Hi,
Some reference material;
Transistor gain summary
The various notations for transistor gain can be summarised as below.
- Beta; Β: This is the basic notation for the forward current gain of a transistor.
- hfe: This is the current gain for a transistor expressed as an h parameter (hybrid parameter). The letter f indicates that it is a forward transfer characteristic, and the letter e indicates it is for a common emitter configuration. The small letter h indicates it is a small signal gain. hfe and small signal Beta are the same.
- Hfe: The Hfe parameter differs from hfe in that it is the h parameter for the DC or large signal steady state forward current gain.
The different abbreviation used for the transistor gain, Hfe, hfe & Beta are all widely used, although the parameters Hfe, hfe tend to be more widely used in datasheets.
Tom.... 
Ohhh "z-parameters", takes me back and back and back......