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Buddhism was founded by Shakyamuni, and this religion has appeared in opposition to Brahmanism's caste system since its inception. Shakyamuni emphasized the important concept of “all beings are equal” from the very beginning. Buddhism spread from India to other regions, and was introduced to China through Central Asia. In China, Buddhism merged the two native cultures of Confucianism and Taoism and finally produced the socalled Chinese Buddhism. Buddhism and its value of equality were also developed and extended in China, and finally spread to Japan. After Buddhism was spread to Japan, it developed rapidly due to official support. Different Buddhist sects have established their own temples in Japan, and among them, Zen Buddhism has the greatest influence among all social classes in this country. Later, after years of development, Zen Buddhism penetrated into many aspects of Japanese culture, such as religion, aesthetics, garden design, samurai spirit and tea ceremony. With the spread of Zen Buddhism, the core value of Buddhism which is “Buddhist concept of equality” was also spread to Japan. The tea ceremony is precisely the place where this value of equality can be detected. This dissertation explains the many processes that reflect this value no matter inside or outside the tea room, and argues that the spirit of the tea ceremony is to pursue the value of equality

This paper analyses the valuation of McDonald's Corporation (MCD) as of December 31, 2021. An estimate of the Company's intrinsic value will also be provided. In addition, the internal company factors and external market conditions influencing company valuations and share prices will be discussed. The study has two main objectives: Determine the intrinsic value of McDonald's common stock as of December 31, 2021, and compare it to the actual stock market price on the same date. An assessment of the stock’s market price should represent the Company's true value on that day. Research can then verify whether it was overvalued or undervalued on that day. Identify internal company factors and external market environment factors that affect the Company's operations. This information will be used to gain a deeper understanding of the sensitivity analysis results. Possible scenarios will be discussed to reflect how these factors stimulate macroeconomic, industry, and business developments, as well as the strategic responses of industry players or competitors. McDonald's possible strategic responses to these scenarios will also be assessed. In this paper, a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods will be employed. Data collection and analyses in Chapters 2 to 5 will use a qualitative approach, which includes data related to McDonald's, industry, and economic analyses. Chapters 5 to 8 will apply qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methods. Data will be collected from McDonald's annual report for the fiscal year from December 2017 to December 2021

We see security guards around in Macao in our daily lives and they are the ones who are responsible for protecting people’s safety and properties. Most security guards are non-local workers and might have different workplace stress levels. This study’s main aim is to investigate how job satisfaction and supervisory support are related to burnout among security guards in Macao. The research is carried out through a quantitative questionnaire to collect data and deliver it to the local and non-local security guards working in Macao. A total of 132 questionnaires were collected. It is expected that when security guards have higher job satisfaction and more supervisory support, they will experience less burnout. This intention enables the organization to make some changes to help the security guards from burnout due to job dissatisfaction and no supervisory support. The practical implication for reducing stress is introducing training courses such as mindfulness-based stress training programs. Future research will investigate other support like organizational support, peer support, and family and friends support on security guards

The present study aimed to analyse the differences in the internalising problems (anxiety, depression, somatic complaints), assessed by different informants (teachers and students), according to the level of academic achievement and school adaptation level in secondary students. Furthermore, we examine the gender difference in the level of internalising symptoms. Finally, we analyzed the differences between teacher-rated and adolescents' self-reported internalising symptoms. The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) was used for collecting informants’ data. The sample consisted of 882 secondary students (349 males and 473 females), while 50 came from public schools and 772 from private schools. No significant differences are found in internalising problems according to the level of academic achievement from both teachers’ and students’ perspectives. Generally, students who are well-adapted to the school context have the least symptoms of internalising problems compared to average and less-adapted groups from the teachers' perspective. In addition, from students’ perspectives, adolescent females present more internalising problems than males. Finally, teachers rated fewer internalising problems when compared to the students. In conclusion, the low level of awareness of teachers towards the internalising problems of students arouse attention. It is suggested that teachers should attend professional development programs in order to address to students’ internalising problems

