Auteur : Abdelmajid EL GHAIB
The 2021 EFMD Case Writing Competition organized for the MEA region highlighted innovative and impactful case studies in various sectors. EFMD interviewed the winners to learn more about their motivation inspiration and the challenges they faced while writing the case. Our professor Dr. Majid Kaissar El Ghaib one of the winning authors of the "MENA Business Cases" category shares his experience writing the case of a high-impact Moroccan startup : BioDrive.
What was the inspiration for your case ? As you may know Morocco is among the few countries in the MENA region that import all their fossil fuel needs. The Moroccan government in 2009 started an ambitious energy transition strategy to achieve 52% of renewables in the energy mix by 2030. This leadership was important for the industry and the universal access to electricity. However it didn’t concern the sector of road transportation.
The case of BioDrive addresses the experience of a Moroccan social startup in introducing a frugal innovation for green mobility in Morocco. This experience was very inspiring during these times where key issues were and still are pollution decarbonization circularity and social divide.
The proposed solution based on recycling used cooking oil not only reduces the harmful effects of pollution related to the improper disposal of these oils but it also reduces the carbon footprint generated by the fossil fuels. In addition it creates through an entrepreneurial approach economically viable activities that include the collection and transportation of used oils to their transformation into a green more efficient and less expensive source of energy.
What were the major challenges in designing the case?
I would like first of all to stress the fact that this was my first experience in writing a case. In addition I am a cofounder of BioDrive. As such one of the challenges I had was to take a step back from day-to-day operations and difficulties and try to make the information at hand intelligible concise and within reach to business students.
In what ways do you believe the case could impact society and business in the future?
In its essence the case was designed for courses such “Business in Society” “Sustainability and CSR” and “Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship”. As such it has the objective to impact society and how business should be conducted today and in the future. The case tackles several concepts such as sustainability climate change energy transition responsible business responsible marketing green economy and circularity.
In working with the case students are led to think about innovative and impactful solutions to social challenges facing our region and the planet. They can prepare to be responsible leaders and managers. They experience the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a more sustainable and inclusive world.