Baba Shiv

Professor, Marketing

Baba Shiv

The Sanwa Bank, Limited, Professor of Marketing

Academic Area:

Additional Administrative Titles

Co-Director, Stanford Go-to-Market – Botswana
Director, The Innovative Technology Leader
Co-Director, The Emerging CMO: Strategic Marketing Leadership
Co-Director, Innovative Product Leadership: The Emerging Chief Product Officer

Research Statement

Baba Shiv’s research expertise is in the area of neuroeconomics, with specific emphasis on the role of neural structures related to emotion and motivation in shaping decisions and experiences. His recent work examines the interplay of the brain’s “liking” and “wanting” systems and its implications for marketing, innovation, leadership, and decision making. The nature of the issues that he examines are: Does being denied something make people pursue it more hotly but also simultaneously like it less? Does a wine's price tag price affect the pleasure one experiences? In the past few years, he has also focused his attention onto the neuroeconomics behind innovation and entrepreneurship leadership in companies small and large, from silicon valley tech startups to Fortune 500 companies Baba Shiv teaches courses at Stanford GSB that build on his research interests. Examples of some of the courses that he teaches include, “The Frinky Science of the Mind,” “Scaling Design Thinking Globally,” and “Collaborating with the Future.” He frequently hosts executives from around the world in executive education programs at Stanford on strategic marketing management, design thinking and customer-focused innovation.

Bio

Baba Shiv is the Sanwa Bank, Ltd., Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He has done extensive work on the emotional brain, documenting its powerful role in shaping decisions and experiences. His work includes the application of neuroeconomics to the study and practice of innovation and entrepreneurial leadership in companies, from Silicon Valley startups to Fortune 500 companies, as well as countries including India, Malaysia, and New Zealand. He frequently consults with and is on the advisory boards of several start-ups. His work has been featured in a variety of media outlets including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CNN, Economic Times, Fox Business, Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Radio Lab. Baba Shiv teaches courses at Stanford GSB and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, including “The Frinky Science of the Mind,” “Scaling Design Thinking Globally,” and “Crafting Interventions for Massive Change.” He frequently hosts executives from around the world in executive education programs at Stanford on strategy, entrepreneurial leadership, and customer-focused innovation.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, Duke University, 1996
  • MBA, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, 1988
  • BE, College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai, 1983

Academic Appointments

  • Sanwa Bank, Limited, Professor of Marketing, Stanford GSB, 2010-present
  • Professor of Marketing, Stanford GSB, 2008–2010
  • Associate Professor of Marketing (with tenure) and Ormond Family Faculty Fellow, Stanford GSB, 2005-2007
  • Associate Professor (with tenure) and Henry B. Tippie Research Fellow, Department of Marketing, University of Iowa, 2002–2005
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, University of Iowa, 1996–2002
  • Instructor, Markets and Management Program, Duke University, 1994–1995

Professional Experience

  • Vadilal Enterprises Limited, Bombay, India (product launch of their ice cream in South India)
  • Blow Plast Limited, India (sales and new product introductions)
  • Larsen & Toubro Limited, India (Caterpillar Tractors and Poclain Hydraulic Excavators)

Awards and Honors

  • Amman Mineral Faculty Fellow for 2020–21
  • R. Michael Shanahan Faculty Fellow for 2013–14
  • “Faculty of the year” for seven consecutive years, Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa, 1999–2005
  • “Outstanding Faculty” in the Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools, 6th, 7th, and 8th Editions (McGraw-Hill), Marketing Science Institute, 1990

