Your search

With the rapid urban development, Macao SAR has become one of regions with the with highest population density in the world, characterized by high traffic flow and dense building aggregations. Noise has become one of the major environmental problems in Macao. Besides having an impact on human health and wellbeing, noise pollution is known to impact ecological systems and the image of a place. Before proposing a plan to reduce noise pollution, it is necessary to have a general understanding of the current noise levels in Macao, how they have changed over time and the main noise pollution sources and environmental concerns. This dissertation relies on the publicly available data from DSPA (Macao Environmental Protection Bureau) monitoring stations concerning noise levels over the past decade. The main research goals were: 1) Characterize changes in noise levels from 2010 to 2021 during daytime, nighttime, and full-day from multiple noise stations located in Macao, Taipa, and Coloane Peninsula; and 2) associate changes in noise levels with potential factors such as location, number of residents/tourists, number of vehicles, among others. This work provides an important framework for future studies concerning noise monitoring and mitigation strategies

Online shopping in Macau has developed rapidly in recent years. And the success of Taobao is significantly hard to not notice. Its’ sales are breaking the record every year. However, there are a lot of negative comments towards Taobao. Various researches and data have shown that live-streaming is one of the biggest contributions towards Taobao’s sales and record breaking. This research aims to investigate deeply to understand how Taobao counters those issues and the role of live-streaming in relation to it. Based on a review of the literature in the relevant areas , qualitative methodology is adopted after thorough considerations. A small sample size of 10 were selected to conduct semi-structured in-depth interviews and the participants agreed to respond to answer the original interview questions and the follow-up questions. Analysis of the responses demonstrated e-customer service is the most influential variable towards repurchase intention. Live-streaming strategy can effectively and directly reduce constomer’s uncertainty of products and increase the efficiency of responsiveness. And product uncertainty and responsiveness speed are variables that impact purchase intention. The result demonstrated live-streaming's effectiveness in combating multiple negative aspects of Taobao and strengthening the positive aspects. On this basis, live-streaming is an impactful method to combat Taobao. In addition, e-service in terms of sufficiency of the staff’s communication skill have been found important towards customer’s satisfaction. A gap related to such an issue has been recommended in the further research recommendations along with other factors or sample groups, which are needed to explore deeply in the future

This dissertation focused on the consumers’ consumption behavior in Macau flower retailers. It revealed what factors affect consumers’ choice of flower shops during purchase. Also, what contributes to the customers’ loyalty towards a flower retailer by having interviews with the female target groups aged between 20 to 50 who work in the office. This study is important to the flower business owner because the result can allow them to understand the thoughts and feelings of their consumer. By interviewing 11 heavy users of floral products with 16 questions based on the five consumption values, we can communicate with the consumers directly and learn the reasons behind their purchasing behavior. Questions have been divided into 5 consumption values according to the previous research by (Sheth, Newman, & Gros, 1991), including functional, conditional, social, emotional, and epistemic values. The research has collected data on how and at what level these values may affect consumer consumption choices individually. The finding part analyzed the reason why those values affect consumers’ choices. Most of the interviewees stated that service is the most important compared to quality because the owner should be enthusiastic to provide product information and understand the consumer very well to impress and retain them with good personal service

This study presents the intrinsic value of Moody’s Corporation, a leading credit rating agency in the U.S. The results of the valuation were compared to the market value of Moody’s Corporation of the same date. The aim of the research is to provide a perspective to the investors on whether the actual value of the Company was overvalued or undervalued in the market, and how much the volatility of the stock price by the change of some factors. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were applied in the research. The historical data, economic outlook, and the Company’s strategies were collected to be the metrics to determine the intrinsic value and provide an analysis of the prospects of Moody’s Corporation. Three valuation models were applied in the research to estimate the intrinsic value of the Company’s common stock. The cost of debt, cost of equity, the weighted average cost of capital, and the market risk premium were introduced and calculated in the research as they were the critical components in the valuation process. Since the valuation was based on assumptions and historical data to determine future growth, which indicates that the results could be changed due to uncertain factors. This study demonstrates that there was some discrepancy between the stock’s market price and the intrinsic value per share of Moody’s Corporation as of December 31, 2021

