QSO 450 Final Project Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric Overview: Transportation is not only a critical component of societies and the global economy, but the effective management of transportation is important to the sustainable success of organizations. Many small and mid-size firms do not have a comprehensive transportation strategy to manage their inputs (such as supplies) or outputs (such as finished goods). Fast-growing firms also stumble during growth phases when customers from across the country or across the globe begin to demand their products. Because there are constant changes in geopolitics, regulations, and business needs, even large multinational organizations require constant evaluation of their transportation networks. In the summative assessment for this course, you will draw from the information covered in the course modules, as well as from relevant research, to develop a comprehensive transportation plan for the scenario provided below. Milestone Three addresses the following course outcomes:   Evaluate the relationship between the transportation industry and local, national, and global economies for informing organizational decisions Develop comprehensive managerial strategies for planning and executing a global transportation network Review: You work for a company in Manchester, NH that manufactures a unique running shoe that has grown in popularity beyond the local region and is now being demanded across the United States. Your current distribution centers are located in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Your company has also begun to receive inquiries from retailers in the European Union that are interested in selling your shoes. To begin selling overseas, your company has partnered with a company that will manage a distribution center in Munich, Germany. While looking into your current distribution plans, you find that you have no comprehensive transportation plan. You see that transportation in your company is typically an afterthought; this will not do if you are going to begin selling across the United States and Europe, as planned. Prompt: For this assessment, you continue developing a comprehensive strategy for planning and executing a global transportation network by predicting what long-term issues will affect your plan and how your network may adapt to these challenges. In addition, you will analyze how the massive increase in transportation coming from your production hub will affect the local area in terms of economy, sustainability, and corporate image. Be sure to include both the positive and adverse effects your operation will have on the local area. Be sure to refer to concepts learned in this course and include additional peer-reviewed research to support your conclusions. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed in this milestone: II. Impact on Economy A. Considering the transportation infrastructure in the United States, what long-term sustainability considerations will the transportation plan affect? How might such considerations affect the plan? For example, consider the infrastructure improvements that will be necessary in the upcoming decade to sustain current levels of operation. Support your answers with real-world examples or evidence. B. How might specific current and potential geopolitical factors affect your transportation to the European Union? How can you plan to allay future disruptions? Support your answers with citations from current news sources. C. Explain how issues may arise surrounding transportation to and from the immediate area around the central production plant in Manchester, NH as demand for the product increases. Consider factors such as noise, pollution, jobs, and environmental concerns. Be sure to include support for your answers. D. From a managerial standpoint, compare the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with firms headquartered in the United States versus firms headquartered outside of the United States. Which decision would you ultimately make? Explain your rationale. Guidelines for Submission: Your paper should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and should be 3–5 pages in length, including a reference page. Your paper should include at least three peer-reviewed journal articles or other scholarly sources. References and any in-text citations must be formatted in APA (6th edition) style. Rubric Critical Elements Impact: Infrastructure Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes local, state, and national regulatory issues Proficient (85%) Logically explains how longterm transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect the transportation plan and supports answers with realworld examples or evidence Impact: Geopolitical Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes historic examples of geopolitical issues that inform reasoning Explains how specific current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU and logically explains how it is possible to allay future disruptions, providing support with citations from current news sources Explains how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plant as demand for the product increases and includes support for answers Impact: Issues Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation of these issues affects global transportation plan Needs Improvement (55%) Explains how transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect the transportation plan but explanation is cursory, illogical, or does not account for longterm considerations, or support is not from the real world Explains how current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU but geopolitical factors are not specific, and explains how it is possible to allay future disruptions, but explanation is illogical, or support provided is not from current news sources Explains how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plan but explanation is not focused on times when demand increases or support provided is irrelevant, inappropriate, or missing Not Evident (0%) Does not explain how longterm transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect transportation plan Value 20 Does not explain how specific current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU and does not explain how it is possible to allay future disruptions 20 Does not explain how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plant as demand for the product increases 20 Issues: Compare Meets “Proficient” criteria and specifically addresses maritime and international law Compares the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms and logically explains the ultimate decision made Sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes integrates research clearly and logically into the paper Includes at least three professionally legitimate sources Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-toread format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Compares the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms but comparison is cursory or explanation of the ultimate decision is cursory, illogical, or missing Includes at least three sources, but some sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not compare the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms 20 Includes fewer than 3 sources OR all sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas Earned Total 12 8 100% QSO 450 Final Project Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric Overview: Transportation is not only a critical component of societies and the global economy, but the effective management of transportation is important to the sustainable success of organizations. Many small and mid-size firms do not have a comprehensive transportation strategy to manage their inputs (such as supplies) or outputs (such as finished goods). Fast-growing firms also stumble during growth phases when customers from across the country or across the globe begin to demand their products. Because there are constant changes in geopolitics, regulations, and business needs, even large multinational organizations require constant evaluation of their transportation networks. In the summative assessment for this course, you will draw from the information covered in the course modules, as well as from relevant research, to develop a comprehensive transportation plan for the scenario provided below. Milestone One addresses the following course outcomes:   Assess various transportation methods for determining the optimal modal mix that meets operational requirements Develop comprehensive managerial strategies for planning and executing a global transportation network Prompt: You work for a company in Manchester, NH that manufactures a unique running shoe that has grown in popularity beyond the local region and is now being demanded across the United States. Your current distribution centers are located in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Your company has also begun to receive inquiries from retailers in the European Union that are interested in selling your shoes. To begin selling overseas, your company has partnered with a company that will manage a distribution center in Munich, Germany. While looking into your current distribution plans, you find that you have no comprehensive transportation plan. You see that transportation in your company is typically an afterthought; this will not do if you are going to begin selling across the United States and Europe, as planned. For this assessment, you will begin developing a comprehensive strategy for planning and executing a global transportation network. You will analyze your company’s transportation needs and make a recommendation for mode selection to each of the distribution hubs. You will need to address the intermodal linkages of your logistical network and explain how you plan to minimize cost while keeping efficiency at a high level. Be sure to refer to concepts learned in this course and include additional peer-reviewed research to support your conclusions. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed in this milestone: I. Modes of Transportation A. Choose various modes of transportation to move your product to your distribution centers in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Which mode(s) of transportation do you propose to transport large quantities of shoes to each location? Be sure to provide logical explanations for your choice of transportation to each distribution center. B. Summarize how you would construct an intermodal network to reach Munich, Germany on a consistent basis from Manchester, NH. Be sure to describe and justify your choice of ports, shipping container, and mode. Because cost is the biggest concern for the company, expedited shipments are not a priority currently, though they might be in the future. C. Considering your modal choices to transport goods to the continental United States and Europe, research existing carriers that you could use for each route and choose the most preferable providers. Be sure to consider third-party logistics providers and freight forwarders, if applicable. Using a weighted decision matrix may help you decide which vendors to utilize. Provide a brief overview of the companies that you chose, why these were your preferred vendors, and support your answer with appropriate sources. D. Considering your modal choices above, compare and contrast the environmental impacts of each. Considering consumers’ value judgments, what weight should be given to these choices? It may be helpful to use a decision matrix when deciding how to weight these choices. Explain how these factors (environmental impact and consumers’ value judgments) interact with one another to affect your ultimate strategic transportation plan. Guidelines for Submission: Your paper should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and should be 3–5 pages in length, including a reference page. Your paper should include at least three peer-reviewed journal articles or other scholarly sources. References and any in-text citations must be formatted in APA (6th edition) style. Rubric Critical Elements Modes: Choose Modes: Summarize Modes: Research Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports modal choice with financial data from trustworthy sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and integrates a contingency plan in case additional stocks need to be expedited at some time in the future Proficient (85%) Logically explains choices of transportation to each distribution center Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes a decision matrix that justifies the choice Provides a brief overview of chosen transportation vendors, logically justifies choice of vendors, and supports answers with appropriate source(s) Summarizes how to construct an intermodal network to reach distribution center in Munich from Manchester, NH and logically justifies choices of elements Needs Improvement (55%) Explains choices of transportation to each distribution center but explanation is cursory or illogical Summarizes how to construct an intermodal network but is not specific to Munich and Manchester or justification of choices is illogical