Publications

Journal Articles

Aiqing Ling, Nathalie George, Baba Shiv, Hilke Plassmann
Emotion
April 2023 Vol. 23 Issue 8 Pages 2179–2193
Lester C. Tong, M. Yavuz Acikalin, Alexander Genevsky, Baba Shiv, Brian Knutson
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
March 2020 Vol. 117 Issue 12 Pages 6936–6941
Bella Rozenkrants, S. Christian Wheeler, Baba Shiv
Journal of Consumer Research
December 1, 2017 Vol. 44 Issue 4 Pages 759-777
Aaron M. Garvey, Margaret G. Meloy, Baba Shiv
Journal of Marketing Research
October 2017 Vol. 54 Issue 5 Pages 785-798
Jia S. Jayson, Jia Jianmin, Christopher K. Hsee, Baba Shiv
Psychological Science
January 2017 Vol. 28 Issue 1 Pages 23-35
Baba Shiv, Uma R. Karmarkar, Rebecca M. C. Spencer
Journal of Behavioral Decision Making
January 2017 Vol. 30 Issue 1 Pages 70-79
Jing Wang, Rui (Juliet) Zhu, Baba Shiv
Journal of Consumer Research
April 2012 Vol. 38 Issue 6 Pages 1116-1128
Sarah G. Moore, David T. Neal , Gavan J. Fitzsimons, Baba Shiv
Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
January 2012 Vol. 117 Issue 1 Pages 168–178
Baba Shiv, Zakary Tormala
Journal of Consumer Research
2012 Vol. 38 Issue 5 Pages 846-859
Himanshu Mishra , Arul Mishra , Baba Shiv
Psychological Science
2011 Vol. 22 Issue 6 Pages 733-738
Ab Litt, Senia Maymin, Baba Shiv
Psychological Science
2011 Vol. 22 Issue 4 Pages 523-531
A. Litt, Uzma Khan, Baba Shiv
Psychological Science
January 2010 Vol. 21 Issue 1 Pages 118-125
Baba Shiv, Ziv Carmon, Dan Ariely
Journal of Marketing Research
November 2005 Vol. 42 Issue 4 Pages 383-393
Baba Shiv, Ziv Carmon, Dan Ariely
Journal of Marketing Research
November 2005 Vol. 42 Issue 4 Pages 410-414
Rosellina Ferraro, Baba Shiv, James R. Bettman
Journal of Consumer Research
June 2005 Vol. 32 Issue 1 Pages 65-75
Baba Shiv, George Loewenstein, Antoine Bechara
Cognitive Brain Research
April 2005 Vol. 23 Issue 1 Pages 85-92
Baba Shiv, George Loewenstein, Antoine Bechara, Hanna Damasio, Antonio R. Damasio
Psychological Science
2005 Vol. 16 Issue 6 Pages 435–439
Gavan J. Fitzsimons, Baba Shiv
Journal of Consumer Research
September 2001 Vol. 28 Issue 2 Pages 224-238
Baba Shiv, Alexander Fedorikhin
Journal of Consumer Research
1999 Vol. 26 Issue 3 Pages 278-282

Working Papers

Teaching

Executive Education & Other Non-Degree Programs

Advance your skills, career, and network with a tailored leadership program for Asian executives, the first of its kind from a leading business school.
Learn about cutting-edge social science frameworks and design thinking techniques in a unique partnership between Stanford GSB and d.school.
Develop best practices and insights to generate and lead innovation in your organization; then put theory into practice with real-world projects.
Guide your organization through growth with innovative CFO training that blends financial expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership skills.
Transform marketing in your organization with strategic frameworks, customer-centric innovation, and persuasive communication and leadership skills.
Discover business growth strategies and build a stronger company designed to sustain progress, scale management, and facilitate market expansion.
Develop your leadership style, create an action plan and inspire innovation in your team, your company, and the world.
Act with power, navigate the workplace, and take the lead with new strategies and tactics in this unique women’s leadership program.
Experience Stanford business and medicine in a health care leadership program featuring design thinking and personal leadership skill development.
Develop strategic frameworks, customer empathy, and communication and leadership skills to help you move from product management to the C-suite.
Explore the intersection of innovation, technology, and business, and learn to drive strategic change across your organization.
Build your career and network with a specialized leadership program for LGBTQ+ executives, the first of its kind from a leading business school.
Learn how to grow and scale your company in this 10-month program ​for CEOs and founders of established businesses in Africa, Indonesia, and South Asia.
Evolve as a leader in an executive education program that reinvigorates and ramps up your professional journey.
Transform knowledge into impact and drive innovation and change in your organization with Stanford LEAD, our flagship online business program.

