Individual Strategic Analysis Report For Trina Solar

Project phases

Purpose of analysis

The purpose is to analyze the internal and the external environment of the chosen business. The chosen business is “Trina Solar” which is headquartered in Changzhou (China). The company has its presence at the global level and branches in the United States, Asia, and Europe. The analysis is also aimed at finding the issues if there is any and giving the feasible and strategic recommendations to it.  

Overview/outline of written report

The analysis of the chosen business is being done through various management concepts such as the PESTLE analysis, five forces, VRIN framework and more. For internal analysis, SWOT analysis of the company is being done. It also covers the organizational culture and the leadership style in the chosen company. It does also cover the financial analysis of the company. Moreover, the study is aimed at analyzing the chosen business from every possible perspective.

Description of the company

Trina Solar headquartered in Changzhou (China) is a globally recognized name in the production of solar panels. The company was formed in the year 1997 by Jifan Gao. The company is primarily focused on producing ingots, solar cells, wafers and solar modules. The company was listed repeatedly in the fortune list of 100 fastest growing companies in the world. Trina outperformed Yingli as the world’s biggest maker of solar panels. Trina is now the world’s leading provider of solar solutions in the form of PV products, services and applications. The innovative strategies of the company did not only work in its favor but, has also furthered the industry’s prospects through the production of PV power with greater grid parity and popularizing the renewable energy. Their mission is set on popularizing the solar system as a resource for renewable energy and benefitting the humanity. As of 2017, Trina has delivered more than 32 GW of solar modules across the global countries. This has helped the company to become the largest solar module supplier at the worldwide level. At the moment, the production of Energy Internet Solutions and Smart PV energy is helping the company to break new grounds.  

PESTLE analysis:

Political: Trump’s announcement for tariffs being imposed on the imported solar panels means that the cost of solar panels will rise in the nearing future. This is just an opposite trend for solar power as lower and middle class families are its biggest purchasers. The imposed tariff will increment the price of solar products. Hence, the rate of sales will also decrease. Trump has considered the move as a good one for the local manufacturers. However, the statement made by Trump has missed covering the after effects on the purchasing behavior. The purchasing behavior will expectedly be influenced. Hence, demands for the unit of solar products will considerably decrease. Now, it looks really confusing that how the makers of solar products will enjoy an incremented business. On the other hand, the low-wage countries will expectedly grow. Trina Solar will continue to perform better in other parts of the world like its home country China and Asia. It further means that foreign manufacturers will be yielding good profits from the business whereas local manufacturers in America will suffer.

Background of Trina Solar

It is expected to produce a deficit in the manufacturing of solar panels. This will result in price rise and job cuts. A rise in price means it would hamper the buying capability to a considerable extent. More people will remain unconnected to the technology which could have been extremely beneficial for a sustainable environment. It is cost-saving as well. This is because it provides a relief from roaring electric bills. However, the Trump’s announcement may not allow such thing as the tariff on imported solar panels will make it expensive. Job cuts will also be the possibility. The import tariffs may reduce the quantity of imported solar panels. Hence, the number of jobs will also reduce. In addition to this, the other renewable energy resources like gas and wind will be more in practice. Hence, customers would be left with the other options like gas and wind as an alternative to electricity. This is problematic for Trina Solar as well. The manufacturing plant in the USA will suffer from the decision as production will decrease. The import from China will also suffer. Hence, the mission to benefit the entire humanity may get hampered.  

Economic: The announcement made by Trump may seriously affect the solar industry in the United States of America. The increased tariffs on the imported solar panels will mean increased prices of solar panels. Hence, customer capability to purchase the solar panels will considerably decrease. The market which was accelerating due to the falling cost of solar products may now suffer a loss. The loss will mean a less installation request for the workers. Hence, job cut will rise. The solar industry which once holds a reputation to provide jobs more than even the oil & gas industry may now struggle to maintain the same behavior. More jobs cut will happen resulting in an increased unemployment rate. This is not a very healthy sign for “Trina Solar” as it may also face workers quitting their jobs. The company may struggle to accelerate its growth and attract more skilled workers. This will also give an edge to other resources which are the competitors of solar energy. The list of competitors includes coal, wind, and gas. Coal, in particular, was being affected by the rising popularity of solar industry in America. However, the imposed tariffs will considerably reduce the rising of the solar energy and boost the coal industry. Such facts will not only hamper the mission statement of Trina but, this will also affect the American people and the environment. Solar energy and the other forms of renewable energy are the needs of the entire world especially the United States considering a fact that it is one of the largest carbon emitter countries.

Political analysis

Socio-demographic: Surprisingly, the customers for solar products are not the rich people or the city-dwellers; it is rather the lower and middle income family living in suburbs. They are buying the solar powers in most cases. The reduced price of solar products has also encouraged the lower and middle class family in the recent few years. It was quite affordable to the classes which are also why the sales have grown up in the last five years. The lower and the middle income classes had shown a notable inclination to the concept. To them, it is a good way to get rid of the high electricity bills. The use of a solar product will also mean a reduced CO2 emission and hence, the CO2 content in the nearby areas will be low. This is indeed a very good way to live a very healthy life. The reduced prices of solar products had boosted the sales of solar products; however, the fact may not stay alive for a longer period of time. This is due to the announcement that Trump has made on the trade tariffs. The announcement will affect many trades including the imports of solar products. This may reduce the import frequency and dependency will increase on the local manufacturers. This was exactly what Mr. Trump had meant. However, Trump seems to have missed a point that imposing the trade tariffs on the imports of the solar product may also hamper the buying behavior of customers. The move will ensure an incremented price and hence, solar products will become costlier. Existing customers might face the challenge. Hence, sales will be influenced. The sales figure may expectedly go down as solar products will become expensive. Home ownership is still a characteristic of the solar user. Solar homes generally come up with three or more bedrooms and are used by a family of two or more. Hence families requiring the solar homes are also its customers. Those who are above 55 years of age, they are generally found as the biggest purchasers of solar powers.     

