SHRM CP Questions

How has the sustainability movement changed organizations' relations with their stakeholders?

A broader range of stakeholders is now considered, allowing for a more active role in shaping policies and goals.

Which best demonstrates the development phase of the employee life cycle?

A manager and an employee are working together to develop objectives and goals for the employee to attain.

Which solution would best resolve a growing problem with absenteeism?

Administering the organization's attendance policy consistently

Which should be the first step in creating an organization's philanthropic strategy as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy?

Aligning philanthropic activities with strategy and values

A CEO assigns employees to participate in fund-raising for a nonprofit school for students with learning disabilities. The company provides time off and covers the employees' expenses. Employee contributions and school accomplishments are communicated in newsletters and at annual meetings. How could this attempt at community involvement be improved?

Allow employees more voice in choosing the community involvement partner.

How does HR support strategic management in a global organization?

By implementing processes to increase integration and knowledge exchange

What is the difference between career management and career planning?

Career management focuses on the organization's needs; career planning focuses on the individual's needs.

Which initial step should an HR director recommend to best support a global pay-for-performance initiative?

Clear, meaningful, and challenging goal setting

What has become a popular solution to the problem of the volume of data created by big data strategies?

Cloud computing

An organization is considering restructuring its sales function to align its salespeople against key vertical markets. HR is charged with exploring this initiative. What should it do first?

Complete an environmental scan.

A manager approves a training course on the condition that it includes some way of ensuring that the training reinforces critical learning objectives. Which strategy should an HR manager employ to best meet the manager's needs?

Conducting a pilot program for a limited group

A municipality enacts certain employee benefit requirements. An organization operates in municipalities in regions all around the country. The HR director must decide how to address this situation. What legal concept does this situation represent?

Conflict of laws

Which recruitment metric can help to assess the economic value of filling an open position?

Cost per hire

What is the primary driver of aligning the HR business unit and functional area strategies to the organizational strategy?

Creating a line of sight between individual work and organizational results

What challenge to effective cross-cultural communication is faced by an organization that believes that its way is the best way and that lacks interest in other ways of reaching a goal?

Cultural Ethnocentrism

A global organization implements a clothing policy that sets general guidelines for a neat appearance and safety in the workplace but allows regional management to issue appropriate expectations for the local operations. Which does this action illustrate?

Cultural relativism

Which type of HR structure allows organizations with different strategies in multiple units to apply HR expertise to each unit's specific strategic needs?

Dedicated

When designing training for any new technology system, which activities will have the greatest impact on knowledge retention?

Demonstration and structured exercises

In order to approach global assignments from a strategic-systematic perspective, which action should HR take?

Develop future executives with essential global perspectives.

A salesperson takes a personal phone call while a customer needs help. Which is the best approach the supervisor should take when providing feedback to the salesperson?

Discuss the incident with the salesperson immediately and in private, reminding them of policy on personal phone calls.

Which best describes the benefit of using an employee resource group (ERG) for an organization looking to expand global market share?

ERGs provide valuable insights into the needs of the organization's diverse markets.

Which occupation is considered nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act?

Electrician

HR has noticed a higher-than-normal rate of voluntary terminations and determined that this warrants investigation. Plans are made to survey the employees. Which type of survey would best determine reasons for the employee departures?

Engagement survey

Which approach should help the change process go more smoothly?

Ensuring that employees have input into change alternatives

When administered in the same way in different countries, which assessment approach would provide the most consistent results in collecting information on job candidates?

Evaluation of work samples

Which factor is essential for the success of a diversity and inclusion initiative?

Executive commitment

A new competitor entered the market and attracted many of a manufacturing organization's employees with higher hourly wages. The organization's HR team has revised the staffing plan. Which data could alert HR to the need for further revisions?

Exit Interviews

Which activity is critical to ensure that strategy is implemented effectively?

Feedback on strategic initiatives is obtained on a regular basis from all parts of the organization.

A manager has been assigned to lead a team of employees in organizing corporate-wide participation for a community event next month. The manager knows that in order to meet the goals of the effort, she must make sure that the tasks and expectations are clear and that she provides plenty of direction. What leadership theory is the manager following?

