Sediment geochemistry reveals abundant off-axis hydrothermal fields on the ultraslow-spreading Southwest Indian Ridge - Liao, Shili; Tao, Chunhui; Dias, Ágata; Liu, Jia; Su, Xin; Lv, Shihui; Jamieson, John W.; Zhou, Jianping; Deng, Xianming; Liang, Jin; Yang, Weifang; Li, Wei; et al. (Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 2024)

Post-Covid-19 Gender Inequality in Global Employment: A Difference-In-Difference Analysis - Lei, Weng Chi (2024 SSEME workshop on Social Sciences and Education (SSEME-SSE 2024), 2024)
The fifth Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations targets achieving gender equality by 2030, but recent progress has been sluggish. Gender inequalities in the labor markets may have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 recession. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on gender inequalities in the labor markets by...

Enhanced Tetracycline Adsorption Using KOH-Modified Biochar Derived from Waste Activated Sludge in Aqueous Solutions - Ding, Jiazheng; Liang, Jiahao; Wang, Qinghong; Tan, Xiang; Xie, Wenyu; Chen, Chunmao; Li, Changgang; Li, Dehao; Li, Jin; Chen, Xiaoqing (Toxics, 2024)
Antibiotic pollution poses a serious environmental concern worldwide, posing risks to ecosystems and human well-being. Transforming waste activated sludge into adsorbents for antibiotic removal aligns with the concept of utilizing waste to treat waste. However, the adsorption efficiency of these adsorbents is currently limited. This study identified KOH modification as the most effective method for enhancing tetracycline (TC) adsorption by sludge biochar through a comparative analysis of acid, alkali, and oxidant modifications. The adsorption characteristics of TC upon unmodified sludge biochar (BC) as well as KOH-modified sludge biochar (BC-KOH) were investigated in terms of equilibrium, kinetics, and thermodynamics. BC-KOH exhibited higher porosity, greater specific surface area, and increased abundance of oxygen-based functional groups compared to BC. The TC adsorption on BC-KOH conformed the Elovich and Langmuir models, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 243.3 mg/g at 298 K. The adsorption mechanisms included ion exchange, hydrogen bonding, pore filling, and electrostatic adsorption, as well as π-π interactions. Interference with TC adsorption on BC-KOH was observed with HCO3−, PO43−, Ca2+, and Mg2+, whereas Cl−, NO3−, and SO42− ions exhibited minimal impact on the adsorption process. Following three cycles of utilization, there was a slight 5.94% reduction in the equilibrium adsorption capacity, yet the adsorption capacity remained 4.5 times greater than that of unmodified sludge BC, underscoring its significant potential for practical applications. This research provided new insights to the production and application of sludge biochar for treating antibiotic-contaminated wastewater.

Analysis of deep learning algorithms for emotion classification based on facial expression recognition - Qian, Cheng; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Fong, Simon James (Proceedings of the 2024 8th International Conference on Big Data and Internet of Things, 2024)
Facial expression recognition (FER) is essential for discerning human emotions and is applied extensively in big data analytics, healthcare, security, and user experience enhancement. This paper presents an empirical study that evaluates four existing deep learning models—VGG16, DenseNet, ResNet50, and GoogLeNet—utilizing the Facial Expression Recognition 2013 (FER2013) dataset. The dataset contains seven distinct emotional expressions: angry, disgust, fear, happy, neutral, sad, and surprise. Each model underwent rigorous assessment based on metrics including test accuracy, training duration, and weight file size to test their effectiveness in FER tasks. ResNet50 emerged as the top performer with a test accuracy of 69.46%, leveraging its residual learning architecture to effectively address challenges inherent in training deep neural networks. Conversely, GoogLeNet exhibited the lowest test accuracy among the models, suggesting potential architectural constraints in FER applications. VGG16, while competitive in accuracy, demonstrated lengthier training times and a larger weight file size (512MB), highlighting the inherent balance between model complexity and computational efficiency.

Enhancing Dynamic Hand Gesture Recognition through Optimized Feature Selection using Double Machine Learning - Yan, Keyue; Lam, Chi Fai; Fong, Simon; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Song, Qun; Qin, Huafeng (Proceedings of the 2024 8th International Conference on Big Data and Internet of Things, 2024)

Trust in AI and Top Management Support in Generative-AI Adoption - Korzyński, Paweł; Silva, Susana Costa E; Górska, Anna Maria; Mazurek, Grzegorz (Journal of Computer Information Systems, 2024)

Determining the relationships of employee resilience and organizational culture with levels of employee work engagement - Kuok, Angus; Taormina, Robert (2024)
The objective is to assess whether the extent to which employee resilience and organizational culture would be significantly related to and statistically predict the three facets of employee work engagement. Resilience was measured by four facets (Determination, Endurance, Adaptability, and Recuperability); and Organization Culture was measured for three types (Bureaucratic, Innovative, and Supportive). The dependent measures were the three facets of Work Engagement (Cognitive, Emotional, and Physical). This research by questionnaire was conducted in 2023. The questionnaires completed by 316 full-time workers revealed that all four facets of employee resilience had significant positive correlations with all three types of work engagement. Also, all three facets of work engagement were significantly higher in Innovative and Supportive cultures compared to Bureaucratic cultures. The regression analyses performed showed that the resilience factors of Determination and Adaptability were strong positive predictors of all three facets of work engagement. Furthermore, Innovative culture had additional positive effects on all three facets of work engagement; while Supportive culture had an additional positive effect on Emotional Work Engagement. The implications of the results for management are also discussed in this paper.

Predicting consumer ad preferences: Leveraging a machinelearning approach for EDA and FEA neurophysiologicalmetrics - Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Neto, Andreia C.; Silva, Susana C.; Bigne, Enrique (Psychology & Marketing, 2024)
Abstract This research unveils to predict consumer ad preferences by detecting seven basic emotions, attention and engagement triggered by advertising through the analysis of two specific physiological monitoring tools, electrodermal activity (EDA), and Facial Expression Analysis (FEA), applied to video advertising, offering a twofold contribution of significant value. First, to identify the most relevant physiological features for consumer preference prediction. We integrated a statistical module encompassing inferential and exploratory analysis tools, which identified emotions such as Joy, Disgust, and Surprise, enabling the statistical differentiation of preferences concerning various advertisements. Second, we present an artificial intelligence (AI) system founded on machine learning techniques, encompassing k‐Nearest Neighbors, Support Vector Machine, and Random Forest (RF). Our findings show that the RF technique emerged as the top performer, boasting an 81% Accuracy, 84% Precision, 79% Recall, and an F1‐score of 81% in predicting consumer preferences. In addition, our research proposes an eXplainable AI module based on feature importance, which discerned Attention, Engagement, Joy, and Disgust as the four most pivotal features influencing consumer ad preference prediction. The results indicate that computerized intelligent systems based on EDA and FEA data can be used to predict consumer ad preferences based on videos and effectively used as supporting tools for marketing specialists.

Regulatory Effects of Maternal Intake of Microbial-Derived Antioxidants on Colonization of Microbiota in Breastmilk and That of Intestinal Microbiota in Offspring - Wu, Dangjin; An, Ran; Wang, Di; Jiang, Luoxin; Huang, Liu; Lu, Tenghui; Xu, Weina; Xu, Jianxiong; Zhang, Jing (Animals, 2024)
In this study, sixteen Sprague Dawley (SD) female rats and eight SD male rats were co-housed to mate. Pregnant SD female rats were fed with a control diet or an MA diet. Breast milk, maternal ileum, and intestinal samples of the offspring were collected at the day of birth and ten days afterwards. The results showed that the impact of MA was more obvious on the microbiota of mature milk (p = 0.066) than on that of colostrum. In addition, MA additive did not significantly affect maternal ileal microbiota, but affected offsprings’ colonic microbiota significantly ten days after birth (p = 0.035). From the day of giving birth to ten days afterwards, in addition to the increase in microbial richness and diversity, at genus level, the dominant bacteria of breastmilk changed from Pseudomonas veronii to Bacillus and Lactococcus. Different from breastmilk microbiota, ten days after giving birth, the maternal ileal microbiota and the offsprings’ intestinal microbiota were dominated by Lactobacillus. Instead of ileal microbiota, offsprings’ colonic microbiota is a key action site of maternal MA additive. Therefore, the current findings have significant implications for the development of maternal feed aimed at modulating the intestinal microbiota of offspring, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes for both mothers and their offspring.

