**4. Methodology**

Using a grounded theory approach, this chapter looks at changes in the quality, not necessarily the quantity of the supply (ships) as a leading indicator of an inflection point in demand and the emergence of a port or region as a major cruise center serving a largely indigenous market. This chapter covers the development of Asia into a global cruise center. The purpose of the research, initially conducted in 2013, was to examine the growth of the modern cruise industry from the viewpoint of the quality of the hardware, the ships, and to identify any patterns that could be applied to the rapidly evolving Asian market. Specifically, Asia had reached the inflection point similar to the late 1980s and early 1990s in North America when the industry moved rapidly through several generations and the late 1990s and early 2000s in Europe when the industry jumped from first- and second-generation ships to fifth and sixth generation and beyond. This development is described in depth in Coggins [9]. Data from *Cruise Industry News Annual* 1995–2017 [1, 17, 18] and *Berlitz Guides to Cruising* 1983–2017 [19–23] was examined to develop a chronicle of the industry's growth. Daymon and Holloway [24] quoting Pettigrew (1997) (p. 338) wrote "A grounded theory approach enables you to undertake processual research, that is, research that focuses on 'a sequence of individual and collective events, actions and activities unfolding over time in context.' For example, grounded theory studies have the potential to offer original insights into how things happen,…" (p. 118). In summary, they conclude, "Grounded theory is an under-utilized but potentially important research approach for public relations and marketing communications. It holds great potential for tracing social processes in their context. It begins without hypothesis and allows both the data and theoretical sampling to guide the choice of conceptual framework and emerging theory. Researchers follow a systematic, structured process of data collection and analysis" (p. 128).
