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School-age children and adolescents face several psychological conditions frequently associated with negative consequences on behavioral and mental problems. Their level of mental resilience may affect their responses to academic or interpersonal issues and coping with challenges, which in turn affects their mental health. This study aims to characterize the current status of the psychopathology and resilience of secondary students and to analyze the relationship between psychopathology and resilience in a sample of 80 girls aged 12–18 was selected by cluster sampling from one private secondary school with six grades in Macao. In this study, we used the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) to assess behavioral and emotional problems and the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents to assess resilience. A total of 78 valid questionnaires were obtained for CBCL, 78 for TRF, 80 for YSR, and 77 for Resilience Scale and data were analyzed by using SPSS. The results reveal that clinical prevalence of Total Problems (YSR, 27.5% > CBCL, 19.2% > TRF, 15.4%) and Internalizing Problems (YSR, 22.5% > CBCL, 17.9% > TRF, 11.5%) from the perspective of adolescents was higher than that from the perspectives of parents and teachers. Senior students exhibited higher frequency on the borderline clinical range than Junior students. (χ2(2, N=80) =14.56, p<.001). The average score of resilience is 3.24±0.51, which is above the middle level. Regarding the YSR scale and Resilience scale, we found that the score of Affect Control is significantly negatively correlated with the score of Internalizing Problems (r = -.354, p<.01). Family Support is also significantly negatively correlated with the score of Internalizing Problems (r = -.302, p<.01). Good affect control and family support can reduce various emotional and behavioral problems. The results of the study found the resilience level can negatively affect internalizing problem behaviors and externalizing problem behaviors. The results are promising and can give clues for preventing and promoting measures regarding mental health issues to both family and school education contexts, as creating a sustainable development strategy of improving adolescents’ mental resilience quality

Informal recycling plays a crucial role in municiapl solid waste management in many cities, particularly in the global South. This study examines the practices, challenges, and opportunities of informal recycling in Macau, a small city and Self Autonomous Region (S.A.R.) in China. Using qualitative research methods, including semi-structured interviews, this study explores the motivations and strategies of informal recyclers, the challenges they face, and the potential for collaboration with formal waste management systems. The findings of this study reveal that informal recycling in Macau is a complex and multifaceted reality and practice that involves a range of actors, from waste pickers to small-scale processors to exporters, all with their specific challenges. Informal recyclers are motivated by economic necessity, and they employ a variety of strategies to collect and process recyclable materials. However, they also face significant challenges, including high rental and transportation costs, lack of manpower, China’s waste import policies and ensuing restrictions, fluctuating global price rates of materials and the unstable income as serious consequence, accompanied by limited support from the local Government. This study also identifies opportunities for sustainable development of informal recycling in Macau, supported by the analysis of data collected via questionnaire survey regarding Macau citizens’ waste separation habits and their willingness to pay for resource separation and recovering process. The identified oppurtunities include establishing partnerships between informal and formal waste management actors, improving the infrastructure, and introducing environmental levy system and consistent policies and regulations. Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of the role of informal recycling sector in waste management in Macau and provides insights into potential strategies for improving the sustainability of resource and waste management practices in the city

The aim of this research is to investigate how power distance orientation effects the relationship between perceptions of organisational politics and perceptions of organisational justice. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted on 172 full time workers in Macau, where respondents self-responded to questionnaires that were translated back-to-back into Chinese in order to accommodate the populations native language. This study found that power distance was contrary to our initial hypothesis of high-power distance equals to high politics and low justice. It was found that high power distance in facts equates to lower political perceptions and higher justice perceptions. This study contributes to understanding power distance in Macau as it is not noted in the Hofstede cultural dimensions. We also learned that having a longer distance between a position of power can contribute to less political activity and more sense of justice for the employees

The purpose of this study is to examine work engagement and mental well-being in Macau, specifically after more than three years of COVID. Examine whether external factors such as emotional support from supervisors, co-workers, and family members have a positive impact on work engagement and mental well-being, and whether the internal factor self-reflection with its three aspects of need for self-reflection, engagement in self-reflection, and insight from self-reflection moderates the relationship between emotional support, work engagement, and mental well-being. The target audience consists of Macau's integrated resort, hospitality, and gaming industry employees. According to the Affective Event Theory (AET), affective events at work generate emotional responses that influence the attitudes and behavior of employees in the workplace. In this study, this theoretical framework was used to clarify the interplay of variables that explain emotional support from supervisors, co-workers, and family members, work engagement, and mental well-being. An online self-response survey (N=325) was used to conduct quantitative and cross-sectional research. There was also a combination of simple random sampling, convenience sampling, and referral sampling. All variables were found to be correlated, and while perceived supervisor support was a significant predictor of all aspects of work engagement and mental well-being, family and co-worker support only predicted certain aspects of these variables. Self-reflection partially moderated the positive effects of certain emotional support on work engagement and mental well-being