The world we live in today is constantly changing, with new technologies and innovations being introduced all the time. Through the continuation and innovation of Chinese medicine theories, scientific research methods, and progress, Traditional Chinese Medicine continues to evolve and develop more innovative Modern Chinese Medicine. In this research, Molecular Chinese Medicine is studied as a new form of Chinese medicine, intended to provide a more pleasant and safe experience for consumers. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify both positive and negative perceptions that contribute to the adoption of innovative technologies and their related products. In order to reach this goal, a robust value-based theoretical model is used. To examine behavioural intentions to adopt Molecular Chinese Medicine (MCM) in Macau, this study combines quantitative and qualitative methods. Thus, a Value-based Acceptance Model (VAM) was used to determine Macau citizens' attitudes towards Molecular Chinese Medicine, including their perceptions of its usefulness, enjoyment, technicality, and perceived fee, in relation to the perceived value of the product, which may ultimately determine adoption intentions. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to process a sample of 194 Macau residents. The data analysis supported our model's explanatory and predictive power and helped describe the characteristics of the local population. Our results provide insight into the acceptance of innovative products that may be useful in designing more accurate strategies and facilitating the introduction of MCM to Macau and similar markets. It was found that low perceived fees demonstrated a relatively strong positive correlation with potential users' perceived value, whereas usefulness and enjoyment showed a medium-strong positive correlation. Also, a strong positive correlation was found between potential consumers' perception of the value of Molecular Chinese Medicine and their intention to adopt it

Climate change is a global issue but its impact can be felt locally. Macau SAR has been rapidly developing since the single shift towards a gaming industry-dominated economy, the overwhelming anthropogenic activities contributing to increasing pollution. Mangroves, which play an essential role as the blue carbon system with a high carbon sequestration rate could be a natural base solution to the pollution. This study aims to determine 1) the total organic Carbon (TOC) in the soil of Macau mangrove sites, 2) comparison with the methodology evaluating the organic Carbon, and 3) organic Carbon comparison between Macau and other regions. Soil sampling were processed under the Blue Carbon Initiative guideline, and the samples were divided into two parts for determining the TOC%, combustion method from Hong Kong, and methodology of ashing in our laboratory. The overall estimated TOC% of Macau mangrove sites was 1.29%. There are still a lot of potentials in Carbon storage and for climate change mitigation in Macau

There are gaps in the research on gender differences and parental participation and the interaction between gender and parental participation in non-Western cultural contexts, particularly the Macao context. The current study aims to fill these gaps by examining gender and parental participation (i.e., father only, mother only, or both) differences and interactions in externalizing behaviour (oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder) during late childhood and adolescence (i.e., from age 10 to 18) in Macao. The methodological approach for the current study was a cross-sectional design with a quantitative methodology based on self-rated questionnaires. In certain items, we did discover gender differences. More boys than girls appeared to concur that they occasionally misbehave at school or start fires. And it appeared that girls were more likely than boys to concur that they occasionally exhibit unexpected mood or emotion changes and strong tempers. The children in the groups where only the mother or father participated tended to agree more than they prefer to hang out with older kids than kids their own age. This is in contrast to the group with more parental participation, which is represented by both parents submitting the questionnaire. Although none of the hypotheses proposed were supported, our outcomes implied culture and subculture may play important roles on youths’ externalizing behaviour

