Canadian Solar Marketing Plan

RUNNING head:TEAM 2 MARKETING PLAN SHELL 2
Team 2 Marketing Plan SHELL
10
TEAM 2 MARKETING PLAN SHELL
CANADIAN SOLAR INC.
MBA640 – Innovation Through Marketing and Technology
Executive Summary
Situation Analysis
Company Overview
Canadian Solar Inc. (Canadian Solar) is one of the largest
manufacturers of solar panels. It is a Chinese Company based in
Guelph, Ontario, Canada. According to Bloomberg, the
Company is a provider of solar power products, services, and
system solutions with operations in North America, South
America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia
(Canadian Power). The Company was founded in 2001 in
Ontario, Canada. Today the Company has successive
subsidiaries in 19 countries around the world. China and
Canada is where the Company’s manufacturing facilities are

located. The Company markets their products to diverse
customers in various markets, including Germany, Italy, France,
Spain, Czech Republic, China, the US, Canada, Japan, and
India. Canadian Solar is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario,
Canada.
The Company is listed as CSIQ on the NASDAQ market with
reported revenues of (US Dollars) US$3,744.5 million for the
fiscal year ended December 2018 (FY2018), an increase of
10.4% over FY2017. In FY2018, the Company’s operating
margin was 9.7%, compared to an operating margin of 7.9% in
FY2017. In FY2018, the Company recorded a net margin of
6.3%, compared to a net margin of 2.9% in FY2017 (E Trade,
2019).
Canadian Solar employees 12,000 people in 12 different
countries, 70% work in China, and of those 30% are female.
Canadian Solar has strong employee labor rights in all of their
facilities.
Mission
The Company’s vision, as described by Dr. Qu is to foster
sustainable development and to make lives better by bringing
electricity powered by the sun to millions of people worldwide
(Canadian Solar Inc., 2018). Canadian Solar Inc.’s mission is
the delivery of clean, safe and affordable solar energy
(Canadian Solar Inc., n.d.).
Customers have a choice to invest in a single module or a tailor-
made energy solution. In an effort to help those customers
make difficult choices, Canadian Solar is dedicated and has
made it a mission since their inception, to help customers make
changes for the betterment of their lives. Their PV panels are
thoroughly tested and proven to work effectively even under
harsh conditions. Their dedication to their products and to
supporting their customers in over 20 countries also
demonstrates attractive bankability for the Company. Their
customers can always depend on Canadian Solar Inc. to deliver
quality products and are content with showing their buying
commitments and devotion to support an exceedingly credible

solar energy business.
Product or service description
Canadian Solar Inc. is a leading global provider of solar energy
and the manufacture of solar PV modules. With successive
subsidiaries in counties like the USA, Brazil, Canada, south-
east Asian counties, and China, the Company provides service
and produce over 36 GW of quality solar modules.
Additionally, the Company’s energy segments are primarily
developed, operated, maintained and sold in the aforementioned
successive subsidiaries. The Company has 4.7 GW solar power
plants built globally. These plants maintain a power source
operating at 795.8 MWp with an estimated resale value of one
billion US dollars (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Products include module segment, energy development segment,
and electricity generation as well as the design, development,
manufacture, and sale of solar power products for use in a range
of residential, commercial and industrial solar power generation
systems. The Company offers various products, including
ingots, wafers, solar cells, solar power systems, and solar
products.
Value Proposition
Canadian Solar is dedicated to making a difference and
changing the lives of all their customers with the intention to
retain and attract new ones. Regardless of the customers
investment decision in a stand-alone module or an alternate
energy solution, the Company guarantees their products and
services. Further, these panels provide a steadfast energy
resource even when challenged with severe climate changes. To
assure the effectiveness of their products, Canadian Solar Inc.
closely assess their PV panels before final distribution. As a
precautionary measure, the Company offer their customers a 25-
year warranty to use towards any unexpected malfunctions.
Based on this declaration and the excellent customer support in
over 20 countries, Canadian Solar is an attractive Company for
investing and purchasing products. Canadian Solar Inc. made a
promise to their customers. Additionally, this promise was to

