Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)

Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2004 (Revised April 2004)

Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)

Abstract

This case describes how the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church handled allegations of clergy sexual abuse during the 1990s. In 2002, the archdiocese was confronted by public revelations of how the allegations were handled. Professional organizations first and foremost must protect the interests of those whom the profession serves. Professional organizations, however, also protect and further the interests of their members. The case also describes the Boston archdiocese's initial response to the storm of public criticism that followed the revelations.

Keywords: Conflict of Interests; Crime and Corruption; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Religion; Crisis Management; Boston;

Format: Print

12 pages

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Citation:

Nanda, Ashish. "Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)." Harvard Business School Case 904-048, January 2004. (Revised April 2004.)

This note offers an overview of the Strategy course offered in HBS’s Required Curriculum. The RC Strategy course aims to help students become effective strategists. The note introduces the six modules of the course: What is Strategy, Market Attractiveness, Competitive Advantage, Strategic Interactions, Corporate Strategy, and Crafting Strategy.

This note introduces the first module of the RC Strategy course, What is Strategy? It helps students develop their perspective on what is a strategy, what is a good strategy, and how strategy development differs across contexts.

The case traces Bryan Upton’s 20-plus years as managing director of a Sheffield-based cutlery company and describes the strategic and organizational actions he took to raise sales and earnings at more than 25% annually, even as the local industry was in steep decline.
After outlining how the U.K. cutlery industry has evolved, the case describes the major changes introduced by Upton and his mentor Jerry Hahn in Richardson Sheffield to upgrade production technology, innovate the product line, and instill customer orientation. The case focuses on the impact of Upton’s controversial approach to human resource management in general and to management selection and development in particular on the organizational climate at the firm.
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Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (A)

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