EFMD encourages and rewards innovative and impactful cases in management development each year. This year again brought an exceptional variety of winning cases across various industries. We interviewed the winners to find out more about their motivation, inspiration and significant challenges.

The following interview is with Majid K. El Ghaib of ESCA Ecole de Management, one of the winning authors from the “MENA Business Cases” category. Mark Davis of Bentley University was the other winning author.

EFMD Global would like to warmly thank Prof. Dr Wolfgang Amann for his expertise and contribution in assessing the cases submitted in the “MENA Business Cases” category.

The 2022 edition of the EFMD Case Writing Competition is now open for submissions. Find out more on the webpage and submit your case. 

Introducing a Sustainable Business Model in Africa: The Case of BioDrive in Morocco

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 when key issues were and still are pollution, decarbonisation, 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 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 co-founder 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 as “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.

About sponsorship

EFMD Case Writing Competition is proud to have dedicated sponsors who drive management education towards impactful teaching and learning. Sponsoring categories allows you to showcase your institution’s expertise in the specific field of management education in the wide EFMD network. The choice of category, its exact definition and any specific conditions are the privileges of the sponsor. Sponsorships for the following categories are currently available – Bringing Technology to Market and Continuous Improvement: the Journey to Excellence. If you are interested in sponsoring the mentioned categories or launching a new category relevant to case writing and teaching, please check out our category sponsorship opportunities page or contact Hansol Park at hansol.park@efmdglobal.org.

More information about the 2021 EFMD Case Writing Competition can be found on the EFMD Case Writing Competition page. Please visit The Case Centre’s webpage to access the collection of the winning cases. See other interviews from this series.