SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 971:

  Hadassah has been tasked to create a strategic training for senior management using the ADDIE model of instructional design. For this training to achieve maximum impact, what is the first step the Hadassah should take when creating the training?

  A. Obtain executive management's support
  B. Establish organizational and individual requirements
  C. Ensure the training objectives is in sync with the organization's strategic objectives
  D. Incorporate best-practice executive training tools such as executive coaching, assessment centers and peer review
  B. Establish organizational and individual requirements

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  Establishing organizational and individual requirements is a vital step in a training needs analysis. Training needs analysis is the first stage in the training process and involves a series of steps that reveal whether training will help to solve problem which has been identified. The training needs analysis will identify what knowledge, skills and Abilities are required to meet business objectives, what are the current capabilities of employees, what skills are needed in the future; and what are the ways to close training gaps. Note that the most important step is often obtaining executive management support but this question asks for the first step.

• Question 972:

  Which of the following may be an illegal practice, per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

  A. Firing an employee after a random drug test reveals a use of codeine, a pain prescription
  B. Firing an employee who has been diagnosed with alcoholism, for being drunk on the job
  C. Requiring an applicant to undergo a medical exam after a provisional job offer
  D. Requiring an applicant to undergo a drug test before a job offer
  A. Firing an employee after a random drug test reveals a use of codeine, a pain prescription

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  Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act specifically permits employers to ensure that the workplace is free from the illegal use of drugs and the use of alcohol, and to comply with other federal laws and regulations regarding drug and alcohol use. At the same time, the ADA provides limited protection from discrimination for recovering drug abusers and for alcoholics. An individual who is currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs is not an "individual with a disability" when the employer acts on the basis of such use. An employer may not discriminate against a person who has a history of drug addiction but who is not currently using drugs and who has been rehabilitated. An employer may prohibit the illegal use of drugs and the use of alcohol at the workplace. It is not a violation of the ADA for an employer to give tests for the illegal use of drugs. An employer may discharge or deny employment to persons who currently engage in the illegal use of drugs. Individuals who abuse alcohol may be considered disabled under the ADA if the person is an alcoholic or a recovering alcoholic.

• Question 973:

  During which stage of the organizational life cycle are neither long-term or short-term incentives typically used and base salary as well as benefits are at or below market level?

  A. Growth
  B. Maturity
  C. Introduction
  D. Decline
  D. Decline

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  An organization enters the decline phase when it experiences continuous reduction in resources and revenue over a substantial period of time. Stagnation can be defined as a state with no growth, fewer but dedicated customers, few competitors, a niche market or availability. The Decline stage is market by declining sales and profitability. It is often preceded by market stagnation and firms begin to decline with them. Profitability drops because of the external challenges and because of the lack of innovation. Firms in the decline stage react to adversity in their markets by becoming stagnant. Decision making is characterized by extreme conservatism. There is little innovation, an abhorrence of risk taking, and a reluctance even to imitate competitors' innovations, let alone lead the way.In the Introduction stage, the firm seeks to build product awareness and develop a market for the product. In the Growth stage, the firm seeks to build brand preference and increase market share. At Maturity, the primary objective is to defend market share while maximizing profit. During the Decline stage, the firm generally has three options: maintain, harvest or discontinue.

• Question 974:

  Which activity expands an employee's job by providing more control responsibility, and discretion?

  A. Shadowing
  B. Job enrichment
  C. Succession planning
  D. Job enlargement
  B. Job enrichment

• Question 975:

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

  A. Extended organization
  B. Redistribution of decision-making authority
  C. Merger or acquisition
  D. Downsizing
  B. Redistribution of decision-making authority

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  Redistribution of decision-making authority "in this case, shifting authority downward toward line managers or outward from headquarters to the field" will shorten response time. Using an extended organization structure may decrease response time since aligning with external partners can be challenging. Growing more through a merger will make the need for restructuring more necessary. Costs are not the issue, and downsizing is not the organization's strategy.

• Question 976:

  When it comes to onboarding new employees, which of the following actions contribute significantly to the dissemination of organizational values?

