Unified Non-iterative Algorithm for Principal Component Regression, Partial Least Squares and Ordinary Least Squares

A unified procedure for principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS) and ordinary least squares (OLS) is proposed. The process gives solutions for PCR, PLS and OLS in a unified and non-iterative way. This enables us to see the interrelationships among the three regression coefficient vectors, and it is seen that the so-called E-matrix in the solution expression plays the key role in differentiating the methods. In addition to setting out the procedure, the paper also supplies a robust numerical algorithm for its implementation, which is used to show how the procedure performs on a real world data set.