A Strategic Analysis of a Boutique Investment Firm

This paper is a strategic analysis of a boutique investment company operating in Vancouver, British Columbia. The paper examines the company and the investment management industry both in Canada and internationally. The analysis shows how profits have been eroded by stagnated growth of the industry and increased regulatory requirements. In order to grow, successful firms must look for new clients in the developing economies where the investment industry is still growing, take existing clients away from other firms through direct competition or change their business model. The developed market itself is shown to be undergoing a significant change in its demographic makeup with a shift towards a higher percentage of retirement aged population looking for different products than they did when they were middle aged. The paper concludes with a strategic option for the firm which sees it focus on retirement based products built around increased returns and lower risk. This option will allow the firm to take advantage of the demographic shifts and sets it up to be a strong competitor in the market.