Neutrino oscillations from the perspective of the quantum Yang-Baxter equations - Arraut, Ivan; Arrieta-Diaz, Enrique (arXiv, 2024)
The origins of neutrino masses is one of the biggest mysteries in modern physics since they are beyond the realm of the Standard Model. As massive particles, neutrinos undergo flavor oscillations throughout their propagation. In this paper we show that when a neutrino oscillates from a flavor state {\alpha} to a flavor state \b{eta}, it follows three possible paths consistent with the Quantum Yang- Baxter Equations. These trajectories define the transition probabilities of the oscillations. Moreover, we define a probability matrix for flavor transitions consistent with the Quantum Yang-Baxter Equations, and estimate the values of the three neutrino mass eigenvalues within the framework of the triangular formulation.
Keywords: High Energy Physics - Phenomenology

Evaluation of Machine Learning Models in Air Pollution Prediction for a Case Study of Macau as an Effort to Comply with UN Sustainable Development Goals - Lei, Thomas; Cai, Jianxiu; Molla, Altaf Hossain; Kurniawan, Tonni Agustiono; Kong, Steven Soon-Kai (Sustainability, 2024)
To comply with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), in particular with SDG 3, SDG 11, and SDG 13, a reliable air pollution prediction model must be developed to construct a sustainable, safe, and resilient city and mitigate climate change for a double win. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) models have been applied to datasets in Macau to predict the daily levels of roadside air pollution in the Macau peninsula, situated near the historical sites of Macau. Macau welcomed over 28 million tourists in 2023 as a popular tourism destination. Still, an accurate air quality forecast has not been in place for many years due to the lack of a reliable emission inventory. This work will develop a dependable air pollution prediction model for Macau, which is also the novelty of this study. The methods, including random forest (RF), support vector regression (SVR), artificial neural network (ANN), recurrent neural network (RNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and gated recurrent unit (GRU), were applied and successful in the prediction of daily air pollution levels in Macau. The prediction model was trained using the air quality and meteorological data from 2013 to 2019 and validated using the data from 2020 to 2021. The model performance was evaluated based on the root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), Pearson’s correlation coefficient (PCC), and Kendall’s tau coefficient (KTC). The RF model best predicted PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and CO concentrations with the highest PCC and KTC in a daily air pollution prediction. In addition, the SVR model had the best stability and repeatability compared to other models, with the lowest SD in RMSE, MAE, PCC, and KTC after five model runs. Therefore, the results of this study show that the RF model is more efficient and performs better than other models in the prediction of air pollution for the dataset of Macau.

Changing professional identities: a qualitative study of how Singapore allied educators managed their own resistance to change - Kit, Phey Ling; Ow Yeong, Wai Mang Elizabeth; Chen, Mo (Teacher Development, 2024)

The cosmological constant emerging from a symmetry invariant - Arraut, Ivan (Modern Physics Letters A, 2024)
The cosmological constant is normally introduced as an additional term entering the Einstein–Hilbert (EH) action. In this letter, we demonstrate that, instead, it appears naturally from the standard EH action as an invariant term emerging from spacetime symmetries. We then demonstrate that the same constraint emerging from this invariant suppresses the short wavelength modes and it favors the long wavelength ones. In this way, inside the proposed formulation, the observed value for the vacuum energy density is obtained naturally from the zero-point quantum fluctuations.
Keywords: Dark energy; cosmological constant; zero point quantum fluctuations

Order parameter conditions from mutual information and symmetry conditions - Arraut, Ivan; Yu, Wing Chi (International Journal of Modern Physics B, 2024)
The mutual information method has demonstrated to be very useful for deriving the potential order parameter of a system. Although the method suggests some constraints which help to define this quantity, there is still some freedom in the definition. The method then results inefficient for cases where we have order parameters with a large number of constants in the expansion, which happens when we have many degenerate vacuums. Here, we introduce some additional constraints based on the existence of broken symmetries, which help us to reduce the arbitrariness in the definitions of the order parameter in the proposed mutual information method.
Keywords: Mutual information; order parameter; quantum phase transitions; spontaneous symmetry breaking

Understanding Policy Acceptance Through UTAUT-2: The Case of the Northbound Travel Policy for Macau Vehicles - Lampo, Alessandro; Diakite, Ansoumane D.; Ip, Emil C. H. (Journal of Global Business Research and Practice, 2024)

Comparing Online Learning Experiences Between University Students With and Without Special Educational Needs During COVID-19 - Lim, Yun Ting; Nah, Yong-Hwee; Chen, Mo (ISSN: 2758-0962 The Paris Conference on Education 2024: Official Conference Proceedings, 2024)
The aim of this study is to examine the online learning experiences of university students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), and how their experiences might differ from their typically developing peers. Fifty typically developing students (mean age = 22; 29 females) and 31 students with SEN (mean age = 22; 15 females) from a local

Optimization Design of a Multi-String Standing Wave Electrospinning Apparatus Based on Electric Field Simulations - Chen, Xiaoqing; Liang, Jiahao; Tan, Xiang; Ding, Jiazheng; Xie, Wenyu; Li, Changgang; Cai, Yebin (Polymers, 2024)
The mass production of uniform, high-quality polymer nanofibers remains a challenge. To enhance spinning yield, a multi-string standing wave electrospinning apparatus was developed by incorporating a string array into a standing wave electrospinning device. The process parameters such as string spacing, quantity, and phase difference were optimized, and their effects on the electric field distribution within the spinning area were analyzed using electric field simulations. When the string spacing was less than 40 mm or the number of strings exceeded two, the electric field strength significantly decreased due to electric field interference. However, this interference could be effectively mitigated by setting the string standing wave phase difference to half a period. The optimal string array parameters were identified as string spacing of 40 mm, two strings, and a phase difference of half a period. Multi-string standing wave electrospinning produced fibers with diameters similar to those obtained with single-string standing wave electrospinning (178 ± 72 nm vs. 173 ± 48 nm), but the yield increased by 88.7%, reaching 2.17 g/h, thereby demonstrating the potential for the large-scale production of nanofibers. This work further refined the standing wave electrospinning process and provided valuable insights for optimizing wire-type electrospinning processes.

Examining How "Technology Show-off" Affects the Acceptance of Innovations in the Battery Electric Vehicle Sector. - Lampo, Alessandro (Association for Computing Machinery, 2024)
Theories and models try to describe the complexity of how people embrace and make use of innovations. The determinants of behavior concerning battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have traditionally revolved around factors such as vehicles’ price and range. Surprisingly, despite being small and one of the wealthiest territories in the world, Macau SAR faces challenges in BEV market penetration, underscoring the need to explore alternative causes of behavioral intention. To explain the adoption of technologies, this paper focuses on technology show-off (TS), which combines Rogers’ (2003) concepts of visibility and trialability of technology in a single construct as a determinant of behavioral intention. Therefore, when individuals perceive technology as more visible and available for trial, their behavioral intention to adopt it strengthens. Using structural equation modeling for quantitative analysis, this study examines the significance of TS in terms of the intention to adopt battery electric vehicles. The findings highlight the salience of the technology show-off construct in explaining behavioral intention, underscoring its significance in the context of modern society’s characteristics. This study contributes to advances in understanding technology acceptance and highlights the importance of incorporating experiential aspects (such as TS) into the traditional technology acceptance models.

Emotion Detection from EEG Signals Using Machine Deep Learning Models - Fernandes, João Vitor Marques Rabelo; Alexandria, Auzuir Ripardo de; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Assis, Débora Ferreira de; Motta, Pedro Crosara; Silva, Bruno Riccelli dos Santos (Bioengineering, 2024)
Detecting emotions is a growing field aiming to comprehend and interpret human emotions from various data sources, including text, voice, and physiological signals. Electroencephalogram (EEG) is a unique and promising approach among these sources. EEG is a non-invasive monitoring technique that records the brain’s electrical activity through electrodes placed on the scalp’s surface. It is used in clinical and research contexts to explore how the human brain responds to emotions and cognitive stimuli. Recently, its use has gained interest in real-time emotion detection, offering a direct approach independent of facial expressions or voice. This is particularly useful in resource-limited scenarios, such as brain–computer interfaces supporting mental health. The objective of this work is to evaluate the classification of emotions (positive, negative, and neutral) in EEG signals using machine learning and deep learning, focusing on Graph Convolutional Neural Networks (GCNN), based on the analysis of critical attributes of the EEG signal (Differential Entropy (DE), Power Spectral Density (PSD), Differential Asymmetry (DASM), Rational Asymmetry (RASM), Asymmetry (ASM), Differential Causality (DCAU)). The electroencephalography dataset used in the research was the public SEED dataset (SJTU Emotion EEG Dataset), obtained through auditory and visual stimuli in segments from Chinese emotional movies. The experiment employed to evaluate the model results was “subject-dependent”. In this method, the Deep Neural Network (DNN) achieved an accuracy of 86.08%, surpassing SVM, albeit with significant processing time due to the optimization characteristics inherent to the algorithm. The GCNN algorithm achieved an average accuracy of 89.97% in the subject-dependent experiment. This work contributes to emotion detection in EEG, emphasizing the effectiveness of different models and underscoring the importance of selecting appropriate features and the ethical use of these technologies in practical applications. The GCNN emerges as the most promising methodology for future research.