always make their customers feel comfortable with their
decisions to conduct business with the Company because of
their status as a highly ranked, reliable service provider and
manufacturer of solar energy products (One Stop Report, 2019).
Canadian Solar’s value proposition is to make a difference, a
positive contribution to society and the environment by
providing exceptional, sustainable products and services for all
its stakeholders (Canadian Solar Inc., 2019). In their 2018
Sustainability Report (2019), the Company states we are here to
do good while doing good business. To that end, Canadian
Solar not only believes in providing superior quality products
but being socially responsible, by promoting awareness,
supporting local communities, preserving fairness in trade and
ensuring diversity and inclusion in its workforce.
Figure 1 Example of Canadian Solar Product
SWOT Analysis
Canadian Solar Inc. can use a SWOT analysis as a tool to plan
and assess market activity related to growth and the expansion
of sales. A SWOT analysis is also beneficial in helping the
Company measure competition. Additionally, this SWOT
analysis will determine the internal and external strategic
factors related to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and
threats of the business.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
· Canadian Solar Inc. has significant strength and is dominant in
the marketplace
· A leading producer of solar energy and the manufacture of
solar PV modules

· Superb performance in marketing new products
· The company has earned trust and loyalty amongst their
customers
· Conducts market segmenting surveys to become informative of
consumers needs
· The company’s supply chain is efficient through block chain
technologies
· Manages multiple pipeline projects including acquisitions and
strategic planning
· Company’s brand is not fully advertised
· The company is not meeting some of the expected
advancements for power operating sources
· Canadian Solar is not invested in Research and Development
(R&D) in over two years.
· A bad reputation associated with environmental conservation
· High attrition among workers in some parts of the
organization
· The company has rented property instead of purchased
resulting in unnecessary borrowing due to lack of cash flow
· The company has a chance to explore renewable source of
energy and product market of other countries
· Plans to increase their marketplace activity at fifty percent or
higher

· Shipping costs have decreased significantly and allows
Canadian Solar to increase their profit margin
· Development in current technology advancements will help the
company create new strategies and ideas for new products
· The lack of an experienced and skilled workforce
· Slow growth rate in parts of the world it operates
· The rise of raw materials can be a significant threat that
affects the whole organization, which will increase the cost of
products
· A change in how customers purchase goods physically as
oppose to buying online
· The business outlook is primarily based on management's
current views and estimates about market conditions
(potentially subject to change).
Strengths
· As a leading producer of solar energy and the manufacture of
solar PV modules, Canadian Solar Inc. has significant strength
and is dominant in the marketplace. As a result of its current
leading position in the market, the Company can introduce new
items. The organizational history of a reliable distribution
network has allowed products to be distributed to other
suppliers and companies. The Company also has an excellent
track record of providing quality products to many technology
companies, which has widened its position in the retail market.
· Canadian Solar Inc. was built on a very solid brand portfolio.
This brand portfolio has given the Company a solid reputation
in the marketplace to introduce and generate new solar

products. (Shah, 2017). Consequently, a superb performance
from marketing new products has gained the Company’s trust
and loyalty among the customers. As a result, trust and loyalty
are two of the Company’s most vital strengths.
· Canadian Solar Inc. does not experience blockchain supply
challenges. The value of adopting blockchain technology for the
Company has the potential to connect different ledgers and data
points while maintaining data integrity among multiple
participants. (Marr, 2018). Accordingly, the properties of
transparency and immutability of blockchain technology is
useful for eliminating fraud in the supply chain and maintaining
the integrity of the system. The Company’s supply chain is
efficient, which reduces extra costs and dramatically increases
revenue. Moreover, the Company’s blockchain process
strengthens and guarantees secure transactions, relationships
with other suppliers and other supply chain, partners. Great
website access for customers purchasing is also beneficial for
the Company in multiple global locations. (Beamish & Jordan,
2018).
Overall, Canadian Solar Inc.’s most notable strength is the
ability to manage multiple pipeline projects including
acquisitions and strategic planning operations that confirms
their competitiveness in the industry.
Weaknesses
· Although Canadian Solar Inc. has a strong brand portfolio, the
Company’s brand is not fully advertised. Despite having a large
market, the Company needs to develop a more prominent
strategy to promote more products.
· Currently, the Company is not meeting some of the expected
advancements for power operating sources in their new
locations.
· The Company has a bad reputation associated with
environmental conservation.
· Canadian Solar Inc. also faces high attrition among workers in
some parts of the organization. Additionally, this high attrition
rate has enhanced spending compared to the Company’s

