Each year the Manufacturing and Service Operations Management (MSOM) Society of INFORMS conducts a student paper competition. In Volume 2, Issue 2 of M&SOM, we published the extended abstracts of the 1999 winners in the hopes that this could become an annual event. Our hopes have become a...

Problem Definition: A large proportion of the world's population has no access to electricity and so relies on noxious kerosene for their lighting needs. Solar-based solutions require a large upfront investment and are often unaffordable in this market owing to consumers' tight liquidity...