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

Teaching methods are not enough in today's social environment. By studying the understanding and practice of innovative education by primary school teachers in Macao, we can find a direction to promoting educators' demand for educational innovation. This research aims to understand the attitudes of primary school teachers in Macao toward innovative education, as well as the feasibility and necessity of developing a creative curriculum, through in-depth interviews with the experiences and reactions of primary school teachers in Macao. Simultaneously, encourage primary school teachers in Macao to implement effective and innovative educational methods so that Macao society can rethink the importance of educational innovation. The significance of the research lies in improving teachers' awareness of educational innovation and promoting teachers' understanding of education. In education, innovation includes new teaching theories, methods, techniques, and resources. Therefore, the education innovation is to think about things creatively, and innovation is to do creative things. By interviewing eleven local primary school teachers in Macau, we learned their views on innovative education teaching methods. Although, a limitation of the study is that only a few faculty members were selected, which may not represent the entire primary teacher in Macau. The study draws four main conclusions, the first of which is the view of primary teacher in local education, it can know that Macao primary school teachers understanding and cognition of educational innovation. Though of understanding of Macau’s primary teacher’s attitude in innovation teaching, which can find the feasibility of innovation teaching in Macau. At the same time, understanding of the impact factor in Macau innovation education, it clarifies the main challenging of primary teacher practice innovation teaching in Macau. On the other hand, thought of understanding of teacher’s attitude, we can more understanding the real situation in Macau’s educational innovation and encourage the teacher promoted educational innovation in Macau

Employees in the hospitality industry, in particular, face difficult conditions such as overwork, job security, understaffing, and work-life imbalance in today's fast-paced society. Because of that, employees in the hospitality industry experience high levels of occupational stress. Severe conditions of occupational stress may not only lead to health issues for the employee but also affect their work performance. In order to get a better grasp of how occupational stress affects the employees in the hospitality industry in Macau, the research questions are: 1) What are the sources of stress in the Macau hospitality industry? 2) How does the COVID-19 pandemic change the perception of occupational stress among employees in the Macau hospitality industry? How do the companies help the employees in the Macau hospitality industry cope with occupational stress? have been formulated. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven participants working in the hospitality industry, with a median age of 39 years and a median range of 13 years. Based on these interviews, participants expressed their perceptions of occupational stress under the categories of distress and eustress, while coding schemes were applied to all semi-structured interviews. The results on distress showed that reactions from employees and their working conditions, in particular, were the two most important determinants of occupational stress, while motivation helped people grow and develop their confidence. For the changes in occupational stress due to the pandemic, mental reactions from employees were the most significant determinant of occupational stress in the Macau hospitality industry during the changes brought about by the pandemic in these years, closely followed by employee job insecurity. In order to cope with occupational stress, employees should take responsibility for coping with their stress, but employers also have a role to play in this process, like providing good communications and proactive assistance to the employees. Finally, employees' responses were described as more negative as a result of their experience. Further research could focus on more methods for employees to cope with occupational stress in both physical and mental ways

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

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

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

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

According to the United Nations (UN) World Urbanization Prospects 2018, cities are growing in both size and number, posing challenges for sustainable development. With urbanization, the increase of impermeabilization and landscape fragmentation urges for territorial planning and resources management. To promote resilient and resourceful cites, strategic planning where nature-based solutions (NBS) are included into the built environment, counteracting the negative effects of urbanization through the provision of ecosystem services, should be considered. Green roofs (GR) are an example of NBS that provide a panoply of ecosystem services at the level of the building and city, besides contributing for climate change mitigation and adaptation. This NBS can be included in the urban planning agenda in the new building or as a retrofit solution in the existing built environment. Macao SAR (here mentioned as Macao) is the second more densely populated city in the world, according to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division. The present study aims to assess the inclusion of GR in Macao and assess the ecosystem services that they may provide in a holistic approach aligned with the city’s sustainable development. For this purpose, an extensive GR implemented in Taipa Island of Macao was monitored in terms of associated biodiversity and carbon cycle assessment. Further on, it was carried out a comparison between this GR and a conventional roof (CR) in terms of surface thermal buffering. The results of this study have shown to be very promising in terms of the applicability of GR in Macao and on the relevant ecosystem services that they can provide. First, data loggers were installed in the GR and CR to assess the impact on temperature mitigation. The GR had a significant effect in decreasing and buffering temperature at the surface, with temperatures of 35.6 ºC in the GR substrate comparing with temperatures of 57.7 ºC in the CR surface. The results show that GR can be a cost-efficiency strategy to reduce heating of buildings and their associated environmental and economic costs with cooling. Second, the biodiversity of plants and animals was assessed using a combination of methods. It was observed a high level of biodiversity under a low maintenance and low disturbance of GR vegetation, with 23 species of plants and 34 species of animals identified. This shows that GR can contribute to increase biodiversity in cities. Third, an experiment was run with leaf litter bags to investigate the role of macrofauna (e.g., insects) in the decomposition of organic matter. With macrofauna activity, the decomposition rate increased 17 % when compared to decomposition rates without macrofauna, suggesting that the animals harboured in GR, in particular insects, play a key role in organic matter decomposition and thus on the carbon cycle in cities. This work is, to our knowledge, the first empirical GR study in Macao. The results support the application of GR in Macao for temperature mitigation, biodiversity increase and carbon sequestration, promoting the integration of this NBS in the future urban planning and policy of the city. More generally, the work supports the use of GR as an important NBS to mitigate the impact of climate change in urban settings

