140 BUSINESS APPLICATIONS OF MULTIPLE REGRESSION
Including Qualitative Data in Multiple Regression
So far, all the variables that we have used in multiple regression have been
ratio- scale data. Some of them, such as square feet in the last model, have
been continuous, whereas others, such as number of bathrooms in the
last model, have been discrete, but they have all had meaningful numbers
attached to them. In this section, we will see how to include qualitative
data in multiple regression. For example, in the sales model we have men-
tioned several times, you might want to include whether a competitor is
having a sale in the model. This is an example of a qualitative variable
because there is no meaningful number that can be attached to ...