The role of qualitative methods in production management research

This paper examines previous approaches to the identification and measureme nt of strategic flexibility and concludes that the use of quantitative meth ods alone cannot capture the essence of such a complex and intangible subje ct. It is reasoned that a holistic approach to research design should be ad opted when carrying out particular categories of production management rese arch. A research design used to investigate the concept of strategic flexib ility in manufacturing industry is briefly outlined as an illustration. The role of the case study within this and the contribution it was able to mak e to the investigation is described. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.