competitors. (Nappinnai, 2013). As an effort to sustain their
position in society and the market, the Company should hire and
retain qualified employees.
· The Company has rented property instead of purchased, which
is an unnecessary cost.
· The Company assets are low compared to current liability,
which can lead to liquidity problems.
· Canadian Solar Inc. is experiencing a lack of cash flow, which
has led to unnecessary borrowing. Purchasing property as
oppose to renting, will help the Company with the cash flow
issues and allow them additional funds to allocate towards the
introduction of new products, technology and improved
operations.
· Compared to First Solar, JinkoSolar, SunPower, Canadian
Solar Inc. has not invested in Research and Development (R&D)
in over two years. Moreover, the organization still relies
heavily on past research. Further, the Company is not growing
at a steady pace in R&D compared to their competitors.
(Canadian Solar, 2018).
To overcome some of these business obstacles, the Company
should focus on the modifying some of these weaknesses by
developing flexible alternatives to their product lines,
upgrading their technology to support their R&D department,
and building and rewardarding customer loyalty programs to
help keep and attract customers. Further, the most cost-
effective solution with regards to business properties, would be
for the Company to consider purchasing property out-right as
oppose to renting.
Opportunities
· As a result of the new environmental policies to eliminate air,
water, and greenhouse gas emissions, more countries such as
Germany and China are shifting to a renewable source of energy
and product. (Bordon et.al, 2017). Accordingly, fossil fuels
will become obsolete in the near future. Therefore, an
investment in these new renewable energy sources and products
will create an opportunity for Canadian Solar Inc. to increase

their marketplace activity at fifty percent or higher.
· Canadian Solar Inc.’s shipping costs have decreased
significantly and contributed to a lower cost in transportation.
These costs decreases have allowed the Company to increase
their profit margin, therefore allowing customers product
purchasing options at a lower rate.
· A major development in current technology advancements will
help the Company create new strategies and ideas for new
products. Thus, this is also an opportunity to retain a loyal
customer base and the potential to solicit new customers.
· The increasing rate in e-commerce has shown that people are
shopping more online New online markets will provide
Canadian Solar Inc. an opportunity to increase profits. (Hajli,
2013).
Threats
· The lack of an experienced and skilled workforce in some
parts of the world has resulted in a slow growth rate and low
profits for Canadian Solar Inc. There has also been a small
supply of new raw material products in the market, which has
interrupted the supply chain. Thus, this depletion in product
inventory has shifted customers and other organizations that
depend on the Company’s products to conduct business
operations with providers that have a more consistence and
robust supply chain.
· The rise of raw materials can be a significant threat that
affects the whole organization, which will increase the cost of
products. A change in how customers purchase goods
physically as oppose to buying online could also be a threat.
The Company is also challenged with the ability to manage cash
flow.
· The Company's business outlook is primarily based on
management's current views and estimates about market
conditions, production capacity, order book, and global
economic environment. However, management’s views and
estimates are subject to change without notice and could be a
threat to the uncertainty on final customer demand, solar project

construction, and sale schedules. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
PESTEL Analysis
The PESTEL analysis is beneficial in measuring aspects of the
Company which can routinely impact business activities. Thus,
we use the Political, Economic, Social, Technological,
Environmental, and Legal factors described below to show how
Canadian Solar Inc. is impacted by the macro-environment of
the Company operations.
Economic
Political
Social
PESTEL
Legal
Technological
Environmental

Political
The political factors determine how the Company can grow and
profit. Political stability exists in all countries where Canadian
Solar Inc. operates and is conducive to the environment.
Canadian Solar Inc.,’s future profitability is contingent upon
their market activities in specific countries. The Company is
currently operating in a semiconductor-specialized industry in
certain countries which has created exposure to political risks.
These semiconductor operations include silicon based products
with impurities that are less than conductors that contain
aluminum or copper. Therefore, the Company should closely
examine the risks associated with semiconductors acitivties in
order to minimize conflicts with government officials and
competitors.
Canadian Solar Inc. should also examine the political factors
associated with anti-trust laws, level of corruption, taxation,
and pricing regulation. These factors can politically impact
their productivity such as manufacturing, availability,
distribution, sales, and specifically market investments.
(Canadian Solar Inc. Form 20-F, 2018).
Economic
Canadian Solar Inc.’s growth can be measured via growth
domestic product (GDP). The lower the rate of growth of a
country, the lower the rate of growth of the Company. As the
industry market activities fluctuate, the viability of
conventional and other renewable energy sources such as
decreases or increases in the prices of oil, gas and other fuels,
ultimately impacts the economic behavior of the Company.
(Canadian Solar Inc. Form 20-F, 2018).
The exchange rate of currency may largely affect the
profitability of the Company. For example, some countries with
lower exchange rates may decline to buy the companies
products mainly if the power plant source is located in the US
or in European countries where the currency rate is high. Also
impacted economically are places with a high level of
unemployment where more people will be willing to work for

