Certified Production & Operations Manager (POM) Practice Exam

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the Certified Production and Operations Manager Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions. Each question includes hints and thorough explanations. Ace your exam today!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.


Which of the following is an external product development strategy?

  1. Vertical integration

  2. Alliances

  3. Cost leadership

  4. Market penetration

The correct answer is: Alliances

Alliances are an external product development strategy because they involve collaborating with other organizations to enhance capabilities, resources, or knowledge to facilitate new product development. Through alliances, companies can share risks, access new markets, and leverage complementary strengths, making it easier to innovate and bring new products to market. In contrast, vertical integration refers to a company's internal strategy where it takes ownership of its supply chain processes, including production and distribution. This is focused on consolidating operations internally rather than collaborating with external partners. Cost leadership and market penetration primarily relate to competitive positioning and market strategy, respectively, rather than the development of products through external collaborations. Therefore, alliances stand out as the strategy that emphasizes partnership and external collaboration for product development success.