Digital Influencers: Catalysts for Customer Engagement and Purchase Intention - Hani, Ghamama; Haider, Syed Waqar; Raza, Aamir; Silva, Susana C.; Dias, Joana Carmo (Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Oeconomica, 2024)
Social Media Influencer (SMI) marketing represents a contemporary addition to the arsenal of digital advertising tools. Digital Content Creators are individuals who regularly share a variety of content, including visuals, audio recordings, and updates, across multiple social media platforms to shape consumers' perceptions of a brand and its products. The focus of this study is to examine how the credibility aspects of social media influencers (expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness) influence purchase intention and brand intimacy while also considering the mediating role of consumer engagement. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional design with convenience sampling targeting social media-active individuals. Data were collected via a questionnaire distributed through email and social media, selecting participants who followed influencers. To gather data, 250 participants were engaged in an online questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. The findings indicate that the credibility dimensions of SMIs, particularly their attractiveness and trustworthiness, positively influence brand intimacy and purchase intention. Furthermore, consumer engagement serves as a critical mediator, connecting the authenticity of social media influencers with purchase intention and brand intimacy. In line with these results, it becomes evident that consumer engagement indirectly influences influencer credibility (trustworthiness and attractiveness), purchase intention, and brand intimacy. Notably, expertise does not exert any discernible impact on either brand intimacy or purchase intention. This study's outcomes provide valuable insights for marketing managers, underscoring the significance of partnering with influencers who possess a high level of trust within their respective marketing niches.

Integration of Blockchain Technology in Auditing Practices - Bibliometric Analysis - Almeida, Ermelinda Nazaré António de; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Proceedings of the 2024 15th International Conference on E-business, Management and Economics, 2024)
The potential of blockchain technology extends beyond cryptocurrencies and has the power to transform various sectors, including accounting and auditing. Its integration into auditing practices presents opportunities and challenges, and auditors must navigate new standards and engage with clients effectively. Blockchain technology provides tamper-proof record-keeping and fraud prevention, enhancing efficiency, transparency, and security in domains such as finance, insurance, healthcare, education, e-voting, and supply chain management. This paper conducts a bibliometric analysis of blockchain technology literature to gain insights into the current state and future directions of blockchain technology in auditing. The study identifies significant research themes and trends using keyword and citation analysis. The Vosviewer software was used to analyze the data and visualize the results. Findings reveal significant growth in blockchain research, particularly from 2021 onwards, with China emerging as a leading contributor, followed by the USA, India, and the UK. This study provides valuable insights into current trends, key contributors, and global patterns in blockchain technology research within auditing practices, and future research may explore thematic areas in greater depth.

Technological solutions for air pollution control to mitigate climate change: an approach to facilitate global transition toward blue sky and net-zero emission - Kurniawan, Tonni Agustiono; Khan, Sajid; Mohyuddin, Ayesha; Haider, Ahtisham; Lei, Thomas; Othman, Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan; Goh, Hui Hwang; Zhang, Dongdong; Anouzla, Abdelkader; Aziz, Faissal; Mahmoud, Mohamed; Ali, Imran; et al. (Chemical Papers, 2024)
The convergence of air pollution control and climate change mitigation is critical in the pursuit of sustainable development. Therefore, technological innovations are pivotal in addressing the dual challenges of air pollution and global warming. This work presents an overview of technological solutions aimed at reducing air pollution and mitigating GHG emissions. While evaluating their technological strengths and limitations in real applications, this work offers a framework to promote a transition toward blue skies and net-zero emissions. This work also identifies the main sources and negative impacts of air pollution on public health and the environment. A literature overview of published articles from 1976 to 2024 showed that integrating emission reduction technologies are vital in real-word applications. More than 98% of the SO2 in the flue gas can be removed using cutting-edge desulfurization technology. SO2 is eliminated from the environment either unaltered or as sulfuric acid and sulfates. Meanwhile, thermal incinerators boast an impressive efficiency, capable of eliminating 99% of gaseous pollutants. Although existing pollution control technologies are promising to mitigate climate change, they still require further research, development, demonstration, and deployment to overcome barriers and achieve their potential. By examining the effectiveness of control technologies and proposing adaptable strategies, this work highlights the potential of integrating air quality improvement efforts with climate actions. Not only this addresses the global need for cleaner air, but also contributes to the overarching goal of climate stabilization. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences 2024.

Identification of Anticancer Peptides from the Genome of Candida albicans: in Silico Screening, in Vitro and in Vivo Validations - Cheong, Hong-Hin; Zuo, Weimin; Chen, Jiarui; Un, Chon-Wai; Si, Yain-Whar; Wong, Koon Ho; Kwok, Hang Fai; Siu, Shirley (Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 2024)
Anticancer peptides (ACPs) are promising future therapeutics, but their experimental discovery remains time-consuming and costly. To accelerate the discovery process, we propose a computational screening workflow to identify, filter, and prioritize peptide sequences based on predicted class probability, antitumor activity, and toxicity. The workflow was applied to identify novel ACPs with potent activity against colorectal cancer from the genome sequences of Candida albicans. As a result, four candidates were identified and validated in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line. Among them, PCa1 and PCa2 emerged as the most potent, displaying IC50 values of 3.75 and 56.06 μM, respectively, and demonstrating a 4-fold selectivity for cancer cells over normal cells. In the colon xenograft nude mice model, the administration of both peptides resulted in substantial inhibition of tumor growth without causing significant adverse effects. In conclusion, this work not only contributes a proven computational workflow for ACP discovery but also introduces two peptides, PCa1 and PCa2, as promising candidates poised for further development as targeted therapies for colon cancer. The method as a web service is available at https://app.cbbio.online/acpep/home and the source code at https://github.com/cartercheong/AcPEP_classification.git.

Teaching and learning with older adults: Research ethics, risk analysis, and covert research - Ní Bhroin, Áine; Morrison, Keith (Educational Gerontology, 2024)
This article reports a case study of older adults learning English in China. It indicates how, founded on consequentialist ethics, risk analysis, and safeguarding, it was decided to use covert research, drawing on the confluence of risk analysis, risk evaluation, risk management, safeguarding, research ethics, and important contextual and cultural features. Ethical principles of nonmaleficence, beneficence, safeguarding, and protection were addressed, and account was taken of the strength, likelihood, and consequences of risks, safeguards, and benefits, informed by Chinese cultural contexts, values, behaviors, and features of teaching and learning based on andragogy and geragogy. Implications are drawn for teaching and learning with older adults, advocating significant account to be taken of contextual factors.

博物館體驗如何影響本地參觀者重遊博物館的意願? - Leong, Si Man (2024)
近年來，博物館的休閒、教育、娛樂功能等日益重要，其對文化教育的貢 獻也越來越受到博物館參觀者的認可。相關的文獻大多數探討於博物館的服務 質量與參觀者參觀博物館體驗的滿意度之間的關係。目前，以參觀者的博物館 體驗如何影響他們重遊博物館的專門論述或深入研究並不多。因此，本研究的 研究目的是以博物館的體驗為中心，探討哪些因素會影響參觀者參觀博物館的 體驗，以及這些因素如何影響參觀者對博物館的重遊意願。本研究以篩選的方 式隨機抽查了 10 位參觀過博物館體驗的參觀者進行半結構式訪談(Semi- structured interview)，深入地了解受訪者的博物館體驗以及影響他們重遊博物 館的因素等問題，並以文獻及理論為基礎探討參觀者在參觀博物館過程會影響 他們的因素。採訪會在博物館附近進行，並採用深度定性訪談法(In-depth qualitative interview)，研究對象為澳門的本地參觀者。

Proceedings of the 2023 International Symposium on Children and Youth Health and Well-being (2024)
Bridging theory and practice, the up-to-date evidence from these proceedings marks an important contribution to the advancement of children and youth health and well-being professions in the issues of technology, health, stress, inclusion, and resilience. The empirical research reported here examines the perceptions of parents, social workers, counselors, and other helping professionals concerning their awareness of child protection and parent-child relationships. These proceedings serve as a catalyst for action, enabling researchers and practitioners to reference and view the newest research through the lenses of diverse themes that focus on children and youth health and well-being, and to impact the younger population at micro and macro levels. This key text has several important features: 1. It emphasizes the impact of digital technology on well-being among children and young people in this digital age, and how to involve different stakeholders who can help to respond to emergent and existing challenges. 2. It introduces learning disabilities and issues in the field of mental stress and the biopsychology of developmental needs in school settings in addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 3. It advances health knowledge and care practice through practice-oriented research, establishing new benchmarks in health care work, identifying its possibilities and constraints. 4. It enriches knowledge in the field of safeguarding for adults, including parental involvement in identifying and responding to children and youth well-being.

