The ‘Binaural Transfer Path Analysis and Synthesis (BTPA and BTPS)’ techniques have been developed for the prediction of sound quality in vehicles not only in terms of numbers and graphs, but also for binaural auralisation. The methodology, based on a combination of test rig measurements and acoustic simulation, has been used successfully by HEAD acoustics in the last several years within numer...

This paper presents an exploratory study of the effectiveness of support vector machines in the prediction of a product quality based on its characteristics. The study answers the following three questions: how does the choice of kernel and model parameters affect the predictive abilities of support vector machines; can an alternative subset of variables be unearthed that can be used in order t...

We consider a market where a single seller must employ informative advertising to launch a new product of observable quality. The monopolist may use mass, targeted or customer directed advertising. We show that the choice of advertising strategy depends on the economic properties of the advertising technology. If this exhibits strong economies of targeting, customer directed advertising arises ...

In this paper, through empirical and analytical evidences, we show that manufacturing system design does have an impact on product quality. We suggest several research opportunities addressing the quality implications in manufacturing system design from the automotive industry perspective. Finally, we present application studies to model and analyze the impact of manufacturing system design on ...

This paper considers the possibility that a firm can invest not only in the true product quality, but also in activities such as merchandising and store atmosphere that create affect influencing consumer perception of the product quality. Consumers base their purchase decisions on the signal of quality they experience, where the signal is affected by both the true product quality valued by the ...

Testing of routinely sterilized products should be part of a healthcare facility’s quality control program, and ANSI/AAMI ST79:2006, Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities, recommends that quality assurance testing of routinely processed items be performed on an ongoing basis. The standard provides information on where to place biological in...

Recently, sustainability in software engineering and especially in requirements engineering is an emerging field. Especially, increasing demand for energy and intensive use of software and software-related services are the key motivators for designing software products with environmental requirements. In this study, we identify the software practitioners perception of the energy-related impact ...

To meet customer demands, companies must manage numerous variants and versions of their products. Since product-related data (e.g., requirements’ specifications, geometric models, and source code, or test cases) are usually scattered over a large number of heterogeneous, autonomous information systems, their integration becomes crucial when developing complex products on one hand and aiming at ...

This paper asks whether brand extension can serve as a signal of product quality given that it costs less than a new brand. (Existing literature has assumed either that brand extension is cost-neutral or that it costs more.) I show that it can as a Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium, but the argument is unconvincing. For one thing, the separating equilibrium is not unique; a pooling equilibrium also ...