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

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

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

Abstract

In 2002, the Boston archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church was confronted by public revelations of how allegations of clergy sexual abuse were handled by the archdiocese during the 1990s. This case describes how the Boston archdiocese addressed the issue over the next two years. It also describes the reverberations of the scandal nationwide, theories on the root causes of the problem, and emerging sentiment in church hierarchy and the laity. 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.

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

Format: Print

17 pages

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Citation:

Nanda, Ashish. "Crisis and Response: Sexual Abuse Allegations in the Boston Archdiocese (B)." Harvard Business School Case 904-049, 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.

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

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