MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

Multivariate analysis refers to those statistical techniques employed to analyze data consisting of observations relating to a reality involving two or more variables. It is a usual form used to categorize a group of analytic methods whose major characteristic is the simultaneous analysis of independent variable and dependent variables. Thus, if an analysis considers, for instance, four independent variables and two dependent variables treated simultaneously, it is known as a multivariate analysis. Of all methods of analysis, multivariate techniques are the most powerful and appropriate for behavioral and educational research. Multivariate methods are largely logical extensions of uni-variate techniques.

Multivariate analysis is mostly applied for:

• Marketing research
• Consumer  Research
• Process control
• Research and development
• Quality control
• Quality assurance across  different industries
• Process optimization and

Multivariate Analysis can assist in:

• In Identifying relationships between a metric-scaled dependent variable and one or more categorical (nominal or ordinal) independent variables (ANOVA) The basic principle underlying the technique is that the total variation in the dependent variable is divided into two parts- one, variation attributed to some specific causes (known as variation between samples) and the other attributed to chance called as (variation within samples
• Factor analysis is a multivariate statistical technique which makes no distinction between dependent and independent variables. The factor analysis analyses all variables under investigation in order to extract the underlined factors explaining most part of the variations of the original set of data.
• Multivariate analysis is used to predict group membership and classify objects into one of the alternative groups on the basis of a set of predictor variables. The dependent variable in discriminant analysis is categorical and on a nominal scale, whereas the predictor variables are either internal or ratio scale in nature. When we have two categories of dependent variable, we have two group discriminant analyses and when there are more than two groups, it involves multiple discriminant analysis. 

 Techniques of Multivariate Analysis:

Among different, multivariate tools available, SPSS is a comprehensive and flexible statistical analysis and data management solution. It can take data from almost any type of file and use them to generate tabulated reports, charts, and plots of distributions and trends, descriptive statistics, and conduct complex statistical analyses.