THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY: BALANCING CARE AND JUSTICE
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
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SYNOPSIS
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Brett Fairbairn, the President of Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, Canada, faced backlash
and scrutiny for his handling of a harassment and discrimination investigation into two of his senior leaders.
In November 2021, two local media outlets released details of the allegations brought to the attention of the
President and Board of Governors (BoG) months earlier. These allegations became a public embarrassment
for the university and threatened to undermine the relatively new President’s authority and his ability to
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pursue his recently articulated values and strategy called, “Envision.” In the disclosures’ aftermath, the
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campus and community reactions ranged from concern to outrage. The President’s insistence on waiting
for the results of a third party investigation before acknowledging the harm and engaging directly with
those affected created considerable consternation and controversy.
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The Case Solution Starts From page 5
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ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
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1. Identify the key stakeholders. Assess the investigation’s impact on them and their possible choices for
future action based on the facts of the case.
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2. Looking back on the case, evaluate President Fairbairn’s actions from a fairness perspective. Which of
the dimensions are the most evident?
3. At what point(s) in the timeline could President Fairbairn have taken different actions to avoid the
current situation, and what are some alternative responses at the points identified?
4. What should President Fairbairn do next? Could he apply an “ethic of care” approach using the
principles suggested in the Baumann reading? If so, how?
5. Did TRU’s policy have deficiencies that contributed to the failure to resolve the issue internally? Could this
happen in your institution or workplace? How could a caring approach be applied to an institutional policy?
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,ANALYSIS
1. Identify the key stakeholders. Assess the investigation’s impact on them and their possible
choices for future action based on the facts of the case.
Before proceeding to an analysis of President Fairbairn’s actions or statements, ask
students for a list of the key stakeholders who will be impacted by the leaders next steps. A group discussion
should lead to a list with the following stakeholders: BoG, university administrators, faculty and staff,
students, complainants, and respondents. Once the stakeholders are identified, break
students up into six groups and assign each group one of the stakeholders. ask the
groups to have the following discussion: Assess the impacts the investigation has on your stakeholder as
well as the possible choices they have for future action based on the facts of the case.
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The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, EXHIBIT -1: COMPONENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE
Organizational Justice
Distributive Justice: Perceived fairness of outcomes or
resource distribution
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EXHIBIT -2: BAUMAN’S AAA STRATEGY
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The Case Solution Starts From page 5
CASE STUDY SOLUTION
e
pl
m
SYNOPSIS
Sa
Brett Fairbairn, the President of Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, Canada, faced backlash
and scrutiny for his handling of a harassment and discrimination investigation into two of his senior leaders.
In November 2021, two local media outlets released details of the allegations brought to the attention of the
President and Board of Governors (BoG) months earlier. These allegations became a public embarrassment
for the university and threatened to undermine the relatively new President’s authority and his ability to
n
pursue his recently articulated values and strategy called, “Envision.” In the disclosures’ aftermath, the
tio
campus and community reactions ranged from concern to outrage. The President’s insistence on waiting
for the results of a third party investigation before acknowledging the harm and engaging directly with
those affected created considerable consternation and controversy.
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS
lu
1. Identify the key stakeholders. Assess the investigation’s impact on them and their possible choices for
future action based on the facts of the case.
So
2. Looking back on the case, evaluate President Fairbairn’s actions from a fairness perspective. Which of
the dimensions are the most evident?
3. At what point(s) in the timeline could President Fairbairn have taken different actions to avoid the
current situation, and what are some alternative responses at the points identified?
4. What should President Fairbairn do next? Could he apply an “ethic of care” approach using the
principles suggested in the Baumann reading? If so, how?
5. Did TRU’s policy have deficiencies that contributed to the failure to resolve the issue internally? Could this
happen in your institution or workplace? How could a caring approach be applied to an institutional policy?
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
,ANALYSIS
1. Identify the key stakeholders. Assess the investigation’s impact on them and their possible
choices for future action based on the facts of the case.
Before proceeding to an analysis of President Fairbairn’s actions or statements, ask
students for a list of the key stakeholders who will be impacted by the leaders next steps. A group discussion
should lead to a list with the following stakeholders: BoG, university administrators, faculty and staff,
students, complainants, and respondents. Once the stakeholders are identified, break
students up into six groups and assign each group one of the stakeholders. ask the
groups to have the following discussion: Assess the impacts the investigation has on your stakeholder as
well as the possible choices they have for future action based on the facts of the case.
e
pl
m
Sa
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
, EXHIBIT -1: COMPONENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL JUSTICE
Organizational Justice
Distributive Justice: Perceived fairness of outcomes or
resource distribution
e
pl
m
Sa
EXHIBIT -2: BAUMAN’S AAA STRATEGY
n
tio
lu
So
The Case Solution Starts From page 5