Provides an overview of chosen transportation vendors but overview is not brief, or it justifies choice of vendors but justification is not logical Not Evident (0%) Does not explain choices of transportation to each distribution center Does not summarize how to construct an intermodal network to reach distribution center in Munich from Manchester, NH and does not justify choice of elements Does not provide a brief overview of chosen transportation vendors and does not justify choice of vendors Value 20 20 20 Modes: Compare and Contrast Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes a weighted decision matrix to determine which factors should be given greatest attention Compares and contrasts environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors, includes what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, and logically explains how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another Sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and integrates research clearly and logically into the paper Includes at least three professionally legitimate sources Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Articulation of Response Compares and contrasts environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors but comparisons and contrasts are cursory, or does not include what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, or explains how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another but explanation is illogical or cursory Includes at least three sources, but some sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Rubric Annotations Term elements Context for Instructor/Definition ports, shipping container, mode, etc. Does not compare and contrast environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors, including what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, and how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another 20 Includes fewer than three sources OR all sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas Earned Total 12 8 100% QSO 450 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview Transportation is not only a critical component of societies and the global economy, but the effective management of transportation is important to the sustainable success of organizations. Many small and mid-size firms do not have a comprehensive transportation strategy to manage their inputs (such as supplies) or outputs (such as finished goods). Fast-growing firms also stumble during growth phases when customers from across the country or across the globe begin to demand their products. Because there are constant changes in geopolitics, regulations, and business needs, even large multinational organizations require constant evaluation of their transportation networks. In the summative assessment for this course, you will draw from the information covered in the course modules, as well as from relevant research, to develop a comprehensive transportation plan for the scenario provided below. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure a quality final submission. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, and Five. The final project is submitted in Module Seven. This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:     Assess various transportation methods for determining the optimal modal mix that meets operational requirements Evaluate the relationship between the transportation industry and local, national, and global economies for informing organizational decisions Predict future transportation trends by analyzing the influence of past and current regulatory issues on the transportation industry Develop comprehensive managerial strategies for planning and executing a global transportation network Prompt You work for a company in Manchester, NH that manufactures a unique running shoe that has grown in popularity beyond the local region and is now being demanded across the United States. Your current distribution centers are located in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Your company has also begun to receive inquiries from retailers in the European Union that are interested in selling your shoes. To begin selling overseas, your company has partnered with a company that will manage a distribution center in Munich, Germany. While looking into your current distribution plans, you find that you have no comprehensive transportation plan. You see that transportation in your company is typically an afterthought; this will not do if you are going to begin selling across the United States and Europe, as planned. For this assessment, you will develop a comprehensive strategy for planning and executing a global transportation network. This strategy, which will be presented to the COO of your company, will outline your company’s transportation requirements and how you are planning to meet them. Be sure to refer to concepts learned in this course and include additional peer-reviewed research to support your conclusions. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. II. III. Modes of Transportation (Milestone One) A. Choose various modes of transportation to move your product to your distribution centers in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Which mode(s) of transportation do you propose to transport large quantities of shoes to each location? Be sure to provide logical explanations for your choice of transportation to each distribution center. B. Summarize how you would construct an intermodal network to reach Munich, Germany on a consistent basis from Manchester, NH. Be sure to describe and justify your choice of ports, shipping container, and mode. Because cost is the biggest concern for the company, expedited shipments are not a priority currently, though they might be in the future. C. Considering your modal choices to transport goods to the continental United States and Europe, research existing carriers that you could use for each route and choose the most preferable providers. Be sure to consider third-party logistics providers and freight forwarders, if applicable. Using a weighted decision matrix may help you decide which vendors to utilize. Provide a brief overview of the companies that you chose, why these were your preferred vendors, and support your answer with appropriate sources. D. Considering your modal choices above, compare and contrast the environmental impacts of each. Considering consumers’ value judgments, what weight should be given to these choices? It may be helpful to use a decision matrix when deciding how to weight these choices. Explain how these factors (environmental