Automl-Based Eeg Signal Analysis in Neuro-Marketing Classification Using Biclustering Method - Albuquerque, Victor; Gois, Francisco Bernardo; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre; Silva, Bruno Riccelli dos Santos; Cortez, Paulo Cesar (2024)
Consumer neuroscience analyzes individuals’ preferences through the assessment of physiological data monitoring, considering brain activity or other bioinformation to assess purchase decisions. Traditional marketing tactics include customer surveys, product evaluations, and comments. For product or brand marketing and mass production, it is important to understand consumer neurological responses when seeing an ad or testing a product. In this work, we use the bi-clustering method to reduce EEG noise and automatic machine learning to classify brain responses. We analyze a neuromarketing EEG dataset that contains EEG data from product evaluations from 25 participants, collected with a 14 channel Emotiv Epoch + device, while examining consumer items. Four components comprised the research methodology. Initially, the Welch Transform was used to filter the EEG raw data. Second, the best converted signal biclusterings are used to train different classification models. Each biclustering is evaluated with a separate classifier, considering F1-Score. After that, the H2O.ai AutoML library is used to select the optimal biclustering and models. Instead of traditional procedures, two thresholds are used. First-threshold values indicate customer satisfaction. Low values of the second threshold reflect consumer dissatisfaction. Values between the first and second criteria are classified as uncertain values. We outperform the state of the art with a 0.95 F1-Score value.

Once More with Feeling: The Debate Over Yalta Resurrected [Concluding Remarks] - Roberts, Priscilla (H-Diplo State of the Field Roundtable on the Eastern European Settlements during the Second World War: Making the Peace Amidst the War, 2024)

The neutrino mass: A triangular formulation - Arraut, Ivan (arXiv.org, 2024)
We demonstrate that the flavor oscillation when a neutrino travels through spacetime, is equivalent to permanent changes on the vacuum state condition perceived by the same particle. This can be visualized via the Quantum Yang Baxter equations (QYBE). From this perspective, the neutrino never breaks the symmetry of the ground state because it never selects an specific vacuum condition. Then naturally the Higgs mechanism cannot be the generator of the neutrino masses. The constraints emerging from this model predict a normal mass hierarchy and some specific values for the mass eigenvalues once we fix the mixing angles. Interestingly, the model suggests that the sum of the mix angles is equal to $π/2$.

Remote Learning's Impact on Students' Cognitive Development: Evidence from Time Series Assessment [Conference presentation] - Wu, Hao; Molnár, Gyöngyvér (EARLI SIG1 Conference 2024, 2024)
Remote Learning's Impact on Students' Cognitive Development: Evidence from Time Series Assessment [Conference presentation]

Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation in Western Balkans Countries - Toshevska-Trpchevska, Katerina; Lei, Weng Chi (Florence); Stojkoski, Viktor (European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 2024)
After the Covid-19 Pandemic crisis in international economic relations it became evident that climate-smart aspects should be considered when re-establishing a new international trade order. International organizations have proclaimed that this momentum should be used to include climate-smart trade and investment provisions to enable sustainable development. It has been acknowledged that trade has an important role to play in the global response to climate change, providing economies with tools to draw on in their efforts to mitigate climate change and to adapt to its consequences. In this paper we focus the analysis on investigating the digital and sustainable component of trade facilitation measures applied in Western Balkans countries. To evaluate the importance of trade facilitation measures and their digital and sustainable components we apply standard gravity model with the data from UN Global Survey on digital and sustainable trade facilitation. The results show that trade facilitation measures are important for improving and increasing trade among the Western Balkans countries. Especially, measures connected to improving transparency procedures in trade and measures for alleviating trade formalities are most significant for increasing bilateral trade among Western Balkans countries. With a lower level of importance are the measures for improving cross-border paperless trade between these countries.
Keywords: Digital and sustainable trade facilitation; UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation; Western Balkans countries; gravity model

Hawking Radiation as a Manifestation of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking - Arraut, Ivan (Symmetry, 2024)
We demonstrate that black hole evaporation can be modeled as a process where one symmetry of the system is spontaneously broken continuously. We then identify three free parameters of the system. The sign of one of the free parameters governs whether the particles emitted by the black hole are fermions or bosons. The present model explains why the black hole evaporation process is so universal. Interestingly, this universality emerges naturally inside certain modifications of gravity.
Keywords: Hawking radiation; black holes; spontaneous symmetry breaking

Spatio-Temporal Variation in Landforms and Surface Urban Heat Island in Riverine Megacity - Gorai, Namita; Bandyopadhyay, Jatisankar; Halder, Bijay; Ahmed, Minhaz Farid; Molla, Altaf Hossain; Lei, Thomas (Sustainability, 2024)
Rapid urbanization and changing climatic procedures can activate the present surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect. An SUHI was considered by temperature alterations among urban and rural surroundings. The urban zones were frequently warmer than the rural regions because of population pressure, urbanization, vegetation insufficiency, industrialization, and transportation systems. This investigation analyses the Surface-UHI (SUHI) influence in Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), India. Growing land surface temperature (LST) may cause an SUHI and impact ecological conditions in urban regions. The urban thermal field variation index (UTFVI) served as a qualitative and quantitative barrier to the SUHI susceptibility. The maximum likelihood approach was used in conjunction with supervised classification techniques to identify variations in land use and land cover (LULC) over a chosen year. The outcomes designated a reduction of around 1354.86 Ha, 653.31 Ha, 2286.9 Ha, and 434.16 Ha for vegetation, bare land, grassland, and water bodies, correspondingly. Temporarily, from the years 1991–2021, the built-up area increased by 4729.23 Ha. The highest LST increased by around 7.72 °C, while the lowest LST increased by around 5.81 °C from 1991 to 2021. The vegetation index and LST showed a negative link, according to the correlation analyses; however, the built-up index showed an experimentally measured positive correlation. This inquiry will compel the administration, urban planners, and stakeholders to observe humanistic activities and thus confirm sustainable urban expansion.

Alignment, fitness for purpose, and fidelity in planning, conducting, and reporting research - Morrison, Keith (European Scientific Institute, 2024)

Fintech Adoption: A Study of Users in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (China) - Weng, Chi Lei; Lampo, Alessandro (INTI JOURNAL, 2024)
Intended as an economic and development hub, the Hengqin Cooperation Zone aims to foster collaboration and integration between mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, serving as a platform for economic development and innovation among the three regions. The zone's development has increased demand for financial services, often offered through fintech. There is, however, a lack of interoperability between the fintech services currently used in Macao and Hengqin. This may hinder Macao users' adoption of the technology. Thus, our research objective is to identify the factors determining Macao residents' adoption of fintech services in the area and provide insights for service providers, developers, and policymakers. A framework based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used for this purpose. The responses of 103 Macao residents provided evidence that ease of use significantly and positively impacts the usefulness of the technology. This in turn influences attitudes towards fintech usage. Subjective norms and perceived behavioral control positively impact fintech adoption intentions. The fintech industry and the governments of Macao and Hengqin can work on improving technology's ease of use and usefulness. They can also promote them to Macao users, and provide the resources required for better access to fintech in the zone

Pharmaceutical Residues in Edible Oysters along the Coasts of the East and South China Seas and Associated Health Risks to Humans and Wildlife - Wu, Rongben; Sin, Yan Yin; Cai, Lin; Wang, Youji; Hu, Menghong; Liu, Xiaoshou; Xu, Wenzhe; Kwan, Kit Yue; Gonçalves, David; Chan, Benny Kwok Kan; Zhang, Kai; Chui, Apple Pui-Yi; et al. (Environmental Science & Technology, 2024)
The investigation of pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants in marine biota has been insufficient. In this study, we examined the presence of 51 pharmaceuticals in edible oysters along the coasts of the East and South China Seas. Only nine pharmaceuticals were detected. The mean concentrations of all measured pharmaceuticals in oysters per site ranged from 0.804 to 15.1 ng g–1 of dry weight, with antihistamines being the most common. Brompheniramine and promethazine were identified in biota samples for the first time. Although no significant health risks to humans were identified through consumption of oysters, 100–1000 times higher health risks were observed for wildlife like water birds, seasnails, and starfishes. Specifically, sea snails that primarily feed on oysters were found to be at risk of exposure to ciprofloxacin, brompheniramine, and promethazine. These high risks could be attributed to the monotonous diet habits and relatively limited food sources of these organisms. Furthermore, taking chirality into consideration, chlorpheniramine in the oysters was enriched by the S-enantiomer, with a relative potency 1.1–1.3 times higher when chlorpheniramine was considered as a racemate. Overall, this study highlights the prevalence of antihistamines in seafood and underscores the importance of studying enantioselectivities of pharmaceuticals in health risk assessments.