This dissertation examines consumers' perceptions of food influencer content on Instagram and the relationship between exposure to food influencer reviews and consumers' intention to visit restaurants in Macau. A mixed-method research design was employed, combining quantitative survey data from 301 responses with qualitative insights from one focus group session involving six participants. The findings suggest that consumers find food influencer content entertaining and inspiring for dining out and exploring new culinary experiences, but they express concerns over its credibility. While food influencer content has a good exposure to consumers, it has a moderate impact on consumers’ restaurant choices, with various factors affecting the relationship. The results highlight the importance of perceived trustworthiness and enjoyability of food influencer content, the visual appeal of food and restaurant environments in photos, and personal relationships in shaping Macau consumers' visit intention to restaurants. The findings can serve as a basis for future research on credibility perceptions of food influencers, the enjoyability of influencer content, and the visual appeal of food and restaurant environments on Instagram. Practically, food influencers should prioritize transparency, authenticity, appealing photos, engaging captions, and leverage the role of personal relationships to increase their impact on consumers' restaurant choices

This study aims to investigate gender-differentiated parenting and the factors that affect parent-adolescent relationships in Macao families. The study will address the following research questions: A) Does gender-differentiated parenting exist in Macao families? B) How does the academic level of parents relate to conflict resolution and acceptance levels? C) How does the length of time parents have lived together relate to conflict resolution and acceptance levels? D) How does the sibling position of adolescents relate to conflict resolution and acceptance levels? The study employed a quantitative research approach with a purposive and convenient sample of parents with children aged between 12 to 18 years old in Macao. The data were collected using the Parent-Child Interaction Questionnaire—Revised-Parent version (PACHIQ-R-P) through a questionnaire survey from May to August 2022. Out of the 172 completed questionnaires, seven were invalid, resulting in 165 valid questionnaires. The findings showed that gender differentiation in parenting was confirmed, with significant results showing that fathers had lower acceptance and conflict resolution levels when their child was a boy. Mothers showed similar acceptance and conflict resolution levels regardless of their child's gender. Furthermore, the study found that parents' acceptance of their children was influenced by their academic level, length of time living together, and the child's sibling position. This study is the first of its kind in Macao and could provide valuable insights for family and adolescent services in the region

Examining consumer perceptions of scent marketing in Macau's retail setting is the goal of this study. The study focuses on the following two primary uses of scent marketing in retail environments: subliminal application and application as a component of branding strategy. Qualitative research methodology is used. A total of ten consumer interviews produced the data. The findings show that consumers are in favor of scent marketing's use in retail settings. The use of scent marketing as a tool for establishing brands is preferred, and consumers find this approach to scent marketing to be more acceptable than its subliminal application. Although consumers believe that other factors, such as price, are typically more significant than scent when making purchases, the use of subliminal scents was not always evaluated negatively. Unless occasionally when making an unplanned purchase, consumers do not think that a subliminal scent can significantly impact their purchasing behavior

Starbucks Corporation (hereinafter “Starbucks” or “the Company”) is a worldwide coffee retailer, which operates over 33,000 stores located in over 83 countries nowadays. The purpose of the study is to estimate Starbucks’ intrinsic value as of December 31, 2021 and identify whether the Company was overvalued or undervalued. Several analyses give investors and shareholders an insight into how the Company may develop or identify the ability to generate positive returns from investing in Starbucks. This study is mainly separated into two aspects. The first part specifically discusses the Company overview, industry analysis, and economic outlook, which includes SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, Porter's five forces analysis, and value chain analysis to identify external and internal factors that may influence the Company. The second part focuses on financial analyzes, including both historical and forecasted financial statement. Three valuation models and a sensitive analysis are applied to understand the Company’s financial conditions and performance. Starbucks’ intrinsic value is derived from the three discounted cash flow models, indicating the market overvalued the Company’s stock price as of December 31, 2021. Finally, investors and shareholders can understand more about Starbucks’ capital structure, financial highlights, and intrinsic value, because this set of information is critical for existing investors and potential investors to make investment decisions

