Case Name :      Competing for Development (A): Fuel Efficient Stove for Darfur

Authors :           Oana Branzei, Samer Abdelnour

Source :             Ivey Publishing

Case ID :            908M61

Discipline :        Organizational Behavior

Case Length :    18 pages

Solution Sample availability : YES

Plagiarism : NO (100% Original work)

The new country director of CHF International (CHF), a U.S.-based organization that initiated operations in Sudan with USAID funding, must review the successes of CHF’s early interventions, and its strategic interest in the fuel efficient stoves project. The practical decision concerns a US$65,000 investment in a local manufacturing facility that would allow CHF to scale up the production of a stove design endorsed by the Lawrence Berkeley National lab using locally tested prototypes with USAID support. Students are asked to contemplate whether and how economies of scale would bring the costs down to a tipping point where internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfuri camps could afford the benefits of greater efficiency and convenience. They also need to balance cost cutting considerations with alternative decision criteria for local development: the success of this project depends on IDPs’ preference among alternative stove providers – which encompasses, in addition to fuel economies, the characteristics of the stoves themselves (i.e. quality, fuel efficiency), the engagement of the community in their production, and the ability to use and repair the stoves.