The Use of Case Studies in Preparing Postgraduate Dissertations on Small and Medium Sized Firms

In recent years the case study methodology has been used much more in conducting research on firms. This increase is due to the needs and requirements, and to the perception that the results obtained by using such a methodology are of superior quality. The growing acceptance of case studies has been impelled by a wider knowledge and discussion of the criteria for assessing quality of case studies, and this has led to a better understanding of how the inclusion of case studies can be used to resolve certain problems connected to the study of organizations, in particular small and medium sized businesses. The present work proposes a design for conducting research suitable for writing a postgraduate dissertation on the subject of small and medium sized businesses. The methodology fulfills the conditions of quality required in a project conducted through the use of case studies. and that it is possible to complete within a limited period of time, thus improving the rate of students who graduate after completing their studies.