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

Establishing and improving the independent reading ability of middle school students has become one of the critical topics in the world, especially for second language learners. The cultivation of independent reading ability has specific challenges. This action research investigated the effectiveness of integrating robot-assisted teaching in reading lessons at lower primary grades. A group of third-grade students (n=15) participated in this research. The instruments include the pre-and post-test of a reading competency test (RCT) and motivational index (MI), a teacher reflection journal, and focus group discussion with parents. The whole intervention is conducted in two cycles, and requires the completion of four 40-minute lessons each week per cycle. The findings support the view that integrating robot-assisted teaching in the classroom can improve students' learning motivation to a certain extent, and that intervention programs positively impact students' learning motivation and independent reading ability in English. This study provides suggestion for the design of English reading instruction, and encourages English teachers to pay more attention to improving students' independent reading ability

"The purpose of the research aimed to explore the challenges and future possiblities of ways of promoting elderly social participation in Macau. As lack of related research has been conduted in Macau, this community services and government policies and to provide suggestions for improving the direction of sustainable development and future possible research topics in this area. The research adopts a qualitative and phenomenological approach to explore the current situations, difficulties and ideas through the industry experience and insights. Nine in-depth interviews with 9 representatives of elderly social service providers subsidised by Macau SAR Government from late April to July 2022 in Macau. The content analysis using open coding to collect inductive data. Throughout themetic analysis identified by four levels: individials, community and social services, governmental policies and infrastructures. Overall, the study found that the autonomy trend of future social participation of the elderly in Macao is enhanced by education and self-health concerns and they are more independent, but the participation of male elders and female elders is unbalanced. Social service providers for the elderly provide a large number of repetitive services and are too passive and dependent on government policies andsupport, resulting in a lack of innovative thinking. The infrastructure design promoted by the government does not consider the continuous health and activity development of the elderly. This study looks at the ability of the elderly in Macau to continue to develop their strengths in the future, and suggests the need to strengthen individual retirement life planning and development for the elderly, personal health monitoring improvement, diversification of social services, elderly-led community programs, private social enterprise capital, and elderly volunteering The urgency of the number of elderly people, more practical and effective elderly inclusive urban planning."

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

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

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

Road transportation is one of the main sources of air pollution in Macao. This study mainly explores four major roadside locations with high traffic flow in Macao from March to May 2022 and measures their pollutant concentrations (PM10 and PM2.5), traffic flow and their fuel type, as well as considering the meteorological parameters and pollutant concentration of SMG Macao to analyze the relationship between traffic flow and pollutants on roadside locations. Under the measuring distance between 3 and 6 meters, showing that the four locations had a good correlation with the roadside station data provided by SMG on both weekdays and weekends/holidays (PM2.5: R2 is 0.59 to 0.81 on weekdays and 0.79 to 0.88 on weekends/holidays, p<0.01; PM10: R2 is 0.33 to 0.82 on weekdays and 0.30 to 0.58 on weekends/holidays, p<0.05), the overall PM2.5 is 41 to 86% higher than that of the same period of Macao roadside station (SMG), and 68 to 186% higher than that of Taipa Ambient (SMG), indicating that it is more harmful to daily pedestrians. The overall relationship between PM concentration and traffic flow is small on the long-term scale (PM2.5: R2 is 0.01 to 0.13; PM10: R2 is 0.00 to 0.02). This study also analyzed air quality on EBL, the overall PM2.5 and PM10 decreased by 12.3% to 24.8% compared with non-EBL during the period, so that is indeed beneficial to the reduction of pollutant concentrations. In addition, narrower roads were overall higher when road widths added for comparison. Lastly, meteorological data added for comparison, except for relative humidity, it can be found that there is a significant correlation with long-term pollutants (p<0.05). While previous studies have found that single-day traffic flow is related to the increase in PM concentration, this paper is more inclined to their two-way effect when exploring their long-term relationship