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Macau is facing problems on how to moderately diversify its economy, improving its air quality, water quality, and waste management, and improving its biodiversity. The research aim is to investigate and propose how Macau can achieve moderate economic diversification, environmental protection, ecological protection and preservation in line with sustainable development goal 8, 9, 12, 13, and 15. Using documentary analysis, extensive literature review, and analyzing of Macau situation, the following findings are suggested: - Research and development using the university institutions on areas ranging from hospitality and tourism management, telecommunication engineering, electrical & electronic engineering, automation and control, computer science and engineering, transportation science and technology, nanoscience & nanotechnology, instrument science and technology, biomedical engineering, as well as relevant infrastructure, policy and financial support, - Talent attraction for specialised industries with stringent requirements due to the limited capacity of Macau, - Financial market development for financing, capital accumulation, and wealth management, - Focus on tourism-related industry, then big data and technology leveraging Hengqin, and then financial industry for supporting, - Better method to reduce air pollution through more energy efficient industrial facilities with less greenhouse gases emission, - Better water quality and pollution management through water pollution management, water resource conservation, the development of environmentally friendly technologies to control water pollution, - Polluter pay law such as Japan's Basic Environment Law, Waste Management and Public Cleansing Law, - Producer’s responsibility law such as home appliance recycling law, containers and packaging recycling law, and - A framework for biodiversity protection including a combination of legislative, technical, and community-based initiatives, as well as a comprehensive wildlife protection law.

This thesis first discusses the situation and trends of juvenile crime in Macau in recent years, then reviews the current measures of Macao's juvenile criminal justice system, and the existing policies and regulations on juvenile delinquency, to see what possible impacts of the implementation in preventing juvenile delinquency in Macau. Through analyzing their behavior and causes of juvenile crime in Macau and the youth crime prevention policies in both Macau and neighboring regions. Analyzing the existing policies and regulations on juvenile delinquency, explore the effectiveness of the main existing measures and policies to control this problem, and then make suggestions for control measures based on the future trend of the problem. Throughout the research, it is found that the causes of the problem are not only affected by the subjective psychological state of teenagers, but also affected by differences in social status, socioeconomics, family and school and other external factors.

The development of non-gaming facilities will shape the future of Macau's gaming industry. These amenities include food and retail, which have become vital in increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty since they offer other services other than gambling. In the future, as casinos shift their strategies to focus on non-gaming aspects, it will be crucial to build detailed profiles of casino visitors based on how much they spend on non-gaming products and services. Changes in the legal framework of the gaming industry and shifts in market demand have forced casinos to turn to other forms of tourism and cultural services, address legal requirements, and minimize risk. Furthermore, external factors such as stringent gaming laws, fiscal measures, and increasing competition from other regional gambling jurisdictions, including Singapore and the Philippines, threaten the casino gaming business. In response to these threats, Macau's casinos are paying more attention to cooperation within the tourism industry and enhancing their non-gaming offers to sustain their market position and grasp new options. Therefore, the future of Macau's gaming industry will be determined by the strategic planning of its future developments, focusing on non-gaming activities, target visitors, compliance with the new laws, and the ability to overcome external challenges to ensure market competitiveness.

This study investigates the factors influencing customer adoption of Internet Banking Services in Macau through a quantitative approach utilizing a customer survey. As digital banking continues to evolve, understanding the determinants of adoption is critical for financial institutions seeking to enhance their offerings and engage with diverse customer segments. A sample of over 100 respondents was surveyed, capturing essential demographic information, technological proficiency, and attitudes toward Internet banking. The analysis employed descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, including regression analysis and factor analysis, to identify key relationships and underlying factors influencing adoption. The findings reveal that perceived ease of use, security concerns, and prior banking experience significantly affect customers' likelihood of adopting Internet banking services. Additionally, demographic variables such as age, occupation, and nationality emerged as important predictors of customer attitudes toward online banking. The results of this research provide actionable insights for banks and financial institutions in Macau, highlighting the need for targeted marketing strategies and enhanced user experience to foster greater adoption of Internet banking. This study contributes to the existing literature on digital banking adoption in the region and serves as a foundation for future research in this dynamic field.

