The Hirsch spectrum: a novel tool for analysing scientific journals

This paper introduces the Hirsch spectrum (h-spectrum) for analyzing the academic reputation of a scientific journal. h-Spectrum is a novel tool based on the Hirsch (h) index. It is easy to construct: considering a specific journal in a specific interval of time, h-spectrum is defined as the distribution representing the h-indexes associated to the authors of the journal articles. This tool allows defining a reference profile of the typical author of a journal, compare different journals within the same scientific field, and provide a rough indication of prestige/reputation of a journal in the scientific community. h-Spectrum can be associated to every journal. Ten specific journals in the Quality Engineering/Quality Management field are analyzed so as to preliminarily investigate the h-spectrum characteristic

Control charts for the on-line diagnostics of CMM performance

The quality of a production process is increasing its dependence on both the manufacturing technology, and the production control. In most applications controls are operated by relying on intelligent instrumentation to 'automatically' perform the programmed checks. However, the performance systems that verify the product's quality can deteriorate, as can the production process. This paper presents a method for the on-line verification of the performance of a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) using statistically based control charts. The method is automated and performed on-line during a normal measurement cycle. Some experimental results are then presented and discussed

A new model to support the personalised management of a quality e-commerce service

The paper presents an aiding model to support the management of a high quality e-commerce service. The approach focuses on the service quality aspects related to customer relationship management (CRM). Knowing the individual characteristics of a customer, it is possible to supply a personalised and high quality service. A segmentation model, based on the "relationship evolution" between users and Web site, is developed. The method permits the provision of a specific service management for each user segment. Finally, some preliminary experimental results for a sport-clothing industry application are described

A new approach for evaluation of risk priorities of failure modes in FMEA

This paper presents a method for carrying out the calculus of the risk priority of failures in Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). The novelty of the method consists of new management of data provided by the design team, normally given on qualitative scales, without necessitating an arbitrary and artificial numerical conversion. The practical effects of these issues are shown in an application example

Quality evaluation in logistic services

The paper highlights some problems relevant to the quality measurements in logistic services. "Traditional" logistic indicators are compared with the service dimensions defined in the Parasuraman-Zeithaml-Berry model. Furthermore, the problem of service indicators aging is analyzed and discussed. In order to enhance readers' ability to contribute to the development in the field, the authors pose open-ended questions in the articl

QFD: an interactive algorithm for the prioritization of product's technical characteristics

The paper is concerned with the problem of the ``prioritization' ' of technical design characteristic s of a product. An interactive algorithm has been developed with the aim to better support the engineering design process by means of quality function deployment (QFD). The algorithm tries to soften customer approach to QFD in those situations in which customers are not able to give a ``significant' ' evaluation of the relative importance of their requirements . The method allows determining a ranking order of design characteristic s without the artificia l conversion of symbols contained in the relationshi p matrix, and without the use of explici t information concerning the relative degree of importance of customer requirements. A simple numerical applicatio n is also provide

Composition laws for learning curves of industrial manufacturingprocesses

The theory of learning curves is widely investigated in many fields related to production planning, quality improvement and cost analysis. Many different approaches to describe the learning mechanism of a process are reported in the academic literature. The aim is to analyse the behaviour of complex systems composed of a network of elementary processes whose learning curve is known. Composition laws of two basic aggregation structures, series and parallel, are discussed and analysed. The effects of these composition laws are shown in a series of practical examples

A New Forecasting Model for the Diffusion of ISO 9000 Standard Certifications in European Countries

ISO 9000 standards for quality system management are involving a higher and higher number of enterprises and organizations. This paper presents a detailed analysis of certification diffusion in Italy and in some European countries with similar economic structures. Benchmarking and evolution forecasts are based on the "logistic model", traditionally used for studying biological growth phenomena. The presentation is supported by many empirical data, which show that, in many countries, the phenomenon is going to be close to saturation. Finally, some considerations about new developments, after the present "certification era", are proposed

On the analogy between the evolution of thermodynamicand bibliometric systems: a breakthrough or justa bubble?

This paper presents an in depth study of an interesting analogy, recently proposed by Prathap (Scientometrics 87(3):515-524, 2011a), between the evolution of thermodynamic and bibliometric systems. The goal is to highlight some weaknesses and clarify some ‘‘dark sides'' in the conceptual framework of this analogy, discussing the formal validity and practical meaning of the concepts of Energy, Exergy and Entropy in bibliometrics. Specifically, this analogy highlights the following major criticalities: (1) the definitions of E and X are controversial, (2) the equivalence classes of E and X are questionable, (3) the parallel between the evolution of thermodynamic and bibliometric systems is forced, (4) X is a non-monotonic performance indicator, and (5) in bibliometrics the condition of ‘‘thermodynamic perfection'' is questionable. Argument is supported by many analytical demonstrations and practical example