the Company for a lower wage. (Canadian Solar Inc. Form 20-F,
2018)
Social
Social factors such as culture, beliefs, attitudes, and values
contribute to the social behavior of Canadian Solar Inc. These
factors are relative to the vast population of the Company’s
surroundings within the community. The social behaviors are
vital to the operations and marketing aspect of Canadian Solar
Inc. The ability to understand the lifestyles, beliefs, education
levels would help the Company develop more innovative
product and marketing ideas that would lead to new successful
business ventures.
The demographics of the population, such as age and gender,
impact social behavior. These social behaviors determine
whether certain products should be marketed in these areas. The
class distribution, such as high, middle, and lower-class
populations, are also social considerations. For instance,
Canadian Solar Inc. would be unable to promote premium
products to a class of citizens where the majority are lower-
class and living within a certain poverty level.
The difference in education levels is also social determinants.
Canadian Solar Inc. can influence the kind of messages that are
generated when marketing their products. Messages should be
designed to capture the attention of existing and potential
consumers and business interests. Clear and concise messages
sent should be well received and influential across the various
educational sectors within the population, including the
marketplace. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Technological
At the rate in which technology innovation is growing,
Canadian Solar Inc. has to stay ahead or at least equal to the
competition. As technology continues to advance, many
competitors are willing to invest in innovation as a process to
strategize and participate with other growing companies.
Although the Company has state-of-the-art research centers,
they can continue to make a difference with future R&D

investments that contribute to the solar industry.
Environmental
Canadian Solar Inc.’s operations involve using, handling,
generating, storing, processing, transporting, and disposing of
hazardous materials. If the operations involvement in the
treatment of these materials are not carefully managed, there is
the potential for explosions, fires, and spills that will cause
substantial harm to a community, the environment and business.
(Canadian Solar, Inc. Form 20-F, 2018). Additionally, the
situations as mentioned earlier and weather conditions in a
particular location may hinder the transport of products. Thus,
raw material suppliers may also have difficulties in supplying
their products, thus creating fewer sales. (Ming, 2015).
Canadian Solar Inc. can work closely with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and their local hazmat emergency
response units to help generate and implelment procedures to
help safeguard the Company and the community from potential
hazadorous materials calamities. Some of hhe following
practices should be by executed:
· Store chemical products in areas where they cannot be
contaminated
· Use spill-proof kits
· Use the appropriate shelves to store containers
· Use suitable carts to transport chemicals
· Prepare an emergency response plan of action and work
closely with the EPA to enforce this plan (EPA.gov, 2018)
Legal
As one of the leading competitors in the solar industry,
Canadian Solar Inc. is required to obey numerous laws and
regulations in the markets, most importantly, with regards to
their office locations. Energy regulations, export and import
restrictions, tax laws and regulations, environmental
regulations, labor laws, and other government requirements,
approvals, permits, and licenses, are among these laws and
regulations that are provided in Canadidan Solar Inc.’s Form
20-F, (2018).

Laws and regulations also affect the Company and create
additional complexities when conducting project development
or construction activities in foreign jurisdictions, including
compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and
other applicable local laws and customs. Additionally, trade
barriers and trade remedies such as export requirements, tariffs,
taxes, and other restrictions and expenses, including
antidumping and countervailing duty orders, are also legal
requirements. (Canadian Solar Inc. Form 20-F, 2018). To avoid
potential sky-rockets in their product prices, a less competitive
market, negative financial impacts, trade sanctions, and a
declination in prospects, the Company should focus on staying
compliant and obeying the laws associated with their business
operations.
PORTER Analysis
These five PORTER analysis elements will discuss how
Canadian Solar Inc. equally competes with its competitors, such
as First Solar, JinkoSolar, and SunPower. The analysis include
the following:
New entrants
New companies and old companies that introduce new strategies
in the market alter procedures daily. These new entrants
become new competitors and new competitors, develop new and
improved ideas. Thus, Canadian Solar Inc. should focus on
creating and introducing new projects and services in order to
manage and maintain its status as one of the top contenders in
the industry. Additionally, to outperform new entrants, the
Company should discover and develop a systematic process with
new knowledge that can be used to formulate new products and
improve the ones that exist. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Bargaining power of the supplier
Canadian Solar Inc. has amended agreements in place with
numerous suppliers to adjust the purchase price of purchase
orders based on current market prices. The Company’s
bargaining agreement with suppliers is consistent with previous
industry practices, which include advance payment