impact and consumers’ value judgments) interact with one another to affect your ultimate strategic transportation plan. Impact on Economy (Milestone Two) A. Considering the transportation infrastructure in the United States, what long-term sustainability considerations will the transportation plan affect? How might such considerations affect the plan? For example, consider the infrastructure improvements that will be necessary in the upcoming decade to sustain current levels of operation. Support your answers with real-world examples or evidence. B. How might specific current and potential geopolitical factors affect your transportation to the European Union? How can you plan to allay future disruptions? Support your answers with citations from current news sources. C. Explain how issues may arise surrounding transportation to and from the immediate area around the central production plant in Manchester, NH as demand for the product increases. Consider factors such as noise, pollution, jobs, and environmental concerns. Be sure to include support for your answers. D. From a managerial standpoint, compare the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with firms headquartered in the United States versus firms headquartered outside of the United States. Which decision would you ultimately make? Explain your rationale. Past and Present Regulation (Milestone Three) A. Analyze the current customs and clearance process required to move cargo from the United States into the European Union. Be sure to include the required forms and regulatory agencies that are involved, and describe each step of the process. How has this process developed over time? How might this process change in the future, based on what is known of it today? Defend your rationale. B. Summarize the key acts and statutes that act as the basis for transportation regulation in the United States. How might these affect your transportation plan? Be sure to provide citations of these acts and statutes from primary literature. C. Based on the past trends of transportation regulation, do you predict that future transportation regulation will become stricter or more lenient? Why? How will these changes affect your transportation plan? Support your answers with primary sources. D. Summarize the terms and conditions that you would choose for your own international trade route. For example, consider the CISG, Incoterms, and other standardized trade agreements. Include reasoning for your choice of these terms and conditions in the context of global trade. Milestones Milestone One: Intermodal Transportation Selection In Module Two, you will write a 3–5 page paper that focuses on the selection and consideration of various modes of transportation. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Analysis of National and Local Infrastructure Impact In Module Four, you will write a 3–5 page paper about the impact transportation has on the economy and vice versa. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Customs Process Overview In Module Five, you will write a 3–5 page paper that requires you to research and to make predictions related to international shipping. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: The Future of Transportation In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric. Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading One Intermodal Transportation Selection Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Two Analysis of National and Local Infrastructure Impact Customs Process Overview Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric Final Submission: Comprehensive Transportation Plan Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric Three Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your final project should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and should be 12–15 pages in length, including a reference page. References and any in-text citations must be formatted in APA (6th edition) style. Critical Elements Modes: Choose Modes: Summarize Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports modal choice with financial data from trustworthy sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and integrates a contingency plan in case additional stocks need to be expedited at some time in the future Modes: Research Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes a decision matrix that justifies the choice Modes: Compare and Contrast Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes a weighted decision matrix to determine which factors should be given greatest attention Proficient (85%) Logically explains choices of transportation to each distribution center Summarizes how to construct an intermodal network to reach distribution center in Munich from Manchester, NH and logically justifies choices of elements Provides a brief overview of chosen transportation vendors, logically justifies choice of vendors, and supports answers with appropriate source(s) Compares and contrasts environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors, includes what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, and logically explains how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another Needs Improvement (55%) Explains choices of transportation to each distribution center but explanation is cursory or illogical Summarizes how to construct an intermodal network but is not specific to Munich and Manchester or justification of choices is illogical Provides an overview of chosen transportation vendors but overview is not brief, or it justifies choice of vendors but justification is not logical Compares and contrasts environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors but comparisons and contrasts are cursory, or does not include what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, or explains how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another but explanation is illogical or cursory Not Evident (0%) Does not explain choices of transportation to each distribution center Value 8 Does not summarize how to construct an intermodal network to reach distribution center in Munich from Manchester, NH and does not justify choice of elements Does not provide a brief overview of chosen transportation vendors and does not justify choice of vendors 8 Does not compare and contrast environmental impacts of chosen transportation vendors, including what weight is applied to consumers’ value judgments, and how these environmental impacts and value judgments interact with one another 8 8 Impact: Infrastructure Impact: Geopolitical Impact: Issues Impact: Compare Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes local, state, and national regulatory issues Logically explains how long-term transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect the transportation plan and supports answers with realworld examples or evidence Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes historic examples of geopolitical issues that inform reasoning Explains how specific current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU and logically explains how it is possible to allay future disruptions, providing support with citations from current news sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation of these issues affects global transportation plan Explains how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plant as demand for the product increases and includes support for answers Meets “Proficient” criteria and specifically addresses maritime and international law Compares the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms and logically explains the ultimate decision made Explains how transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect the transportation plan but explanation is cursory, illogical, or does not account for longterm considerations, or support is not from the real world Explains how current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU but geopolitical factors are not specific, and explains how it is possible to allay future disruptions, but explanation is illogical, or support provided is not from current news sources Explains how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plan but explanation is not focused on times when demand increases or support provided is irrelevant, inappropriate, or missing Compares the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms but comparison is cursory or explanation of the ultimate decision is cursory, illogical, or missing Does not explain how long-term transportation infrastructure sustainability considerations will affect transportation plan 8 Does not explain how specific current and potential geopolitical factors might affect transportation to the EU and does not explain how it is possible to allay future disruptions 8 Does not explain how issues may arise surrounding transportation around the central production plant as demand for the product increases 8 Does not compare the advantages and disadvantages of partnering with domestic and foreign firms 8 Regulation: Analyze Meets “Proficient” criteria and highlights bottlenecks and areas where regulation needs to be improved to simplify the flow of the process Analyzes the current customs process into EU and includes required forms, regulatory agencies, descriptions of each step in process, how the process has changed over time, and how this process might change in the future with defense of rationale Regulation: Summarize Meets “Proficient” criteria and explains the history behind the development of each act and statute Summarizes key acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States, logically explains how these affect the transportation plan, and provides citations of these acts and statutes from primary literature Regulation: Predict Meets “Proficient” criteria and explains how plan can be resilient to changes in regulation Predicts whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient, logically justifies prediction, explains how these changes may affect transportation plan, and supports answer with primary sources Regulation: Terms and Conditions Meets “Proficient” criteria and describes why carriers might negotiate different terms Summarizes terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route and includes logical reasoning for these choices in the context of global trade Analyzes the current customs process into EU but flowchart is missing one or more necessary components (required forms, regulatory agencies, description of each step in process, explanation of how the process has changed over time, speculation of how the process might change over time, or defense of rationale) Summarizes acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States but acts and statutes are not key to regulation, or explains how these acts and statutes affect the transportation plan but explanation is cursory or illogical, or citations provided are irrelevant or not from primary literature Predicts whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient with justification but justification is illogical, explanation of how these changes will affect transportation plan is cursory or illogical, or support provided is irrelevant or inappropriate Summarizes terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route and includes reasoning for choices, but reasoning is illogical or is not framed in the context of global trade Does not analyze the customs process into EU 8 Does not summarize key acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States and does not explain how these affect the transportation plan 8 Does not predict whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient 8 Does not summarize terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route 8 Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas Earned Total Rubric Annotations Term elements Context for Instructor/Definition ports, shipping container, mode, etc. 4 100% QSO 450 Final Project Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric Overview: Transportation is not only a critical component of societies and the global economy, but the effective management of transportation is important to the sustainable success of organizations. Many small and mid-size firms do not have a comprehensive transportation strategy to manage their inputs (such as supplies) or outputs (such as finished goods). Fast-growing firms also stumble during growth phases when customers from across the country or across the globe begin to demand their products. Because there are constant changes in geopolitics, regulations, and business needs, even large multinational organizations require constant evaluation of their transportation networks. In the summative assessment for this course, you will draw from the information covered in the course modules, as well as from relevant research, to develop a comprehensive transportation plan for the scenario provided below. Milestone Three addresses the following course outcomes:   Predict future transportation trends by analyzing the influence of past and current regulatory issues on the transportation industry Develop comprehensive managerial strategies for planning and executing a global transportation network Review: You