Stock market prediction using artificial intelligence: A systematic review of systematic reviews - Lin, Chin Yang; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 2024)
There are many systematic reviews on predicting stock. However, each reveals a different portion of the hybrid AI analysis and stock prediction puzzle. The principal objective of this research was to systematically review the existing systematic reviews on Artificial Intelligence (AI) models applied to stock market prediction to provide valuable inputs for the development of strategies in stock market investments. Keywords that would fall under the broad headings of AI and stock prediction were looked up in Scopus and Web of Science databases. We screened 69 titles and read 43 systematic reviews, including more than 379 studies, before retaining 10 for the final dataset. This work revealed that support vector machines (SVM), long short-term memory (LSTM), and artificial neural networks (ANN) are the most popular AI methods for stock market prediction. In addition, the time series of historical closing stock prices are the most commonly used data source, and accuracy is the most employed performance metric of the predictive models. We also identified several research gaps and directions for future studies. Specifically, we indicate that future research could benefit from exploring different data sources and combinations, while we also suggest comparing different AI methods and techniques, as each may have specific advantages and applicable scenarios. Lastly, we recommend better evaluating different prediction indicators and standards to reflect prediction models’ actual value and impact.

Life Is not a Walk across a Field - Morrison, Keith (European Scientific Institute, 2024)

Multimodal representation learning for tourism recommendation with two-tower architecture - Cui, Yuhang; Liang, Shengbin; Zhang, YuYing (PLOS ONE, 2024)
Personalized recommendation plays an important role in many online service fields. In the field of tourism recommendation, tourist attractions contain rich context and content information. These implicit features include not only text, but also images and videos. In order to make better use of these features, researchers usually introduce richer feature information or more efficient feature representation methods, but the unrestricted introduction of a large amount of feature information will undoubtedly reduce the performance of the recommendation system. We propose a novel heterogeneous multimodal representation learning method for tourism recommendation. The proposed model is based on two-tower architecture, in which the item tower handles multimodal latent features: Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (Bi-LSTM) is used to extract the text features of items, and an External Attention Transformer (EANet) is used to extract image features of items, and connect these feature vectors with item IDs to enrich the feature representation of items. In order to increase the expressiveness of the model, we introduce a deep fully connected stack layer to fuse multimodal feature vectors and capture the hidden relationship between them. The model is tested on the three different datasets, our model is better than the baseline models in NDCG and precision.

Chemical and Visual Cues as Modulators of the Stress Response to Social Isolation in the Marine Medaka, Oryzias melastigma - Lebel, Alexandre; Zhang, Libin; Gonçalves, David (Zebrafish, 2024)
The marine medaka is emerging as a potential behavioral model organism for ocean studies, namely on marine ecotoxicology. However, not much is known on the behavior of the species and behavioral assays lack standardization. This study assesses the marine medaka as a potential model for chemical communication. We investigated how short exposure to visual and chemical cues mediated the stress response to social isolation with the light/dark preference test (LDPT) and the open field test (OFT). After a 5-day isolation period, and 1 h before testing, isolated fish were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) placed in visual contact with conspecifics; (2) exposed to a flow of holding water from a group of conspecifics; (3) exposed to both visual and chemical cues from conspecifics; or (4) not exposed to any stimuli (controls). During the LDPT, the distance traveled and transitions between zones were more pronounced in animals exposed to the conspecific's chemical stimuli. The time spent in each area did not differ between the groups, but a clear preference for the bright area in all animals indicates robust phototaxis. During the OFT, animals exposed only to chemical cues initially traveled more than those exposed to visual or both stimuli, and displayed lower thigmotaxis. Taken together, results show that chemical cues play a significant role in exploratory behavior in this species and confirm the LDPT and OFT as suitable tests for investigating chemical communication in this species.

Mini-programs in mobile payment to access eGovernment in China’s Greater Bay Area - exploring the determinants and mechanism from self-determination and motivation theory - Patrick, Lai ChiMeng; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Cogent Social Sciences, 2024)
Government service mini-programs (GSMPs) in mobile payment have become integral to the eGovernment in China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA). The ubiquitous nature of WeChat and Alipay provides excellent flexibility for accessing public e-services. Yet, the determinants and mechanisms of adoption have not been identified. A convenience sample was collected from GBA core cities for statistical and SEM analysis. The findings suggest that service quality, trust in eGovernment, ubiquity, and social influence constitute the determinants. A structural model grounded on Self-Determination and Motivation theory is verified, where perceived value and intention contribute a high explanatory power. Benevolence, integrity, and competence are crucial indicators of trust, while social influence amplifies risk perception. Surprisingly, government support negatively moderates the impact of determinants on intention, indicating that over-intervention leads to inhibition. The mechanism illustrates the beneficial impact of GSMPs as the smart government channel and provides insights into addressing service homogeneity and policy applicability. Relevant theoretical and managerial implications are instructive to policymakers and practitioners of smart city innovation and in-depth integration in GBA.

ECG Forecasting System Based on Long Short-Term Memory - Zacarias, Henriques; Marques, João Alexandre Lôbo; Felizardo, Virginie; Pourvahab, Mehran; Garcia, Nuno M. (Bioengineering, 2024)
Worldwide, cardiovascular diseases are some of the primary causes of death; yet the early detection and diagnosis of such diseases have the potential to save many lives. Technological means of detection are becoming increasingly essential and numerous techniques have been created for this purpose, such as forecasting. Of these techniques, the time series forecasting technique seeks to predict future events. The long-term time series forecasting of physiological data could assist medical professionals in predicting and treating patients based on very early diagnosis. This article presents a model that utilizes a deep learning technique to predict long-term ECG signals. The forecasting model can learn signals’ nonlinearity, nonstationarity, and complexity based on a long short-term memory architecture. However, this is not a trivial task as the correct forecasting of a signal that closely resembles the original complex signal’s structure and behavior while minimizing any differences in amplitude continues to pose challenges. To achieve this goal, we used a dataset available on the Physio net database, called MIT-BIH, with 48 ECG recordings of 30 min each. The developed model starts with pre-processing to reduce interference in the original signals, then applies a deep learning algorithm, based on a long short-term memory (LTSM) neural network with two hidden layers. Next, we applied the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) metrics to evaluate the performance of the model and obtained an average RMSE of 0.0070±0.0028 and an average MAE of 0.0522±0.0098 across all simulations. The results indicate that the proposed LSTM model is a promising technique for ECG forecasting, considering the trends of the changes in the original data series, most notably in R-peak amplitude. Given the model’s accuracy and the features of the physiological signals, the system could be used to improve existing predictive healthcare systems for cardiovascular monitoring.

Enforcement of arbitral awards in Macau - Diakite, Ansoumane Douty (LexisNexis, 2024)
Under Macau Arbitration Law (MAL, art 64.1), an award shall be made in writing and shall be signed by the arbitrator or arbitrators. Furthermore, the law provides that in case of arbitral proceedings with more than one arbitrator, the signatures of the majority of all members of the arbitral tribunal shall suffice, provided that the reason for any omitted signature is stated (MAL, art 64.2).

Impact of Education on Green Fintech Adoption in a Smart City: Evidence from the Newly Developed Sub-city Center of Beijing. - Lei, Weng Chi; An, Boyang (18th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AGBRP - Leading Sustainability Transitions: Risk, Collaboration, and Technology, 2024)
Integrating financial technologies with green initiatives is critical to the sustainable development agenda. This is particularly true for newly developed smart cities like Tongzhou, the sub-city center of Beijing. To assess the adoption of green fintech in Tongzhou, this paper extends the EnergyAugmented Technology Acceptance Model (EA-TAM) to incorporate two green factors – environmental awareness and green knowledge. This paper applies structural equation modeling techniques to analyze data from 403 respondents who live, work, or study in Tongzhou and finds allhypothesized constructs significant. Since green knowledge is significant to the adoption of green fintech, this paper further divides the sample into a high-education group (162 respondents with university-or-above degrees) and a low-education group (251 respondents with post-secondary-orlower degrees) to evaluate the impact of education. All the hypothesized factors are significant to the high-education group,but environmental awareness and perceived usefulness are insignificant to the low- education group. Hence, the results provide evidence that people in the newly developed smart city adopt green fintech due to their environmental sensitivity. The adoption of green fintech is more environmentally sensitive for people with high education levels.

