A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) by Joseph F. Hair, Jr., G. Tomas M. Hult, Christian Ringle, and Marko Sarstedt is a practical guide that provides concise instructions on how to use partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), an evolving statistical technique, to conduct research and obtain solutions. Featuring the latest research, new examples using the SmartPLS software, and expanded discussions throughout, the Second Edition is designed to be easily understood by those with limited statistical and mathematical training who want to pursue research opportunities in new ways.

Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) has become a standard approach for analyzing complex inter-relationships between observed and latent variables. Researchers appreciate the many advantages of PLS-SEM such as the possibility to estimate very complex models and the method’s flexibility in terms of data requirements and measurement specification. This practical open access guide provides a step-by-step treatment of the major choices in analyzing PLS path models using R, a free software environment for statistical computing, which runs on Windows, macOS, and UNIX computer platforms. Adopting the R software’s SEMinR package, which brings a friendly syntax to creating and estimating structural equation models, each chapter offers a concise overview of relevant topics and metrics, followed by an in-depth description of a case study. Simple instructions give readers the “how-tos” of using SEMinR to obtain solutions and document their results. Rules of thumb in every chapter provide guidance on best practices in the application and interpretation of PLS-SEM.

Partial least squares is a new approach in structural equation modeling that can pay dividends when theory is scarce, correct model specifications are uncertain, and predictive accuracy is paramount. Marketers can use PLS to build models that measure latent variables such as socioeconomic status, perceived quality, satisfaction, brand attitude, buying intention, and customer loyalty. When applied correctly, PLS can be a great alternative to existing covariance-based SEM approaches. Dr. Ken Kwong-Kay Wong wrote this reference guide with graduate students and marketing practitioners in mind. Coupled with business examples and downloadable datasets for practice, the guide includes step-by-step guidelines for advanced PLS-SEM procedures in SmartPLS, including: CTA-PLS, FIMIX-PLS, GoF (SRMR, dULS, and dG), HCM, HTMT, IPMA, MICOM, PLS-MGA, PLS-POS, PLSc, and QEM. Filled with useful illustrations to facilitate understanding, you’ll find this guide a go-to tool when conducting marketing research. “This book provides all the essentials in comprehending, assimilating, applying and explicitly presenting sophisticated structured models in the most simplistic manner for a plethora of Business and Non-Business disciplines.” — Professor Siva Muthaly, Dean of Faculty of Business and Management at APU.

This book pulls together robust practices in Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) from other disciplines and shows how they can be used in the area of Banking and Finance. In terms of empirical analysis techniques, Banking and Finance is a conservative discipline. As such, this book will raise awareness of the potential of PLS-SEM for application in various contexts. PLS-SEM is a non-parametric approach designed to maximize explained variance in latent constructs. Latent constructs are directly unobservable phenomena such as customer service quality and managerial competence. Explained variance refers to the extent we can predict, say, customer service quality, by examining other theoretically related latent constructs such as conduct of staff and communication skills. Examples of latent constructs at the microeconomic level include customer service quality, managerial effectiveness, perception of market leadership, etc.; macroeconomic-level latent constructs would be found in contagion of systemic risk from one financial sector to another, herd behavior among fund managers, risk tolerance in financial markets, etc. Behavioral Finance is bound to provide a wealth of opportunities for applying PLS-SEM. The book is designed to expose robust processes in application of PLS-SEM, including use of various software packages and codes, including R. PLS-SEM is already a popular tool in marketing and management information systems used to explain latent constructs. Until now, PLS-SEM has not enjoyed a wide acceptance in Banking and Finance. Based on recent research developments, this book represents the first collection of PLS-SEM applications in Banking and Finance. This book will serve as a reference book for those researchers keen on adopting PLS-SEM to explain latent constructs in Banking and Finance.