Fiedler's contingency theory

For which position and in which situation would a stress interview be most appropriate?

For emergency room nurses, where behaviors can have life or death consequences

Which example illustrates strategic drift?

Front-line managers continue to perpetuate old ways of doing things and fail to address changing external forces.

Which statement best describes how HR can enhance its social media policies?

Gather information from throughout the organization about possible risks.

Which is the best example of indirect compensation?

Granting compensatory time off to a salaried employee for extra hours worked

Which court case established the criteria for disparate impact?

Griggs v. Duke Power

Which activity best illustrates HR's strategic role in managing organizational risk?

HR conducts a workshop with other functions to identify potential upside and downside risks under the workforce management plan.

Engagement drivers differ from country to country, making it important to understand cultural differences that may influence survey results. In a multinational organization, in which type of culture may employee surveys be less acceptable?

Hierarchical

The HR generalist at a regional bank informs managers when fully qualified candidates apply for jobs. Although there may not be any current openings, HR and position-specific managers will screen candidates and determine next steps. How can HR reliably predict when an opening is likely to occur?

Historical data of movement

A manager has lost several staff members to a competitor in the last quarter but continues to meet her team targets. Which type of report can HR share to ease this manager's dismay over losing staff?

Human capital value added

HR in an English-speaking location is planning to launch critical training in multiple languages. What is the strongest strategy for an HR professional trying to manage the risk of not meeting a training launch date?

Identify and pre-certify multiple translation options.

An organization needs to prioritize spending for its risk management initiatives. Which is the first step the HR leader should take?

Identifying processes and individuals critical to the organization's delivery of value

Which recommendation should HR provide to assist an organization that wants a benefit plan that manages increased costs without sacrificing employee morale?

Initiate several representative focus groups to determine preferences.

How does HR make sure that organizational effectiveness and development (OED) interventions deliver value?

Intervention objectives link outcomes to organizational goals.

While training a new staff member, an HR manager emphasizes that the staff member should always confirm with a line manager by phone call or email when a request has been resolved. Why is this especially important?

It reinforces HR's service and value to its internal business partners.

Which organizational initiative should HR recommend to resolve glass ceiling issues for women?

Leadership development and mentoring programs

Which is an advantage of blended learning over only instructor-led training?

Less expensive to deliver

What is the chain of command?

Line of authority within an organization

When designing a training program, which should a global HR professional consider first?

Local differentiation and stakeholder support

Which strategy should HR recommend to embrace diversity in the workforce at a greenfield operation?

Local responsiveness

What demonstrates the use of artificial intelligence in an organization?

Machine learning chatbot that answers benefit questions and gets smarter as it collects more information

Which best describes how management differs from leadership?

Management maintains order, while leadership produces and manages change.

An elder care service organization is challenged with retention of staff. Recently the service director left the organization with little notice. HR wants to prepare for future unplanned vacancies to avoid any disruption in client services. What is the best way for HR to mitigate this risk?

Managers can cross-train a subordinate.

Which is the best method for an HR compensation manager to use to evaluate the jobs and salary ranges of the organization's key positions compared to those of its competitors?

Market-based evaluation to establish the worth of positions

An HR business partner (BP) knows that HR is struggling to improve its relationship with the operations function. The BP receives an e-mail from an operations supervisor who refuses to implement a disciplinary action that the BP has recommended. What should the BP do?

Meet with the supervisor and explain the rationale for taking disciplinary action.

A Taiwanese manufacturer of electronic components for major global brands has production locations in several countries, including Vietnam, Turkey, Mexico, and the United States. What offshoring trend does this exemplify?

Multidirectional shift in the flow of offshoring jobs to and from developed and emerging economies

An expatriate has transferred to another country for a temporary assignment. She assumes that her colleagues in the new location will value timeliness just as her colleagues in the home country do. Therefore, she interprets the slow response to e-mails and requests in the host country as unprofessional. She becomes frustrated with her colleagues, inhibiting collaboration and the development of relationships among her new team. This example indicates a lack of understanding and exploration of what type of culture?