The spectacle of the Chinese city: urban atmospheres, the built environment and everyday practices - Zuev, Denis; Kobi, Madlen (Visual Studies, 2024)

Diffusion of Technologies: Delivering on the Promises of Battery Electric Vehicles - Lampo, Alessandro; Silva, Susana C. (Walking the Talk? MNEs Transitioning Towards a Sustainable World, 2024)
Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are living up to their claims as consumers choose them more frequently. The increasing demand for sustainable vehicles translates into the global need for specific components, materials, and infrastructures and drives the regulatory frameworks in each country. While BEVs offer environmental benefits and global business opportunities, the technology has not yet gained mainstream acceptance. Thus, this work aims to investigate the characteristics of BEV users and their role in the diffusion of products to larger segments, as this may vary from country to country. For this purpose, a survey based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2) (Venkatesh et al., 2012) framework and structural equation modeling (SmartPLS) was adopted. The results indicated that, except for the constructs of effort expectancy (EE) and social influence (SI), the predictors in the model performed well in this context. Current users are satisfied with their vehicles and are supportive of BEVs in the future. The analysis also revealed that in addition to the availability of financial resources, early adopters are attracted by new technologies in a way that leads them to make decisions outside of the traditional influence of the other members of society. It is suggested to leverage the perceived benefits of status, differentiation, or uniqueness motives, to appeal to those seeking to appear trendy and tech-savvy in society. Companies and policymakers should acknowledge the peculiarities of early customers in their communication strategies to reach a wider audience around the globe and encourage the adoption of BEV technology.
Keywords: Air quality; Battery electric vehicles; Clean energy technology; Consumer behavior; Diffusion of innovations; Early adopters; International marketing

Machine learning-based cardiac activity non-linear analysis for discriminating COVID-19 patients with different degrees of severity - Ribeiro, Pedro; Marques, João Alexandre Lobo; Pordeus, Daniel; Zacarias, Laíla; Leite, Camila Ferreira; Sobreira-Neto, Manoel Alves; Peixoto, Arnaldo Aires; de Oliveira, Adriel; Madeiro, João Paulo do Vale; Rodrigues, Pedro Miguel (Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 2024)
Objective: This study highlights the potential of an Electrocardiogram (ECG) as a powerful tool for early diagnosis of COVID-19 in critically ill patients with limited access to CT–Scan rooms. Methods: In this investigation, 3 categories of patient status were considered: Low, Moderate, and Severe. For each patient, 2 different body positions have been used to collect 2 ECG signals. Then, from each collected signal, 10 non-linear features (Energy, Approximate Entropy, Logarithmic Entropy, Shannon Entropy, Hurst Exponent, Lyapunov Exponent, Higuchi Fractal Dimension, Katz Fractal Dimension, Correlation Dimension and Detrended Fluctuation Analysis) were extracted every 1s ECG time-series length to serve as entries for 19 Machine learning classifiers within a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure. Four different classification scenarios were tested: Low vs. Moderate, Low vs. Severe, Moderate vs. Severe and one Multi-class comparison (All vs. All). Results: The classification report results were: (1) Low vs. Moderate - 100% of Accuracy and 100% of F1–Score; (2) Low vs. Severe - Accuracy of 91.67% and an F1–Score of 94.92%; (3) Moderate vs. Severe - Accuracy of 94.12% and an F1–Score of 96.43%; and (4) All vs All - 78.57% of Accuracy and 84.75% of F1–Score. Conclusion: The results indicate that the applied methodology could be considered a good tool for distinguishing COVID-19’s different severity stages using ECG signals. Significance: The findings highlight the potential of ECG as a fast and effective tool for COVID-19 examination. In comparison to previous studies using the same database, this study shows a 7.57% improvement in diagnostic accuracy for the All vs All comparison.
Keywords: Accuracy; COVID-19; ECG signals; Machine learning classifiers; Non-linear analysis; –

Relationships among critical thinking disposition components of Chinese undergraduates: A moderated mediating effect analysis - Zhao, Yangyintao; Liu, Yong; Wu, Hao (International Journal of Educational Research, 2024)
Critical thinking (CT), as a form of higher-order thinking, is intended to help individuals form reasonable reflection and judgment to deal with increasingly severe employment situations. As the primary workforce in the labor market, undergraduates must possess a strong critical thinking disposition (CTD) to make better use of CT. Despite extensive research on components of CTD from the perspective of educational practices, there is limited emphasis on investigating the components and their relationships of CTD in the labor market and the impact of gender differences. Therefore, this study presented an analysis of 1535 Chinese undergraduates (Mage = 20.89; SD = 1.43) using the Employer-Employee-Supported Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (2ES-CTDI), aiming to explore the CTD that undergraduates should possess before entering the labor market. The relationships among the components were examined using SmartPLS4.0 in conjunction with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Additionally, a multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA) with a measurement invariance (MI) test was conducted to validate the moderating effects of gender. The findings indicate that (a) self-efficacy has a significant negative effect on habitual truth-digging, and boys are more affected than girls, instant judgment plays a competitive partial mediating role in this relationship; (b) self-efficacy has a significant positive effect on instant judgment, and boys are more likely to make instant judgments than girls; (c) instant judgment significantly positively affects habitual truth-digging. These findings highlight the dynamic equilibrium among the internal components of CTD in the labor market and call for increased attention from educators to the importance of gender differences in the cultivation process.
Keywords: Critical thinking disposition; Labor Market; Moderated mediation; Undergraduates

Revenue Management in Airlines and External Factors Affecting Decisions: The Harmonic Oscillator Model - Arraut, Ivan; Rosado, Wilson; Leong, Victor (Mathematics, 2024)
The Revenue Management (RM) problem in airlines for a fixed capacity, single resource and two classes has been solved before by using a standard formalism. In this paper we propose a model for RM by using the semi-classical approach of the Quantum Harmonic Oscillator. We then extend the model to include external factors affecting the people’s decisions, particularly those where collective decisions emerge.
Keywords: collective decisions; harmonic oscillator; revenue management; spontaneous symmetry breaking

Canonical History of the Macao Firecracker Industry in the 20th Century (1920s-1970s) (2024)
In the first half of the 20th century, Macao’s three traditional handicraft industries were: making matches, firecrackers, and incense, and these three became important pillars of Macao's economy. These industries were supported by four other industries, namely: shipbuilding, wine, printing and the clothing that are integral to understanding the history of Macao. The purpose of this research has been to document the importance of Macao's seven traditional industries, in particular the firecracker factories with special reference to the Yick Loong factory. This dissertation makes a significance contribution to the subject of the historical development of Macao’s traditional handicraft industries in reviewing each of the traditional industries and in particular detailing the Yick Loong factories operations and the understanding of the local Macao people to the past importance of this operation. These industries need to be discussed so that society can have a deeper understanding of the importance of them, as up to now they have been little explored. So, by visiting the location of the Yick Loong Firecracker Factory, gathering knowledge, and conducting in-depth research and in books and through a survey about the Macao firecracker business, the author has been able to show that there appears to be limited understanding of the significance of the firecracker industry in Macao. Though, people most recall the Yick Loong factory’s name when prompted about naming a firecracker factory in Macao and associate firecrackers with the Lunar New Year celebrations. However, they seem to have limited understanding of the significance of the firecrackers to Macao, except for childhood memories of them being released.

SURVEY ON MACAO KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS’ DEMAND FOR AND SATISFACTION OF RESOURCE TEACHERS' SUPPORT IN INCLUSIVE EDUCATION (2024)
Inclusive preschool education in Macao is in its infancy and resource teachers (RTs) play a pivotal role in supporting kindergarten teachers. This study aimed to investigate Macao kindergarten teachers’ demand for and satisfaction of RTs’ support services in inclusive education. Using a mixed method design, the researcher administered a self-developed questionnaire (including a need scale and a satisfaction scale) to 70 kindergarten teachers and interviewed four kindergarten teachers. Based on the quantitative and qualitative data analyses, results showed that: 1) Kindergarten teachers had a high demand for RTs’ support services no matter whether they had previously received such services, and kindergarten teachers who had received RTs’ support services (N = 43) were moderately satisfied with their support services. 2) There was a moderate correlation between the demand and satisfaction scales and respective dimensions. The need level was significantly higher than the satisfaction level on all six dimensions. Teachers reported highest scores on both their need and satisfaction on the dimension of Cooperation, Interaction, and Communication. 3) Kindergarten teachers’ need level increased significantly when the number of inclusive students taught during the school year was three or more, compared to a number below three. Teachers’ satisfaction level did not differ significantly across any demographic variables. 4) Kindergarten teachers were satisfied with RTs’ support services in terms of improved classroom management by handling inclusive students’ problem behaviors, pull-out instruction, test-taking assistance, reduction of IEP workload, and the provision of professional support to parents. 5) Kindergarten teachers were dissatisfied with RTs’ support services in terms of cooperative interaction and communication, co-teaching, assessment of inclusive students’ performance, and supervision of RTs' work. Based on the kindergarten teachers’ expectations for RTs’ support services, the implications of this study were discussed to provide meaningful and evidence-based directions for the research and practice of inclusive preschool education in Macao. 澳門學前融合教育處於發展階段，資源教師在支持幼稚園教師學前融合教育中起著舉足輕重的作用。本研究旨在探究澳門幼稚園教師對資源教師支援服務的需求及滿意度情況。通過問卷調查法和半結構訪談法相結合的混合研究方法，研究者採用自編問卷調查了澳門70名幼稚園教師並訪談了4名幼稚園教師，其中問卷的需求和滿意度量表均分別由六個維度組成，包括：「專業知能」、「擬定和執行個別化教育計劃」、「教學資源與課程」、「成績評量」、「合作互動溝通」、「家長溝通」。量化及質性數據分析結果顯示：1）無論之前是否接受過資源教師的支援服務，幼稚園教師對資源教師的支援服務都有著較高的需求，而接受過資源教師支援服務的幼稚園教師（N = 43）對其支援服務的滿意度則達到一般滿意的水準；2）需求與滿意度量表及各維度之間呈現中度正相關，同時需求程度在各維度上均顯著高於滿意度；需求與滿意度得分最高的都是「合作互動溝通」維度；3）在不同的背景變量下，需求程度只有在「本學年為多少位融合生提供教學」該變量上有顯著差異，當融合生人數達到3名或以上時，教師對資源教師的需求有所增加，而滿意度在不同的背景變量下則沒有顯著差異；4）幼稚園教師對資源教師在改善融合生行為問題造成的班級影響、抽離教學、測考協助、減少IEP工作量、以專業角度向家長提供支援服務方面感到滿意；5）幼稚園教師對資源教師在合作互動溝通、合作教學模式、成績評量、對資源教師工作監管等方面感到不太滿意。最後，結合幼稚園教師對資源教師所提出的期望，筆者提出本研究的啟示，包括完善資源教師的政策規定、加強資源教師的專業化程度、拓展幼稚園教師與資源教師合作教學的模式，以及促進雙方之間的溝通與合作互動關係，為本澳學前融合教育的研究與實踐提供有意義的、循證的方向。