Technological: The concept of solar photovoltaics (PV) has grown in popularity only in the recent few years. The contribution of solar products is still very minimal to the world energy. Additionally, the technology is even costlier than the fossil fuels. The technologies used in producing solar products needs to be cheaper. It needs to be the one fourth of the existing price. This is the one way it can be expected to dominate the fossil fuels across the worldwide countries. The latest technology which is believed to be as a revolution in the making of solar products has been found. Actually, a material named perovskite has been found in the earth-abundant precursors. The investigation for the same products had started around 2009. However, the revolution was brought up in 2012 when perovskite was proven as an excellent semiconductor. The revolution means that PV cells can be made of thin layers in a simple stack. This was believed as a potential find for revolutionizing the manufacturing enormously. Moreover, this was also believed as to deliver a much enhanced efficiency. One of the advantages of perovskite is a fact that it is cheap to synthesize. Moreover, high-quality films can possibly be processed from solution at fewer temperatures. This makes it compatible with the existing manufacturing techniques which are quite simpler also. Perovskite can be easily tweaked making it easier to create a material which can effectively absorb the visible light of any frequency. This was not realizable earlier with the silicon as it can only absorb light within a specific range of wavelengths. This also put a limit on the efficiency of the device.

Economic analysis

Environmental: Environment sustainability is a critical concern for global countries. The criticality is evident from numerous governing schools like the Paris Agreement which is intended to fight against the rising pollution. There are few substances which are seriously harmful to the environment. Greenhouse gas (CO2) is one of those which have severely impacted the surrounding environment. The United States of America is one of the countries with a very high rate of CO2 emission. In fact, the global world is worried about the greenhouse gas emission. The dependency of larger industries on CO2 emitting resources has worsened the situation. The larger industries across the global world have also identified the benefits of switching over to renewable energy resources. Solar being one of the renewable energy resources is a very useful alternative to coal and other non-renewable energy resources. Solar energy is a good prospect for the United States considering a fact that it contributes to a high extent in increasing the CO2 content in the air. This is also the reason why the Federal and state government have supported the production of renewable energy resources. The move had also supported the use of solar energy as the possible replacement for coal and other non-renewable forms of energy. Solar products are beneficial also as these products emit no CO2 which is very important for reducing the air pollution. This can be used as a replacement for a power generator. Hence, customers will be freed from paying bills for electricity. These are the few prospects that give a boost to the use of solar panels in the United States of America. However, the recent announcement being made by Trump on imposing the trade tariffs on imported solar products may seriously affect the industry. It is expected to influence the price of solar products which will expectedly go up the existing price rates. Hence, customers specifically the lower and the middle class families may not be able to purchase the solar products. Despite being around a favorable external environment, the Trump decision may seriously affect the sales of solar panels in the United States.    

Legal: The Federal and the state government had supported the production of solar products which is the reason why it had the success in the last few years. However, the recent announcement being made by the president of America may certainly impact the sales of solar products in the country. The Solar Rights Act approved in the year 1978 stops restrictions by the homeowners association (HOAs) on the solar-energy systems installation. It was initially not targeted specific cities, countries, other public entities or municipalities.

Socio-demographic analysis

Global solar industry:

There are rising demands for solar industry at the global level. Companies in the industry need to have the requisite political power, so that, they are able to negotiate any legislative and political decisions for or against the solar industry. Emerging countries like China, Brazil, India, and the Middle East countries have shown incredible perspective for solar products. There is a need to invest in the research & development (R&D) process to bring a cost-effective production system for solar products. The industry is purposefully confined to the manufacturing of PV modules and managing solar projects for green field.

Five Forces:

Bargaining power of suppliers (High): A lot of investments are required on research & development (R&D) process to find out a technology which could efficiently reduce the cost of production of solar products. One of the technologies that have been found as an alternative to previously used technology is perovskite. It is cost-effective and can effectively reduce the price of solar products. Considering a scenario after the announcement of Trump, it is imperative for local manufacturers to use a technology that helps to produce solar products at much cheaper rates. The technology was being found after an extensive research work on the same. Hence, it is very difficult to find a suitable technology and the purpose also requires a huge investment. Therefore, the switching cost to other suppliers is very high. Hence, the bargaining power of suppliers is very high for solar products making companies.