The quiet fashion trend is becoming one of the most common fashion trends among Gen Zs. Quiet normally means not making noise. Within the fashion industry it refers to style of luxury fashion that is understated, subtle, and free from obvious branding. The study that was reported in this paper is about the factors that affect consumer preference and purchase intention towards quiet luxury fashion products, with a focus on the Gen Z population. This research is important since it will help in outlining how different factors affect consumer purchase intention and preference towards various products within the fashion industry. Thus, enabling decision-makers and marketers to make effective decisions. The research method that was used was quantitative research with primary and secondary data. The primary data was collected through a survey questionnaire, which included 300 responses. The research found that social media influencers, brand collaboration, and status value are among the factors that have a significant relationship with consumer preference and purchase intention toward the quiet luxury brand among Gen Zs. Also, the research found that sustainability value does not have a direct impact on consumer preference and purchase intention for quiet luxury products. Hence, the research concluded that social media influencers, brand collaboration, and status value are part of the factors that have a significant impact on consumer preference and purchase intention.

In the virtual space of the Internet, the boundaries of countries tend to be blurred, and the harmful results caused by criminal acts committed thousands of miles away may very likely be close at hand, and criminal acts committed in the territory of a country may be widespread all over the world, which can be said to be a global plague in the Internet era. As a starting point for the criminalisation of cyberspace crimes, Criminal jurisdiction, which is an important form of national sovereignty exercised by a state, is an important prerequisite for a state to exercise its penal power over cyberspace crimes. Many states, out of a desire to maximise their own national interests, have made constant efforts to expand the jurisdictional scope of application of their domestic laws, resulting in circumstances of positive conflict between two or more states. Exploring possible paths to solving the conflict of criminal jurisdiction over transnational cybercrime should begin by identifying why traditional criminal law is not well suited when entering cyberspace, and by examining the strengths and weaknesses of the legislative practices of more advanced jurisdictions with regard to criminal jurisdiction over transnational cybercrime, the shortcomings of the relevant international law and the generally adopted jurisdictional principles, and the feasibility of the new international theories regarding the establishment of jurisdiction over cybercrime, as the main aspects of this study to disentangle the reasons behind the conflict in establishing criminal jurisdiction over transnational cybercrime.

Today, social media has become one of the main marketing strategies used by marketers and practitioners to target travelers from all over the world. Macau is a city that relies heavily on tourism for economic development, however, little is known about how social media affects tourists’ choices to travel to Macau. This study explores the role of the popular social media platform Xiaohongshu in influencing Chinese tourists’ travel decisions and information acquisition when visiting Macau. This article uses qualitative research methods to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 participants. Research shows travelers rely on Xiaohongshu’s user-generated content and detailed guides. Food, route selection and itinerary arrangements, and short-term itinerary arrangements are the most frequently mentioned search tags by travelers. The platform’s personalized recommendations and efficient content presentation enhance the user experience, but concerns about content credibility remain, especially the potential for commercial bias in food recommendations. Travelers assess the credibility of content through a variety of strategies, including looking at multiple posts, evaluating user interactions, and the platform’s IP address display capabilities. Although travelers pay more attention to positive reviews when deciding to travel to Macau, users also consider travel pitfalls posts to improve their travel experience. In addition, travelers are less willing to share content on the Xiaohongshu platform after the trip, which is attributed to personal habits and perceived creativity complexity. The research results provide relevant practitioners with the perspectives and decision-making behaviors of Chinese travelers who use Xiaohongshu when making itineraries to Macau, and provide guidance for their marketing strategies.

Since the advent of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies have emerged as a transformative financial technology. Over the years, blockchain has provided decentralised and secure transaction methods that have become increasingly attractive to individuals and businesses, leading to their rapid global adoption driven by consumer preferences and the growing digitalisation of the financial system. This dissertation examines the factors influencing the widespread acceptance of cryptocurrencies, including their potential for the financial market, the impact of regulatory frameworks, and the role of blockchain technology. The research questions are: (RQ1) What is the degree of adoption of cryptocurrencies in different countries and regions (RQ2) What are the factors that influence the adoption of cryptocurrencies in different countries or regions as identified in extant research? (RQ3) What are the implications for countries or regions that have not adopted cryptocurrencies? This study analyses 108 documents, including university academic papers, financial report articles, etc. The analytical tools include automatic coding, manual coding, word cloud, word frequency table, cluster analysis, hierarchical chart in NVivo, followed by a thematic network analysis. Six keywords, ‘bitcoin’, ‘blockchain’, ‘financial’, and ‘market’ have the highest frequency. This study also analyse different regions with different degrees of cryptocurrency adoption separately: countries where cryptocurrencies are legal, countries that use Bitcoin as a legal tender, and countries that ban cryptocurrencies. The thematic network model indicates that while cryptocurrencies offer significant opportunities for innovation and economic growth, social awareness, government institutions, technology, security, price value, and individual consumer factors are critical to addressing inherent challenges and fostering a stable adoption environment. For non-cryptocurrency regions, rethinking their stance on cryptocurrencies is key to avoiding derailing world financial markets.

