An entire industry on halt

: how Travel Perk handled Covid-19 : a case study of a leading travel management company and its strategic implications during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in 2020, the world economy suffered one of the most severe crises in modern history. The following case study describes a real-world scenario of a travel management company and its strategic development amid the globalpandemic. The Spanish start-up Travel Perk, a market-leading business within the industry, was severely affected by the imposed contact restrictions and the temporary disappearance ofnational and international travel. Facing an unprecedented slump in demand, Travel Perk adopted far-reaching strategic measures to compensate for the negative effects of the crisis and handle the dynamics of an industry under persistent disruption. Subsequent to initial measures to safeguard the operational functioning of the company, the management targeted the enhancement of organizational products and processes to leverage the companies’ competencies and market position after the crisis. The present case study serves as a pedagogical tool to provide students a hands-on experience in the realms of strategic management and business strategy. It emphasizes the importance ofthe evaluation of a firm’s internal and external environment and the orchestration of respective organizational resources and capabilities to sustain competitive advantage. Students should gain an understanding of the implications of dynamic markets and the resulting necessity of constant adjustments. With an accelerating effect on underlying industry trends, the case should lead to a critical assessment of the genuine impact of the pandemic, which extends to both the short and long-term, as well as to Travel Perk and the corporate travel management industry itself.

Date of Award	21 Oct 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Ricardo Reis (Supervisor)