Bargaining power of customers (Low): The bargaining power of buyers is quite low in the solar production industry. The switching costs for customers are very low. They can easily switch to other shops; hence, the bargaining power of such customers is high. However, customers are also encouraged to avail offers like a packaging system. In the home solar systems, customers are encouraged for contractual offers like Power Purchase Agreement, a lease option and a loan option for solar. Such contracts can be made for 20-30 years. Customers who are in contract agreements with the service providers are entitled to get the rates as designed by their chosen service providers. They can be asked for paying high rates later on. Customer in contract relationship will not be able to negotiate the demands. In such situation, they will be left with two options like accepting the rates or switching to a new system. However, switching to an entirely new system may incur a huge penalty from the existing service provider. Additionally, such customers will again need to make the significant investments on bonding with a new system. The solar products have found the favorable grounds in the United States of America in the recent past until the announcement was being made by Trump on trade tariffs. The industry had enjoyed huge growth. However, the announcement might affect the rising prospect of solar energy. It is going to be expensive in nearing future. Customers will find this challenging to purchase the solar products. On the other hand, wind and the coal energy may then be cheaper comparatively. Hence, the bargaining power of customers who are not in any contract of home solar systems will be low in the United States considering the aforesaid facts.     

Technological analysis

Industry rivalry (Medium): The competitive landscape in the solar industry differs hugely by region and country. There are good prospects in this industry. Hence, there are huge competitions between the solar products making companies across the world. In particular, the developing countries have the higher competition. The developed countries like the United States of America have had a huge growth of solar industry; however, the announcement made by Mr. Trump may certainly weaken the progress. Hence, two or more companies will compete with each other in regards to offering the cheapest prices for solar panels. This is indeed going to be a critical factor in the United States. As the prices are expected to go up, it is important that companies are able to remain cost-effective. The lower and the middle class families had remained the largest purchaser of solar panels and the other products. Hence, a reduced cost of solar products will be the key in the United States considering a fact that trade tariffs will be imposed on imported solar products.

Threat of substitutes (High): The threat of substitutes is the other forms of energy like electricity being generated from nuclear power stations or fossil-fuel. However, it is indeed very critical to say anything at this point in time. The increasing greenhouse gas emission at the global level has already created the necessity for renewable energy resources. Few of the renewable energy resources are wind, gas and solar. Renewable energy resources can help to control the rising threats of CO2. Countries in specific the emerging nations have shown a potential resilience to the production or conservation of renewable energy resources. However, circumstances might change in the United States of America. This is due to the announcement that Trump has made in regards to trade tariffs on imported solar products. If this gets implemented then the price of solar products will increase. The US government is intended to promote the local manufacturers. However, it is very difficult to say whether the local manufacturers will find the same prospects as that were in the last five years. It means the threat of substitutes may be high in the United States as the imposed tariff will favor the wind industry. The rival coal industry may also get a new prospect which was being hampered at the times when the solar industry had flourished.   

Threat of new entrants (Medium): The cost of research and development process is enormous. It means high investments will be required to allow finding the cheapest technology that can be used in the making of solar panels and the other products. The cost of solar panels is expected to rise in the United States due to the trade tariffs imposed on imported solar materials. Additionally, the economies of scale are suitable to the existing companies. There are strong barriers to the development of new companies. This is stronger because sustainability in this industry is realizable only if the company has plans to enter on a large scale. The large scale production will help in managing the excessive costs required for R&D. The existing companies those which have the diverse geographical connections and have good relations with countries providing the raw materials are in better position to grow. Such firms will be able to get the raw materials at cheaper rates. Moreover, firms will be in better positions in terms of competition. The top manufacturing companies for residential solar just own a close to 20% of market share whereas, in the wind industry, top companies have the higher market shares.

Environmental analysis

Demand and market segments:

Demand: The demands for solar products are soaring high in and across the globe. In particular, the developing and underdeveloped nations have potential prospects for solar products. Due to their incapability to reduce the greenhouse gas emission, they are seeing the prospects in renewable energy resources. Hence, solar products are of huge demands in such countries, especially in the suburbs areas. The solar products like the solar panels are also being viewed as a potential resource to avoid the high electric bills. Developing nations like China, India, Brazil and the Middle East countries, in particular, have huge demands for solar panels and the other products.  On the other hand, the demands for solar products may get hampered due to the announcement being made by Trump in regards to the trade tariffs. According to the announcement, the imported solar products will attract trade tariffs. Hence, there are possibilities for a rise in price. This might retard the progress of solar industry and favor the wind or the coal energy. This is because the announcement might influence the mindset of customers of solar products. These are the lower and the middle class families in the suburbs areas who largely purchase the solar products. They find this as a good solution to avoid the high electric bills every month. Additionally, it is also good for keeping the environment fresh and healthier. Such customers might go the other way like the other renewable energy resources.

Market segments: There are ample of market segmentation techniques; however, “Trina Solar” appears to have used the ‘Demographic Segmentation’. This is because the customers of solar products are mainly the lower or the middle class families in the suburbs areas of the United States. They are the largest customers as they desperately need an alternative to the regular electric system, so that, they could effectively avoid paying high bills every month. However, Trine needs to be careful enough as the imposed trade tariffs will impact the imported solar products. The cost will rise and hence, customers may lose their interest in buying solar panels and other relevant products. The local manufacturers will also find this challenging to produce cost effective solar modules due to the uncompetitive wages. Hence, definite ways need to be identified, so that, Trina is able to attract new customers.  