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is an American car manufacturer and one of the leading automobile manufacturers with over a century of history in the auto industry. The Company is headquartered in the United States, in Dearborn, Michigan. However, it has operations in over 125 countries around the world, including Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America, offering a wide range of vehicles under the Ford and Lincoln brands. The Company has demonstrated resilience and adaptability in response to shifts according to consumer preferences, technology advancements, and government regulations. The company has been investing constantly to restructure and position itself and remain competitive. Therefore, finding strategies to boost sales and get high returns from invested capital is a must for the company to keep its market share, even though this is still a challenge due to the nature of the automotive industry, which brings intense competition from both traditional and new entrants, particularly EV manufacturers. In this study the focus is not only to estimate the intrinsic value of Ford Motor Company as of 31, December 2023, but also to analyze essential aspects of the company including SWOT, PESTEL, and Porter’s five forces analysis to get a framework of internal and external environment of the company which enables us to identify strategic opportunities, competitive advantage, vulnerabilities, and threats of the Company. After understanding the dynamics of the company and the economic overview, which are crucial to predict the impact of key assumptions when evaluating the company’s intrinsic value. For the second part of our study, the attention goes to the financial analysis of both historical and forecasted financial statements that are extremely important to apply for the Discounted Cash Flow valuation methods and later to perform a sensitivity analysis to understand the Company’s financial performance. Therefore, Ford Motor Company’s intrinsic value from the three discounted cash flow models leads us to conclude that the Ford stock’s price is currently undervalued, and it is expected to grow in the future.

Financial Valuation of Starbucks Ltd.

This dissertation explores how smart city strategies are being used in Macau, focusing on what everyday citizens think about them. It explores both the positive aspects and the problems with how these policies are being put into action. While the Macau government has introduced several digital services. For example, the Macau One Account, electronic payments, and smart transport systems. There are many people who feel there’s a gap between technology and how well it actually includes everyone. The research is based on a close look at government plans (like the Macau SAR Five- Year Plan 2016–2020) and interviews with people from different age groups. Using a method of analyzing themes in the data, the study found that younger and middle- aged people generally find these tools useful and convenient. However, older adults often struggle because they aren’t as comfortable with smart city services and don’t get enough support. Also, even though the government says it welcomes public input, most people said they weren’t really involved in decisions, showing that the process is mostly top-down. The study points out some big challenges, like digital inequality, lack of public participation, and a mismatch between what policies aim for and what people actually need in daily life. It suggests making smart city planning more inclusive by offering digital tools in multiple languages, involving citizens in budgeting decisions, and providing digital training for those who need it. Overall, it argues that smart city development should focus more on fairness, access, and building public trust to truly improve urban life in a lasting and meaningful way.

This study investigates the key challenges and success factors influencing collaborative partnerships for social innovation in Cambodia, aiming to develop an effective partnership model tailored to the local context. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research synthesizes findings from a survey of 109 organizations across various sectors—including private companies, government agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions—and an extensive review of relevant literature. The study identifies critical obstacles such as trust deficits, communication breakdowns, resource constraints, organizational misalignments, and cultural differences that impede effective collaboration. Conversely, it highlights essential success elements, including open communication, shared goals, mutual trust, clear roles, ongoing engagement, and capacity building. The findings suggest that addressing systemic barriers while fostering trust and shared understanding are vital for sustainable social innovation in Cambodia. Based on these insights, the research proposes a practical collaborative partnership model emphasizing transparency, joint planning, flexibility, and stakeholder empowerment. The study contributes valuable theoretical frameworks and actionable strategies for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars seeking to enhance social innovation through effective collaboration in Cambodia and similar developing contexts.

