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Technological advancements have enabled machines to offer more efficient assistance to people across several domains. Art and creativity are what distinguish people or societies the most. The arrival of AI has caused a fresh wave of concern among many of us; it is crucial that we evaluate the weight of the positives and the drawbacks of how people employing these technologies will influence societies. Legislation is frequently delayed because of the various revolutions througout history. Along with the difficulties raised in the continuing debate, it is critical to identify a route or alternative to assist existing challenges for artists. This dissertation includes our case studies, analysis, and conclusions, which explain the effects on imagination, creativity, communication, and culture when individuals use AI technologies to create art or/and images. According to our findings, AI technology should be considered as one way to solve problems. The vast majority of created outputs are unable to accomplish the desired reach. Furthermore, even if the ethical issues cannot be resolved, individuals should not ignore it and keep their moral compass. Importantly, we must realise that individuals should always be involved in and influence the intricacies and components of the creative process. However, it is commonly understood that the deployment of artificial intelligence has an influence on people’s communication and societies. There are still no standards, frameworks, or norms on this front of Ai-generated images. This might contribute to an increase in industrial imbalance and discrimination. As a result, to safeguard our individuality, we must take the initiative to uncover any answers or directions that would aid in this scenario. As with any experience, whether internal or external, we should use it to our advantage to apply our creative process, something the computer cannot accomplish. Still, it gives many benefits and is effective in assisting people in completing challenging tasks, so it is smart not to avoid teamwork. Furthermore, because social media and the internet provide powerful expression and communication tools, their advantages should help build universal rules to safeguard artistic work

This research study explores the corporate communication strategies and media shifts adopted by large enterprises in Macau during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic era. Taking SJM Resorts, a large enterprise roots in Macau for over 60 years, as an example to analyze the shift and changes in its corporate communication practices and media usage during the pandemic and post-pandemic era. Moreover, recent literatures on related topic were reviewed to support this research. The researcher invited eight leaders from the case study to conduct semi-structured interviews for qualitative analysis, whilst to distribute 500 e-questionnaire surveys to public for collecting empirical data for quantitative analysis. Issues such as the proportion of offline and online media usage and corporate communication and media strategies and impacts were raised. The study result provides theory and practice reviews for related academic fields. Since there are relatively few research reviews on enterprises’ corporate communication and media landscape during the pandemic and the post-pandemic era at recent stage, this study can fill this gap, provide new research results to the related field as well as enrich the current literature database in related fields

The emergence of the virtual world through social media, technical advancements, digital fashion, and the concept of the Metaverse begs the question of whether Macau's fashion sector can transfer to the virtual sphere. Macau fashion designers have different needs for virtual fashion vs traditional fashion manifestations. The designer's experience, Macau residents' interest in the virtual world and metaverse, and communication inside the metaverse all play an important role in this study. This research study shows our design work, analysis, and conclusions, which explain the concepts and research incorporating the Metaverse virtual platform, virtual characters, user interaction for various target groups, and survey feedback. This detailed research provides a deeper understanding and insights into the Metaverse concept's usefulness in marketing Macau fashion businesses and providing essential information to local Macau fashion designers, fashion industry experts, and Macau people. According to preliminary investigation, utilising avatars and virtual fashion in the virtual world is a novel and promising way for fashion brand operations and expansion. This technique provides cost savings, endless creative options, and effective brand messaging, with the opportunity to predict future virtual fashion trends while keeping a real retail presence

The research highlights the significance of souvenirs in contributing to the preservation of cultural heritage and communicating cultural messages to tourists. However, a need for more study exists on the visual elements and brand communication employed in designing cultural and creative products that represent local culture. This research aims to investigate the cultural and creative products industry's status and identify the essential visual elements for designing Macau's cultural and creative products. The study also seeks to understand the visual elements and communication strategies that significantly influence product design and brand communication while capturing the image and style of Macau. The research collected 265 valid questionnaires from online participants and interviewed four designers from small local artist brands. The analysis revealed that local consumers prefer products from small local artist brands, but there needs to be a higher brand awareness. Respondents suggested that utilising social media platforms would effectively increase brand awareness and engage with consumers. Furthermore, it was found that Macau's cultural and creative products can integrate various local elements and design styles to represent its unique style. These visual elements are deemed adequate for cultural and creative product design. This research contributes to the creative and tourism industries by providing designers and scholars with insights and references to better comprehend visual and brand communication for local small artist brands