Discussion of the competitors:

The competitors of Trina are Wuxi Suntech Power Co., Ltd., Jiangxi LDK Solar Hi-tech Co., Ltd., and Baoding Tianwei Yingli New Energy Resources Co., Ltd. Suntech makes the most reliable and comparatively cheaper solar energy solutions at the global level. Their branches are in 13 countries. They use the silicon technology and are the largest producer of solar modules made of the silicon technology. Jiangxi LDK Solar Hi-Tech Co. is specialized in developing, manufacturing and designing solar wafers of multicrystalline silicon in the Asian region. They also produce solar cell and the solar modules. The company is based in China. Yingli Solar makes solar solutions to meet the needs of every community across the globe through its expertise in manufacturing and logistics operation. They are one of the largest manufacturers of solar panels at the global basis. The company has its presence in 90 countries.

Brief history (suggest including a Time Line as an exhibit): 

The company Trina was found in the year 1997 by Gao Jifan. Trina has contributed to the change in the solar industry by becoming the world’s leading solar technology and the manufacturer. It means the company has added values to the industry and took it to a different level. The company has reached its milestone in 2006 when it was listed for the first time in the New York Stock Exchange. In 2014, they attained another milestone of shipping over 1GW in just the one quarter of the fiscal year. The same year has also marked the company breaking the world record for solar cell efficiency on seven times that year. Till the time, the company has been able to break 18 world records on module power and solar cell efficiency. The company was listed in the list of “2016 Global Top 500 New Energy Enterprises” as the largest supplier of solar module. The company was able to attain the 19^th spot in the same listing. Till 2017, “Trina Solar” has supplied a quite above than 32 GW of solar modules at the global basis.

Vision/mission statements/strategic objectives:

Mission statements: Their mission statement is “let the solar benefit the entire mankind”.

Vision statements: Their vision is to make solar products which are stable, clean and affordable also for everyone.

Strategic objectives: The strategic objective of “Trina Solar” is to be the global leader in terms of providing the overall solution of Energy Internet and PV Smart Energy. 

Organization: 

Culture: 

“Trina Solar” has always relied on improving its organizational culture. It has always considered a few changes to it to ensure that employees are well trained and are most importantly focused on fulfilling the mission and the vision statement. They put emphasis on making employees realize the organizational values, so that, they deliver their potential commitment. They believe in making a quick response to customer’s queries. It is being done in Trina to establish an excellent customer service. Teamwork is given high values and the successes are shared among different teams. It means teams compete against each other, but, at the same time, all teams give respect to each other. The culture is to identify the challenges and respond to it with utmost potential. Employees are encouraged for being proactive in taking the suitable actions. Learning is essential to this organization which they do it through effective rotation of knowledge. Knowledge management within the organization is managed effectively through both implicit and explicit form of knowledge management. Employees are motivated to think of innovative strategies. To uplift the standard of organizational culture, Trina Solar Culture Construction Team was formed. A mailbox is being created to encourage employees for giving their valuable feedback or suggestions. A 360-degree evaluation is also in place to monitor the progress and help employees to understand the organizational culture. Employees are being encouraged to know the advantages and the opportunities for them in the company. In 2014, Employee Engagement Survey was conducted to know the factors affecting the employee engagement. The results were significantly improved in 2016 when the survey was done again. Based on the findings, the management has realized few essential elements for establishing a continuous learning environment. Those essential elements are cooperation among the different departments, implementation of remedial measures and effective follow-up process.

Leadership including analysis of the board:

Leadership in Trina is led by Jifan Gao who is the CEO and chairman of this company. Mr. Gao is also the president of China Photovoltaic Industry Association (“CPIA”). He holds the Co-Chairman position in the Global Solar Council. Mr. Gao is also the vice president of CCCME. Ms. Stephanie Yang Shao is the Chief Human Resources Officer. Ms. Shao has previously worked for many multinational companies like Colgate, Palmolive, Dun Bradstreet, and Bristol-Myers Squibb. She is experienced in HR, business development and marketing. Mr. Jiqing Gao is the vice president of this company. Mr. Gao has extensive experience in a range of skills and takes care of multitasks such as quality management, production, operations and research & development (R&D). Mr. Colin Yang works as the chief branding officer in Trina Solar. He takes care of branding and public affairs team in Trina. He is vastly experienced and has worked with varieties of employers like Cisco Systems and Siemens in China. Mr. You works as the president of the International System Business Unit in Trina. Ms. Tian is the president of Trina for the North America Region. She adds up values to the extensive leadership team at Trina Solar. Previously, she worked as global marketing director in Trina. She also holds the credit for pioneering the CPV module and tracker development.

Value Chain Analysis: 

Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, Distribution:

Operations: Trina Solar is involved in segment designing, operating, constructing and selling projects of solar power to countries like the UK, the US, China, Asian and the European countries. They take care of the entire life cycle of the solar project’s development that includes design, project selection, permitting, financing, procurement, construction, engineering, monitoring, installation, financing, and maintenance. They also sell solar projects to third-party buyers. Such operations are taken care with a robust business model which provides flexibility to the company. They also manage their financing needs with the help of its relationship with the global banks. They also receive strong financial support from the Chinese state-owned banks. The development process is facilitated at the global level under extensive cares of the skilled and experienced management team. Their offices exist in the various parts of the world like Japan, the Middle East, Africa, South & North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and other regions.  