National Culture

A scientist is hired to perform research for a new product at a pharmaceutical company. Which clause is most critical to include in the employment contract?

Non-disclosure of trade secrets and other confidential information

An organization with unionized and non-unionized workers negotiates a union contract that includes early retirement benefits and a 10% reduction in starting wages for new employees. Which should the organization likely expect as a result?

Non-unionized workers will expect similar terms.

A new division manager wants to terminate a new employee for borrowing work equipment for personal use, an act specifically prohibited in the employee handbook. This has happened before, but, in that case, the employee was not terminated. Which action should HR recommend the manager take?

Not proceeding with the termination because it may not be defensible

Which statement exemplifies Hersey-Blanchard's situational leadership theory?

Over time individuals require a different type of direction and leadership.

An exit interview assessment finds that the primary reason employees leave is for better total rewards offered at other organizations. Which is the best action HR should take to gather information on competitive total rewards packages to potentially offer its employees?

Participate in an external remuneration survey to assess the competitiveness of the organization's current offerings.

How should an HR manager address an employee's concern about pay equity between his job and the job of another employee with a similar role?

Perform a job evaluation of the employee's position.

How can HR support an organization's technological challenges during an acquisition?

Perform due diligence on HR information systems used in the acquired company.

A HR business partner receives an e-mail from the director of finance, asking for tax documents for an employee who needs the forms promptly to obtain a mortgage. The business partner has never communicated with the director before, but the department policy is to respond promptly to internal customers. What should the business partner do?

Phone the individual's office and offer assistance.

Which is the best way for an HR professional to persuade a function to embrace changes in work processes that are part of an organizational effectiveness intervention?

Presenting the changes as necessary to maintaining competitiveness

An HR manager leads a three-person team that is designing new audit processes and tools. One member who is new to the organization argues forcefully for approaches that she used in her previous job. The other two team members complain off-line to the team leader, saying that the new member does not listen and just wants to do things in a familiar way. What should the team leader do?

Promptly and privately meet with the new member and discuss project goals and team ground rules.

An HR manager observes that a staff member spends considerable time following up on compliance questions from line managers and supervisors. How should the manager respond?

Provide positive feedback to motivate this type of behavior.

Which is the best justification for offshoring production to another country to remain competitive?

Proximity to new markets will lower costs.

A stock brokerage firm incents in-house brokers with trips if they generate more than $500,000 worth of sales in a particular fund that the firm currently owns 20% in. Management asks HR to comment on the program. What should HR recommend?

Recommend that this unethical practice stop and discuss alternative incentive plans.

An organization has experienced rapid growth, hampering its ability to respond quickly to competitive threats. Which form of restructuring will offer the best opportunity to minimize response times?

Redistributing decision-making authority

The HR department monitors the emergency response plans and updates them as needed, at least annually. Which is the best way to evaluate the plan as part of the annual review?

Rehearsing drills of the plan

What legal principle is followed by national policies requiring affirmative action to prevent discrimination?

Reservation

Which factor differentiates successful training programs from unsuccessful programs?

Results showing transfer of learning

An American multinational corporation known for its big, premium-priced ultrasound scanners (designed for use in U.S. hospitals) introduces a cheaper and portable version in emerging markets. The portable scanner also creates new markets in the U.S., for example, in small hospitals and for immobile patients. What globalization force does this exemplify?

Reverse Innovation

A mature organization has relied on stable processes that supported its current success. One of these processes is succession planning. This HR team has followed a strategy of identifying effective higher-level managers and grooming them for leadership positions. If you were a new HR manager assigned to lead this team, what would you advise?

Review the succession planning strategy to ensure alignment with current business conditions.

A company identifies a need for training on unlawful harassment for front-line supervisors as one aspect of an OED intervention. Which best describes the organizational impact of this activity?

Risk will be mitigated because front-line supervisors will be equipped to recognize, correct, and report harassing behaviors.

Which of the following employment practices would an HR director recommend to increase employees' behavioral engagement levels?

Select applicants with an interest in solving problems and ensure challenging work.