The Factors Affecting Customer’s Purchase Intention and Preference towards Quiet Luxury Fashion Brands Focusing on Generation Z (2024)
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.

The Integration of Blockchain Technology in Accounting and Auditing - Almeida, Ermelinda Nazaré António de (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The emergence of blockchain technology in 2008 marked a significant milestone in the evolution of digital currencies, paving the way for the emergence of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. Since then, blockchain has undergone four generations of development, expanding its applications across various sectors. In particular, the integration of blockchain into accounting and auditing practices has garnered significant attention due to its potential to transform traditional methods. However, there's a lack of clear understanding of how blockchain impacts traditional auditing practices and finance recordkeeping and the implications for audit quality. Significant challenges and uncertainties hinder its widespread adoption, including technical hurdles, regulatory complexities, and practical barriers. This dissertation aims to determine the transformative impact of blockchain technology on auditing practices and finance recordkeeping. In order to fully understand the impact of blockchain on auditing practices and finance recordkeeping, the dissertation utilizes a mixed sequential research approach that is divided into three phases. The first approach involves gathering qualitative data through interviews with blockchain experts. The second approach involves collecting secondary qualitative data through a systematic literature review to determine the changes that blockchain has brought to traditional auditing practices and finance recordkeeping. This is followed by a bibliometric analysis to identify current trends in blockchain research related to auditing practices and finance recordkeeping. The third approach involves gathering data through an online-focused survey distributed to finance and other industry professionals to determine the challenges organizations face in implementing blockchain technology in auditing practices and finance recordkeeping. Additionally, in phase three, case studies will be conducted based on the survey responses to examine the hindrances and challenges faced by organizations in implementing blockchain and its impact on auditing practices in different regions and among different demographic groups. As the findings indicate, Integrating blockchain technology into accounting and auditing practices can bring about significant improvements in transparency, efficiency, and fraud prevention. However, there are several challenges that must be overcome for successful implementation, such as technical difficulties, regulatory uncertainties, and privacy concerns. To overcome these hurdles, it is necessary to establish clear regulatory frameworks and innovative solutions. Although smart contracts offer automation, they also pose security risks that need to be addressed. Despite these challenges, blockchain has the potential to revolutionize auditing by enabling real-time auditing and enhancing integrity verification. To ensure audit quality, auditors must adapt to new responsibilities and stay up-to-date with emerging trends. Collaboration among stakeholders and continuous education and training programs are key to driving the successful adoption of blockchain technology
Keywords: Accounting; Audit Quality; Auditing Practices; Blockchain Technology; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

A Pilot Study for Measuring Complex Problem-Solving in Jordan: Feasibility, Construct Validity, and Behavior Pattern Analyses - Alrababah, Saleh Ahmad; Wu, Hao; Molnár, Gyöngyvér (Sage Open, 2024)
In the 21st century, complex problem-solving (CPS) serves as a key indicator of educational achievement. However, the elements of successful CPS have not yet been fully explored. This study investigates the role of strategic exploration and different problem-solving and test-taking behaviors in CPS success, using logfile data to visualize and quantify students’ problemsolving behavior on 10 CPS problems with different characteristics and levels of difficulty. Additionally, in the present study, we go beyond the limits of most studies that focus on students’ problem-solving behavior pattern analyses in European cultures and education systems to examine Arabic students’ CPS behavior. The results show that computer-based assessments of CPS are feasible and valid in Jordanian higher education. The findings also confirm the structural validity of CPS, indicating that the processes of knowledge acquisition (KAC) and knowledge application (KAP) can be distinguished and separated in the problem-solving process. Large differences were identified in students’ test-taking behavior in terms of the efficacy of their exploration strategy. We identified four latent classes based on the students’ exploration strategy behavior. The study thus leads to a better understanding of how students solve problems and behave during the problem-solving process in uncertain situations.

A Financial Valuation of 3M Company (MMM) - Ao, Man Leng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
To evaluate 3M's intrinsic value and compare the calculated results with the stock market price as of 31 December 2022. To study 3M's future operating strategies and the internal and external factors that may impact the Company's operations
Keywords: Financial Valuation; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

NATURE EXPOSURE AND CREATIVITY IN THE WORKPLACE: THE ROLE OF JOB SATISFACTION - Ao, Si Weng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation investigates the relationship between nature exposure in the workplace, job satisfaction, and creativity among full-time employees in Macao. The study aims to examine the impact of exposure to greenery and sunlight on job creativity and job satisfaction, as well as the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between workplace nature exposure and creativity. Drawing on existing literature, the study proposes the following hypotheses: (H1) Workplace nature exposure, including greenery and sunlight, positively influences job creativity. (H2) Workplace nature exposure, including greenery and sunlight, positively affects job satisfaction. (H3) Job satisfaction mediates the positive relationship between workplace nature exposure (specifically, greenery and sunlight) and job creativity. A quantitative methodology utilizing cross-sectional self-response questionnaires was employed for data collection. The measures used were pre-validated and translated into Chinese through a rigorous process of translation and back-translation. The final sample consisted of 450 full-time workers in Macao. The results highlight the significance of integrating natural elements, such as greenery and sunlight, into the work environment to promote a more favourable setting for innovation and the overall well-being of employees. The implications of these findings, both in theoretical and practical terms, are thoroughly discussed. By examining the relationships, this study contributes to the understanding of how the physical environment influences employee well-being and performance. The findings offer valuable insights for organisations and policymakers in designing workspaces that foster creativity and job satisfaction among employees
Keywords: Job Creativity; Job Satisfaction; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph; Workplace Nature Exposure

REMINISCENCE THERAPY IN INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY PEOPLE: CASE STUDY = TERAPIA DE REMINISCÊNCIAS EM IDOSOS INSTITUCIONALIZADOS: ESTUDO DE CASO - Araújo, Filipa Maria Santos (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Depression; Elderly; Mental Health; Reminiscence Therapy; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph; Well-being

Reply to the "Comment on The Tully-Fisher law and dark matter effects derived via modified symmetries" by I. Arraut. - Arraut Guerrero, Ivan (Europhysics Letters, 2024)
It has been claimed in \cite1, that the idea proposed in \cite2 has certain mistakes based on arguments of energy conditions and others. Additionally, some of the key arguments of the paper are criticized. Here we demonstrate that the results obtained in \cite2 are correct and that there is no violation of any energy condition. The statements claimed in \cite1 are based on three things: 1). Misinterpretation of the metric solution. 2). Language issues related to the physical quantities obtained in \cite1, where the authors make wrong interpretations about certain results over the geometry proposed in \cite2. 3). Non-rigorous evaluations of the vacuum condition defined via the result over the Ricci tensor R_μν=0.