Marketing: Marketing activities are taken care strategically at Trina Solar. Jing Tian is taking care of the marketing activities at the global level. The leadership at Trina believes in strategic collaboration to strengthen its marketing capabilities. This is the reason why the company had collaborated with “Cirque du Soleil”. The partnership focuses on co-promotional campaigns.

Supply chain distribution: Trina believes in managing a sustainable supply chain. They do it in ample ways which also include the supplier development. Suppliers are categorized in ways such as potential supplier, potentially qualified supplier and qualified supplier. Potential suppliers are those that have the expertise but, have not so far received any certificate of recognition from Trina. Potentially qualified are those that have received the certification but, have not so far been assessed. Qualified suppliers are those who have been assessed and approved as quality suppliers. Suppliers are encouraged to follow the CSR policy of the company and this way, Trina is actually able to establish a meaningful relationship with its suppliers. Trina does a regular auditing of suppliers in context to the corporate social responsibility (CSR). Suppliers are also required to sign an agreement of integrity, so that, their action is guided under a strict supervision of company’s ethical policies. Nevertheless, performance evaluation is also done to monitor the performance of suppliers.

Core competencies and Comparison:

Core competencies: The core competencies of Trina Solar are the pioneering development of Energy Internet Solutions and Smart PV Energy.

Comparison: Trina has a cost advantage over its competitors due to its strategy to consider the integrated operations. The integrated structure helps the company in defending its intellectual property and manages the operations. The entrance of its products in the rural market has helped the company in expanding its market reach and also popularizing the solar energy as the most preferred form of energy.

VRIN:

	Valuable	Rare	Costly to imitate	Exploited by organization
Brand Recognition	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Differentiation	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Distribution Channel	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Resources	Yes	No	No	Yes

Table 1: VRIN analysis of Trina

(Source: created by author)

Trina Solar is a globally recognized name in the solar products making business. The company is the largest supplier of solar module in the world. However, the feat is not rare and can be imitated by its competitors especially Yingli and Suntech. The differentiation strategy is valuable because of the range of products that includes wafers, ingots, solar cells, and solar modules. However, the differentiation is not rare despite being costly to imitate. The competitor companies are also expertise with more or less the similar range of products. The distribution channel is valuable and very rare in existence too. The cost to imitate is not that challenging but, a strategic approach is the main concern for the competitor companies. Trina Solar has effectively managed its distribution channel by establishing a meaningful relationship with its suppliers. Trina manages the needs for a physical resource with its strategic human resource approach led by Ms. Stephanie Yang Shao. They also strategically manage the financing needs with the help of global banks and the state banks in China. However, the strategy is not rare and is not hard to imitate as other competitors like Suntech and Yingli can also follow the same strategy. However, Trina Solar has effectively organized the resources to fulfill its diverse needs.

Generic or Business level strategy:

Trina follows the “low cost with differentiation” model as its business level strategy. Through this strategy, Trina is able to create an impact on its target market. The target market of Trina is the lower and middle class families living especially in the suburbs areas in countries across the globe. The chosen business level strategy is actually a feasible choice considering the type of customer who mostly purchases the solar products. People, especially in the developing and underdeveloped nations, are the potential buyers of solar panels and the other products. 

Corporate Level Strategy:

Trina Solar follows the “growth strategy” as its corporate level strategy. The growth strategy of Trina is divided into two segments like vertical and horizontal growth strategy. Through the vertical growth strategy, the company is able to intervene in few of its operations to enhance its control on that specific segment such as it did with the supply chain operation. Trina effectively manages the supply chain operations by managing the suppliers and their performance. Suppliers in Trina are classified into three categories such as potential suppliers, potentially qualified suppliers and the qualified suppliers. In this way, the company is able to identify the best suppliers for their needs. Additionally, suppliers are also judged for their capability to promote CSR values. Trina uses the horizontal growth strategy to reach to more new regions. The Chinese based company has now its existence in the Middle East, the United States, Asia and the European nations.

Use of BCG matrix if appropriate for the firm: 

	High Market Share	Low Market Share
High Growth Rate	Solar Cell and Solar Panel	Wafer
Low Growth Rate	?	Ingot

Table 2: BCG Matrix for Trina Solar

(Source:)

SWOT table:

Strengths · Effective business and corporate level strategies · Pioneering the production of Smart PV Energy and Energy Internet Solutions · Leadership style · Effective supply chain operation	Weaknesses · Some of the chosen locations are not the ideals for a solar system such as Switzerland where temperatures are mostly cloudy · Number of customers are very low
Opportunities  · Potential opportunities in developing and underdeveloped nations · Rising awareness in customers for solar energy · Government supports for solar product making in most countries across the globe	Threats  · Another form of renewable energy resources like gas and wind · Trump announcement for trade tariffs on imported solar products · Limited mostly to lower and middle class families

Table 3: SWOT of Trina Solar

(Source: created by author)

Strengths: The business and corporate level strategies are very effective. Low cost of differentiation is the business strategy which helps Trina to offer valuable products at low cost. This is indeed feasible also for the target audience as they are mostly the lower & middle classes belonging to the suburbs areas of countries across the globe. The corporate level strategy is the ‘growth strategy’ which the company follows very intelligently. They consider a vertical growth for acquiring a good control on few of the selected operations. On the other hand, a horizontal growth is chosen to enter new markets. They are being recognized as the pioneering developer of Energy Internet Solutions and Smart PV Energy. Leadership style encourages the innovative moves. It believes in delivering the best by applying strategic thoughts into every single operation. Effective supply chain operation is another asset that the company has. They strategically manage the performance of suppliers by classifying them into the range of categories, evaluating their CSR performance and others.