Written as an extension of A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Second Edition, this easy-to-understand, practical guide covers advanced content on PLS-SEM to help students and researchers apply techniques to research problems and accurately interpret results. The book provides a brief overview of basic concepts before moving to the more advanced material. Offering extensive examples on SmartPLS 3 software and accompanied by free downloadable data sets, the book emphasizes that any advanced PLS-SEM approach should be carefully applied to ensure that it fits the appropriate research context and the data characteristics that underpin the research.

"A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), by Hair, Hult, Ringle, and Sarstedt, provides a concise yet very practical guide to understanding and using PLS structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). PLS-SEM is evolving as a statistical modeling technique and its use has increased exponentially in recent years within a variety of disciplines, due to the recognition that PLS-SEM's distinctive methodological features make it a viable alternative to the more popular covariance-based SEM approach. This text includes extensive examples on SmartPLS software, and is accompanied by multiple data sets that are available for download from the accompanying website (www.pls-sem.com). "--Publisher's website.

In this handbook, internationally renowned scholars outline the current state-of-the-art of quantitative and qualitative market research. They discuss focal approaches to market research and guide students and practitioners in their real-life applications. Aspects covered include topics on data-related issues, methods, and applications. Data-related topics comprise chapters on experimental design, survey research methods, international market research, panel data fusion, and endogeneity. Method-oriented chapters look at a wide variety of data analysis methods relevant for market research, including chapters on regression, structural equation modeling (SEM), conjoint analysis, and text analysis. Application chapters focus on specific topics relevant for market research such as customer satisfaction, customer retention modeling, return on marketing, and return on price promotions. Each chapter is written by an expert in the field. The presentation of the material seeks to improve the intuitive and technical understanding of the methods covered.

This edited book presents the recent developments in partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) and provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of the most advanced research related to PLS-PM. The first section of this book emphasizes the basic concepts and extensions of the PLS-PM method. The second section discusses the methodological issues that are the focus of the recent development of the PLS-PM method. The third part discusses the real world application of the PLS-PM method in various disciplines. The contributions from expert authors in the field of PLS focus on topics such as the factor-based PLS-PM, the perfect match between a model and a mode, quantile composite-based path modeling (QC-PM), ordinal consistent partial least squares (OrdPLSc), non-symmetrical composite-based path modeling (NSCPM), modern view for mediation analysis in PLS-PM, a multi-method approach for identifying and treating unobserved heterogeneity, multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA), the assessment of the common method bias, non-metric PLS with categorical indicators, evaluation of the efficiency and accuracy of model misspecification and bootstrap parameter recovery in PLS-PM, CB-SEM, and the Bollen-Stine methods and importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) for nonlinear relationships. This book will be useful for researchers and practitioners interested in the latest advances in PLS-PM as well as master and Ph.D. students in a variety of disciplines using the PLS-PM method for their projects.

This compact reference surveys the full range of available structural equation modeling (SEM) methodologies. It reviews applications in a broad range of disciplines, particularly in the social sciences where many key concepts are not directly observable. This is the first book to present SEM’s development in its proper historical context–essential to understanding the application, strengths and weaknesses of each particular method. This book also surveys the emerging path and network approaches that complement and enhance SEM, and that will grow importance in the near future. SEM’s ability to accommodate unobservable theory constructs through latent variables is of significant importance to social scientists. Latent variable theory and application are comprehensively explained and methods are presented for extending their power, including guidelines for data preparation, sample size calculation and the special treatment of Likert scale data. Tables of software, methodologies and fit statistics provide a concise reference for any research program, helping assure that its conclusions are defensible and publishable.

With applications using SmartPLS —the primary software used in partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM)—this practical guide provides concise instructions on how to use this evolving statistical technique to conduct research and obtain solutions. Featuring the latest research, new examples, and expanded discussions throughout, the Second Edition is designed to be easily understood by those with limited statistical and mathematical training who want to pursue research opportunities in new ways. Please note that all examples in this Second Edition use SmartPLS 3. To access this software, please visit