Abstract: Product innovation drives growth in firms, industries and nations. If done well, and done consistently, it can perpetuate the dominance of the world’s most powerful firms, or catapult entrepreneurial firms into the big league. Either way, such innovation increases consumer welfare and general economic prosperity. It is not surprising, therefore, that there has been considerable interest in the subject among academics, managers and policy makers alike.
In his inaugural lecture Professor Prabhu will give an overview of the research he and his colleagues have conducted on various issues related to product innovation in firms and nations. Among the questions he will address are: What types of firms are good at product innovation, particularly radical product innovation, and why? How are firms rewarded for this innovation? What challenges do firms face in trying to be innovative over time and how can these be overcome? He will end the lecture by discussing the question of why some nations are more innovative than others at a particular point in time. Much of the evidence in support of his claims comes from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and financial services industries.
Biography: Jaideep Prabhu is Professor of Marketing at the Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London, and has previously been on the faculty of business schools at Cambridge University, Tilburg University, and UCLA. He has a BTech degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, and a PhD from the University of Southern California. Jaideep studies various issues around the antecedents and consequences of radical innovation in high-technology contexts such as e-commerce, banking, and bio-pharmaceuticals. He is on the editorial board of the Journal of Marketing and has published in the Journal of Marketing Research, the Journal of Marketing and the International Journal of Research in Marketing among others. He has consulted for the DTI for whom he co-wrote a white paper on innovation, and has taught and consulted with executives from British Telecom, Philips, Xerox, ING Bank, Egg, Oce Copiers and ABN Amro, among other companies, in the US, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Colombia.
Chair: Professor David Begg, Principal, Tanaka Business School.
Vote of Thanks: Professor George Yip, Professor of Strategy and International Business and Senior Lead Fellow, AIM London Business School.
A tea reception will be served in the lower ground foyer of Tanaka Business School from 16.45.
Attendance restrictions: Free, but with registration in advance
Contact: Amy Eldon