## 2 The Case
### Research Method  
To reach our aims we developed a case study in Minho autarchies, called _Camaras Municia_. Case study methodology is widely used in the IS research field, according to the Association of Information Systems (ASI), mainly due to the fact that organizational issues and research problems have evolved from being technical to being organizational [15]. It is an ideal methodology when a holistic, in-depth investigation is needed [16], and it is designed to bring out the details from the viewpoint of the participants by using multiple sources of data. The present study is an exploratory one, according to [PERSON] [17], with a single-case application: the Minho autarchies. The unit of analysis within this case is the perception held by significant autarchic stakeholders regarding the implementation and use of Web 2.0 tools in autarchic activity, in terms of advantages of their use, points of concern and how to guarantee their correct functioning. The sources of information in our case were four autarchies from the possible twelve that make up the Minho region which agreed to take part in the case study: Viana do Castelo, Barcelos, Caminha and Arcos de Valdevez. Even knowing that our unit of analysis was the perceptions of stakeholders about the use of Web 2.0 tools, the question remained about who should be surveyed, as all the autarchic stakeholders are important sources of information. Effectively communicating the value of e-government initiatives to the entire organization, and to its employees, is emphasized by both [18,19]. All employees should be allowed to participate in many ways in e-government initiatives which impact on their work conditions as e-government must be perceived as a mutual project. Some authors pinpoint the importance of campaigns focusing on enhancing citizens' use of e-government services [20, 21, 22]. Whilst all stakeholders in autarchies constitute relevant sources of information, it would not be within the scope of this study to survey them all. On the other hand, case study research is not sampling research, and both the unit of analysis and the units of information are critical factors. It is typically a system of action rather than an individual or group of individuals. Case studies tend to be selective, focusing on one or two issues that are fundamental to understanding the system being examined [23], and on sources that represent information units. Considering this and the relevant role of all kinds of stakeholders in the transformational government process, we identified target-groups for survey, from within the case's population, taking into account the fact that each group makes different use of the Web 2.0 tools and that the three groups cover the main activities carried out using these kinds of tools. Therefore, three target-groups were selected in each autarchy to be surveyed about their perceptions of the use of Web 2.0 tools in autarchic activity, as mentioned above: (1) Councilors (Local Politicians); (2) Information Systems (IS) technicians (Middle managers); and (3) General Staff (Top-management). Despite the constitution of target-groups, it cannot be ignored that an individual case study consists of a \"whole\" study, in which facts are gathered from various sources and conclusions are drawn from those facts. [PERSON] [24] suggested using multiple sources of evidence as a way of ensuring construct validity. Moreover, according to [PERSON] [24], one of the main advantages of case studies is the recourse to several data sources; case studies which do this have more worth, in terms of quality, than those which are only supported by one source of information. Thus, in order to obtain information for the case study, two different techniques were used: a questionnaire and a focus-group interview. According to [25, 26, 27], interviews are often one of the most important sources of data in a case study.