Stanford Case Studies

Baba Shiv, Matt Saucedo
2016
Baba Shiv, Matt Saucedo
2016
Baba Shiv, David Hoyt
2015
Kathleen Kavanaugh, Jake Kraft, Baba Shiv
2010

Stanford GSB Affiliations

Service to the Profession

Journals

  • Editor, Journal of Consumer Research
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Consumer Psychology
  • Editorial Board, Journal of Marketing Research

In the Media

Insights by Stanford Business

January 05, 2022
In this podcast episode, we share the science behind nervousness and offer tips for keeping your cool during various speaking situations.
December 15, 2021
Five lessons in five minutes from Stanford GSB professors and lecturers.
December 13, 2021
Here are some of our top picks from the Stanford GSB community’s podcasts in 2021.
September 21, 2021
Baba Shiv explains how to develop a risk-tolerant mindset.
July 26, 2021
Five lessons in five minutes: Professor Baba Shiv shows how to build emotional connections that back up your decisions.
April 20, 2021
Unprecedented adversity can create incredible opportunities — when you have the right mindset.
December 11, 2020
Cozy up and listen up to our top episodes from 2020.
November 20, 2020
In this episode, we discuss how recognizing your audience’s emotional needs can help you achieve your communication goals.
May 19, 2020
Our brains can predict the popularity of online videos, without us even knowing it.
June 13, 2017
A new study examines the role self-expression plays in online buying decisions.
December 12, 2016
Long commute? Spend the time listening to these 10 Stanford Business stories.
October 26, 2016
Researchers use phone records to measure the “hedonic behavior” of earthquake victims.
March 02, 2016
Startups may embrace the “fail-fast” mantra, but many leaders are risk-averse.
May 07, 2014
A group of scholars show why what you see isn’t always what you get.
October 15, 2013
What neuroscience tells us about getting the best out of yourself, your colleagues, and the boss.
September 14, 2012
New research shows that seeing all your options at once makes you happier with the choice you make.
August 27, 2012
Professor Baba Shiv discusses how you can coax risk-averse managers to innovate.
August 16, 2012
The simple things your brain needs to perform at its creative best.
December 15, 2011
People who are lonely prefer products outside the mainstream, but only in private.
November 12, 2011
Baba Shiv's research reveals why hypothetical questions aren't as innocent as they seem.
June 01, 2011
Researchers say news about a company or product blemish may actually strengthen consumers’ positive impressions.
March 01, 2011
Research says how people approach failure can be key to their success.
January 01, 2011
New research says people are more likely to achieve a goal if it’s sketched out in vague terms than if it’s set in stone with a specific target.
August 01, 2009
Rejection increases people’s motivation to pursue that elusive objective. But there’s a catch.
March 01, 2008
Studies show that subjects report a medicine less effective when it doesn't cost as much.
January 01, 2008
A study shows that cost doesn't merely interfere with perceived quality, it actually affects real quality.
September 01, 2005
Research shows that how we feel can be the key to our success.
September 01, 2005
Researchers explore how feelings about mortality affect our self-esteem.

School News

January 18, 2024
If/Then aims to help business leaders address modern problems
July 16, 2020
After COVID-19 hit, the Stanford GSB-led initiative that’s working to end the cycle of global poverty had just weeks to re-invent itself.
December 11, 2019
Innovative online programs and on-the-ground teaching bring the Stanford GSB experience to Indian entrepreneurs and CEOs, and global study trips give students a broader global perspective.
October 30, 2019
Project-based courses pair students with external organizations to solve real-world business problems.
April 09, 2015
Information session for innovators with ready-to-launch business ideas will be held May 27.
January 31, 2011
Structured trips provide intellectual and emotional experiences with other cultures for Stanford MBA students learning to lead in a global economy.
May 01, 2009
School's MBA, PhD and master's students recognize three faculty members for their innovative teaching methods, enthusiasm and personal attention.
September 01, 2005
Three senior professors — in accounting, organizational behavior, and marketing — have joined the Stanford GSB faculty, along with six junior faculty.