Macau’s rapid urban development has significantly altered its natural landscapes, leading to the degradation and fragmentation of wetland ecosystems. Although diminished in size, these urban wetlands continue to deliver vital ecological services and sustain a range of biodiversity. Conventional methods for biodiversity assessment are often labor-intensive and unsuitable for regular monitoring in urban environments. This study utilized environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding as a non-invasive and effective approach to survey biodiversity in 2 coastal and 7 freshwater urban wetlands in Macau. Environmental DNA was extracted from water samples collected from these nine representative wetland sites and analyzed using metabarcoding techniques to detect fish species. Three genetic markers were targeted to enhance taxonomic resolution, which included COI (mlCOIintF/LoboR1, 313 bp), 12S (miFish-U, 170 bp) and 18S (V4, 400 bp). Bioinformatic pipelines were used to process sequencing data, identify taxa, and compute biodiversity indices, providing a comprehensive snapshot of aquatic biodiversity in Macau’s urban wetlands. A total of 90 fish species were detected, including native species, migrants, and invasive taxa. Beta diversity analysis shows site and season together explained 50% of the variation in community composition (PERMANOVA R² = 0.50, p = 0.001), shaped by environmental gradients and seasonal turnover. These results highlight eDNA metabarcoding as an effective tool for biodiversity monitoring in urban wetlands and emphasize the need to preserve habitat diversity and management strategies in Macau.

This dissertation examines the implementation of smart policing in Macau, focusing on the adoption and challenges of facial recognition technology within the Macau Urban Electronic Surveillance System. As Macau pursues its smart city ambitions, the integration of advanced technologies into law enforcement has become a central strategy for enhancing public safety and operational efficiency. However, the actual acceptance and use of these technologies by frontline police officers remain underexplored. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach. documentary analysis of government policies and strategic documents provides an overview of Macau’s smart policing initiatives and the legal and infrastructural frameworks supporting them. The core of the research is a quantitative survey of Macau police officers who have direct experience with the facial recognition system. The survey is structured around the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), with additional attention to compatibility and perceived legal knowledge. The results reveal that performance expectancy and perceived legal knowledge are the strongest factors influencing officers’ adoption of facial recognition while effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions and compatibility are less influential. Practical challenges were discovered through the Macau police officers.

This study examines consumer perceptions of all-electric vehicles in Macau, focusing on Tesla owners. As the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) pursues its long-term carbon reduction strategy, adopting BEV is a key step towards sustainable urban mobility. However, consumer attitudes and behavioral responses to BEV in Macau's unique high-density urban environment remain underexplored. This study adopts the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT-2) model with the addition of the “technological show-off” (TS) dimension to explore how Tesla owners perceive the challenges and opportunities of adopting BEV. This study used a qualitative methodology to conduct in-depth interviews with ten Tesla owners in Macau through semi-structured interviews and unstructured quantitative assessments. Data were analyzed across multiple UTAUT-2 dimensions, including Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Facilitating Conditions, Hedonic Motivation, Price Value, Habit, and the added factor of Technology Show-Off. The findings suggest that Tesla owners in Macau value their vehicles' convenience, efficiency, and technological sophistication, with a particular focus on Autopilot, acceleration, and low maintenance costs. However, issues such as limited charging infrastructure, service accessibility, and technology learning curve remain. Social status and identity are influential factors, especially in a compact and socially connected urban environment like Macau. By examining the experiences of EV users, this study fills a gap in the existing literature. It provides practical insights for policymakers and manufacturers aiming to accelerate the diffusion of BEVs. The study concludes that consumer perceptions are critical for practical benefits and emotional fulfillment for the continued growth of the electric vehicle market in Macau and similar regions.

Marriott International, Inc. (Marriott) is a worldwide company that operates, franchises, and licenses a diverse portfolio of hotels, residential properties, timeshares, and other lodging options across various brands, catering to multiple price levels and service standards. Currently, Marriott operates in the U.S. & Canada segment and the international segment, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The major business segment is the U.S. & Canada, representing 80% of the consolidated net sales in 2023. To pioneer the development in the industry, Marriott has to expand its international operations to diversify geographic revenue streams and reduce dependence on the U.S. & Canada markets. Maintaining its competitive advantage is a constant challenge due to the intense competition in the global hospitality industry and the sector’s sensitivity to economic, political, and social changes. Understanding how these factors affect both the industry and Marriott is crucial for accurately assessing Marriott’s intrinsic value and its future positioning. Comparing the intrinsic value derived from three valuation models with Marriott’s market share price as of December 31, 2023, will offer valuable insights for investors.

