L’Abode Accommodations Down Under: Agile Leadership Navigates Pandemic Threat to Business Survival

On March 1, 2020, when news of the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, it meant an existential threat to the survival of businesses internationally. L’Abode Accommodations, a full-service property management company based in Sydney, Australia that specialized in mid- to high-end luxury vacation homes, was no exception. Virtually overnight, the company experienced an alarming number of contract cancellations. To make matters worse for an industry dependent on vacationers, Australia shut its borders to international travellers. How could L’Abode Accommodations adjust its operating model and strategic and tactical marketing efforts to stop the business from bleeding revenue and profit and to address the staff’s fears of layoffs, as cancellations poured in?

This case is intended for senior undergraduate- or graduate-level courses on leadership, organizational behaviour, agile management, and marketing/competitive strategies. The case lets students experience the critical role of agile business and marketing practices and offers an opportunity to work through the challenges of a business environment affected by daily change and ambiguity. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:<br><br/><ul><li>Identify the effects of major macroenvironmental forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic on business turnaround and success, and explain how to leverage these effects.</li><li>Identify market shifts and business opportunities caused by unpredictable and sudden macroenvironmental events.</li><li>Assess a variety of competitive strategies, including thought leadership and change management.</li><li>Recommend and explain a plan for agile transformation involving a top-down paradigm shift and including rapid adjustments to market positioning and tactics.</li><li>Analyze data and describe the trends that influence agile business projections and marketing recommendations.</li><li>Explain the value of market strategy and marketing as intentional rather than accidental actions in owner-run businesses of any size.</li></ul>

• agile
• leadership
• marketing
• strategy
• COVID-19
• pandemic
• vacation rentals
• property management