arrangements. These supplier agreements may affect the cost of
Canadian Solar Inc. products. If the suppliers have a lower
rate, the products will have a lower selling price, which will
positively affect consumers’ buying behaviors. Since Canadian
Solar Inc. is established as a top-tier global supplier, other
suppliers may increase their production while conducting
business with the Company, thus increasing their selling rates.
(Canadian Solar, 2018).
Bargaining power of the buyer
In most cases, buyers want to buy the best products from
Canadian Solar Inc. at the least possible costs, which is
reflected in the Company’s profitability statement. However, if
the Company introduces new products and services, customers
may not demand a discount. Consequently, customers can
request a discount on goods that have been in the market for a
long time. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Threats of substitutes
If a new product that has been introduced in the market is
beneficial to the customer’s needs, the old products will not be
purchased by the customers. Companies like First Solar,
JinkoSolar, and SunPower are always working on new products
that may act as substitutes for Canadian Solar Inc. products.
Canadian Solar Inc. should be service-oriented and create or up-
grade products to stay competitive. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Rivalry among existing competitors
If the rivalry with companies such as First Solar, JinkoSolar,
and SunPower increases, prices in products will decrease and
significantly affect the profitability of the Company. Canadian
Solar Inc. can grow a suitable differentiation from the
competitors or form an alliance with the competitors to
increase the price of products. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
Critical Issues
The most crucial issue for Canadian Solar will be developing
new processes on how to bring innovative, better, efficient solar
energy products to the market to capture brand loyalty, brand
image and a more significant market share in an expanding

industry. Building this brand depends on how much revenue
Canadian Solar will spend on research and development since
the Company efforts to innovate and their products and services
are not comparable to other top producers such as JinkoSolar,
First Solar and SunPower, who are also their competitors.
Canadian Solar attracted a full section of customers in 2009
where its top five customers accounted for 25% of all sales
while. Currently, Canadian Solar Inc. account for 60% of all
sales and is at a higher risk. Additionally, most of the the
Company’s revenue derives from selling solar modules to solar
power plant operators, usually electric utilities, in Europe, and
not a broader US homeowner market. Canadian Solar Inc.
continue to report colossal debt, which could affect its
operational performance, as a significant portion of its earnings
would be used to pay off debt. The debt could be of concern to
the investors and make it difficult for the Company to raise
funds on favorable terms from the market. In FY2018, the
Company's total debt stood at US$2.1 million, as compared to
US$3.2 million in FY2017, which indicates a decrease of
28.6%. Its debt to equity ratio stood at 1.38. The debt to equity
ratio was above the alternative energy industry average of 0.33
for the same year (One Stop Report, 2019).
Market Analysis
Marketing Research
The company can use different strategies to ascertain
information about competitors, such as Google research, going
to trade shows, browsing public documents, asking customers,
and using external mystery shoppers to discreetly gather
information on the compaany’s products and services.
A detailed competitor analysis can be categorised into the
following parts:
•Identify market growth, share and financial objectives. Some
examples are maximising short-term profitability or investing in
R&D for long-term growth.
•Evaluate the competitors’ strategies by collecting information
from shareholder reports, white papers, press releases,

