SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources [Paperback]

Larry Phillips (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0789734974 | ISBN-13: 978-0789734976 | Publication Date: December 20, 2005

Score higher on your SPHR exam with the most comprehensive book on the market. The SPHR Exam Prep is the most comprehensive SPHR book on the market. Written by Larry Phillips, a leading expert on the SPHR exam, each exam objective is thoroughly detailed, providing you with the exact information you need to know to score higher on your exam.

 

The SPHR Exam Prep also features the Exam Prep Proven Method of Study, which includes Exam Alerts, tips, notes, sidebars, hundreds of SPHR practice questions, relevant exercises, review breaks, a glossary, objective reference sheet, a practice exam CD, and a full practice exam in the book. The book provides succinct information regarding the various sub-disciplines of the body of knowledge of Human Resource Management and emphasized those areas that are covered on the SPHR examination.

 

The SPHR Exam Prep will help you assess your exam readiness with practice exam questions along with helping you develop effective study habits tailored for SPHR exam preparation. As an HR professor, the author has unique and time-tested methods that will help you make effective use of your time and preferred learning styles. This book will serve as the perfect complement to the larger and very deep SPHR training courses that exist today. The SPHR Exam Prep book will cut to the chase and tell you what you need to know in order to pass the exam and what content to focus on should you attend larger training courses.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Larry Phillips (SPHR) has extensive experience as a Human Resource Management (HR) manager at both the tactical and strategic level. He has taught numerous PHR/SPHR certification classes under the auspices of the Society for Human Resource Management and is, himself, certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resource Management. He has managed small HR operations with as well as large HR organizations. Dr. Phillips is on the faculty of Indiana University South Bend where he teaches graduate and undergraduate human resource classes. He has previously taught courses in training and development at the higher education level. Dr. Phillips publishes frequently in these areas.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

The purpose of this book is to assist you in preparing to take and pass the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) examination. The SPHR is generally recognized as the highest level of certification available to the HR professional and is a symbol and credential indicating mastery of the domestic body of knowledge of the profession.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), through its affiliate the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), has determined that the HR body of knowledge consists of six functional areas:

• Strategic Management

• Workforce Planning and Employment

• Human Resource Development

• Compensation and Benefits

• Employee and Labor Relations

• Occupational Health, Safety, and Security

This book has been created around those six functional areas with a major chapter devoted to each area. The material has been presented in the same relative proportions as represented by the number of test questions on the examination. In other words, there is much more material on Strategic Management and Employee and Labor Relations, which compose about 50% of the test questions, as opposed to Occupational Health, Safety, and Security, which represents only about 5% of the examination test items.

The SPHR candidate should not only understand the technical information and HR practices associated with each area but also be able to integrate that knowledge and practice from multiple areas into viable HR strategy. An understanding of the interdependence of the various functional areas is required. Although the book contains a huge amount of material, some of the technical minutia has been left out. The SPHR is not a day-to-day tactical operative, but understands and is responsible for strategic programmatic planning and direction. To that end, interspersed throughout the text are discussions of the potential strategic implications of decisions and activities in the functional areas.

The HR professional lives in a dynamic world of change. Certification is only the beginning. New challenges confront the professional on a daily basis. Constant study and engagement with the larger body of HR professionals is the only way to keep current in the evolving, often turbulent world of the profession. Active involvement in professional organizations such as SHRM is a big step to maintaining one's competency.

I congratulate you on your decision to sit for the SPHR examination and hope that this book is of major assistance in achieving your goal of joining a very elite group of HR professionals who are certified as Senior Professionals in Human Resources.

How This Book Helps You

This book gives a self-guided tour of all the areas that are covered by the SPHR exam. The goal is to teach you the specific skills and knowledge you need to achieve your SPHR certification. You'll also find helpful hints, tips, examples, exercises, and references to additional study materials.

Organization

As mentioned earlier, this book is organized around the six functional areas of the HR body of knowledge. Each functional area has a full chapter of coverage and the book also includes the following features:

• The "Study Strategies" section helps you develop study strategies. It also provides you with valuable exam-day tips and information. You should read it early on.

• Each chapter starts with a list of objectives that are covered in that chapter.

• Each chapter also begins with an outline that provides an overview of the material for that chapter as well as the page numbers where specific topics can be found.

• Each objective is repeated in the text where it is covered in detail.

Instructional Features

This book is designed to provide you with multiple ways to learn and reinforce the exam material. Here are some of the instructional features you'll find inside:

• Objective explanations As mentioned previously, each chapter begins with a list of the objectives covered in the chapter. In addition, each objective has a detailed explanation that puts the objective in the context of the product.

• Study strategies Each chapter offers a selected list of study strategies: exercises to try or additional material to read that will help you learn and retain the material in the chapter.

• Exam Alerts Exam Alerts appear in the margins and provide specific exam-related advice. Exam Alerts address what material is likely to be covered (or not covered) on the exam, how to remember it, or particular exam quirks.

• Chapter summaries Crucial information is summarized, at various points in the book, in lists of key points you need to remember. Each chapter ends with an overall summary of the material covered in that chapter as well.

