The Canadian Pacific Railway's diversification strategies: A financial performance story, 1883–2020

Abstract

The diversification and financial performance literature is ambiguous. To shed light on this relationship, quantitative and qualitative research was used to study the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from 1883 to 2020. The CPR was selected because of its extensive archives and past range of diversification activities. Most of CPR's diversification investments were unrelated and unsuccessful. There is a statistically significant negative relationship between diversification and operating income/Tobin's Q. This negative relationship can become U-shaped or even positive by increasing operating income via reduced costs, improved conversion of inputs into outputs, and improved service to customers. The absence of diversification is not sufficient to significantly increase performance; satisfactory financial performance only comes from increasing operating income. These findings contribute to understanding the nuanced relationship between diversification and financial performance, highlighting the advantages of pureplay and the necessity for continuous financial performance improvement with related diversification and even pureplay.