Independent Project Policies

Independent Project Policies

for Field-Based Learning Activities

for Field-Based Learning Activities

Independent Learning policies apply to all members of the HBS community who are involved in field-based learning activities, including faculty, students and staff.

These policies are intended to:

  • Uphold HBS Community Values in field-based learning,
  • Protect the privacy of all participants in field-based learning activities conducted as part of the MBA program,
  • Ensure confidentiality of all information collected, created, and shared during field activities,
  • Clarify ownership rights and non-disclosure agreements for students, faculty, and company sponsors in company-sponsored field-based learning projects.
  • Field-based learning activities covered by the policy include field projects conducted as a part of a course and independent projects in the elective curriculum

Potential Risks

While the benefits of field-based learning are significant, the nature of fieldwork also exposes students and companies to certain categories of risk. These include:

Risk of harm to the status, the reputation or financial standing of a company, or to HBS.

Risk of harm to the status, reputation or employability of individuals interviewed during a project and to those conducting the interview.

Risk of criminal or civil legal action from failure to protect the confidentiality of sensitive corporate or individual data.

Independent Learning Policies are organized into the following areas (details below):

  • Standards for Integrity
  • Protection of Privacy and Confidentiality in Field-Based Learning
  • MBA Student Non-Disclosure Policy

Students must also adhere to HBS Academic Policies in conducting fieldwork for academic credit.

For additional information, see the Graduate & Professional Student International Travel Policy.

Standards for Integrity

Students may not receive compensation for projects performed for academic credit through the HBS field-based learning program. Compensation includes cash and cash gifts, stock options or grants, and all merchandise, services, and vacations, with the following exception: company logo merchandise (such as t-shirts, baseball caps, pens) valued at $25 or less may be accepted as a gift if offered by the company. Under no circumstances may students ask for company logo merchandise.

Students may be reimbursed for expenses directly related to the completion of a field-based learning project (for example: travel to a company site, photocopying of materials, long-distance telephone charges for interviews). These expenses should be included on the Independent Project Registration Form and should be approved by the company sponsor and faculty sponsor prior to the expense being accrued.

Questions about appropriateness of a company logo merchandise gift or any other issues concerning compensation and gifts should be directed to the MBA Program Office or the Faculty Head of Field-Based Learning.

Students must avoid deceptive practices and obtain informed consent from all individuals interviewed as part of a project. When conducting interviews or performing any other work for company sponsors, you must not withhold information about company sponsorships or the identity of company sponsors unless you:

  • Obtain prior approval from the faculty sponsor of the project.
  • Inform the interviewee that the project is sponsored by a company and provide a brief description of the type of company (e.g. industry segment, product/service type) and their interest in the information.
  • Provide the participant with an opportunity to ask questions about the nature of the project and the rationale behind the decision to keep the company sponsor name confidential.
  • Offer the participant an opportunity to withdraw from the project.

To ensure informed consent, follow all procedures outlined in the Policy on Protection of Research Participants (log-in required).

No information that can be linked to a specific individual should be divulged to anyone, at any time, in any form without prior written consent.

Permission for electronic recording of individual information (audio or video) must be obtained from the individual in advance. As stated above, the interviewee should be informed of how the information will be used and who will have access to the information as it is being transcribed and stored.

Protection of Privacy & Confidentiality in Field-Based Learning

Private information on individuals and organizations must be labeled as such, stored in such a way as to prevent unauthorized access, and destroyed when no longer needed.

Informed, written consent must be obtained for any information, not available through public sources, that is disclosed as a result of the project. For example, if a project results in the development of an HBS case study, the standard HBS case release process should be followed.

Special care must be taken to ensure protection of company trade secrets, intellectual property, and patents.

Appropriate citation of the sources of information should be included in all written reports and presentations. See HBS Academic Policies for citation details.

Written permission from the author must be included for all tables or figures (e.g., graphs or diagrams from an analyst report) reproduced in a report. If modifications have been made to a figure or table, written permission is not required; correct citation policies must still be followed.

While working in the field, students must refrain from trading stocks if, in the course of their work, they have access to insider information that would enable them to derive personal gain from such trades. This applies to trading stock for the company in which they are conducting the field study, and to trading stock of other industry participants.

Students may not disclose insider information to a third party for the purpose of enabling another party to trade stocks to derive personal gain.

Information related to other common confidentiality and privacy issues can be found at:

MBA Student Non-Disclosure Policy

Student teams in the Elective Curriculum who are working on an Independent Project sponsored by a company are encouraged not to sign company-generated confidentiality documents. RC students should consult relevant faculty with any questions.

In lieu of company-generated forms and in the situations where a company requires a non-disclosure agreement and the students are willing to enter into such an agreement, students may use the attached sample as a template and include the Policy on Protection of Privacy and Confidentiality Statement as Exhibit B (pdf). The wording in this template has been reviewed by Harvard University legal counsel with the objective to protect students' rights to ownership of intellectual property developed during the project, while also protecting company rights to privacy and confidentiality.

All non-disclosure agreements are between the student and the company—not between the company and the School/University or the student and the School/University. As such, correspondence with the company should be sent on student stationary.

Students are encouraged to check with their own legal counsel if they are concerned about entering into a non-disclosure agreement.

Student teams may contact the MBA program office if they have any questions concerning this policy.

FACULTY NOTE: When working on behalf of the School as supervisors of student projects, faculty may not sign a company-generated non-disclosure statement without first checking with Harvard Legal Counsel. Faculty who have other non-University relationships with a company (e.g., consultant, board member) should check with Harvard Legal Counsel for any questions concerning potential conflict of interest.