SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 821:

  A local, family-owned hardware company has multiple stores throughout a midsize city. Recently, the HR manager for the hardware company was informed by the CEO that a large, publicly traded organization is acquiring the family-owned business. As a result of the acquisition, the HR manager will soon be instructed to lay off employees at various locations. In addition to telling the HR manager, the CEO also informs the store managers at each location. The CEO plans to announce the acquisition at a companywide meeting, but news of the acquisition has already leaked to employees who now feel betrayed by the lack of communication. Store managers are already complaining that employees are engaging in counterproductive work behaviors like showing up late to work, leaving store shelves unorganized, and acting disrespectfully to store managers. The HR manager is concerned about these behaviors since the acquisition will not formally take place for another six months.

  Several employees who heard rumors of the acquisition meet with the HR manager to express their feelings of betrayal. How should the HR manager respond?

  A. Tell the employees it is inappropriate to discuss the acquisition with the HR manager because it has not been formally announced.
  B. Explain to the employees that a formal announcement will be coming soon.
  C. Share with the employees that they should not feel betrayed by rumors related to the acquisition.
  D. Meet with store managers to provide them with advice on how to handle employee concerns related to the acquisition.
  B. Explain to the employees that a formal announcement will be coming soon.

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  Acknowledging their concerns and assuring employees a formal announcement is forthcoming validates their feelings and provides clarity without dismissing their experience.

• Question 822:

  The HR manager meets with an employee to determine the cause of the employee's lack of motivation and declining performance. The employee complains the reasons are due to improper equipment and infrequent feedback from supervisors. What motivation theory best explains the employee's behavior?

  A. Goal-setting
  B. Self-determination
  C. Attribution
  D. Expectancy
  D. Expectancy

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  Expectancy theory explains that lacking proper tools reduces the belief that effort leads to performance (expectancy) and infrequent feedback undermines the perception that performance leads to rewards (instrumentality), causing low motivation.

• Question 823:

  Kia, a senior HR professional was questioned by senior management on the rationale behind a 20% budgetary increase in employee training and professional development activities. The most important reason Kia can supply to ensure senior management's backing of the increase is:

  A. An employee survey indicates that customer complaints is due to insufficient training
  B. Use metrics to indicate a positive correlation between professional development initiatives and achievement of corporate goals
  C. Provide statistics that indicate reduced costs in recruitment and turnover and an increase in employee engagement and morale
  D. Use Kirkpatrick's summative evaluation level of learning to indicate improvements in employee KSAs and expertise
  B. Use metrics to indicate a positive correlation between professional development initiatives and achievement of corporate goals

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  Positive correlation is a relationship between two variables in which they both move in the same direction when one variable decreases, the other variable decreases, or when one variable increases, the other increases. For Kia to sway senior management to approve the increase, she must use metrics to indicate that corporate or strategic goals stand a higher chance of being achieved when a greater investment is made in employee training and professional development initiatives. Note that senior management has a primarily strategic focus.

• Question 824:

  The PRATTLE corporation intends to contract out its recruitment and benefits administration to gain economies of scale and ensure consistency through a reliance on user-friendly technological delivery. Which HR structural alternative does this represent?

  A. dedicated
  B. shared services
  C. center of excellence
  D. functional
  B. shared services

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  With the Shared Services model, each business unit selects what it needs from a menu of transactional HR services that all business units have access to and utilize. The advantages of the Shared Services model are efficiency and consistency in service delivery. This model also helps to reduce costs and foster economies of scale through the centralization of HR services. Note that not all Shared Services structures are housed internally, the model can be provided to an organization via outsourcing.

• Question 825:

  Which of the following HR activities should NOT be outsourced?

  A. Payroll administration
  B. Creation of online employee manuals
  C. Relocation programs for employees
  D. Development of goals and strategies for improving workforce skills
  D. Development of goals and strategies for improving workforce skills

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  Goals and strategies should be managed internally. In several instances, outsourcing is largely restricted to achieving operational efficiencies.

• Question 826:

  Derulic Inc struggles in achieving its strategic and operational objectives due to managers and employees being inconsistent in achieving service level agreements (SLAs), quality management expectations and operational standards. Which of the following must be analyzed to determine how to come up with a solution?

  A. Planning
  B. Controlling
  C. Leading
  D. Organizing
  B. Controlling

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  After strategies are set and plans are made, a manager's primary task is to take steps to ensure that these plans are carried out and modified where necessary. The control function has 3 main steps; establishing standards, measuring performance against these standards, and correcting deviations from the plan and standards. SLAs and quality management standards are a major focus of the control function.

• Question 827:

  Who is most qualified to be assigned to a business development management trainee as a mentor?

  A. HR VP
  B. Sales VP
  C. Executive coach
  D. Corporate training head
  B. Sales VP

• Question 828:

  The CEO of a global corporation recently shares that the essence of a global strategic management is to guarantee a vision that considers the possibilities of every location as a market and as a source of competitive advantage. The CEO further affirms that all functions are expected to be involved in the process. What is the most important role HR will play in supporting global strategic management for this corporation?

  A. Creating HR policies and standards that reinforce global integration versus local responsiveness
  B. Partnering to create the organization's global strategy.
  C. Designing and deploying cultural intelligence training and strategies for local subsidiaries
  D. Ensuring that subsidiary workforces retain their distinctiveness, competences and customize their offerings to meet local business conditions.
  B. Partnering to create the organization's global strategy.

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  HR supports the global strategic management best by partnering with the executive leadership to create a feasible global strategy for the organization. Creating policies, trainings and customizations will only come after HR has worked with the senior leadership to determine the ideal global strategy for the corporation.

• Question 829:

  Taiwo's employer has 120 employees and has federal contracts totaling $120, 000. The employer has delayed Taiwo's FMLA leave until 30 days after Taiwo's FMLA notice was provided. This is most likely due to?

  A. The employer did not receive the required medical certification from Taiwo.
  B. Taiwo is a key employee as defined by the FMLA Act.
  C. Taiwo did not provide at least 30 days advance notice.
  D. Taiwo is seeking an increase in the legitimate duration of FMLA leave.
  C. Taiwo did not provide at least 30 days advance notice.

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  When the need for leave is foreseeable, the employee must give the employer at least 30 days advance notice of the need to take FMLA leave when he or she knows about the need for the leave in advance. When the employee has no reasonable excuse for not providing at least 30 days advance notice, the employer may delay the FMLA leave until 30 days after the date the notice is provided.

• Question 830:

  There has been an increase in resignations from the younger employee population. In exit interviews, the younger employees say that they feel they were overlooked by senior executive management. Which kind of data should HR collect to help measure inclusion?

  A. Representation of each demographic group
  B. Diversity surveys and dashboards
  C. Employees' participation on work-related committees
  D. Actual treatment of employees versus perception
  D. Actual treatment of employees versus perception

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  To help measure inclusion, HR should collect data reflecting how the departing employees were treated and how they feel they were treated by management. This requires both objective data, (i.e. data obtained through observation, physical examination, and laboratory and diagnostic testing) and subjective data (information from the employees' point of view including feelings, perceptions, and interviews). Diversity refers to the traits and characteristics that make people unique while inclusion refers to the behaviors and social norms that ensure people feel welcome.