promotional campaigns, hiring practices, acquisitions and
mergers. This information will reveal the direction in which the
competitors are moving.
•Use the above information to analyse competitors’ strengths,
weaknesses and core capabilities.
Market Size and Growth
Market size and growth defines the total size of the market for a
product at a certain time. Additionally, the size and growth
represents the highest quantity of potential market sales and the
volume for a particular product. (Hariharan & Prasad, 2019.)
As a continued effort to determine the market size and growth,
Canadian Solar Inc. can examine the future of the market
industry to determine the volume of activity and size. The
potential for size and growth is based on current and future
customer behavior habits, including product purchasing,
demands and needs. Thus, to determine the market volume, the
Company should focus on specific areas where industry related
products were sold at a higher price than the initial purchase
price. The Company should look at the total number of sales
generated within a certain time-frame. To further examine the
market size and growth, Canadian Solar Inc. can gather
information from various resources such as financial statements
of their competitors, data from government officials, customer
surverys, industry reports and trade associations.
Market Trends
Customer Analysis (including needs analysis)
Canadian current customer base consist of distributors, system
integrators, project developers and installers. Only a small
fraction of these customers represents a substantial percentage
of the Company’s revenue. As a process to retain their current
customer base and gain potential customers, the Company can
change their marketing approaches. (Canadian Solar, 2018).
These approaches can be more effective if the Company has
precise understanding of the expectations, needs, and personal
attributes of their customers. The process below can help

identify some of these attributes to perform a customer analysis:
· Obtain information on potential customers. This process
identifies in large portions and can also be separated into
different segments based on their incentives, individualities,
and characteristics;
· The customer analysis should offer information about how the
needs and expectations of different groups vary and the logic
behind those variations; and
· Canadian Solar Inc. should analyze their products and service
are beneficial to the array of customer groups and identify
which groups are more and have more growth potential. This
data analysis will help Canadian Solar Inc. develop customer
profiles and personas.
Strategic Analysis
Marketing Objectives (including financial objectives)
Marketing Segments
Target Markets
Canadian Solar Inc. continues to find ways to expand the
manufacturing of their products and grow their energy segment
by conducting market due diligence and periodically meeting
with players and investors in the industry. The Company also
participate in industry conferences and various events to seek
out project development prospects. Additionally, Canadian
Solar Inc.’s energy segment utilize their expertise and
knowledge by working with government officials to assist with
the development and growth of new assignments for target
markets.
Positioning Strategy
Product and Branding Strategy
Canadian Solar Inc.’s products and branding strategies should
be developed with originality using creativity, design, name and
features. Additionally, their products should show exclusivity
in the market industry. Subsequently, the following elements
should be considered to the development of the product and
branding strategy including: quality, variation, structure,

resilience, packaging, optional brand name, and enhanced
services.
Pricing Strategy
Canaidan Solar Inc.’s marketing pricing strategy should
involve an assessment of the value of products for targeted
customers. The pricing strategy of the Canadian Solar Inc. will
concentrate on establishing the list price, line of credit terms,
payment period and discounts. In an effort to re-evaluate their
pricing strategy, the Company should focus on the following
pricing strategies:
· Price penetration strategy, which initially allows the Company
to lower the costs of their products and use the word-of-mouth
marketing strategy to reach customers. Implementing this
pricing strategy will allow Canadian Solar Inc. an opportutnity
to flourish in the market industry based on the discounts; and
· Skimming pricing strategy – which allows the Company to
initially set their products at a high price, but periodically lower
the price of their products.
If the Company chooses the price penetration strategy, the costs
of their products will have to be lowered in order to compete
with other solar power companies such as First Solar,
JinkoSolar, and SunPower. Currently, consumers primary
concerns with regards to products is the exact cost of acquiring,
consuming and disposing, as oppose to pricing.(Hariharan &
Prasad, 2019.)
Distribution and Supply Chain Strategy
Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy
Financial Analysis
Breakeven Analysis

Sales Forecast
According to the Income Statement Evolution results from
Market Screener, (2019), Canadian Solar Inc.’s sales forecast is
estimated at $3144M for the year 2019; $4139M for the year
2020; and $3917M for the year 2021.
$4139 Sales
$3144 Sales
$3917 Sales
Canadian Solar Inc.’s capital expenditures (CAPEX) for 2019
sales are estimated at a high of 12.7% compared to the capital
expenditures sales forecasts for 2020, which is estimated at low
3.26%, according to Market Screener, (2019). Further, Market
Screener, (2019), shows the Company’s cash flow sales at an
estimated 8.60% in 2019 compared to a slightly high 9.02% in
2020.
Canadian Solar Inc.’s goal to show future increases in the sale
of their products and services should be implemented using
some of the following procedures:
· Acquire additonal knowledge of the industry and of the
products and services that are being sold. If the Company is
knowledgeable on their products and services, they can
accurately advise and provide facts and answers to current and
potential customers.
· Invest more time in research and development to help with
innovation of new technology. Investing in new products and
adding to existing ones can strengthen the Company’s business
operations and productivity that can help with an increase in