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most advanced technology nowadays and has already been adopted by the media industry globally. Some research has stated that journalists use these technologies to improve their work. Studies found that the extent to which journalists use these technologies depends on the size of their organization and regional circumstances. This study explores how interviewed Macao journalists integrate AI tools into their work, focusing on text processing, translation, and idea generation to improve efficiency and creativity. In addition, respondents expressed that there is not enough information about AI for a small place like Macao. And the problem of application in a “three primary written languages and four spoken languages” environment. At the same time, respondents’ concerns about AI’s accuracy, reliability, and impact on journalistic professionalism are discussed, emphasizing the need for credible and trustworthy AI outputs. This study reveals a significant difference in AI tool adoption between Chinese and Portuguese respondents, with the former group showing a higher inclination towards using these technologies. Therefore, further research is suggested. In the absence of media competition in Macao, the use of AI and its knowledge is spread by journalists sharing it among different organizations, and there seems to be no official decision on the use of AI by media organizations in Macao

The aim of this study is comparing the jurisdiction of the National Security Law in Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, also reviewing the practical implementation of the law in the two SARs, analyzing the Chinese government's participation in the governance of national security in two SARs, and exploring the future sustainability of National Security Law in two SARs

This dissertation examines the critical need to continuously update the international tax law against tax avoidance: “status quo” and perspectives for development of the current regime. Employing a doctrinal methodological approach, the research first seeks to uncover the most common forms of international tax avoidance through an extensive literature review. This crucial step provides invaluable insights into the diverse strategies and mechanisms utilized by individuals and businesses to circumvent taxation on a global scale. The dissertation then proceeds to examine how current international tax law addresses the identified forms of tax avoidance. This implies a multi-faceted analysis, including an identification of the relevant international norms and treaties, and an exploration of the main sources of international tax law and their practical application. Recognizing the dynamic nature of the global tax landscape, the dissertation also provides perspectives for the future development of international tax law to better address the challenge of tax avoidance. By thoroughly examining the strengths and limitations of the current international tax law regime, the dissertation offers recommendations for potential improvements to the application of international tax avoidance conventions. The findings of this comprehensive study contribute to the broader understanding of international tax avoidance and its regulation within the framework of international law. The research questions and objectives serve as a guiding framework, enabling a thorough analysis that can inform practitioners, and scholars engaged in the ongoing discourse surrounding global taxation and its implications for economic fairness and transparency

The rapid development of counselling began after World War II. Meanwhile, texting services became available in the 1980s. Texting has been widely applied in both health area and mental health areas. A chatbot is a specific type of artificial intelligence (AI) that can have conversations with humans through texting. The combination of counselling and texting is known as chat counselling. The effectiveness of chatbots in alleviating psychological symptoms was supported by scientific research. Nonetheless, people hold different perceptions towards chatbots. Some common factors in counselling, including empathy and warmth, were also important in evaluating AI chatbots. Other important factors included acceptability, satisfaction and trust. The current study is the first to use AI as a counsellor. This study investigates people’s perceptions of human and AI counsellors (ChatGPT) and whether people can differentiate between human and AI. Participants needed to rate the counsellors in three scenarios: the original scenario taken from a training book, the human counsellor scenario generated from a text conversation with a human counsellor and the AI counsellor scenario produced by texting with ChatGPT, which acts as the counsellor. Prompts used to generate conversation with ChatGPT are included. The dialogues were parts of the conversations containing similar client responses and were presented using the WhatsApp interface. Questionnaires were delivered both online and in paper form. Results demonstrated that people’s ratings of human counsellors and AI counsellors did not differ in perceived empathy, acceptability, and satisfaction. While the warmth and trustworthiness of AI counsellors were perceived to be higher than those of human counsellors. On the other hand, people were unable to differentiate between human and AI counsellors in uncertain conditions. Younger people and the general population are more accurate in identifying between humans and AI, while people above 40 and psychologists or counsellors are less capable of doing so. The current study supports the potential of utilising ChatGPT in counselling. Having people experience and evaluate real chat counselling with human and AI counsellors can potentially eliminate some limitations of the current studies. Future studies can investigate how prior knowledge contributes to AI detection and examine AI counsellors' efficiency in longitudinal studies

