# 17. PLS Model Comparison

## Purpose

Does adding a direct Organizational Prestige → Affective Commitment (Joy) path improve prediction over the established mediated model?

## Practice study

- File: [organizational-identification-model-comparison.csv](../samples/organizational-identification-model-comparison.csv)
- Prepared project: [organizational-identification-model-comparison.qpls](../projects/organizational-identification-model-comparison.qpls)
- Observations: 305
- Data type: deterministic synthetic instructional data
- Complexity: a realistic multi-construct model with multi-item measurement blocks

**Prerequisites**

- Use the prepared project because it retains both qualified comparison candidates and their ordinary PLS results

## Exact procedure

1. Start QuickPLS and choose **Open Project**. Select [organizational-identification-model-comparison.qpls](../projects/organizational-identification-model-comparison.qpls). The installed 2.62.8 qualification journey created its alternative topology through the visible Connect tool, calculated both candidates, compared them, saved a report, exported JSON, and reopened the exact result.

2. Open **Data** and confirm the linked **organizational-identification-model-comparison.csv** dataset contains 305 observations. The CSV remains available separately for inspection and re-import practice.

   ![PLS Model Comparison imported data](../screenshots/pls-model-comparison/01-data-ready.png)

3. Confirm the reflective measurement blocks: Organizational Prestige (org_pre1–org_pre8), Organizational Identification (org_ident1–org_ident6), Affective Commitment (Joy) (ac_joy1–ac_joy4), and Affective Commitment (Love) (ac_love1–ac_love3).

   The reference model contains Prestige → Identification and Identification → Joy and Love. The calculated alternative retains those paths and adds Prestige → Joy.

4. The prepared project retains both candidate models and their saved layouts. Review the active calculated alternative; do not press **Arrange** or edit either topology before comparison.

   ![PLS Model Comparison prepared model or variable roles](../screenshots/pls-model-comparison/02-arranged-model.png)

5. Confirm both saved candidates remain selectable and have ordinary PLS results. Do not save the unchanged prepared project.

6. Use **Calculate → PLS Model Comparison**.

   ![PLS Model Comparison calculation setup](../screenshots/pls-model-comparison/03-calculation-setup.png)

7. Complete the method-specific settings:

- Select **Organizational Identification Model** as Reference.
- Select **Organizational Identification Alternative calculated revision** as Alternative.
- Keep the qualified shared 10-fold, 10-repeat paired plan, 95% confidence level, and saved deterministic seed.

8. Read **Readiness**, leave **Open Results when finished** selected, and choose **Start calculation** once. Wait for **Completed**; do not close the project while the result is being saved.

9. In **Results**, confirm **PLS Model Comparison** is selected and inspect these outputs in order:

1. Comparison overview
2. Predictive loss
3. Paired CVPAT
4. BIC
5. Decision evidence

   ![PLS Model Comparison primary result](../screenshots/pls-model-comparison/04-results-primary.png)

   ![PLS Model Comparison secondary result](../screenshots/pls-model-comparison/05-results-secondary.png)

10. Choose **Save Report** to preserve the exact result. Use **Export** for the needed table/report format. Close and reopen the project once and confirm the saved result remains selectable.

## Reading guidance

- The data are deterministic synthetic teaching data. They are suitable for reproducing the workflow, not for substantive publication claims.