Rating scales as predictors in regression models are typically treated as metrically scaled variables or, alternatively, are coded in dummy variables. The first approach implies a scale level that is not justified, the latter approach results in a large number of parameters to be estimated....

In multinomial logit models, the identifiability of parameter estimates is typically obtained by side constraints that specify one of the response categories as reference category. When parameters are penalized, shrinkage of estimates should not depend on the reference category. In this paper we...

For speed-flow data, which are intensively discussed in transportation science, common nonparametric regression models of the type "y"="m"("x")+noise turn out to be inadequate since simple functional models cannot capture the essential relationship between the predictor and response. Instead a...

On-line auctions pose many challenges for the empirical researcher, one of which is the effective and reliable modelling of price paths. We propose a novel way of modelling price paths in eBay's on-line auctions by using functional data analysis. One of the practical challenges is that the...