The HR director and the management team of a small resort hotel have been working to solidify a union avoidance strategy. As this is occurring, they discover that a union's representatives are talking with the employees about organizing. Which action should the HR director recommend the resort take in response to the union activity?

Share the company's position and the union's strategy with the employees honestly.

A European employee travels to transfer company technology for a manufacturing process. The employee remains on home-country compensation and benefit plans while on assignment. Incentives include one trip home every 12 weeks to visit family that remained at home. What type of global assignee is this individual?

Short-term assignee

An HR manager is negotiating a new contract with a recruiter. The HR manager has a specific budget and is responsible to management for the use of this budget and for meeting organizational diversity goals. The HR manager also has demanding internal clients who do not understand it when an open position is not filled promptly. In the past, HR has always worked with a designated liaison, but the recruiter does not want to commit to that. In this scenario, what would be considered a "want" rather than a "need"?

Single Liaison

Which practice should have the best potential to decrease talent acquisition costs and increase an organization's ability to compete for skilled employees?

Staying current with labor market and economic trends

Which is the difference between a strategic alliance and a joint venture?

Strategic alliances do not involve equity; joint ventures require that both partners contribute equity.

Two team members continually disagree about project decisions impacting work duties and tasks. The team leader meets with the employee relations director to seek advice on the best course of action to resolve this situation. Which is the best conflict management approach for the ER director to recommend?

Suggest that the team leader meet with both employees and mediate a mutually acceptable solution.

Under the system of codetermination, whose approval is required by management prior to implementing strategic plans?

Supervisory board

As part of a software company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, during non-working hours employees volunteer time and expertise helping low-income people build their own small businesses. Participation has been consistent but at a very low level. What recommendation should HR make to assist the company in increasing employee involvement?

Support employee participation with paid time off.

Technology automates many HR tasks, shrinking the HR department. Yet, as HR evolves from transactional to transformational work, the workload may increase and become more complex. Staff may complain about being overloaded. Which is the best way to solve this problem?

Support training to help HR staff make full use of available technology.

Which is the most advantageous outcome of employers treating employees with care and respect during termination of employment?

The employees may return to the organization, and they will require little training.

How does the Global Integration-Local Responsiveness (GI-LR) matrix aid HR in developing policies and determining staffing needs?

The globalization strategy reflected in the matrix helps define HR's role at headquarters and subsidiaries.

How does an organization's adoption of the Global Reporting Initiative Standards for reporting corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance benefit HR?

The standards enable comparison of different organizations' CSR performance.

Which is an advantage of having job descriptions in a global environment?

They expedite forecasting of current and projected staffing.

Which of the following is the primary reason to conduct stay interviews with employees?

To address issues that affect engagement and retention

What is the ultimate function of executive management?

To be responsible for all core business functions and their effect on the organization's performance

Which is the most appropriate reason for an HR professional to create a business case?

To secure budget and resources for a proposed project

How is a growth-share matrix used in a large organization?

To understand the competitive position and value of each sector of the business

Contrary to policy, disciplinary actions taken by supervisors in the last year were not documented and terminations within the past six months have not been reviewed. Which action should a new HR manager take after learning about this situation?

Training supervisors and monitoring to ensure compliance

An HR director is creating a talent acquisition strategy. What should the director do first to incorporate risk management into the plan?

Understand the organization's risk appetite and tolerance.

How are the concepts of value and the value chain related to strategy?

Value chain analysis identifies areas critical to strategic success.

A new HR manager is eager to win support for her idea for a new employee benefit. Which type of colleague would be a good ally in this situation?

Veteran HR manager familiar with how decisions are made and with connections in other areas

Which of the following terms describes the impact on an employer when an employee reports an incident of workplace harassment by a supervisor but the supervisor fails to act on it?

Vicarious liability

An HR manager is preparing a risk management plan for a manufacturing floor. The manager has reviewed accident records from the past five years and talked with an insurer. Which approach to obtain additional useful information is best?

Walk through the area and observe conditions during work operations.

Which aspect of communication is a primary focus in low-context cultures?

Words