Weaknesses: One of the biggest weaknesses of Trina is its customer base which is not very high. This may become a worrying factor considering that the imposed trade tariffs in the United States may experience soaring prices of the solar products. Hence, the lower and the middle class families may find this challenging to purchase the solar systems. They need to be really careful while selecting the location to enter. Switzerland was one of the selections which mostly remain cloudy throughout the year. Such climate is not a good prospect for solar products.

Opportunities: The developing and the underdeveloped countries are growing in their demands for solar products. Countries as such China, India, Brazil and the Middle East are a very good prospect for this industry. Customers have the adequate knowledge of air pollution which is good for the industry as customers will search for an energy resource that emits less or probably no carbon. The government supports are also encouraging; however, the Trump move may harm the industry in the United States. Products are expected to be costlier and hence, its affordability to middle & low class families will also decrease. 

Threats: The biggest threats to solar products are its alternative which is available in the form of gas and wind energy. Trump’s announcement of trade tariffs may affect the progress of solar products in the United States because expected affordability for customers will decrease. Such products are largely limited to the lower and middle class families. Such customers have the tendency for not buying the expensive products. Hence, if the price goes higher the company will start losing its customers.  

Recommendation based on your analysis:

Manufacture from locally sourced materials: As the announcement of Trump is expected to hamper the sales of solar products, it is advisable to use the locally sourced materials in the United States. The government has decided to flourish the local manufacturers. Hence, this may be a good move considering the stated fact. There is a need for a bulk production of solar panels and related products, so that, more customers can find the cheaper products. If this happens then the number of customers may also increase.

Widen the market reach: Trina should also focus on entering the various new and potential markets. This will boost the business and add values to it.

Encourage the higher income groups: The higher income groups are not the potential purchaser of solar panels probably because they do not have concerns about electric bills. However, solar energy is indeed important for giving an effort to reduce the CO2 content from the air. Although, many people are now aware of the greenhouse gas emission; however, they must realize this also that their smallest of contribution can bring the difference. Considering the identified importance, this may be a good move for Trina to improve its marketing activities particularly targeting the higher income groups. It is very difficult to make everybody realize the situation; however, attempts can be given expecting a few positive results. 

Akerlof, George A., Andrew K. Rose, Janet L. Yellen, Laurence Ball, and Robert E. Hall. “Job switching and job satisfaction in the US labor market.” Brookings papers on economic activity 1988, no. 2 (1988): 495-594.

Aman, M. M., K. H. Solangi, M. S. Hossain, A. Badarudin, G. B. Jasmon, H. Mokhlis, A. H. A. Bakar, and S. N. Kazi. “A review of Safety, Health and Environmental (SHE) issues of solar energy system.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 41 (2015): 1190-1204.

Archive.fortune.com. 2018. “100 Fastest-Growing Companies 2010 – From FORTUNE”. Archive.Fortune.Com. https://archive.fortune.com/magazines/fortune/fortunefastestgrowing/2010/full_list/.

Bak, T., J. Nowotny, M. Rekas, and C. C. Sorrell. “Photo-electrochemical hydrogen generation from water using solar energy. Materials-related aspects.” International journal of hydrogen energy 27, no. 10 (2002): 991-1022.

Bilgen, Selçuk, Sedat Kele?, Abdullah Kaygusuz, Ahmet Sar?, and Kamil Kaygusuz. “Global warming and renewable energy sources for sustainable development: a case study in Turkey.” Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 12, no. 2 (2008): 372-396.

Bogner, Jean, Riitta Pipatti, Seiji Hashimoto, Cristobal Diaz, Katarina Mareckova, Luis Diaz, Peter Kjeldsen et al. “Mitigation of global greenhouse gas emissions from waste: conclusions and strategies from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report. Working Group III (Mitigation).” Waste Management & Research 26, no. 1 (2008): 11-32.

Borenstein, Severin, and James Bushnell. “The US electricity industry after 20 years of restructuring.” Annu. Rev. Econ. 7, no. 1 (2015): 437-463.

Burnham, Andrew, Jeongwoo Han, Corrie E. Clark, Michael Wang, Jennifer B. Dunn, and Ignasi Palou-Rivera. “Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of shale gas, natural gas, coal, and petroleum.” Environmental science & technology 46, no. 2 (2011): 619-627.

Cai, Molang, Yongzhen Wu, Han Chen, Xudong Yang, Yinghuai Qiang, and Liyuan Han. “Cost?Performance Analysis of Perovskite Solar Modules.” Advanced Science4, no. 1 (2017).

Chen, Daming, Weiwei Deng, Jianwen Dong, Feng Ye, Huijun Zhu, Hui Li, Yuling Jiang et al. “21.40% efficient large area screen printed industrial PERC solar cell.” CELL37 (2015): 80-34.

Dincer, Ibrahim. “Environmental impacts of energy.” Energy policy 27, no. 14 (1999): 845-854.