This dissertation investigates the effectiveness and shortcomings of employee incentive mechanisms at GF Advertising Company, with a specific focus on the motivation of staff. Amid rapid changes in the advertising and printing materials industry, employee satisfaction and retention have become increasingly critical. However, the company’s current incentive system—characterized by an overreliance on material rewards and lack of development opportunities—has struggled to meet employees’ evolving needs. To explore this issue, the study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining a quantitative survey of 115 employees with qualitative interviews of 7 selected staff members. The research draws upon Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory to analyze employee motivation and satisfaction. The findings reveal key challenges in four areas: insufficient economic incentives, weak organizational environment support, underdeveloped career growth mechanisms, and ineffective work-related motivation. Based on the results, the dissertation proposes a multi-layered, localized incentive model that incorporates both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Recommendations include optimizing communication platforms, strengthening team culture, refining promotion pathways, and diversifying reward structures to better align with employee expectations. The study concludes that a strategic and human-centered incentive mechanism not only improves employee engagement but also enhances organizational performance. Future research could further expand the sample scope and explore long-term impacts of different incentive models across companies and regions.

This research examines aspects that influence career development for women in the public sector in Macau. The combination of local customs and what remains from Portuguese rule in Macau has led to a special society that influences how gender is dealt with in public institutions. While nations promise gender equality, women do not hold many leadership positions in their government agencies. To conduct this study, qualitative research using semi-structured interviews was performed with 12 female public sector staff, some in leadership positions and some aiming for them. Analysis of interview data shows that cultural norms, organizational structures and new technological trends together block women from advancing at work. It appears that strong cultural habits about gender keep valuing women’s domestic duties over professional goals, supporting the belief that top management should be mostly male. Women in these sectors which are largely male, are doubted about their ability to lead. Organizational barriers, including opaque promotion practices, gender-biased recruitment, lack of mentorship, and limited access to gender-sensitive leadership development programs, further impede women's career advancement. Even though work-life balance policies exist in the handbook, managers often ignore them and consider them a hindrance for women hoping to move ahead.In parallel, the study explores how digital transformation—the so-called "Internet+" era— offers both opportunities and challenges for women in the public sector. Although digital tools improve skills and career paths, poor training often keeps women from gaining from these resources. The impact of digitalization brings out more gender inequality, because women find it harder to access major leadership roles in high-tech sectors. To tackle these different problems, the dissertation recommends strategies such as running gender-focused mentorship programs, making sure work-life balance policies are properly enforced, increasing transparency during promotions and launching digital skill training just for female employees. Equally importantly, it stresses the need for shifts in cultural values together with new policies, encouraging campaigns to raise awareness and welcoming new leadership models opposed to patriarchy. The research, by considering Macau’s special setting, helps advance the debate on gender equity in governance and provides useful tips for supporting inclusive leadership paths in societies with similar characteristics.

This dissertation investigates consumer satisfaction with the Philippine fast food chain Jollibee in the highly competitive and multicultural Macau market. The study adopts a mixed method approach, combining semi-structured interviews with ten consumers (residents and non-local tourists) to analyze the important factors driving satisfaction. The results show that service quality, especially employee efficiency and the organization of events (such as birthday parties), has a significant impact on satisfaction. However, language barriers and cultural differences when ordering food pose challenges to non-local customers. Although Jollibee's core products (especially fried chicken) are appreciated by many respondents for their taste and freshness, the menu lacks diversity. It is not localized enough to meet Macau's unique Chinese-Portuguese fusion dining preferences fully. Price sensitivity is very significant, and Jollibee is often considered by customers to be more expensive than competitors such as McDonald's, which affects their value perception. Therefore, promotional strategies, especially experiential activities, should show effectiveness and cultural resonance. Finally, the study proposed suggestions on improving service quality, menu localization, strategic pricing, and culturally sensitive promotions to improve Jollibee’s positioning in the Macau market and provide a reference for other Western fast food brands to develop in the Macau market.