This course examines the strategic decisions, leadership challenges, and competitive trade-offs organizations face in designing and managing last-mile delivery networks. Students analyze how choices about operating models, delivery network strategy, partnerships, and technology adoption influence organizational performance, customer experience, and competitive advantage. Emphasis is placed on cross-functional leadership, resilience planning, and the strategic implications of Scope 3 emissions, climate risk, geopolitical disruptions, and trade policy shifts on last-mile delivery economics and carrier strategy. Students evaluate last-mile transformation opportunities and make strategic recommendations that balance cost, service, sustainability, and organizational resilience.
Students will be able to:
For all assessments and learning activities, see Brightspace for the full assignment descriptions and instructions. Read the prompts carefully and use the rubrics to confirm how assignments and discussions will be graded.
Course discussions provide opportunities to explore key issues in last-mile delivery through analysis, reflection, and peer exchange. You will examine real-world trends and operational challenges, apply course concepts to your own professional experiences and industry contexts, and consider how different strategic choices affect cost, service, customers, and competitive performance. Through responses to classmates, you will also compare perspectives, question assumptions, and consider alternative approaches to complex operational decisions.
Weekly assignments build the analytical and decision-making skills needed to manage last-mile delivery operations. Working as the Head of Operations for your selected organization, you will analyze its operating model and performance, forecast demand, evaluate staffing and capacity, assess routing and optimization opportunities, and respond to operational disruption. Across these assignments, you will use data, KPIs, course concepts, and evidence to evaluate trade-offs and communicate recommendations to organizational leaders.
This final assignment brings together the work you have completed throughout the course into an executive leadership briefing for your selected organization. Following a major operational disruption, you will synthesize your previous analyses to explain what happened, identify why the organization was vulnerable, and recommend strategic actions to strengthen performance and resilience. Your recommendations will balance cost, service, customer experience, sustainability, and long-term resilience while identifying the key decisions requiring leadership approval and the KPIs that will be used to measure success.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
| Learning Activity | Points |
|---|---|
| Week 1 Academic Integrity | 1 |
| Week 1 Discussion: Introduction | 4 |
| Week 1 Assignment: Operations Presentation | 5 |
| Week 2 Discussion: Last-Mile in the News | 5 |
| Week 2 Assignment: Strategic Operations Memo | 5 |
| Week 3 Assignment: Forecast Brief | 10 |
| Week 4 Discussion: Forecast Review | 5 |
| Week 4 Assignment: Capacity Planning | 10 |
| Week 5 Discussion Video: Inside Operations | 5 |
| Week 5 Assignment: Operations Optimization | 10 |
| Week 6 Discussion: Leading Through Disruption | 5 |
| Week 6 Assignment: Resilience Assessment | 10 |
| Week 7 Assignment: Operations Optimization Review | 20 |
| Week 8 Discussion: The Future of Last-Mile | 5 |
| Total | 100 |
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Week 1: Wednesday – Sunday
Week 2: Monday – Sunday
Week 3: Monday – Sunday
Week 4: Monday – Sunday
Week 5: Monday – Sunday
Week 6: Monday – Sunday
Week 7: Monday – Sunday
Week 8: Monday – Friday
| Week | Assessments | Due |
|
Week 1: Foundations of Last-Mile Delivery Networks |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 2: Measuring Performance: KPIs, Cost Drivers, and Profitability |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 3: Forecasting Demand and Planning Capacity |
|
Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 4: Building Operational Excellence: Workforce, Resources, and Efficiency |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 5: Routing Strategy and Network Optimization |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 6: Building Resilient Last-Mile Operations |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Friday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 7: Operations Optimization Review |
|
Assignment due Sunday at 11:59 PM ET |
| Week 8: The Future of Last-Mile Delivery: Technology, Sustainability, and Competitive Advantage |
|
Initial Discussion Posts due Wednesday at 11:59 PM ET Discussion Responses due Friday at 11:59 PM ET |
Your Enrollment and Retention Counselor is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Please reach out to your student success team member.
UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
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Students should notify their student success team member and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
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A grade of 80% or higher is required to pass the course. A grade lower than 80% will result in you having to repeat the course. Obtaining two "Fs" in the program may result in dismissal from the program.
Generative AI (GenAI) applications (like ChatGPT) have proven to be powerful and effective tools, and students are encouraged to become familiar with and use them. However, as with any tool, students must use GenAI in ways that support their roles as learners and professionals. The use of AI in academic work falls under our academic integrity agreement, ensuring that all AI applications are used in alignment with our commitment to honest and responsible learning.
In situations in which AI tools are used as a resource, students must:
As GenAI continues to evolve, students should also stay abreast of best practices and changing risks and benefits.
Please note that individual courses or assignments may have specific guidelines regarding AI use — please refer to your faculty’s directions or assignment instructions for details.
The Student Orientation has a module "Artificial Intelligence Literacy for Students", please refer to this module for more information about navigating the use of AI.
UNE uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements.
Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace. In a professional environment, deadlines matter because work impacts teams, clients, and decisions, and this course reflects those expectations.
Quizzes and Tests:
Quizzes and tests must be completed by the posted deadline .
Assignments:
Each assignment includes an automatic 48-hour grace period after the posted deadline.
After the grace period:
Discussion posts:
Discussion activities depend on timely participation and peer engagement and therefore do not include a grace period.
Students are expected to communicate proactively if they anticipate difficulty meeting a deadline. In cases of significant or unforeseen circumstances, extensions may be considered at the instructor’s discretion.
Please contact your Enrollment and Retention Counselor if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. Tuition charges may still apply. Students are strongly urged to consult with Student Financial Services, as course withdrawals may affect financial aid or Veterans benefits.
Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Business will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 p.m. ET of the first week. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean’s Office.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following: