube, 11 December 2013
India Summit

Rapid innovation in digital time, 25 November 2013
Frugal Innovation: can we Jugaad innovation over here?

Financial Express, 19 November 2013
Healthcare: Indian representatives to influence future of global healthcare at Big Chance 2013 in Oxford

Guru in a bottle, 18 November 2013
Is your glass half empty or half full?

PRWeb, 13 November 2013
Oxford conference addresses the challenge of providing affordable healthcare

Hindustan Times, 8 November 2013
Cambridge expert says Indian ‘jugaad’ can help ailing economies

Cambridge Network, 8 November 2013
Jugaad fever sweeps the world

The Conversation, 29 October 2013
India must clean up its act to benefit from US shutdown

FT Chinese, 28 October 2013
Perpetual pilots are the new goal for strategy

Strategy and Business, 25 October 2013
How Pearson is reinventing global education

BBC Radio 4, 18 October 2013
Jugaad: The rise of frugal innovation

New York Times, 8 October 2013
Dealbook: More seatbacks in deal for US tire market

WLTZ TV, 3 October 2013
Wiley authors shortlisted for Thinkers50 Awards

Strategy Business, 10 September 2013
Siemens gets SMART by focusing on simplicity

Forbes Online, 5 September 2013
The world’s Top 50 leadership and management thinkers

Mint, 19 August 2013
In second Infosys, Narayana Murthy has more questions to face

Strategy Business, 23 July 2013
Renault-Nissan’s Journey to Affordable Cars

Strategy Business, 23 July 2013
Creating Greater Value in an Age of Scarcity

Financial Times, 1 July 2013
Perpetual pilots are the new goal for strategy

The Telegraph India, 24 June 2013
Bookworm – Jai jugaad

20minutes.fr, 27 April 2013
L’innovation Jugaad: redevenons ingénieux !

The Huffington Post, 2 April 2013
Fighting economic sharks is a matter of ‘jugaad’

The Business Standard, 15 March 2013
Jugaad 2.0, The concept may be uniquely Indian but it has relevance for the West when the frugal, flexible mindset is married to the process culture, says the co-author of a popular book on the subject

Al Jazeera, 21 February 2013
Is India’s economy at a standstill?

Hindu Business Line, 8 February 2013
Jugaad: a new business paradigm

The Economist, 15 December 2012
Gold-hunting in a frugal age

The World Financial Review, 4 December 2012
Jugaad innovation: think frugal, be flexible, generate breakthrough growth

Strategy Business, 19 November 2012
What the West can learn from Jugaad

The Times of India, 7 November 2012
‘Jugaad’ innovation goes global

The New York Times, 11 October 2012
Is Jugaad going global?

The Guardian, 9 October 2012
From New Delhi to Westminster, governments are cavalier about the poor

Daily Bhaskar, 8 October 2012
IIM-Indore fellow awarded scholarship by CSC, UK

HBR Blog Network, 5 October 2012
The CEO’s frugal innovation agenda

The Times of India, 2 October 2012
Book review: Jugaad Innovation by Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu and Simone Ahuja

Wirtschaftswoche, 11 September 2012
Innovationsforscher Radjou: “Mangel macht erfinderisch” [Innovation researchers Radjou: “lack of invention”]

Crossword Book Stores, 6 August 2012
Jugaad: the Indian way of life

Asia Society, 2 August 2012
Jugaad Innovation: lessons from the developing world for business worldwide

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