Title: Unified coding of qualitative and quantitative variables and their analysis with ascendant hierarchical classification

Authors: Odysseas Moschidis

Addresses: Department of Marketing and Operation Management, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia str. P.O. 1591, 54006 Thessaloniki, Greece

Abstract: The present research deals with the grouping of individuals, who are determined by a number of categorical, ordinal and quantitative variables. This research applies the method of ascendant hierarchical classification (CAH), using as criterion, the inertia and the distance metrics of X2. The usual dealing with this problem refers to the coding of the certain categorical and ordered data in a logical table (0-1) under the form: individuals x variables. However, the sub table of the table (0-1), which concerns the ordered variables, deducts information in advance as it deals with the ordered variables as being simple categorical variables. The research suggest a new encoding of the quantitative variables and of the ordinal variables that leads to a new more detailed encoding of categorical and ordinal variables in a new general table of percentages, the analysis (CAH) of which provides more detailed conclusion.

Keywords: ascendant hierarchical classification; qualitative variables; quantitative variables; new encoding; data analysis; unified encoding; grouping individuals; ordinal variables.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDATS.2015.068745

International Journal of Data Analysis Techniques and Strategies, 2015 Vol.7 No.2, pp.114 - 128

Published online: 12 Apr 2015 *

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