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SHRM Exam Study Guide – Question and Answers with Explanation

1. A customer service call center implemented a customer relationship management (CRM) system. Each time a customer calls in with a problem, the customer service representative places notes on the account’s record, which is accessible for any employee who views the account notes in the future. What is this an example of?
2. Which of the following best describes HR’s role in organizational development (OD)?
3. A hospital system implemented a patient billing system. Since the implementation, there have been several billing errors and an increase in patient costs. The chief technology officer is adamant that it is not the software but rather inadequate employee training on the use of the new patient billing system that is the cause of the billing issues. Which Six Sigma improvement process applies in this case?
4. Which of the four branches of emotional intelligence is understanding emotion?
5. The global HR professional can play a major role supporting strategic management by
6. A global integration strategy benefits an organization in that it allows it to:
7. Which type of discrimination occurs when an applicant or employee is treated differently because of his or her membership in a protected class?
8. For the 2014 fiscal year an organization employs 6,000 people. During this same time period, 220 employees were separated from the company. What is the turnover ratio?
9. One of the competitive advantages of a small marketing company is its highly capable IT department. The company has been able to leverage the IT competencies to secure additional client business and has a dozen projects on the horizon. HR in collaboration with IT has determined that it is time to implement an HRIS. At this stage of development, the organization’s needs are relatively standard. Which of the following would be the best choice in this scenario?
10. A works council has a supervisory board where half the board members are workers. The supervisory board rejects a recommended change to the working hours of entry-level employees. Which codetermination corporate governance model is described here?
11. The following concept is the foundation of employment branding. It answers the question as to why a talented person would want to work for a particular organization.
12. Globally, what is the most common type of employment relationship?
13. What does an employer’s duty of care obligation mean?
14. Which of the following statements correctly summarizes the evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR)?
15. A healthcare consulting company has almost quadrupled in size in the last 5 years, from 68 employees to 220 employees. The chief HR officer decides to implement an HRIS system to provide key leaders with better data for use in making strategic decisions. What HR functions can an HRIS effectively handle?
16. A global organization groups its core functions by service line. Which of the following best describes this organizational structure?
17. Hofstede’s Dimensions of Culture describes power distance as the:
18. Many countries across the globe have laws prohibiting employment discrimination that follow two very different principles; the first is called equal opportunity where all groups have an equal exposure to opportunities without discrimination. The second legal principle is called reservation, which is recognized as providing:
19. Which of the following exceptions to the application of Title VII antidiscrimination principles includes a requirement that a business practice must be job-related and required by business necessity?
20. What is the purpose of a risk scorecard?
21. What is the best approach to union avoidance?
22. Which judgmental forecast prevents skewed results due to “groupthink”?
23. Brain drain is a term that defines which of the following statements?
24. What is the best way to teach a kinesthetic learner?
25. A unionized bakery is acquired by a nonunion bakery in an at-will employment jurisdiction. As part of the due diligence process, what financial risks should HR give consideration to and why?
26. Success factors used in job descriptions describe:
27. The statement “We aspire to be a great place to work for all employees” is an example of _______________.
28. An employee opinion survey is a survey that:
29. What best describes the rationale in support of fair, humane, and compliant separations from employment in a downsizing situation?
30. A financial services company expects 30 percent growth each year for the next 5 years, which means an increase in staff by 200 percent. Which of the following is the key consideration in selecting a human resource information system (HRIS) in this case?
31. Exploring a series of “if-then” scenarios versus considering “what-if” scenarios is a potential barrier to risk management that is categorized as what?
32. At what stage of the Organizational Effectiveness & Development (OED) process would you define the objectives of the OED program?
33. Sail Fleet Shipping recently implemented a new HRIS. Which of the following describes a security measure the company should take to ensure protection of employees’ personal data?
34. What areas does the social audit, another triple bottom-line application for self-evaluation, examine?
35. Which of the following is a true statement with respect to succession planning?
36. HR’s tools in influencing employee and management practices include the four Ts (travel, teams, training, and transfers). Which T best addresses working on international projects as a way of developing cross-cultural management skills?
37. What is the emotion needed in an organization that involves moving from self-awareness to awareness and acceptance of the importance and legitimacy of emotions in others called?
38. Which of the following exceptions to the application of Title VII antidiscrimination principles includes a requirement that a business practice must be job-related and required by business necessity?
39. Under the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (“Uniform Guidelines”), adverse impact occurs when the selection rate for an employment decision works to the disadvantage of a protected class. What is the selection rate that determines a protected class has been adversely impacted?
40. A charter school network goes through a reduction in force (RIF) of all educational resource teachers because of a loss of state funding. What is the most strategic support that HR can provide to school administrators with respect to supporting the morale of the retained employees?
41. Some organizations make sure that the key performance indicators they use to evaluate organizational strategy are aligned with various sources of value through a technique called:
42. What is a participatory learning method called in which a group of learners, sitting in the center of a circle, debate or discuss a topic while the remaining learners observe the discussion?
43. HR wants to encourage the number of innovative ideas submitted by employees throughout the year. Which of the following employee relations strategies work best to achieve increased employee participation?
44. Cherry picking is a term that:
45. Which of the following best describes the purpose of a risk register?
46. What role can HR best play in the process of identifying risks in the workplace?
47. An employee of a national coffee reseller was recently denied a promotion. Since then he has made several negative statements about the company culture, pay, and promotional opportunities via multiple social media websites. The facilities manager wants HR’s support in discouraging this type of communication by other employees. As the HR director, how would you address this concern?
48. Which methodology identifies bottlenecks one at a time until a company achieves the desired goal?
49. What is the purpose of performing an HR audit?
50. Which of the following best describes HR’s role in organizational development (OD)?
51. The words integrity, teamwork, and superior customer service would likely be a part of _______________.
52. What is the purpose of a SWOT analysis?
53. What is the purpose of a risk scorecard?
54. Management and leadership differ in that:
55. Which of the following is an internal recruiting source?
56. What is the basis of Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory?
57. A global organization groups its core functions by service line. Which of the following best describes this organizational structure?
58. Which of the following evaluation methods provides the most valuable measurement information?
59. Which layer of diversity addresses characteristics assigned at birth such as gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, ethnicity, race, and age?
60. To provide expert consultation to the organization, an HR professional must understand how other functions in the organization perform their work. Which of the following is a core business function typically found in organizations?