Achieve Success in the HRCI SPHR Exam: A Detailed Senior Professional in Human Resources Guide

Answer option B is correct.The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to employers with 15 or more employees, and regulates employment practices—including record-keeping and -retention—related to qualified individuals with a disability. EO 11246 (A) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (C) established standards for non-discriminatory employment practices. See Chapter 2 for more information.

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Employee Records Management

Answer option B is correct.

Chapter: Business Management and Strategy

Objective: Strategy

Answer option B is correct.Measures of central tendency such as mean average, moving average, and weighted average are useful when an organization must include outdated information in its analysis. Typically, more weight is assigned to the more current data; or, as new data is added, older criteria are dropped. This allows for a more accurate reflection of the current condition. A trend analysis (A) compares the movement of a single variable over time, for example, the hiring rate from a single recruiting source. Simple linear regression (C) measures the relationship between two variables, such as how many units employees can produce. All techniques can be used for planning and forecasting purposes.

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Review Questions

Answer option D is correct.

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Federal Employment Legislation

Answer option D is correct.To determine whether adverse impact has occurred, multiply the highest selection rate, which is Asian, at 18%, by 4/5 or 80%. (18% × .80=14%)

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Review Questions

Answer option A is correct.A SMART goal is specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-based.

Chapter: Business Management and Strategy

Objective: Review Questions

Answer option A is correct.Vroom explains his theory with three terms: expectancy (the individual's assessment of their ability to achieve the goal), instrumentality (whether the individual believes they are capable of achieving the goal), and valence (whether the anticipated goal is worth the effort required to achieve it). Adams' equity theory (D) states that people are constantly comparing what they put into work to what they get from it. McClelland's acquired needs theory (C) states that people are motivated by one of three factors: achievement, affiliation, or power. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y (B) explain how managers relate to employees. Theory X managers are autocratic, believing that employees do not want to take responsibility. Theory Y managers encourage employees to participate in the decision-making process, believing that they respond to challenges. See Chapters 2 and 5 for more information.

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Motivation Concepts

Answer option A is correct.An income statement, also referred to as a profit and loss statement, provides financial information about revenue and expenses in a set reporting period. The statement of cash flow (D) communicates the ways in which monies came in and out of the organization, and the balance sheet (C) is a thumbnail sketch of assets, liabilities, and equity at a certain time.

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Review Questions

Answer option A is correct.

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Strategic Workforce Planning

Answer option B is correct.

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Staffing Programs

An effective employee communication strategy provides opportunities for top down communication by management and bottom up communication from employees. The given table shows the possible communication delivery methods in the top-down communication and bottom-up communication:

Top-Down Communication

Bottom-Up Communication

Intranet

Open-door policy

Public address system announcements

All-hands meetings

Posters

Staff meetings

Newsletters

Brown-bag lunches

Individual letters to employees

One-on-one meetings

Flyers

Email

Bulletin board postings

Webcasts

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Communication Skills and Strategies

Answer option B is correct.

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Staffing Programs

Answer option A is correct.E-Verify is a system-wide approach to helping employers comply with post-hire documentation regulations. Recertifying (D) and requesting updated documents (B) may be appropriate on a case-by-case basis but neither is a long-term solution to the problem.

Chapter: Workforce Planning and Employment

Objective: Review Questions

Answer option D is correct.As part of the risk assessment, inconsistent policies have been identified (A), a plan for reducing risk has been developed (C), and management has reviewed the plan for reducing risks (B). After the assessment is complete, the company may decide to purchase insurance, self-insure, or mitigate the risk by making operational changes.

Chapter: Core Knowledge Requirements for HR Professionals

Objective: Review Questions