Global Operations, Compliance, and Risk

This unit develops operational skills for managing global logistics with emphasis on cultural competence, regulatory compliance, risk and crisis management, and human resource protocols for both commercial and humanitarian/disaster relief (H&DR) contexts. Students apply best practices for shipping/receiving, cargo screening, use of intermediaries, sustainability, and mission lifecycle management, and analyze case studies to prepare for strategic planning in the final unit.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze cultural, social, and political factors that affect global logistics operations and recommend culturally appropriate adaptations for both commercial and H&DR missions
• Apply international regulatory and compliance procedures—including permits, licenses, cargo screening, and use of freight forwarders—to ensure lawful cross-border movement of goods
• Demonstrate risk management and crisis response strategies, including industrial espionage prevention, green logistics practices, handling damages/returns, and adapting to political or security uncertainty
• Evaluate workforce and team management protocols for global deployments, including recruitment, retention, special provisions for vulnerable workers, training, mission preparation, and post-mission reporting using real-world case studies