Macau is often affected by typhoons and rainstorms, especially during summer and autumn, there are also an increasing number of natural disasters due to the current climate change. On top of that, in 2017, tremendous devastation was caused by Typhoon Hato. However, there is only limited research on the psychological impact of natural disasters on Macau residents. This study aims to develop culturally appropriate psychometric instruments to assess fears and emergency reaction in children and adolescents from Macau. By applying this instruments to Macau children and adolescents, the study aims to assess the level of preparedness of children and adolescents in emergencies, fill the research gap, and contribute to future development of courses and training programmes to prepare them for future natural disasters. Specifically, this study aims to adopt the Emergency Reaction Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ-CA) and the Short Form of the Fear Survey Schedule for Children-Revised (FSSC-R-SF) and to examine their psychometric properties with a sample of children and adolescents in Macau. Firstly, the ERQ-CA and FSSC-R-SF were translated into Chinese, and 6 children aged 8-9 were invited to take the Think-Aloud-Protocols (TAP). The content of the questionnaires was suitable for children and adolescents. Secondly, the ERQ-CA and FSSC-R-SF were administered to 262 children and adolescents aged 9-15 who were studying in non-higher education institutions in Macau. The questionnaires were analysed for their reliability and validity. With some adjustments, the two Macau versions of the instruments showed satisfactory psychometric properties regarding construct validity, reliability, and convergent validity. Recommendations for the practical use of the ERQ-CA and the FSSC-R-SF in Macau and future directions are presented

Drama-in-Education (DiE) has been recognised as a valuable teaching pedagogy in the western world for decades, and yet it has not been fully or systematically adopted in the secondary English classes in Asian contexts, including Macau, despite the numerous reported advantages for English language teaching (ELT) in the past studies. This study explores Macau’s secondary school English teachers’ perceptions of utilising DiE in their classes. A mixed-methods research (MMR) approach was adopted in this study, consisting of three phases. First, pre-survey interviews were conducted to understand the potential major concerns about the choices of teaching approaches and the application of DiE of Macau’s secondary school English teachers. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey targeting local secondary school English teachers was administered, the results of which were cross-examined by, and integrated with, the results of two post-survey group interviews. While the results affirm the local secondary school English teachers’ positive view on DiE as an ELT pedagogy and identify their perceived advantages of DiE, the study indicates the over-determination of multi-faceted challenges to its implementation in Macau’s secondary education context. The study identifies and recommends necessary substantial changes to further the application of DiE in Macau’s secondary education milieu

In the 21st century, poverty still remains a serious issue for the world, halting development and growth of nations. SDG 1 refers to the first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) established by United nations. It has as goal to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere”. Cape Verde as an UN member also adopted it and aligned national policies to achieve it. This thesis aimed to analyze the different policies adopted by the government of Cape Verde to implement SDG 1. Moreover, this dissertation will also point out the different actors behind the implementation of SGD 1 in Cabo Verde (both national and international actors), as well as find out their role in alleviating poverty in Cabo Verde, in other words, how they contribute to poverty alleviation in Cabo Verde. Based on a qualitative methodology, using document analysis as method to collect the data and further using thematic analysis to analyze, code and categorize the collected data, the study was able to answer the two research questions: Research question 1: What are the different policies adopted by the government of Cape Verde to implement SDG 1. Research question 2: Who and what are the roles of the actors involved in the implementation of SDG 1 in Cape Verde? The findings of the study revealed that: As to research question 1, the study found out that the government of Cape Verde has adopted several policies geared towards poverty reduction. Such policies included social protection policies, investment in infrastructure policies, investment in education policies, investment in health policies, investment in rural development policies, economic diversification policies, gender equality and women empowerment policies, job creation policies and climate change adaptation policies. As for research question 2, the study 4 revealed there are two main Actors are responsible for the implementation of SDG 1, government institutions and National and International Partners. On one hand, the government of Cape Verde is focused on creating and adopting polices that target the poor, as result this make sure that they can lift from poverty or at least avoid they sinking into deeper poverty. On the other hand, the partners (here known as Actors) helping on the implementation of SDG 1 in Cape Verde work as a backup for the government, helping it on other issues related to SDG 1 implementation such as knowledge and capital provision and so on. The Cape Verde government is dedicated to reducing poverty, focusing on the unemployment and migration phenomenon. These factors contribute to poverty and exacerbate it. Despite these challenges, the overall outlook on poverty reduction in Cape Verde is optimistic, indicating a significant commitment to address the root causes of poverty