Dodman, David. “Blaming cities for climate change? An analysis of urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories.” Environment and Urbanization 21, no. 1 (2009): 185-201.

Dodman, David. “Blaming cities for climate change? An analysis of urban greenhouse gas emissions inventories.” Environment and Urbanization 21, no. 1 (2009): 185-201.

Dunlop, Ewan D., Lucien Wald, and Marcel Suri. Solar Energy Resource Management for Electricity Generation from Local Level to Global Scale. Nova Science Publishers Inc., 2006.

Eggers-Lura, Aldo. Solar Energy in Developing Countries: An Overview and Buyers’ Guide for Solar Scientists and Engineers. Vol. 1. Elsevier, 2013.

Ellabban, Omar, Haitham Abu-Rub, and Frede Blaabjerg. “Renewable energy resources: Current status, future prospects and their enabling technology.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 39 (2014): 748-764.

Eltawil, Mohamed A., Zhao Zhengming, and Liqiang Yuan. “A review of renewable energy technologies integrated with desalination systems.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 13, no. 9 (2009): 2245-2262.

Espinosa, Nieves, Markus Hösel, Dechan Angmo, and Frederik C. Krebs. “Solar cells with one-day energy payback for the factories of the future.” Energy & Environmental Science 5, no. 1 (2012): 5117-5132.

Evans, Annette, Vladimir Strezov, and Tim J. Evans. “Assessment of sustainability indicators for renewable energy technologies.” Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 13, no. 5 (2009): 1082-1088.

Fu, Ran, Ted L. James, and Michael Woodhouse. “Economic measurements of polysilicon for the photovoltaic industry: market competition and manufacturing competitiveness.” IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 5, no. 2 (2015): 515-524.

Fu, Ran, Ted L. James, and Michael Woodhouse. “Economic measurements of polysilicon for the photovoltaic industry: market competition and manufacturing competitiveness.” IEEE Journal of Photovoltaics 5, no. 2 (2015): 515-524.

Haley, Usha CV, and Douglas A. Schuler. “Government policy and firm strategy in the solar photovoltaic industry.” California Management Review 54, no. 1 (2011): 17-38.

Hao, Xiying, Chi Chang, and Francis J. Larney. “Carbon, nitrogen balances and greenhouse gas emission during cattle feedlot manure composting.” Journal of Environmental Quality33, no. 1 (2004): 37-44.

Heidari, Negin, and Joshua M. Pearce. “A review of greenhouse gas emission liabilities as the value of renewable energy for mitigating lawsuits for climate change related damages.” Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 55 (2016): 899-908.

hoovers. 2018. Hoovers.Com. https://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.changzhou_trina_solar_energy_co_ltd.10c452f0f0cca76d.html.

Howarth, Robert W., Renee Santoro, and Anthony Ingraffea. “Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations.” Climatic Change 106, no. 4 (2011): 679.

Iizuka, Michiko. “Diverse and uneven pathways towards transition to low carbon development: the case of solar PV technology in China.” Innovation and Development 5, no. 2 (2015): 241-261.

Jean, Joel, Patrick R. Brown, Robert L. Jaffe, Tonio Buonassisi, and Vladimir Bulovi?. “Pathways for solar photovoltaics.” Energy & Environmental Science 8, no. 4 (2015): 1200-1219.

“JIANGXI LDK SOLAR HI-TECH CO., LTD.”. 2018. Cccme.Org.Cn. https://www.cccme.org.cn/shop/cccme12627/index.aspx.

Krasner, Stephen D. “State power and the structure of international trade.” World Politics 28, no. 3 (1976): 317-347.

Linquist, Bruce A., Merle M. Anders, Maria Arlene A. Adviento?Borbe, Rufus L. Chaney, L. Lanier Nalley, Eliete FF Da Rosa, and Chris Kessel. “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and grain arsenic levels in rice systems.” Global change biology 21, no. 1 (2015): 407-417.

Martinez-Anido, Carlo Brancucci, Benjamin Botor, Anthony R. Florita, Caroline Draxl, Siyuan Lu, Hendrik F. Hamann, and Bri-Mathias Hodge. “The value of day-ahead solar power forecasting improvement.” Solar Energy 129 (2016): 192-203.

Martinot, Eric, Akanksha Chaurey, Debra Lew, José Roberto Moreira, and Njeri Wamukonya. “Renewable energy markets in developing countries.” Annual review of energy and the environment 27, no. 1 (2002): 309-348.

Marx, Ive. “Job Subsidies and Cuts in Employers’ Social Security Contributions: The Verdict of Empirical Evalution Studies.” Int’l Lab. Rev. 140 (2001): 69.

Mekhilef, Saidur, Rahman Saidur, and Azadeh Safari. “A review on solar energy use in industries.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15, no. 4 (2011): 1777-1790.

Najafi, Gholamhasan, Barat Ghobadian, Rizalman Mamat, Talal Yusaf, and W. H. Azmi. “Solar energy in Iran: Current state and outlook.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 49 (2015): 931-942.

Park, Nam-Gyu. “Perovskite solar cells: an emerging photovoltaic technology.” Materials Today 18, no. 2 (2015): 65-72.

Perry, Simon, Ji?í Klemeš, and Igor Bulatov. “Integrating waste and renewable energy to reduce the carbon footprint of locally integrated energy sectors.” Energy 33, no. 10 (2008): 1489-1497.

