This book consists of case studies of applications analyzing asymmetric relationships in a wide range of fields. Various procedures are utilized in analyzing asymmetric relationship data as well. This is the first book that focuses on the practical use of analyzing asymmetric relationships. A couple of analytic procedures for analyzing relationships capable of depicting asymmetric relationships was introduced in the 1970s; until then, the asymmetry in relationships had been ignored or regarded as an error. Beginning in the 1980s, varieties of models and associated algorithms to analyze asymmetric relationships have been developed to depict asymmetry of relationships. Several books referring only to analyzing asymmetric relationships are published. Even so, it is difficult to say that the procedures of analyzing asymmetric relationships have been put into wide practical use.

The present book contains practical examples of analyzing asymmetric relationships from several fields by using procedures that depict the asymmetry of relationships. The case studies included here help the reader to realize how asymmetric relationships from a broad range of fields are analyzed in the real world and what kind of procedures can be used to analyze those relationships. This book is an informative guide for practitioners and researchers as well as students who are interested in analyzing asymmetric relationships to comprehend how to deal with such relationships and what can be learned from the results of the analyses.

Akinori Okada is the series editor of the book series 'Behaviormetrics: Quantitative Approaches to Human Behavior’. Giuseppe Bove is one of the three managing editors of the book series 'Behaviormetrics’ and the first author of the ‘Methods for the Analysis of Asymmetric Proximity Data’ in the present monograph series.