Abstract:

A large number of Information Systems (IS) researches in China adopt a positivist epistemological perspective and aim at testing existing concepts, models, and theories, which are very often rooted in the social context of Western countries and are established by mainly Western scholars.Thus, these models and theories are usually not entirely applicable to the economical, social and cultural environment of China.This paper discusses the differences between qualitative and quantitative research approaches on the basis of indepth exploration and discussion of the philosophical foundation of IS research.The conclusion advocate that the selection of quantitative or qualitative research approaches, methods and techniques must be based on a clear identification of the philosophical perspective of an IS project, in accordance with the aims, questions, requirements of research as well as the research context. In this way, advantages of both research approaches can be fully operationalized and applied for the purposes of either developing, or verifying models and theories grounded in the current situation of Chinese social, economic and political development.

Key words: information system, philosophical foundation, quantitative research, qualitative research, research methodology