This thesis aims to demonstrate how Pope Benedict XVI's Eucharistic theology can be used to fill the gap it identifies in the content within the Religious Education curriculum of Macao Catholic secondary schools and also extend support to the evangelization mission carried out in these schools. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the ideal religious formation of teachers and students in a Catholic school should be according to the teaching and discipline of the Catholic Church and how this is presently performed in three local Catholic secondary schools. This identifies a gap between theory and practice. The gap lies in the absence of formation in the sacramental and, therefore, Eucharistic teaching of the Church. The second part elaborates on the Catholic understanding of the human person and the basic needs for the development of adolescents. It does this to ensure that when the thesis proposes a solution to fill the gap in the curriculum, that solution is appropriate to the needs of the subjects of religious education, that is the adolescents in Macao Catholic secondary schools. In the third part, the Eucharistic theology of Pope Benedict XVI is explored, along with its relevance to the curriculum of the schools under investigation. It examines how it could enhance the experience of the educational mission of these schools and responds to the needs for adolescent development. Finally, suggestions are provided as how to incorporate the Eucharistic theme in the curriculum and create a Eucharistic education program for an enhanced evangelization outcome. This research has significant implications for all those who are involved in Catholic education, particularly in secondary schools

This dissertation explores the strategies for developing a smart tourism city in the background of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the perceptions of different experts in Macao. Awared that the Macao government aims to expedite the development of a livable, smart, and green Macao and requires smart technology to be applied to upgrade the people’s livelihood. This is a long-term ambition to achieve and whether success remains uncertain. Through literature review, understood that the traditional tourism industry must be transformed and innovated to enhance competition since the 90s. And smart tourism cities provide enhanced tourists’ experience and residents’ better quality of life. Although prior research have studied the tourist behavior of smart tourism contents or evalutated strategic plans for the construction of a smart tourism city, there is no previous research explored on the topic. Therefore, this dissertation through qualitative research methods including on-site observations, analyzing government-released documents and interviewing relevant experts. The findings present the seven components of the conceptual framework, including physical infrastructures, technology applications, experience sharing, big data, business co-creation, technical professionals, and cyber security, are strongly support the smart tourism city development in Macao. Provide a clear understanding for the relevant stakeholders to practice in a smart tourism city context. In addition, from the perspective of experts, the key for successfully develop Macao as a smart tourism city is that should apply ‘government-led, multi-party participation, and marketing operation’ in every component of the framework. The key for success depends on all stakeholders actively participae the activities. Four recommondations also present at the end of this disseartation. Prospects the development of smart tourism city in Macao can enhance both the quality of tourists’ experience and residents’ life as well as driven the long-term economic growth sustainably

According to research, it is found that images, music, and emotions are closely related, and integrating visual and tactile elements into the music creation process, combined with auditory experience, can enhance emotional expression and understandability. The results highlight the potential of tangible interfaces in autonomous music creation and promoting emotional well-being. This work aims to explore the intersection of music creation, emotional expression, and technological innovation by creating a unique tangible interface for music. It does this by combining the challenges presented by the complexity of modern music production, the emotional issues faced by today's youth, and bringing a new way of expression to the phonograph technology. It hopes to draw inspiration from the historical significance of the phonograph through visual expression, user experience, and algorithmic music generation technology, and seek to provide a new way of music creation for young people who are creative and curious but not musicians, and provide a new way to express emotions. All things considered, the project demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of combining historical inspiration with modern technology to create innovative solutions for music technology. Furthermore, it is focusing on enhancing the interface design even more and carrying out longitudinal research to assess the long-term effects on emotional expressiveness and user experience. It is also being explored as an artistic installation, hoping to bring more changes and presentation methods and provide users with a more comprehensive and immersive music creation and emotional expression experience

With the rapid development of China's social economy, attention to children's education is also increasing. Among them, the preschool stage, the starting point of children's education, is the primary stage of children's cognitive, emotional, social, and motor skills development. At this critical time, providing children with an age-appropriate educational environment can significantly affect their personal growth, intellectual development, and emotional cultivation. Therefore, a multifunctional table that can meet the learning needs of preschool children and promote early cognitive development is essential. This work takes preschool children as the user object of our study to deeply explore the needs and obstacles of the target users. It summarizes the requirements and principles of children's furniture design based on children's physiological and psychological characteristics. A design scheme of an intelligent multifunctional preschool children's table is proposed based on ergonomics and digital technology. The objective through this work, is to create a preschool children's table that not only meets the learning needs of preschool children but also promote fun and can encourage the development of children's early cognitive ability

Within the realm of video games, female characters often become ensnared in stereotypes, thus becoming objects of the male gaze. Moreover, the neglect of female characters' subjectivity in game design reflects a failure to acknowledge their agency. Additionally, the female perspective is frequently disregarded in game design. These issues have had adverse effects, leading to designs that are less hospitable to women, perpetuating misogyny, sexual harassment, and discrimination in online gaming, and further marginalizing women within the gaming industry. Integrating feminist principles into video game design has the potential to dismantle the cultural center of inequality within gaming culture and foster a more diverse and inclusive video game world, brimming with possibilities. This research investigates such phenomena through a blend of questionnaires and online interviews. Following data refinement and summarization, it explores the potential fusion of feminism and game design. While findings from these studies aid in establishing a framework for this synthesis, feminist game research presents complexity. The study offers pertinent references aimed at advancing the field