• Key terms A list of key terms appears at the end of each chapter.

• Notes Notes appears in the margins and contain various kinds of useful information, such as tips on technology, historical background, side commentary, or notes on where to go for more detailed coverage of a particular topic.

• Exercises Found at the end of each chapter in the "Apply Your Knowledge" section, the exercises include chances to practice the skills that you learned in the chapter.

Extensive Practice Test Options

The book provides numerous opportunities for you to assess your knowledge and practice for the exam. The practice options include the following:

• Review questions These open-ended questions appear in the "Apply Your Knowledge" section at the end of each chapter. They allow you to quickly assess your comprehension of what you just read in the chapter. The answers are provided later in the section.

• Exam questions These questions appear in the "Apply Your Knowledge" section. They reflect the kinds of multiple-choice questions that appear on the SPHR exam. You should use them to practice for the exam and to help determine what you know and what you might need to review or study further. Answers and explanations are provided later in the section.

• Practice exam The "Final Review" section includes a complete exam that you can use to practice for the real thing. The "Final Review" section and the practice exam are discussed in more detail later in this introduction.

• MeasureUp The MeasureUp software included on the CD-ROM provides further practice questions.

Final Review

The "Final Review" section of the book provides a valuable tool for preparing for the exam:

• Practice exam A full practice test for the exam is included in this book. Questions are written in the style and format used on the actual SPHR exam. You should use the practice exam to assess your readiness for the real thing.

This book includes several valuable appendixes, including details about the content of the CD-ROM (Appendix A) and a glossary of terms and definitions used throughout the book (Appendix B).

These and all the other book features mentioned previously will provide you with thorough preparation for the exam.

Objectives Matrix

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Unit/Objective/Subobjective	Page
Strategic Planning
Gain an Understanding of the Profession of HR	43
Understand the history of HR	44

Product Details Paperback: 720 pages Publisher: Pearson Education (December 20, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0789734974 ISBN-13: 978-0789734976 Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 2.6 x 1.7 inches Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews 5 star:  (14) 4 star:  (5) 3 star:  (6) 2 star:  (4) 1 star:  (5)           Average Customer Review 3.6 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 50 of 52 people found the following review helpful: 3.0 out of 5 stars Exam Study Guide Should Be Used with other Resources, June 6, 2006 By  Dindy Robinson (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)    Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback) Having passed my SPHR exam after using Dr. Phillips' SPHR Exam Prep Guide as one of my study materials, I wish I could give it a more enthusiastic endorsement. There were some things I REALLY liked about it-- the fact that it was geared specifically for the SPHR, for one thing, and the author's "Exam Alerts" of items that were likely to appear on the exam. However, I also found these were not truly reflective of the test questions-- for instance, there was one topic that merited no more than a paragraph in this book, yet there were 10-15 questions on my exam about that issue. This happened several times-- I focused my study efforts on Dr. Phillips' Exam Alert recommendations and found that, in fact, less than half of the time were they truly reflective of questions on the actual exam. For instance, this guide put a major emphasis on statistical research methods, which were, in fact, a very minor part of the exam. The guide had some other shortcomings-- for example, in the exercises at the back of each chapter, many of the answers were just plain wrong, for instance, there was a glaring mistake in his calculation of a cost benefit analysis question. It seemed as though he had updated questions from those of a previous edition, but then not updated the answers. This made me wary of trusting some of the other information in the book. The Practice Exam on the accompanying CD was less than overwhelming and, again, a few times had incorrect answers. The exact same questions were presented each time in the exact same order, making it very easy to avoid actually learning the answers. The other problem I had with the practice questions is that they were not truly reflective of the types of questions that were on the actual exam. The practice questions given by Dr. Phillips were pretty much definitional in nature, and did not require a higher level of knowledge to answer. As the questions on the exam itself were largely situational, I felt very unprepared when I sat down to take my test, despite studying for almost 5 months. If I had relied solely on this guide for preparation for the exam, I am not sure I would have passed. As one of the three different study materials I used for the exam, this book was a useful supplement. If you can only afford one set of study materials, however, this book is not it. 28 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars You will want this book!, October 27, 2006 By  T. Knoll (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback) With 15 years of HR experience, having passed my PHR in 1997, taking a twelve week preparation course with 12 other HR professionals, and using the SHRM Learning System Materials, I still relied heavily on this book to help me pass my SPHR exam. This book focuses on the SPHR exam only, which is very different from the PHR. The SPHR is theory driven; it is not enough to know the meaning of terms, you need to know how to apply them. The exam questions in this book were very similar to many of the questions on the SPHR exam, more so than any other form of study materials I had available to me. I would highly recommend this book if you want to pass the SPHR exam! 12 of 12 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!, June 29, 2006 By  Angela Peacor - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback) This was a great supplemental resource to SHRM's other study materials. It is well written and a quick read. I really appreciated the "test alerts" to point out specific areas that are often covered in HRCI's certification exam. Having successfully passed the exam, I can say that this book was well worth the investment to help prepare for it. I would not, however, use it as your only resource to prepare for the exam, but as a good summarizing resource! It will also make a great resource for me to refer to in my job.		Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely helpful for SPHR exam prep This was extremely helpful in preparing for the SPHR. It included an online test which was very similar to the exam. It was a great resource in addition to the SHRM course. Published 1 month ago by Maria N 4.0 out of 5 stars Good, But Not Enough Its a good book. But you need to combine more books and software if you really want to pass. This book alone is not enough. Read more Published 4 months ago by Rashed Mazhar 4.0 out of 5 stars Solid resource for your SPHR studies I took my SPHR without the help of an official SPHR class and studied solely using the SHRM Learning System, Anne M. Bogardusk's, and Exam Prep. Read more Published 12 months ago by Jessica Miller-Merrell 5.0 out of 5 stars My Successful Self-Study Method - SPHR SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (2nd Edition) by Larry Phillips Paperback $36. Read more Published 12 months ago by D. Connolly 3.0 out of 5 stars Good Resource but The book comes with a CD but unfortunately it requires you to download it onto the computer so i can not use/ study while at work- (breaks, lunch). Published 14 months ago by tulsa girl 5.0 out of 5 stars SPHR Senior Professional in Human Resources- Exam Prep I thought this book was an excellent resource in studying for the SPHR exam. I used it in conjunction with HR Review Workbook and Mathis & Jackson. Read more Published 22 months ago by Margaret 2.0 out of 5 stars Missing Chapter and A Lot of Typos I am scheduled to take the test in Jan. 2010 and am using this book as a supplement to other study materials. Read more Published on December 28, 2009 by R. Smith 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase This book was my sole study resource in preperation for taking the SPHR certification examination. My recommendation is that you study, take the prep tests (included on the CD),... Read more Published on December 21, 2009 by Grant J. Campbell 2.0 out of 5 stars Full of typos and errors, Use SHRM learning system instead Way too many typos and errors to even take this text seriously. Although the SHRM Learning System is expensive, it is totally worth it to help you pass the test since the... Read more Published on November 14, 2009 by EmanVamp 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent review and study book This has many of the features you want in your prep for SPHR. I recommend it. Published on May 14, 2009 by Jeanette Monahan Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Pearson Education (December 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789734974
• ISBN-13: 978-0789734976
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 2.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #402,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Exam Study Guide Should Be Used with other Resources, June 6, 2006