work for a company in Manchester, NH that manufactures a unique running shoe that has grown in popularity beyond the local region and is now being demanded across the United States. Your current distribution centers are located in Albany, NY, Phoenix, AZ, and Jacksonville, FL. Your company has also begun to receive inquiries from retailers in the European Union that are interested in selling your shoes. To begin selling overseas, your company has partnered with a company that will manage a distribution center in Munich, Germany. While looking into your current distribution plans, you find that you have no comprehensive transportation plan. You see that transportation in your company is typically an afterthought; this will not do if you are going to begin selling across the United States and Europe, as planned. Prompt: For this assessment, you will to continue developing a comprehensive strategy for planning and executing a global transportation network by providing an overview of the current customs procedures for shipping goods to the European Union. You will describe the steps in the process by including agencies, forms, and procedures. Based on trends in transportation, you will predict whether these procedures will become more or less restrictive than their current state and how that would affect your company’s logistical network. Be sure to refer to concepts learned in this course and include additional peer-reviewed research to support your conclusions. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed in this milestone: III. Past and Present Regulation A. Analyze the current customs and clearance process required to move cargo from the United States into the European Union. Be sure to include the required forms and regulatory agencies that are involved, and describe each step of the process. How has this process developed over time? How might this process change in the future, based on what is known of it today? Defend your rationale. B. Summarize the key acts and statutes that act as the basis for transportation regulation in the United States. How might these affect your transportation plan? Be sure to provide citations of these acts and statutes from primary literature. C. Based on the past trends of transportation regulation, do you predict that future transportation regulation will become stricter or more lenient? Why? How will these changes affect your transportation plan? Support your answers with primary sources. D. Summarize the terms and conditions that you would choose for your own international trade route. For example, consider the CISG, Incoterms, and other standardized trade agreements. Include reasoning for your choice of these terms and conditions in the context of global trade. Guidelines for Submission: Your paper should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document and should be 3–5 pages in length, including a reference page. Your paper should include at least three peer-reviewed journal articles or other scholarly sources. References and any in-text citations must be formatted in APA (6th edition) style. Rubric Critical Elements Regulation: Analyze Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria and highlights bottlenecks and areas where regulation needs to be improved to simplify the flow of the process Proficient (85%) Analyzes the current customs process into EU and includes required forms, regulatory agencies, descriptions of each step in process, how the process has changed over time, and how this process might change in the future with defense of rationale Regulation: Summarize Meets “Proficient” criteria and explains the history behind the development of each act and statute Summarizes key acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States, logically explains how these affect the transportation plan, and provides citations of these acts and statutes from primary literature Needs Improvement (55%) Analyzes the current customs process into EU but flowchart is missing one or more necessary components (required forms, regulatory agencies, description of each step in process, explanation of how the process has changed over time, speculation of how the process might change over time, or defense of rationale) Summarizes acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States but acts and statutes are not key to regulation, or explains how these acts and statutes affect the transportation plan but explanation is cursory or illogical, or citations provided are irrelevant or not from primary literature Not Evident (0%) Does not analyze the customs process into EU Value 20 Does not summarize key acts and statutes of transportation regulation in the United States and does not explain how these affect the transportation plan 20 Regulation: Predict Meets “Proficient” criteria and explains how plan can be resilient to changes in regulation Predicts whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient, logically justifies prediction, explains how these changes may affect transportation plan, and supports answer with primary sources Regulation: Terms and Conditions Meets “Proficient” criteria and describes why carriers might negotiate different terms Summarizes terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route and includes logical reasoning for these choices in the context of global trade Sources Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes integrates research clearly and logically into the paper Includes at least three professionally legitimate sources Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-toread format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Predicts whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient with justification but justification is illogical, explanation of how these changes will affect transportation plan is cursory or illogical, or support provided is irrelevant or inappropriate Summarizes terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route and includes reasoning for choices, but reasoning is illogical or is not framed in the context of global trade Includes at least three sources, but some sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not predict whether future transportation regulation will become more strict or lenient 20 Does not summarize terms and conditions that would be chosen for international trade route 20 Includes fewer than three sources OR all sources are not professionally legitimate (i.e., not peer reviewed and/or have uncertain reliability) Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 12 Earned Total 8 100% 
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