Product Strategies of Finnish Photovoltaic Technology Manufacturers for Africa

Abstract

The study reviews the type of product strategies used by Finnish photovoltaic technology manufacturers for Africa. This development examines three dimensions under product strategies: product platforms, product lines and individual products. It also addresses the issues related to product standardization and adaptation as to how it is implemented for the African market, and thus lay emphasis on three alternatives: localized, modified and standardized product strategies.

The theoretical framework is constructed by analyzing the existing theoretical approaches. The framework is adapted from Gabrielsson (2004) and in this, there is the discussion of the economic environment, corporate strategy, firm’s resources and decision making amongst others, assumptions were created which were verified in the empirical part of the studies using the case study approach of which two firms were interviewed. It was discovered that unlike the use of discarded or obsolete technology in some fields, photovoltaic technology in use by Finnish firms doing business in Africa is the same to the one used in their domestic market as well as globally.

The research intends to contribute greatly to the poll of research connected to the African market as well as create interest in specialized fields like the energy markets. The research concludes by drawing attention to possible managerial implications and future research in photovoltaic field for the African market.