Op-Ed Writing Assignment in Supply Chain Management Courses

Newspaper op-eds, dedicated to commentary essays from outside of a newspaper, function as a platform for the public to exchange opinions. We designed an op-ed writing assignment as part of a semester-long course project in global supply chain management (SCM). Student teams conducted research on a SCM topic, presented their findings in the classroom, and wrote an op-ed for submission to a local or regional newspaper. This teaching brief describes the implementation of this assignment at a northeast U.S. university. The goals of this assignment were: (1) to educate students on how to write an op-ed and (2) to educate students on how to publish their opinion articles. Insights on the benefits and challenges that students experienced from completing the op-ed assignment are discussed. A description of a case-based version of the op-ed writing assignment used in a Canadian university is also provided.