Plumer, Ana. 2018. “Trump’S Solar Tariffs Are Clouding The Industry’S Future”. Nytimes.Com. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/us/politics/trump-solar-tariffs.html.

Polzin, Friedemann, Michael Migendt, Florian A. Täube, and Paschen von Flotow. “Public policy influence on renewable energy investments—A panel data study across OECD countries.” Energy Policy 80 (2015): 98-111.

Riahi, Keywan, Detlef P. Van Vuuren, Elmar Kriegler, Jae Edmonds, Brian C. O’neill, Shinichiro Fujimori, Nico Bauer et al. “The shared socioeconomic pathways and their energy, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions implications: an overview.” Global Environmental Change42 (2017): 153-168.

Samad, Hussain A., Shahidur Khandker, M. Asaduzzaman, and Mohammad Yunusd. “The benefits of solar home systems: an analysis from Bangladesh.” (2013).

Sambo, Abubakar S. “Strategic developments in renewable energy in Nigeria.” International Association for Energy Economics 16, no. 3 (2009): 15-19.

Schaeffer, Roberto, Alexandre Salem Szklo, André Frossard Pereira de Lucena, Bruno Soares Moreira Cesar Borba, Larissa Pinheiro Pupo Nogueira, Fernanda Pereira Fleming, Alberto Troccoli, Mike Harrison, and Mohammed Sadeck Boulahya. “Energy sector vulnerability to climate change: a review.” Energy 38, no. 1 (2012): 1-12.

Shuai, Jing, Chuanmin Shuai, Xin Cheng, and Weipei Yao. “How Chinese residents are aware of solar photovoltaic power generation?.” Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 7, no. 2 (2015): 023109.

“Solar Power (US) – Industry Research Reports | Ibisworld”. 2018. Ibisworld.Com. https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-trends/market-research-reports/utilities/solar-power.html.

Static.trinasolar.2018. Static.Trinasolar.Com. https://static.trinasolar.com/sites/default/files/2016%20Corporate%20Social%20Responsibility%20Report%20Final%20version.pdf.

Sun, Honghang, Qiang Zhi, Yibo Wang, Qiang Yao, and Jun Su. “China’s solar photovoltaic industry development: The status quo, problems and approaches.” Applied Energy 118 (2014): 221-230.

Sun, Yaqin. “Exploring Residents’ Attitudes toward Solar Photovoltaic System Adoption in China.” (2015).

Tilman, David, Robert Socolow, Jonathan A. Foley, Jason Hill, Eric Larson, Lee Lynd, Stephen Pacala et al. “Beneficial biofuels—the food, energy, and environment trilemma.” Science 325, no. 5938 (2009): 270-271.

Trina Solar. 2018. “Trina Solar Announces A Marketing And Brand Partnership With Cirque Du Soleil”. Trina Solar. https://www.trinasolar.com/us/news/trina-solar-announces-marketing-and-brand-partnership-cirque-du-soleil.

Trinasolar. 2018. Trinasolar.Com. https://trinasolar.com/.

“|Trina Solar”. 2018. Trina Solar. https://www.trinasolar.com/us/project-development/xsbn-tea-garden.

Van Eynde, Sarah, and Pei-fei Chang. “Explaining the development of China’s renewable energy policies: Comparing wind and solar power.” The governance of climate relations between Europe and Asia: Evidence from China and Vietnam as key emerging economies (2013): 76-106.

Wang, Feng, Haitao Yin, and Shoude Li. “China’s renewable energy policy: commitments and challenges.” Energy Policy 38, no. 4 (2010): 1872-1878.

Wang, Jinyang, Xiaojian Pan, Yinglie Liu, Xiaolin Zhang, and Zhengqin Xiong. “Effects of biochar amendment in two soils on greenhouse gas emissions and crop production.” Plant and soil 360, no. 1-2 (2012): 287-298.

Wei, Max, Shana Patadia, and Daniel M. Kammen. “Putting renewables and energy efficiency to work: How many jobs can the clean energy industry generate in the US?.” Energy policy38, no. 2 (2010): 919-931.

Wu, M., Wang, M., Liu, J., & Huo, H. (2008). Assessment of potential life?cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission effects from using corn?based butanol as a transportation fuel. Biotechnology progress, 24(6), 1204-1214.

“WUXI SUNTECH POWER CO.,LTD.”. 2018. Cccme.Org.Cn. https://www.cccme.org.cn/shop/cccme10707/index.aspx.

yinglisolar.com. 2018. “About Yingli Solar | Yingli Solar”. Yinglisolar.Com. https://www.yinglisolar.com/en/about/.

Zheng, Cheng, and Daniel M. Kammen. “An innovation-focused roadmap for a sustainable global photovoltaic industry.” Energy Policy 67 (2014): 159-169.

Zou, Hongyang, Huibin Du, Jingzheng Ren, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Yongjie Zhang, and Guozhu Mao. “Market dynamics, innovation, and transition in China’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry: A critical review.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 69 (2017): 197-206.

Zou, Hongyang, Huibin Du, Jingzheng Ren, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Yongjie Zhang, and Guozhu Mao. “Market dynamics, innovation, and transition in China’s solar photovoltaic (PV) industry: A critical review.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 69 (2017): 197-206.