Page 8 - Introduction & Preamble

“the case study is many things. It is systematic story-telling; it is a
way of writing (or talking) about seeing; it is a tool for teaching; it

is a philosophy for approaching research; it is a technique for

researching; it is a reason (or an excuse) for taking seriously

investigations into vague, blurred or fuzzy topics; it is a rigorous
vehicle which sits comfortably and equally alongside more

quantitative research; and I could go on.”

This is augmented by the view that rather than using large
samples and following a rigid protocol to examine a limited

number of variables, case study methods involve an in-depth,

longitudinal examination of a single instance or event - a case
study.

Case studies provide a systematic way of looking at events,

collecting data, analyzing information, and reporting the
results. As a consequence, the researcher may gain a

sharpened understanding of why the instance happened as it

did, and what might become important to look at more

extensively in future research (Flyvbjerg, 2006).

How we look at statements and how we interpret them is of

critical importance for example, in the 1930s a newspaper

ran with the headline