This study analyzed Tencent Holdings Limited’s internal and external factors and future strategies, forecasted the financial statements of the Company for the next ten years, and measured the intrinsic value of the Company on December 31, 2021 and compared it with the stock market price on the same date. The share price’s sensitivity analysis was also conducted to understand the Company's capital structure and profitability, and the sensitivity analysis can be used to reflect the impact of these factors and strategies on the future share price, which can have a high impact on investors' future investment decisions. This study also used the SWOT Analysis and Michael Porter's Five Forces Analysis to analyze the Company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and the Five Competitive Forces that shape the technology industry to evaluate the Company's external and internal environment and enrich the management with a more intuitive analysis leading to recommendations

Nowadays marketers and practitioners recognize the importance of social marketing as a strategy to acquire customers. Accordingly, the enterprises and brands are embracing the use of social network in communicating with potential consumers ad actual consumers, in order its performance so as to increase its sales. Among all those social media platforms, Instagram is one of the platforms which is image orientated and can easily connect with users and provide information with photos and images. As Macau is small‐sized city where there are abundant small to medium‐sized enterprises, the local small firms are switching their marketing strategies by utilizing the Instagram to promote their product online. In order to get a better grasp of how Instagram affects the promotion of the food and beverage product in Macau, the research question has been formulated: “To what extend can the local food sectors in Macau use Instagram as a marketing tool to engage purchasing intention and strengthen their brand equity? From the perspective of customers.” Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants who are the Instagram users, with diverse situations of engagement on Instagram. According to the interviews, participants expressed that how Instagram can associate effects with arousal and brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty) and formation of purchase intention eventually through the Instagram marketing activities. The results showed that Instagram marketing activities strongly correlated the brand equity (brand awareness, brand image, and perceived quality while which in turn led to purchasing intention towards the brand. This research comprehensively illustrates the influences of Instagram marketing activities on customer‐based brand equity. The findings of this study will enable local food brands to more accurately forecast the future purchasing behaviors of their customers through Instagram marketing activities and provide a guide in managing brand equity as well

Due to the expansion of the Internet and advancements in technology, e-commerce has been frequently and widely used nowadays. The popularity of online shopping continues to develop and become increasingly common, yet, the concept of impulsive buying has consistently drawn significant attention over the years. In order to fit into the current shopping trend, recognizing the needs and wants of online shoppers as well as providing appropriate approaches are essential tasks for companies to achieve. The question of how to attract consumers to make purchases has been a concern for a long time, and in fact, it is necessary to explore consumers’ online purchase decisions in relation to their impulse buying behavior. In accordance with current academic knowledge, the main objective of this study is to investigate factors that influence consumers' online impulsive buying behavior based on external stimuli (such as sales promotions and websites characteristics) and the elements of marketing mix strategy (product, price, place, and promotion). According to the analysis, the promotion strategy has been identified as the most significant influence on consumers’ decision to make an online impulsive purchase. Therefore, the findings from this study are beneficial for companies and marketers to build a framework in order to develop suitable and effective strategies in order to encourage and stimulate consumers' desire for purchases. Furthermore, the research applies the qualitative methodology by conducting semi-structured interviews with 11 consumers who have previously experienced an online impulse buying

