C720 Operations and Supply Chain Management OA Prep
Guide 2025 Western Governors University
, Operations and Supply Chain Management – C720 OA PREP Guide
This guide is designed to help you prepare for the objective assessment for C720. It is not to be
used as a substitution for the coursework, but rather an additional resource.
• Make an appointment with a Course Instructor by clicking one of the names below.
Dr. Derrick Haywood Dr. Keith Wade
• If this content is completely new to you, these 2 courses from Lynda.com are great for further
understanding of Supply Chain and Operations (You have a free account with your WGU credentials). If
you are logged into the WGU portal, you will be logged in automatically after clicking the links. If you
receive a login error, remove “my.” from your email address. Simply add “@wgu.edu” instead.
o Course 1
o Course 2
Watch the videos for this course by clicking here.
• All Competency titles have embedded links to the course text.
• Best Practices (text highlighted as such includes a video link)
• Test your knowledge on Quizlet (we have verified this link):
https://quizlet.com/213802797/c720-operations-and-supply-chain-managment-flash-cards/
, Competency 1 – Operational Strategies (23%)
• Product design is the determination of the characteristics, features, and performance of the
product.
• Product technology is the application of knowledge to improve the product.
, • Relative advantage is defined as the difference between the lowest cost producer and the
next-lowest cost producer.
• Ethics are a sense of what is right and wrong that guide behavior. This set of standards is
often more stringent than legal standards.
• Sustainability is defined broadly in operations and supply chain management as the ethical
issues an organization faces to balance financial performance while maintaining social
responsibility standards and a responsible environmental profile.
• A competitive advantage is a capability that customers value, such as short delivery lead-
time or high product quality that gives an organization an edge against its competition.
o Some scholars use the acronym VIRAL as a framework for competitive advantage. The
advantage must provide Value to consumers; it should be Inimitable (not easily
imitated), Rare, and an organization must have the Aptitude (capability) and Lifespan
(sustainability) to earn appropriate returns on the advantage.
• SWOT Analysis is a simple but useful technique for analyzing an organization's strengths and
weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that it faces. It helps a company focus on its
Guide 2025 Western Governors University
, Operations and Supply Chain Management – C720 OA PREP Guide
This guide is designed to help you prepare for the objective assessment for C720. It is not to be
used as a substitution for the coursework, but rather an additional resource.
• Make an appointment with a Course Instructor by clicking one of the names below.
Dr. Derrick Haywood Dr. Keith Wade
• If this content is completely new to you, these 2 courses from Lynda.com are great for further
understanding of Supply Chain and Operations (You have a free account with your WGU credentials). If
you are logged into the WGU portal, you will be logged in automatically after clicking the links. If you
receive a login error, remove “my.” from your email address. Simply add “@wgu.edu” instead.
o Course 1
o Course 2
Watch the videos for this course by clicking here.
• All Competency titles have embedded links to the course text.
• Best Practices (text highlighted as such includes a video link)
• Test your knowledge on Quizlet (we have verified this link):
https://quizlet.com/213802797/c720-operations-and-supply-chain-managment-flash-cards/
, Competency 1 – Operational Strategies (23%)
• Product design is the determination of the characteristics, features, and performance of the
product.
• Product technology is the application of knowledge to improve the product.
, • Relative advantage is defined as the difference between the lowest cost producer and the
next-lowest cost producer.
• Ethics are a sense of what is right and wrong that guide behavior. This set of standards is
often more stringent than legal standards.
• Sustainability is defined broadly in operations and supply chain management as the ethical
issues an organization faces to balance financial performance while maintaining social
responsibility standards and a responsible environmental profile.
• A competitive advantage is a capability that customers value, such as short delivery lead-
time or high product quality that gives an organization an edge against its competition.
o Some scholars use the acronym VIRAL as a framework for competitive advantage. The
advantage must provide Value to consumers; it should be Inimitable (not easily
imitated), Rare, and an organization must have the Aptitude (capability) and Lifespan
(sustainability) to earn appropriate returns on the advantage.
• SWOT Analysis is a simple but useful technique for analyzing an organization's strengths and
weaknesses and the opportunities and threats that it faces. It helps a company focus on its