As technology evolves swiftly and consumers call for more customization, the study of interactive fashion design is increasingly emerging as a key topic within the fashion industry. The goal of this research is to investigate merging intelligent technology with apparel design, realizing functional enlargements and enriching the user experience by employing interactive design. Initially, this document examines key theories and ongoing studies in interaction design, intelligent textiles, and wearable tech, pinpointing the current research voids and difficulties. This section then presents a range of methodologies used in the study, encompassing literature review, case analysis, and interviews with experts, to thoroughly analyze and assess all facets of interactive apparel design. This document suggests a methodical design of interactive clothing, outlining the entire process from initial design to the creation of prototypes. The practicality and efficiency of the design methodology are proven by creating prototypes and conducting trials. Findings from the experiments indicate that interactive attire offers substantial benefits in terms of functionality, comfort, and user experience. The research offers both theoretical backing and pragmatic advice for designing interactive attire, while also highlighting paths for upcoming advancements in fashion technology. In conclusion, the document examines the shortcomings of the existing research and potential research paths, aiming to offer valuable guidance for advancing the development of clothing styling and wearable tech

As international tourism continues to flourish and airlines are eager to expand their fleets, the demand for civil aircraft has continues to grow in the global market. The market has been a duopolistic one, shared by Boeing and Airbus. However, the recent entry of the Chinese company, Comac, had the potential to turn it into a triopoly within certain segment of the product line. This observation motivates the research objective to analyze the impact of Comac's entry on the production strategies of the incumbents. Specifically, this dissertation studies the impact on each firm’s allocation of production capacity toward different civil aircraft in the product line in response to how Comac’s entry, which can also impact the effects of capacity increase and market expansion on the product line rivalry. This dissertation is based on a multi-product, oligopolistic model of Boeing and Airbus. To provide insights on the strategy and behavior of each firm in the evolving competitive environment, this dissertation solves and extends the mathematical model to incorporate Comac as the entrant and compares model results with data of orders and deliveries of the three companies in the past 15 years. This model finds that when Comac's C919, a relatively small plane, enters the global civil aircraft market, Boeing and Airbus will increase the production of their small planes and decrease the production of the relatively large planes under the production capacity constraints. If the production capacity increases, both Boeing and Airbus will produce more planes, but will allocate more additional capacity to large planes than to small planes compared to the duopolistic competitive environment. When the market demand increases, despite the entry of the C919, Boeing and Airbus iv will continue to increase the production of both large and small planes, but the response is greater to an increase of demand for large planes than that for small planes. The orders and deliveries data provide some but insufficient support for the model predictions. As the market participation of Comac continues to grow, future researchers can re-assess the models’ propositions with more available data

The global food industry generates substantial waste, posing significant environmental, economic, and social challenges. This dissertation explores circular business strategies for food waste management, aiming to develop an efficient model that integrates circular economy principles and innovative technologies. Key research questions include: What are current food waste management practices? How can circular economy principles reduce food waste effectively? What role can technology play in improving these systems? The study also examines barriers to implementation and identifies gaps in existing literature. The methodology involves a comprehensive literature review, case studies, and the development of a detailed mathematical model. The literature review covers circular economy concepts, current food waste treatment technologies, machine learning and Al applications in waste management. Case studies from various countries provide insights into regulatory frameworks and innovative solutions. Central to this research is the mathematical modelling of food waste management systems. The model employs Hamiltonian and/or Lagrangian formulations to optimise waste transportation and processing. This approach allows for the simulation of various scenarios, helping to identify the most efficient pathways for food waste reduction and resource recovery. The model also incorporates phase transitions better to understand the dynamics of waste generation and treatment processes. Phase transitions mark changes on tendencies and in this case they help us to evaluate the viability of the construction of a fast track for the transportation of food waste in any city. Results indicate that adopting circular economy principles in food waste management is feasible and beneficial. Effective strategies include bioplastics, insectutilisation, and machine learning models for waste prediction and management. The developed mathematical model suggests efficient waste transportation through a coupled network approach, ensuring rapid and effective waste evacuation. The research highlights the importance of technological integration and cross-sector collaboration for sustainable food waste management. It also stresses the need for robust regulatory frameworks and consumer education to drive behavioural changes and support circular practices