The purpose of the study was to explore the smoking behaviour of the smokers living in Macao. I was part of the 1st group of doctors to have chosen to initiate smoking cessation in Macau. In addition to my diverse academic background of study in laws- a dissertation about the effect of tobacco control program in Macao (submitted in 2011), a master in Public Administration, and five years of working experiences as an Inspector Assistant of tobacco, I had the conviction that I have to write to share my experience and knowledge about smoking cessation to contribute to the field of counselling and psychotherapy as there is little research data concerning smoking prevalence and demographics in Macao. This study consists of two parts – PART I presents the quantitative data collected by a questionnaire-survey over 1378 smokers and PART II qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 10 adult smokers to explore their experiences of smoking and smoking cessation in Macao. Quantitative data analysis was conducted with the SPSS, while qualitative analysis with coding and theme identification by following the grounded theory procedures. The study found that about 85% smoker surveyed consumed more than half a pack of cigarette per day and about 31% reported various symptoms like irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite and difficulties in concentration. The qualitative study has identified major positive factors related to initiation and maintenance of smoking cessation, namely health concerns, financial concerns and family support. Major negative factors related to relapse of smoking are peer influences, smoking of family members, and impacts of stressful life events. Based on findings of the study, it is argued that preventive anti-smoking education should be implemented among young people. Promotion of health education and preventive anti-smoking strategist and policy in Macao are discussed. The data collected indicate the fact that individuals who have pathologies of the cardiovascular system as a motivating factor for contemplating or taking actions for smoking cessation. Moreover, financial problems, gender (male predominantly), married with family support, higher educational level, without psychological diseases, better economic status, lower nicotine dependent are predictors to success in quit smoking. It also raises the possible need to deepen some evaluation parameters hither to be only superficially addressed. Therefore, and by limitations inherent to the study, this hypothesis needs further investigation. I argue that non-pharmacological treatment methods alone have proven to be effective in the smoking cessation process. However, it is argued that this combined with pharmacological therapy, in particular in specialized consultations, would be more effective and capable in increasing success rates in smoking cessation

Projects are tactical and operational initiatives, and achieving specific outcomes through projects can help organizations achieve strategic goals. The effective use of project management tools and techniques is essential to achieve successful results, since the goal is to maximize the realization of the project's plan by effectively using the budget, time, and resources provided by the project owner to achieve the project's original purpose. The Project Management Maturity Model (PMMM) is a tool for measuring project management capabilities and is essential to improve project and portfolio performance in different industries. The main objective of this research is to analyze and characterize the maturity level and capacity of the IT industry in Macau and HengQin based on the assessment of the PMMM. The research also aims to assess and compare the maturity level in the IT industry in Macau and HengQin. An online survey was conducted and sent to IT project managers from Macau and HenqQin. A total of 34 responses were collected, divided into 3 different parts: Part I - General Information, Part II - Project Management Areas, and Part III - Perception. The results indicate that, in general, Project Managers state that their companies do not follow Project Management standards and best practices, classifying as Low and Very Low essential PM areas such as Planning and Scheduling (68%), Scope (61%) and Communications (64%). From a comparison perspective, project managers in Macau follow less formal frameworks than Hengqin in managing the triple constraints of the project. The collected data also indicate that Macau's communication management and stakeholder engagement are less mature than Hengqin's. Furthermore, the data indicate that maturity level is not necessarily related to education level, which means not higher education has a higher maturity level. Recommendations are provided for the IT industry in both areas, and specific comments are provided for each group or professionals. In conclusion, this work allows a novel characterization and a better understanding of the Project Management adoption and maturity level of the IT Industry in Macau and Hengqin

Oracle Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Oracle, ORCL, or ‘the Company’) is an American multinational company that provides solutions of products and services that serve the enterprises’ information technology (IT) environment. This thesis is to conduct a business analysis of the Company from a financial perspective, determining the Company’s intrinsic value as of May 31, 2021, and comparing it with the respective market value. Thus, this thesis will study, evaluate, and present an overview of the Company, an analysis of the Company’s market, industry, strategy, financial performance, including external and internal factors, a ten-year pro forma financial statement forecast, and the techniques of using the three discounted cash flow models to estimate the intrinsic value of Oracle. The obtained results from the three valuation models, including the Enterprise Discounted Cash Flow (EDCF) model, the Adjusted Present Value (APV) model, and the Discounted Economic Profit (DEP) model, show that the Company’s intrinsic values were estimated at $74.57, $75.21, and $74.82, respectively. When the results were used to compare with the market price of Oracle’s shares as of May 31, 2021, at $78.74, it reflects that the Company was overvalued