sales.
· Change and commit to a marketing strategy that educates and
piques the interest of current and future customers. Consistent
advertising of the brand stability and effectiveness of their
products and services can increase the sale the companies
products and services. Customers appear to show loyalty to a
brand that promotes, has a fair and stable price and is easily
accessible for purchasing.
Expense Forecast
Implementation and Controls
Implementation
Controls
Contingency Plan
Just like planning one’s life and making sure we have
insurances in place, the same applies in business. Every
business is exposed to the risk of mishaps that could adversely
impact operations. These risk factors must be identified in
order to better prepare for them. If the response to the situation
is poor, it might have a dramatic impact on the future of the
business, such as loss of customers, loss of data, or even the
loss of the business. This is how contingency planning is
identified in marketing a product or service. Before having a
contingency plan in place, a risk assessment must be done in
order to recognize the potential risk factors so that the correct
plan can be implemented to reduce or prevent such risks.
Contingency planning involves defining action steps to be taken
if an identified risk event should occur (Heiman, 2000). This is
a preventative method and is normally in place after a risk
assessment has been completed. Risks identified and quantified
in order to develop a plan can be better aligned with the types
of expected risks for the Company. A good contingency plan
for Canadian Solar, considering the nature of its business,
should include any event that might disrupt operations, but are

not limited to construction, environmental and technology risk.
Here are some specific areas to include in the plan:
· Construction risk: Risk of property damage or liability
stemming from errors during the building of new projects.
· Company risk: Risk affecting the viability of the project
developer, for example, risks related to key personnel, financial
solidity and technical ability to execute on plans.
· Environmental risk: Risk of environmental damage caused by
the solar park including any liability following such damage.
· Financial risk: Risk of insufficient access to investment and
operating capital.
· Market risk: Risk of a cost increases for key input factors such
as labor or modules, or rate decreases for electricity generated.
· Operational risk: Risk of unscheduled plant closure due to the
lack of resources, equipment damages or component failures.
· Technology risk: Risk of components generating less
electricity over time than expected.
· Political and regulatory risk: Risk of a change in policy that
may affect the profitability of the project, for example changes
in levels of tax credit or RPS targets. Also, this includes
changes in policy as related to permitting and interconnection.
· Climate and weather risk: Risk of changes in electricity
generation due to lack of sunshine or snow covering solar
panels for long periods of time.
· Sabotage, terrorism and theft risk: Risk that all or parts of the
solar park will be subject to sabotage, terrorism or theft and
thus generate less electricity than planned (Worren, 2012)
Conclusion
Canadian Solar Inc. can enhance sales by upgrading and
introducing new products to the market. Also, by diversifying
its operations, contributing to and revamping their R&D
practices, the Company can revise their pricing strategies,
promote product changes, and offer competitive discounts.

These strategies will allow the Company to remain as a high-
level contender who could help minimize the competition with
companies such as First Solar, JinkoSolar, and SunPower.
Canadian Solar Inc. has a loyal, widespread market with a
productive, consistent, and reputable, competitive brand. As an
advantage, the Company has a loyal and supportive customer
base, which can be used to expand business operations further.
The future success of the Company is contingent upon
expanding the manufacturing capacity of the energy segment
and enhancing the brand name. Further, continuing to develop
new customer relationships in a wider range of geographic
markets to decrease market concentration is also key to the
Company’s accomplishments.
References
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Bordon et. al., (2017). Carbon Dioxide Emissions from
Industry. Retrieved November 2, 2019,
from https://chinapower.csis.org/china-greenhouse-gas-
emissions
Canadian Solar. (2018). Canadian Solar: The Comprehensive
Review. Retrieved November 18, 2019 from Canadian Solar:
https://www.canadiansolar.com
Canadian Solar Inc. Form 20-F, (2018). Retrieved November 1,
2019, from
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data
Crunchbase. (n.d.). Canadian Solar went public on 2006-11-09 -
NASDAQ:CSIQ. Retrieved November 2019, from

https://www.crunchbase.com/ipo/canadian-solar-ipo--e722f698.
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Nappinnai, M. V. (2013). Employee attrition and retention in a
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cdccf3156d52#report/Company triggers
Shah, P. (2017). Culling the brand portfolio: Brand deletion
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the-risks-in-solar-project-development/#gref

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