  A. Recruit and hire employees who have excellent communication and teamwork skills
  B. Utilize the employee orientation to communicate the organization's philosophy
  C. Create metrics that measure the culture's communication effectiveness
  D. Conduct an employee engagement survey to measure employee opinions
  B. Utilize the employee orientation to communicate the organization's philosophy

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  Business philosophy is the set of principles and beliefs that determine how a mission or a purpose is to be achieved. An organization's philosophy states the beliefs, concepts and principles of an organization.

• Question 977:

  A company is experiencing high turnover in its leadership roles. The chief human resource officer (CHRO) creates a plan to fill vacant leadership roles with high-performing managers. As part of the plan, the company's three VPs are each asked to choose a high-performing manager from their respective departments. Each VP will train and mentor this manager until the manager is ready to take a leadership role. The plan also involves the CHRO interviewing each high- performing manager to ensure the manager demonstrates the competencies required for leadership. The CEO approves the plan and asks the CHRO to oversee its implementation.

  A VP tells the CHRO that some managers in the VP's department seem less engaged and motivated because they were not selected to be mentored. Which action should the CHRO take to address the low engagement and motivation of managers?

  A. Send an email to the VP's department stating the company appreciates every manager.
  B. Tell the managers in the VP's department to meet with HR if they have any concerns.
  C. Inform the managers in the VP's department that more leadership roles may become available in the future.
  D. Request that the VP meet with each manager who seems less engaged to discuss why.
  D. Request that the VP meet with each manager who seems less engaged to discuss why.

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  Having the VP meet one-on-one with each disengaged manager uncovers individual concerns and demonstrates investment in their development, restoring engagement more effectively than broad communications.

• Question 978:

  A __________ is highly centralized and subsidiaries are often very dependent on the Headquarters.

  A. multidomestic organization
  B. transnational organization
  C. global organization
  D. international organization
  C. global organization

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  Global companies are highly centralized and subsidiaries are often very dependent on the Headquarters. Global companies offer a standardized product worldwide and have the goal to maximize efficiencies in order to reduce costs as much as possible. The main role of the branches is to implement the headquarter decisions.

• Question 979:

  A HR manager of Terrain Inc., a personal goods retail company has to go on FMLA leave to care for her mother who suffered a fall. The HR manager asks a HR professional in the department to collaborate on her behalf with a consultancy firm to provide recommendations to management on employee engagement. The consultancy firm has conducted a focus group with 15% of support employees and 5% of line employees. The HR professional upon reviewing the firm's work believes the firm's method is insufficient to gather the full information needed to create an effective solution. The HR professional determines that a different data collection method is necessary.

  The HR professional chooses to carry out a survey of all employees, proceeds to obtain the support of the CEO, CFO, and COO and makes a presentation to the senior executive team . The senior executive team approves the HR professional's initiative, the survey is carried out, and 85% of the employees respond to the survey. Impressed with the survey exercise, the CEO shares the survey results with the consultancy firm and requests that the firm works closely with the HR professional in the implementation phase.

  The HR manager returns from leave and is impressed with the survey carried out by the HR professional. The HR manager states that surveys had previously been ineffective because of a low response rate. The HR professional most likely took what action before administering the survey to ensure its high response rate?

  A. Determined the metrics and analytics that would be used to interpret the results.
  B. Assured employees of anonymity and confidentiality of response.
  C. Benchmarked the outcomes against those of similar organizations.
  D. Communicated the purpose of the survey.
  D. Communicated the purpose of the survey.

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  An employee survey will have a high response rate when its purpose is clearly communicated to employees. Employee surveys should also have clear objectives and actionable questions. Note the term "before" in the question. Metrics and analytics may not impact the response rate but clear communication on its purpose will increase response rates.

• Question 980:

  The Rose Scent Store has all HR personnel located within an HR department from where they deliver services to the entire organization. The Rose Scent Store has a;

  A. Dedicated Structure
  B. Mechanistic Structure
  C. Centralized Structure
  D. Functional Structure
  C. Centralized Structure

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  The Centralized HR Structure has all HR personnel located within an HR department from where they deliver services to the entire organization.