The global living standard improved significantly in the last decades and China moved 800 million people out of poverty since 1980. However, production and consumption in their current forms are unsustainable in matters of resource and energy use and involved emissions with their significant ecological impact. The global human community committed itself in the COP21 Agreement of Paris 2015 to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions based on National Determined Contributions (NDCs) in order to limit the increase of global average temperature below 2°C or better 1.5°C above pre industrial levels. This commitment entails a comprehensive transformation of the current social and economic system in view of decoupling economic growth from both resource extraction and GHG emissions, in view of fostering a resource sensitive and CO2 neutral Circular Economy (CE) based on Sustainable Development (SD). China submitted its first Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) in 2015 with policies and measures affecting 15 major areas. In 2020, President Xi Jinping announced the commitment to peak China’s carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. Proper and Integrated Resource and Waste Management is central on the way to achieve the transformation into a CE. The State Council of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) released its plan “生活垃圾分类制度实施方案” to promote source separation of household waste on March 30, 2017 aiming at the recycling rate for household waste to reach 35% by 2020 for the selected cities. The first China’s Mandatory Waste Source Separation Law “廣州 市生活垃圾分類管理條例” was enforced by the city of Guangzhou on July 1st, 2018. One of the key strategic plans in China is the development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) with its comprehensive development plan released on February 18, 2019. Following the INDCs by China, parts of the GBA Development Plan emphasize that the development of the CE systems and the implementation of extended producer responsibility (EPR), are effective principles to provide financial incentives in view of reducing embedded emissions in material and processes. The present research studied, analysed, and compared the MSW treatment strategies, rules, regulations, and retrievable data, which lead to MSW source separation and the reverse logistic of separated waste among 4 selected cities Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and the 2 S.A.R.s of Hong Kong and Macao. The experience and comparison from Guangzhou and Hong Kong revealed that a Top-down approach in environmental policy decision making is more efficient and is able to implement necessary policies faster. However, the experiences from Guangzhou and Zhuhai indicate, that also a more participatory implementation process is crucial, as it enables the involved stakeholders to express their experiences and opinions properly, which can lead to a higher level of policy feasibility and acceptance and a smoother operation accompanied with a higher effectiveness. For the two SARs, to achieve the objective to increase the recycling rate, the local Government must seek approval from China’s Central Government to allow locally generated recyclable material, in their original form, to enter mainland China for further treatment and to be turned into secondary raw material. Without such a proper support by a reverse resource logistic from the mainland, the CE schemes, such as the Mandatory Waste Source Separation, Producer Responsibility Scheme (PRS), Waste Charging Scheme, are not able to be implemented effectively. The current approach of the Local Government purchasing of recycling and exportation services of recyclable materials from private companies, and the sole reliance on existing market forces to handle, process, and export recyclable material out of the S.A.R.s cannot ensure a reliable and continuous operation in view of mitigating involved emissions. By way of a comparative analyses, the present investigation works out and distils suggestions for best practices of implementing the CE to comply with targets of emission reductions

