ABSTRACT
The research question relates to the spatial characteristics and determinants of Japanese FDI in China in general, and in Dalian, Liaoning province in particular. A number of hypotheses are tested based on the literature on the spatial determinants of FDI in China in general and Japanese FDI. Thus, this chapter details the methodology to be utilized in this book in response to the research question and the various hypotheses raised by the literature review. The first part of this chapter proffers the appropriate philosophies at the heart of research in the social sciences—positivism and phenomenology—and examines their respective strengths and weaknesses in methodological application. The second part describes the types and sources of data to be used in this book. The third part details the research strategy and hypotheses development. The fourth part outlines the different stages in the research. The fifth part articulates the problems relating to doing this research—linguistic, data sourcing and data exactitude, collaboration, and fieldwork problems. Finally, the sixth section highlights this book’s contribution to the literature on FDI.
