22. According to Saxonville Sausage’s Laura Bishop, director of market research, easy to do, family-pleasing, quality, price, texture, and aroma are all independent variables that affect the preference for an Italian sausage brand. Assume that in a survey of Italian sausage brands, each of the independent variables is measured on a 7-point scale, with 1 = poor and 7 = excellent. Preference for an Italian sausage brand is also measured on a 7-point scale, with 1 = not at all preferred and 7 = greatly preferred. Each respondent rates Saxonville Sausage and three competing brands on all the independent variables as well as preference. What statistical technique(s) would you use to answer the following questions?

a. Is preference related to each of the independent variables considered individually? What is the nature of the relationship you expect?

b. Is preference related to all the independent variables considered simultaneously?

c. Do the respondents evaluate the Italian sausage brands more favorable on quality than they do on price?

d. The sample is divided into two groups: regular customers of Saxonville Sausage and customers of other brands. Do these two groups differ in terms of their ratings of Saxonville Sausage on quality?

e. Are the two groups of question d different in terms of income measured as high, medium, and low?

f. The sample is divided in three groups: heavy, medium, and light users of Italian sausages. Do the three groups differ in terms of preference for Saxonville Sausage?

g. About 15 percent of the respondents have missing values on one or more variables. How would you treat the missing values?

h. A question asked the respondents to check as many of the eight Italian sausage brands that they had purchased in the past year. How should the data for this question be coded?