The Commerce Department reported receiving the following applications for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award: from large manufacturing firms, from large service firms, and from small businesses. a. Is type of business a categorical or quantitative variable

Categorical variable

Explanation:

Categorical variable are variables that are not numerical, take on values that are names or labels. It places the individual into a category, categorical variable is also called qualitative variable.

While quantitative variable is a numerical variable, they represent a measurable quantity i. e variables whose values result from counting or measuring something (measurement)

Therefore, the type of variable used here is categorical because the type of business will not be numerical.