Mindset for Research and Critical Thinking
📌 Good researchers must cultivate skills in being critical and respectful disagreement, as these are integral to questioning established norms.
🧐 Research starts with poking and prying—questioning why things are the way they are—but this questioning must always be done with a purpose.
🗣️ Researchers must relate observations to their specific discipline, exemplified by analyzing consumer reactions to brand logo changes during the COVID-19 pandemic through a marketing lens.

The Role and Nature of Theory
📜 A theory is a well-established principle that provides an explanation for any phenomenon, undergoing rigorous testing and retesting to remain valid.
🧠 Classic theories like the Theory of Planned Behavior and Conservation of Resources Theory (which explains panic buying during threats) serve as established principles for phenomena.
🔭 Theories act as an abstract blueprint (like a map for construction) for building research models, leaving room for creativity in defining specific external variables.

Developing the Theoretical Framework (TF)
🔗 The theoretical framework is distinct from the research model; it is primarily established through the literature review and hypothesis development, providing the foundation for the model.
1️⃣ Step 1: Identify key concepts from the research problem statement (e.g., physical environment, consumer perceptions).
2️⃣ Step 2: Select relevant theories/definitions to explain these key concepts, ensuring chosen definitions (e.g., Kotler vs. Bitner on physical environment) logically support the model design.
3️⃣ Step 3: Explain how the selected theories relate to the research question, showing how concepts are operationalized (e.g., using Regulatory Focus Theory to explain different consumer attitudes toward social distancing ads).

Building the Conceptual Model from the TF
🏗️ Theories provide the structure (the "where" and "what"), allowing researchers to insert variables based on context and creativity (the "how it's made").
🔄 When designing a model, ensure that the conceptualization of variables aligns across theories; for example, if Satisfaction is defined as an emotional construct, avoid having an independent Emotion variable leading to it to prevent duplication of concepts.
📚 To find new variables or insights (especially when existing variables like satisfaction don't fully explain outcomes like loyalty), consult review papers for future research directions, such as incorporating customer engagement.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Prioritize focus: Choose a small subset of explanations or perspectives for a phenomenon to avoid creating chaos and confusion in your research explanation.
➡️ Justify definitions: You must have a logical justification for the specific definition or stance you adopt for a key concept, as this dictates the structure of your model and hypotheses.
➡️ Systematic development: Start with an interesting topic, review updated literature, create maps (mind maps, concept maps) to organize variables, and then mix-and-match variables based on your gap statement to finalize the conceptual model.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Nov 10, 2025, 05:01 UTC