Introduction

Now that we have perhaps made a case for firms to engage in linkage analysis and focus on decision equity, we would like to spend some time here discussing some of the simple but popular analytical tools that are used to link data. The scope of this discussion is not meant to be either exhaustive or technical because there are numerous textbooks that cover these topics in detail. Instead, our objective is to provide a nontechnical discussion of some basic techniques that the reader and potential user of linkage analysis can grasp in order to follow the logic underlying strategic flowprints and the interpretation of results. Our emphasis therefore is on providing enough information so that these users can be more familiar with alternate analytical options, and can become more sophisticated users and buyers of such research. More statistically inclined readers can skip this section very easily. For the rest of us, who could use a little more brushing up of our statistics fundamentals, read on! A good place to start will be to refresh some fundamentals of statistics that are foundational for understanding these analytical techniques.