Listening to children’s voices is still not considered an essential part of education in some schools, including many in Asian countries. The authority of schools and teachers is still highly valued under the continued influence of Confucian Heritage Culture in many Asian schools, including a significant number in Macao. Teachers in international schools in Asian countries often experience some difficulties when communicating with young children because of their low English proficiency and the traditional views supported by many parents who grew up with the Confucian Heritage Culture, which encourages children to be quiet in the classroom to be good listeners. This Action research took fifteen months between two school years, 2018- 2019 and 2019-2020, with two groups of four and five-year-old students in a kindergarten classroom. Documentation posters were created for young children to use the next morning to reflect on their learning. The pedagogy of listening and pedagogical documentation from the Reggio Emilia approach were implemented to discover and record young children’s ideas and interests, work with daily documentation posters, and help them reflect on documentation posters to improve their learning and develop their higher-order thinking skills. Photos and videos, observation notes with the children’s comments, documentation posters, and reflective discussions were used as interventions to collect the children’s ideas and record their learning activities. The children learned to use documentation posters to remember, think, share, and improve their learning. The children’s comments from Learning Centres, recess, and reflective discussions were used to examine their understanding of learning and higher-order thinking skills. During one Pilot Cycle and three structured data collection cycles, the children demonstrated improvement in learning for each learning project and development of their thinking skills both with and without the teacher’s support. The children demonstrated higher-order thinking skills more often from Learning Centres and recess when they had to solve problems. They also demonstrated higher-order thinking skills more often during the whole group reflective discussions than in small group reflections, when a bigger number of children joined or when they had enough time to think. The thinking skills when children were reflecting were observed to concentrate on remembering and understanding as they focused on remembering and sharing the previous day’s work. The children’s other higher-order thinking skills did not show an increase in frequency during reflective discussions. However, the children demonstrated active engagement and a range of higher-order thinking skills when the teacher asked openended questions and provided support and comments to help them to connect their learning to their past experiences. Findings indicated that the children’s learning from each Learning Centre showed change and improvement during their play over time according to their interests, indicated by their material use and comments. The research was limited by its small number of participants within their age group due to convenience sampling and the children’s relatively limited ability to demonstrate higher-order thinking skills. This study has shown how teachers could help children use daily documentation posters to develop their learning and thinking skills by visualizing their ideas and the teacher’s important role in supporting children’s learning with active listening and support in the classroom

This thesis explores language teaching and language acquisition by multilingual learners using a Variation Theory approach and multilingual teaching in a university setting in Macao, China. It includes three case studies applied to students of the Spanish language in the introductory level which took place from late August to early December of the year 2017. The first study describes Macao’s multilingual language learners in the University of Macao in 2017. Based on the LEAP-Q questionnaire, a questionnaire was created to inquire all Spanish language students about their languages´ background, their motivations to learn new languages, as well as their learning strategies. The second study shows how the usage of Variation Theory techniques and multilingual teaching techniques boosted the teaching and the learning during the semester. This study employs a case study methodology, by analysing in-class multiple interactions gathering information on how multilinguals´ language background affects the pedagogical process. It analyses a total of 28 classes of 1 hour and 15 minutes. The third study presents the analysis of a questionnaire to 82 students of the initial level of Spanish language in the University of Macao, along with the analysis of interviews from 10 selected multilingual students about their linguistic background and how they experienced the semester. These interviews collected more information about the effectiveness of the Variation Theory in the semester in terms of in-class teaching and learning. From the triangulation of these three studies, some conclusions have been drawn about the advantages of using Variation Theory and multilingual teaching techniques for multilingual students, for the language teacher and ultimately also into the curricular design of foreign language teaching. In sum, that the linguistic background of students plays a major role in how they acquire a new language and, that applying Variation Theory techniques can be an immensely effective technique in a language classroom setting; suggesting that multilingual students will gain from being previously identified and placed in a separate class where these variation techniques were applied. Since this thesis focuses solely on an introductory language course, there is ground to explore this same approach on more advanced multilingual language learners

"This study explored the relationships of work-life balance and turnover intentions of full-time employees in Macao, and role of gender, parenting, and elderly care. Namely: (1) What is the relationship between work-life balance perceptions and turnover intentions? (2) What is the moderating role of gender in the relationship between work-life balance perceptions and turnover intentions? (3) What is the moderating role of parenting (i.e., having children or not) in the relationship between work-life balance perceptions and turnover intentions? And, (4) what is the moderating role of care for elderly family members (i.e., having to provide care or not) in the relationship between work-life balance perceptions and turnover intentions?"

