development of small-scale intermodal freight transportation in a ...

The ultimate empirical purpose is to contribute to the understanding of how the current
large-scale and complex intermodal transportation system can be transformed into a simpler
and more flexible system that can be better adapted to local and regional conditions.
In addition, various and partly disparate analytic and even predicting purposes are fulfilled
through demarcated studies at different system levels. With the demarcations comes a
stronger empirical element in the studies, which adds to the fulfilment of the ultimate descriptive
purpose. The choice of different purposes – which also entails different research
questions and methods – on different system levels is justified by the fact that a purpose
relevant at one system level might be impossible to fulfil at a higher system level while it
might well be absolutely trivial at a lower level.
The licentiate thesis serves a method development purpose, a descriptive purpose as well as
a method verification purpose. The detached appendix mainly fulfils a descriptive purpose,
but the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies are briefly analysed and the technologies
are classified. Finally, other own reports and articles referred to – that also should
be considered as part of the doctoral work – generally serve rather narrow and specific analytic
purposes.
For obvious reasons, the theoretical and empirical advances have come hand-in-hand during
the course of the PhD studies.
1.4 METHOD
In this section, my general view upon research methods is forwarded. The purpose is not to
prove that I have read the right method books, but to help the reader to understand my
methodological choices throughout the dissertation. As for the purposes and research questions,
each method or technique is identified, justified and described in detail only when
they appear in the text in their proper context. Finally, the section includes a discussion on
the data and information sources used.
1.4.1 General research approach
My main point in this section is that PERSSON (1979, p. 2) is absolutely right in his arguing
that the choice of methods in applied science always has to be subordinate to the research
problems. Although it should be obvious, he goes on by stipulating that all research
aims at either solving relevant problems or elaborating on them, not at demonstrating the
ability to use certain methods. As is plain from my sometimes disparate choices of methods
at different system levels, I sincerely value that point of view. It is my firm belief that starting
out from the field of application without prejudice concerning methods is a strength that
allows me to identify and address more relevant research questions. Furthermore, the value
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