By 

Dindy Robinson (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback)

Having passed my SPHR exam after using Dr. Phillips' SPHR Exam Prep Guide as one of my study materials, I wish I could give it a more enthusiastic endorsement. There were some things I REALLY liked about it-- the fact that it was geared specifically for the SPHR, for one thing, and the author's "Exam Alerts" of items that were likely to appear on the exam. However, I also found these were not truly reflective of the test questions-- for instance, there was one topic that merited no more than a paragraph in this book, yet there were 10-15 questions on my exam about that issue. This happened several times-- I focused my study efforts on Dr. Phillips' Exam Alert recommendations and found that, in fact, less than half of the time were they truly reflective of questions on the actual exam. For instance, this guide put a major emphasis on statistical research methods, which were, in fact, a very minor part of the exam.

The guide had some other shortcomings-- for example, in the exercises at the back of each chapter, many of the answers were just plain wrong, for instance, there was a glaring mistake in his calculation of a cost benefit analysis question. It seemed as though he had updated questions from those of a previous edition, but then not updated the answers. This made me wary of trusting some of the other information in the book.

The Practice Exam on the accompanying CD was less than overwhelming and, again, a few times had incorrect answers. The exact same questions were presented each time in the exact same order, making it very easy to avoid actually learning the answers.

The other problem I had with the practice questions is that they were not truly reflective of the types of questions that were on the actual exam. The practice questions given by Dr. Phillips were pretty much definitional in nature, and did not require a higher level of knowledge to answer. As the questions on the exam itself were largely situational, I felt very unprepared when I sat down to take my test, despite studying for almost 5 months.

If I had relied solely on this guide for preparation for the exam, I am not sure I would have passed. As one of the three different study materials I used for the exam, this book was a useful supplement. If you can only afford one set of study materials, however, this book is not it.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will want this book!, October 27, 2006

By 

T. Knoll (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback)

With 15 years of HR experience, having passed my PHR in 1997, taking a twelve week preparation course with 12 other HR professionals, and using the SHRM Learning System Materials, I still relied heavily on this book to help me pass my SPHR exam. This book focuses on the SPHR exam only, which is very different from the PHR. The SPHR is theory driven; it is not enough to know the meaning of terms, you need to know how to apply them. The exam questions in this book were very similar to many of the questions on the SPHR exam, more so than any other form of study materials I had available to me. I would highly recommend this book if you want to pass the SPHR exam!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!, June 29, 2006

By 

Angela Peacor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SPHR Exam Prep: Senior Professional in Human Resources (Paperback)

This was a great supplemental resource to SHRM's other study materials. It is well written and a quick read. I really appreciated the "test alerts" to point out specific areas that are often covered in HRCI's certification exam. Having successfully passed the exam, I can say that this book was well worth the investment to help prepare for it. I would not, however, use it as your only resource to prepare for the exam, but as a good summarizing resource! It will also make a great resource for me to refer to in my job.