Date:         Fri, 14 May 2004 17:05:12 -0400
Reply-To:     Colin_Valdiserri@marketstrategies.com
Sender:       "SPSSX(r) Discussion" <SPSSX-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Colin Valdiserri <Colin_Valdiserri@marketstrategies.com>
Subject:      PREFMAP  vs. ALSCAL / INDSCAL
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

Does anyone have any feelings, experiences, opinions on the use of mapping
software that uses PREFMAP as compared to SPSS' ALSCAL?  I am a die hard
users of ALSCAL, INDSCAL, Etc.  Going back to the literature such as
Myers' book on Segmentation and Positioning (1996), it seems to me that
PREFMAP's or vector maps are not as easy for clients to interpret, don't
capture actual "perceptual spce" and cannot be compared as you can with
weighted or individual differences scaling in SPSS.   It also seems that a
"point" map is more robust in its possible uses as cpmpared to a vector
map.

I am new to a firm who uses software with PREFMAP and is relatively
unaware of ALSCAL, INDSCAL and Multidimensional Unfolding for Preference
Scaling.  Is this PREFMAP software as robust as SPSS's?

Thoughts, feelings, opinions, I am welcoming them all!

Colin M. Valdiserri, M.A.
Marketing Sciences Analyst
Market Strategies, Inc.
colin_valdiserri@marketstrategies.com
Phone: (734) 779-6826