Government service mini-programs have become an integral component of eGovernment in the Greater Bay Area, and successful eGovernment is necessary for building a smart city. Service quality and citizens' trust play a vital role in urban integration and in-depth cooperation in the Bay Area. The ubiquitous nature of mini-programs based on WeChat and Alipay provides excellent flexibility in accessing government services. Technology advantages, mutual recognition of cross-border data, and online transactions bring value and benefits to citizens. However, the mechanism of mini-program adoption has not been elaborated. Homogenization, conflict of regulations, and policy effectiveness are issues of great concern. This study employed Self-Determination Theory and Motivation Theory, proposed an empirical model based on the extended SOR paradigm, and aimed to identify the critical factors determining the intention of government service mini-program adoption from the user’s perspective. Six hundred and nine valid samples were collected from Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen through online survey platforms. The findings suggested that service quality, trust in eGovernment, ubiquity, and social influence constituted the determinants of intention to adopt. Service quality and ubiquity were salient determinants, and a great extent of service quality and ubiquity could promote perceived value and intention. Citizens' trust in government service mini-programs was reasonable, where benevolence, integrity, and competence were crucial indicators of trust. Social influence amplified and transmitted risk perception while perceived risk significantly reduced intention. Perceived value positively associated with the four determinants and enhanced user intention; it acted as a mediator with high explanatory power in the model. Government support received positive ratings from citizens; it negatively regulated the relationship between intention and the determinants respectively, implying that excessive intervention from the government could lead to inhibition. Finally, we proposed relevant implications and suggestions for the GBA government agents and policymakers

This dissertation is a comprehensive academic examination of the characteristics and complex historical progress within the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement in Macau Protestant Churches. Since Macau hosted the first Pentecostal and Charismatic missionary, Thomas J. McIntosh, who entered China in 1907, the history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement in Macau lacks a consistent and synthesized research until now. Thus, primary and secondary resources have been analyzed and reconstructed and historically interpreted to gain a better and deeper understanding of the emergence and development of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement within Macau’s Protestant Churches from the beginning up to the present day. This academic review makes an important contribution to Macau with respect to its historical development and will fill the gap in knowledge within the Global church history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movement. Key Words: Charismatic, Christianity in China, History of Missionaries in China, Macao, Macau, Pentecostalism, Protestant, T. J. McIntosh

This dissertation is an attempt to analyze the twelve selected dreams written or reviewed by St. John Bosco in order to present the notion of an exemplary Salesian. These dreams inspired Don Bosco’s vocation, charism, and dealing with his life’s contingencies and correlate with his pastoral ministry for youth under the social-ecclesiastical context of the nineteenth century. The methodology for this research consists of two approaches: an investigation of their spiritual theology, and Morton T. Kelsey’s approach. In the first part, five dimensions of spiritual theology are explored: (1) the conformity to the truth, (2) the humility and the docility to the Divine will, (3) the discretion and the gravity of seeking the glory of God, (4) the liberty of Spirit with joy, and (5) the guidance of the Spirit. In the latter part, three issues inspired by Kelsey are explored: (1) the personal issue, including the exploration of thought and feeling; (2) the correlation between the dream content and the reality, including images and archetypal symbols associated with experience and memory; (3) the spiritual issue, including one’s openness to God and relation with Him. Through this present research, a model of an exemplary Salesian has been conceptualized, which considers three virtues: health, wisdom, and sanctity. This present study is expected to be beneficial to enhance the faithful’s spirituality. Moreover it is hoped it will provide a healthy stimulus for Salesians to seek to live an excellent Salesian religious life, and to the faithful be devoted Christians in this world as well for the sake of glorifying the Divine mercy

This thesis mainly discusses and compares the human rights situation and the problems in China, the USA and the UK. Also, the thesis will give the solution of how to make the world's human rights situation more fairly. Because we sometimes listen to these countries use cruel ways to suppress the opponents from the news. So I think this will be very suitable for understanding the current human rights situation, problems and movements in these countries. This thesis mainly uses the secondary data analysis method to collect and analyse the data. After analysing the data, three main issues affecting human rights were identified. These issues are race, religion, and network privacy. Other important factors still influence human rights, but this dissertation focused on the three issues identified. Finally, I will give two to three recommendations to practice human rights more fairly. Although the step will be very small, we can greatly improve the fair human rights in the future