This study examined the relationships between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being of medical doctors and nurses in Macao. It applied a quantitative methodology through a cross-sectional applying self-response questionnaires to 149 healthcare workers. Consistent with the group-engagement model (Tyler & Blader, 2003), findings indicate that organisational justice and job satisfaction improve subjective well-being. Yet, inconsistent with the model and our hypotheses, organizational justice did not affect work satisfaction. Finally, nurses experienced less positive justice perceptions than doctors. The study provides insights into the relationship between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being among healthcare professionals, which might help enhance working conditions. Healthcare organizations should prioritize promoting job satisfaction and justice perceptions to increase healthcare personnel's subjective well-being. The cross-sectional design limits causal inferences about variable relationships, and the self-reported data may have social desirability or response biases. Still, the originality and value of this paper lie in its contribution to the literature on the well-being of healthcare workers, particularly in the unique context of Macao. To our knowledge, this is the first study in Macao to examine the relationship between organizational justice, job satisfaction, and subjective well-being among healthcare workers

The aims of the present study are to investigate the level of work engagement of the inclusive teachers in Macau and what potential factors would contribute to the increase of their level of work engagement. In this research, the framework of the self-determination theory developed by Ryan and Deci in 2000 was partially employed. I suggested the inclusive teachers’ self-efficacy and perceived autonomy to act as the independent variables, while perceived organisational support was involved as the mediating variable. Quantitative method was applied in this study by using an online self-response questionnaire (N= 150). The stratified sampling strategy was applied as well in order to ensure the representativeness. No gender difference of work engagement level was found among Macau inclusive teachers. Positive correlations were found among all variables. Besides, perceived organisational support was expressing positive mediating effects on the relationships between independent and dependent variables under some specific circumstances. For example, the relationship between efficacy to use inclusive instructions and emotional and physical work engagement; the relationship between perceived autonomy and cognitive, emotional, and physical work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications for the non-tertiary schools and inclusive teachers can be found in this study. Future studies should be continued to investigate the limitations and suggestions of this field of research

The phenomenon of burnout has been recognised as a worldwide occupational health issue after being vastly studied for decades. Trait Emotional Intelligence (trait EI) and resilience have been identified as personal protective factors (Gutierrez & Mullen, 2016; Listopad et al., 2021), while organisational socialisation is suggested to be an organisational factor in helping people in preventing burnout (Taormina & Law, 2000). With the purpose of 1) investigating the phenomenon in the counselling profession, as well as 2) exploring how trait EI and resilience are related to burnout and whether organisational socialisation might impose moderating effects in between, the present study examined 115 counselling professionals currently employed and working in organisational settings in Macau by snowball sampling, using a quantitative and cross-sectional approach through self-reported online questionnaires. From the data obtained, different burnout patterns were observed according to job titles and work settings, indicating that counselling professionals with different specialties and work in different settings have unique sources of stress, which resulting in differences in their burnout patterns. No between-group differences were observed in age and work experience, while male participants have a higher burnout perception than female participants in the current study. On the other hand, current results suggested trait EI and four components of resilience (determination, endurance, adaptability and recuperability) are negatively correlated to counselling professionals’ burnout perception, providing supportive evidence that trait EI and resilience are protective factors against burnout. Moderation analysis results revealed that organisational socialisation has some moderating effects on the relationship between trait EI, resilience and burnout. However, differences in direction and intensity indicated that the moderating effects of organisational socialisation might be influenced by individual differences. Further studies are needed to better the understanding of the moderating effect of organisational socialisation. Limitations of the current research and implications for counselling professionals and organisations were also discussed in the study

This study explored the effect of communication (i.e., among staff, and between staff and clients) and of cultural diversity on job satisfaction (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic, and general) and perceived service quality of formal caregivers working in elderly services in Macao. We applied a quantitative methodology, based on a cross-sectional design using a self-response questionnaire to 162 staff in six elderly centres in Macao. Based on an extensive review of the literature, we proposed that: H1) cultural diversity is negatively related to (a) intrinsic job satisfaction, (b) extrinsic job satisfaction, (c) general job satisfaction, and (H5) negatively related to perceived competence and service quality; (H2) communication (a) among staff and (b) between staff and clients is positively related to intrinsic job satisfaction (H3) extrinsic job satisfaction, (H4) general job satisfaction, and (H6) perceived service quality; and finally that (H7) intrinsic, (H8) extrinsic, and (H9) general job satisfaction mediate the relationship between (a) cultural diversity, (b) communication among staff and (c) communication between staff and clients, and perceived service quality. We found that more communication among staff was related to higher intrinsic, extrinsic and general job satisfaction, and perceived competence and service quality. And intrinsic job satisfaction mediated the positive effect of communication among staff on perceived service quality. Opposite to predicted communication between staff and clients was related to lower levels of job satisfaction. And cultural diversity was positively related to satisfaction, as well as perceived competence and service quality. The theoretical and practical implications of findings, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed

Food waste has become an increasingly pressing issue worldwide, and Macau is no exception. A substantial portion of municipal solid waste in Macau is comprised of organic waste, with household food waste being a significant contributor. This can be attributed to households purchasing excessive food, preparing more than necessary, or not consuming items before they spoil, leading to detrimental resource and environmental impacts, particularly in the form of greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial for Macau to develop a sustainable food waste management system that fosters prevention and responsible consumption and to develop food waste recycling habits among its residents. This study employed a two-pronged approach: a literature review of food waste source separation policies and practices in four neighboring regions to identify adaptable good practice examples for Macau, and a questionnaire survey completed by 143 local residents. The survey aimed to comprehend residents' behaviors and awareness regarding food waste prevention and treatment, evaluate their satisfaction with Macau's existing food waste recycling program, examine their resistance and motivation toward participating in the recycling program, and assess their attitudes toward implementing a polluter-pays-principle system in Macau. The survey aimed to provide insights into the current state of household food waste in Macau and inform future waste management policies and strategies of stakeholders. The survey findings highlight the need for enhanced public awareness and education on food waste prevention. Additionally, upgrading recycling facilities may encourage residents to participate more actively in food waste recycling. Ultimately, implementing suitable policies can help prevent food loss and waste and regulate food waste generation and elevate recycling rates. This study offers preliminary recommendations for policymakers or government entities as a orientation for future planning

The inundation problem in Macao is getting more attention recently, especially after the destructive impacts of typhoons Hato (2017) and Mangkut (2019). The inundation caused by storm surges is getting more severe with the rapid sea-level rise in Macao. Moreover, the potential threat of a tsunami in Macao, may be enhanced with rising sea-level. This research evaluated the risk of coastal hazards in Macao by analyzing the local meteorological data. The results of the analysis indicate a rising trend in the tropical cyclone intensity and more severe storm surges are expected to occur in the future. Moreover, this research explores the potential of Nature-based Solutions (NbS), particularly mangroves, to address the inundation problem in Macao. The study included a preliminary laboratory-based experiment and the application of local mangroves data in numerical models. The results of the experiment and numerical models demonstrate the ability of mangroves to attenuate waves. These findings, although preliminary, indicate that mangroves could be a promising NbS to address inundation issues in Macao. To effectively implement this NbS, further field investigations are needed to measure attenuation in-situ, as well as determine optimal locations for mangrove restoration projects

"Parenting styles may have various effects on children’s development and educational outcomes, particularly a relationship with behavioral problems and academic achievement. This study examines the relationship of between parenting styles, behavioral problems and academic achievement. A cross-sectional and questionnaire-design (Parenting Style Scale (Saunders et al., 2013); Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman & Goodman, 2009; Goodman, 1999; Goodman, 1997)) study was used with a sample total of 98 parents with the eldest child of the family aged between six to twelve. Results of the findings are mainly inconsistent with the majority of literature. Indulgent and authoritative parenting are the predominant parenting styles, yet parenting styles does not relate to academic achievement. On the other hand, the correlation between behavioral problems, specifically prosocial behaviors and academic achievement are moderate. Furthermore, there is no difference between the type of behavioral problems according to gender. In further studies, a larger sample size, teachers and students as informants, and the inclusion of the analysis of other factors that could be influencing parenting styles, behavioral problems and academic achievement are suggested to be considered. "

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of leadership styles and organizational cultures to employee’s organizational commitment under the pandemic situation in Macao. The dependent variables comprise of the three dimensions of organizational commitment. Among those three, affective commitment and continuance commitment are considered to be analyzed in this study. The leadership styles concept and organizational cultures are applied as the independent variables. The objectives are achieved using quantitative research method with questionnaires in Likert scale scores. The two significance reveals that laissez-faire leadership style had a positive relationship with continuance organizational commitment (H4) and innovative culture had a positive correlation with continuance organization commitment (H6). Such outcomes were extended to a qualitative study with qualitative approach on discourse analysis to explore the potential factor and a leadership discourse analysis was initiated. While the findings on influence of leadership and culture on organizational commitment is not a major concern for Macao employees in the pandemic situation, the significance of specific leadership style and culture rationalizes the transformation and status of Macao employees’ views towards leadership and employers’ perspective on organizational culture. The data collected in this study may also provide valuable resources for future study and training programs for the coming batch of employees in the coming new phase of Macao in entering the 2nd round of gaming licensing. Create the right leadership and culture for the organization to bring back the passion of Macao employees

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