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The most important advantage of cross sectional studies is that in general they are quick and cheap. As there is no follow up, less resources are required to run the study.

Cross sectional studies are the best way to determine prevalence and are useful at identifying associations that can then be more rigorously studied using a cohort study or randomised controlled study.

The most important problem with this type of study is differentiating cause and effect from simple association. For example, a study finding an association between low CD4 counts and HIV infection does not demonstrate whether HIV infection lowers CD4 levels or low CD4 levels predispose to HIV infection. Moreover, male homosexuality is associated with both but causes neither. (Another example of a confounding variable).

Often there are a number of plausible explanations. For example, if a study shows a negative relation between height and age it could be concluded that people lose height as they get older,younger generations are getting taller, or that tall people have a reduced life expectancy when compared with short people. Cross sectional studies do not provide an explanation for theirfindings.

Rare conditions cannot efficiently be studied using cross sectional studies because even in large samples there may be no one with the disease. In this situation it is better to study a crosssectional sample of patients who already have the disease (a case series). In this way it was found in 1983 that of 1000 patients with AIDS, 727 were homosexual or bisexual men and 236 were intrvenous drug abusers.6 The conclusion that individuals in these two groups had a higher relative risk was inescapable. The natural history of HIV infection was then studied usingcohort studies and efficacy of treatments via case controlled studies and randomised clinical trials.

Before contextualising the terms participation and involvement in human resources management, it sounds very relevant to try and examine them at the most elementary level of semantic meaning. This will translate into a deeper application at HR level, leading to a practical application of the same at corporate level. At the most elementary level, participation means joining with others in activities. It implies an act of sharing something in common with others. It means taking part in something. which in turn implies sharing ownerhip. In Italiano, this is a contributo, or a partecipazione.On the other hand, involvement implies being contained,or icluded,or just being a part. It implies close connectivity- being enveloped, being encompassed, or simply being subsumed. It simply suggests a state of being wrapped, and therfore being a member. Italianowise, it is a comportare, or a trattare di. Put in the Human Resources Management context, these two, from the foregoing differentiation, practically mean different processes or practices. There is no good reason to try and explain what an employeeis to a technical person as it were, but for the sake of involving eveybody, to help them participate, a brief picture of an employee shall be illustrated. An employee is simply one who makes things happen in an organisation. They are the greatest asset wielding both expertise and vast knowlege to move things. Remove them,and the organisation just ceases to exist. They are the crux of activity. Their talent have to be nurtured, and given a genuine chance to multipy. They make organistions have the real purpose realisation. They dream for the organisation if they are made to play that role, and they take it to greater heights if resources are committed in their direction. They give organisations the zeal, pride, and energy as well as direction. The new crop of employees, Generation 'WHY', best suits, and clearly spells out the differences between employee paricipation and employee involvement. Remember best organisations today jossle to attract and retain this crop of multitalented, and multiskilled employees. Yet, they appear to be the most management challenge to conventional human resources management. They move on when not satisfied. They ask -'why'- for everything they are made to do. And above all, they respect knowlwedge and wisdom than any other generation. They need an almost informal approach than an over-reliance on authority. They 'fly' when bored by an organisation, and when they do so, they don't leave behind their talents, their brains, their energy, and their commitment! This places management not in a dilemma, but in a context where flexible transformative dynamic engagement of such employees will definitely give the organisarion an edge over others, and therefore a large competitive advantage, making quantum breakthroughs- moving into the future with ease, and confidence! The employees truly represent the human capital. Talent-driven firms like Goldman Sachs, will know what I mean here. Where Generation 'WHY' is involved, there is value-addition as long as organisations are prepared to adopt the three methodologies identified below:

a] an educational mindset translating into continuous learning and development of its workforce through a variety of training and learning programs- exposing them to an enabling environment of innovative and flexible thinking!

b] anticipation and answering of common questions during the recruitment and on-boarding process- much like allowing kinda situation where the recruiter and the recruitee think beyond their present situation, with the latter given more freedom to examine situations and possibilities, than the former.

c] tackling the toughest questions head-on as the prospective talent fires them

Best talent management, and human capital measurement and analytics are made realistic by making employees participate, and getting them involved- which brings me to the core of this exploration-, that is the difference between the two. Employee involvement is when employees are included in all issues of their interest. It is therefore both individualistic, and direct, yet it includes every other member making up the involvement constitution. It is therfore, championed by, and led by management with individual employees, getting included and subsumed to achieve some specific goal. It thus assumes common interest between employees and management. Its main functios are to elicit and to grow employee identification and commitment.

There are no specific rules to grow involvement. Employee involvement thus spells out the worthiness of an individual in including them in a certain activity. A typical example is Management by Objectives. On the other hand, employee participation unlike involvement, is collective. It is an act of sharing in something.It is therefore joining with others in every activity that matters. It involves taking part in something, and is more or less often supported by some rule and or, legislation. Where employment rights matter for example, participation is excercised. In the olden days trade unions championed this act but now, and in future this trend is coming to an end with employees playing the central roles in shaping their own lives and lifestyles, with each employee becoming their own representative. Both of them could be practised simultaneously for the best effect in future. Employees have to be both involved and made to paricipate for the sake of both the organisation and the individual employee.I [Mukonyo Absolom], believe that these two are surely indispensable from each other, and that both are typical practices that future- centric organisations can harness and use for innovation and creativity. Managing today and future diversity really needs a proactive effort to practise the two if growth and success are visions driving present and future trends, and if conflict management is to have the best results!

• .Strengths:
• Always sets his/her own realistic goals
• Self-reliant
• Focuses on positive objectives
• Periodically reviews performances
• Learns from own mistakes
• Accepts changes and uses them when to motivate self
• Takes care of himself/herself physically
• Sticks to schedule
• Is self-motivated
• Is action oriented
• Manages backtracking
• Finishes work once started
• Reflects on time management regularly
• Associates with other entrepreneurs; patterns, lifestyles, values and habits after successful entrepreneurs
• Weaknesses:
• Sets unrealistic goals
• Depends on other people for attainment of goals
• Focuses on goals which call to stop or avoid doing things
• Does not keep track of progress
• Does not improve on areas where she/he failed
• Is afraid of changes
• Is unmindful of physical appearance
• Depends outside forces to be motivated
• keeps on going back and forth on the same path
• Does not complete most often any given task
• Is not conscious of time wasted
• Does not develop the habit of working well with people

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