Reply to the Comment by L. Filipe O. Costa et al. - Arraut, Ivan (Europhysics Letters, 2024)

TURNING THE SDGS INTO LEGAL COMMITMENTS: Catarine Isabel Pereira Batista - Batista, Catarine Isabel Pereira (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation examines the current implementation of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the Macau legal system, despite the non-mandatory nature of these goals and how they were implemented. The SDGs, established by the United Nations, provide a comprehensive framework for addressing global social, economic, and environmental challenges. While Macau is not obliged to adopt the SDGs, this study aims to explore the extent to which the principles and objectives of specific SDGs have been integrated into the legal system of Macau. Through an analysis of relevant laws, and policies, this research seeks to identify alignment and visible gaps between the SDGs and the Macau legal framework. The findings of this study may contribute to a deeper understanding of the voluntary implementation of the SDGs in Macau and provide insights for other jurisdictions facing similar circumstances
Keywords: Hard Law; International Law; Legal system; Macau SAR; Soft Law; Sustainable development goals; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Lusophone and International Public Law(MLIPL); University of Saint Joseph

THE IMPACT OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN MACAU'S LAND TRANSPORT SECTOR: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE WORK ENGAGEMENT - Cai, Shi Xin (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Public transportation is an important component of urban infrastructure and has a significant impact on the convenience and well-being of citizens. In Macau, with rapid economic development and urbanization, an efficient land transport system is essential to support sustainable development. Previous research has primarily focused on the sustainable development of the transportation sector in Macau, with little attention given to studies concerning employees. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of transformational leadership on employee work performance in the land transportation sector in Macau, with a particular focus on the mediating role of employee work engagement. Through a quantitative research methodology, this study utilized an online questionnaire to collect data from 194 employees from the bus and LRT sectors in order to achieve the research objectives. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods were used in this study to analyze the data through SPSS software to assess the relationship between transformational leadership, employee work engagement and employee performance. The findings reveal that there is a significant positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance, as well as a significant positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee work engagement. In addition, employee work engagement played a partial mediating role between transformational leadership and employee performance. The findings suggest that transformational leadership not only directly enhances employee performance, but also indirectly enhances employee performance by increasing employee work engagement. These insights have important practical implications, indicating that adopting transformational leadership behaviors can effectively enhance employee engagement and performance, thereby improving organizational effectiveness. Specifically, managers in Macau's transportation sector should pay attention to and cultivate transformational leadership behaviors in order to enhance employee work engagement and performance, and thus achieve higher organizational effectiveness and building a strong team
Keywords: Employee Work Engagement; Employee Work Performance; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); Transformational Leadership; University of Saint Joseph

From Overcoming Self to Overcoming Nature: Teaching on Human Nature in Ricci, Pantoja, and Aleni - Cai, Yilun (Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 2024)
Keywords: Catholicism and Confucianism; Intercultural Dialogue; Jesuit Mission to China; Jesuit Theology; Theological Anthropology

Matteo Ricci's teaching on the goodness of human nature: its Thomistic and neo‐Confucian sources - Cai, Yilun (The Heythrop Journal, 2024)
Abstract The Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci's teaching on the goodness of human nature in The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven represents the fruit of the first encounter between Catholicism and Confucianism. This article will consider the Thomistic and neo‐Confucian sources in Ricci's enunciation of the Catholic doctrine on the goodness of human nature in this Chinese catechism. It will illustrate that Ricci developed his teaching, which is fundamentally Thomistic, with the help of terminology borrowed from the Chinese philosophical tradition. His distinction between the good of nature and the good of virtue leads to prioritising the cultivation of human nature. Ricci's teaching reflects the early modern Jesuits’ appreciation of human freedom. It also displays a Catholic reaction to the sixteenth‐century neo‐Confucian intellectual trend that ignored the importance of moral cultivation.

Design Thinking Methodology and Text-To-Image Artificial Intelligence: A Case Study in the Context of Furniture Design Education - Caires, Carlos Sena; Estadieu, Gerald; Olga Ng Ka Man, Sandra (Perspectives on Design and Digital Communication IV: Research, Innovations and Best Practices, 2024)
The design thinking methodology is a problem-solving approach that involves empathising with end-users, (re)defining problems, brainstorming solutions creatively, and experimenting with prototypes and testing. It has been widely adopted in education to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in design. On the other hand, text-to-image artificial intelligence is a method used to generate images from natural language descriptors (usually referred to as prompts). Design thinking methodology can teach students to think creatively and critically about real-world problems when applied in the classroom. In the context of design teaching at the University of Saint Joseph, Macao, students use the design thinking methodology to develop innovative proposals for furniture design solutions. Combining design thinking methodologies with text-to-image artificial intelligence can further enhance the learning experience by allowing students to generate visual representations of their ideas during the ideation phase. The authors developed a systematic approach to generate images for ideation on furniture design based on prompting text-to-image (PTI). The analysis related students’ results who applied the design thinking methodology without using AI tools and the results generated using a standard text-to-image programme. By combining both methods, teachers can help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills, while also allowing them to generate visual representations in a different paradigm and, by so, being able to communicate their ideas with the most appropriate support for them.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence; Design thinking; Education quality; Furniture design education; Text-to-image prompt

Analysis of Cross-Cultural Consumer Perception Based on Multiple Physiological Monitoring Tools - Carvalho, Ana Catarina Line Henriques de (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
As the world becomes more globalized, it is now more important than ever for brands and advertisers to find effective ways to engage with consumers of different cultural backgrounds. Developing marketing that targets people of different cultural backgrounds, or multicultural marketing, carries specific nuances and complexities that may make traditional methods fall short. With this being said, there is still a lack of studies that explore the correlation between consumer's cultural background and their overall brand perception. Neuromarketing has proven to be an effective tool to understanding consumer behavior, by utilizing neuroscience tools. To employ a more sophisticated and in-depth understanding of consumer perception, the current research study makes use of neuroscience tools and aims to study the influence of cultural background in brand perception, while in a controlled environment. Using physiological neuroscience tools, namely, facial expression analysis (FEA), electrodermal activity (EDA), and eye-tracking (ET), a total of thirty-eight individuals, with ages between 19 and 50 years old, from 12 different countries and regions, participated in this research study. Findings suggest that participants of different cultural backgrounds perceive multicultural commercials as more favorable than monocultural commercials. However, future research should be done with a larger sample size, as well as include a wider variety of commercials. Research would also benefit from adopting a statistical analysis to help determine the significance of the results obtained
Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Multicultural; Neuromarketing; Neuroscience; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

EDUCATORS' PERSPECTIVE OF STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN) AND THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING, SELF-COMPETENCE, AND AGENCY - Carvalho, Edna Line Henriques de (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
What strategies did educators use to cultivate a sense of belonging, self-competence, and agency among students with Special Educational Needs (SEN)? Did educators face any challenges in implementing these strategies? Were the findings of this study specific to the inclusive school in Macau, or can they be generalised to other educational settings? This study brings to light educators' inner perspective of students' sense of belonging, self-competence, and agency. Specifically, it aims to uncover the academic and emotional needs of students with SEN and the importance that these may have in promoting a positive educational experience. By gathering the perspectives of educators in an inclusive school in Macau who work side-by-side with these students daily, we can understand how essential these elements are in contributing to their overall development. The purposive sampling approach was used in this study to further investigate various experiences and perspectives of educators within an inclusive classroom setting. The educators interviewed provided insight into an inclusive classroom with students with SEN in full-time attendance. The educators sampled in this study facilitated the search for strategies, challenges and support systems to cultivate a sense of belonging, self-competence and agency, among students with SEN. Findings showed educators' understanding of the importance of students with SEN's sense of belonging, self-competence and agency. The educators' awareness of their students' interactions with peers, and the educators themselves, was prominent, revealing how the sense of belonging for students with SEN affected these relationships. Regarding students' sense of self-competence, according to educators, students with SEN had opportunities to showcase their confidence in specific classroom areas and to exercise independence in the classroom, within the set curriculum and lesson plans. In the findings, educators illuminated the importance of agency in students with SEN. However, they were apprehensive about changes in lesson plans, cultivating a fully independent classroom setting and providing choices to students with and without SEN. The study's implications highlight the educational practices and policies that effectively supplement students with SEN's academic and social environments. The findings of this study aim to guide curriculum developers, educators and parental figures in fostering positive learning experiences for students with diverse learning needs
Keywords: Heutagogy; SEN; Self-competence; Students' agency; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON HOW CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA CHANGE THE WAY ENTERPRISES CONVEY MESSAGES TO AUDIENCES DURING THE PANDEMIC PERIOD AND THE POST-PANDEMIC ERA. CASE STUDY: SJM RESORTS MACAU - Chan, Hoi Man; Simões, José Manuel; Monereo, Zita Carmen (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Brand marketing; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; corporate communication; digital marketing; offline media; online media

Exploring the Impact of the Metaverse on Macau's Fashion Industry Development - Chan, Ka I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Communication; Digital Fashion; Macau's Fashion Industry; Metaverse; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; Virtual World

Integrating Internal Corporate Communication (ICC) Strategies to Enhance Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management: Chan Ka I - Chan, Ka I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation examines the relationship between internal corporate communication (ICC)strategies and occupational safety and health (OSH) Management practices in Macau's hospitality industry. The primary objective is to investigate how communication approaches can enhance workplace safety protocols and improve OSH outcomes for corporations in the leisure and entertainment sectors. The study aligns with Macau's several policies and economic development on promoting health and safety. It highlights the critical role of OSH Management in the post-COVID-19 business environment, influencing consumer choices and industry practices. The mixed-methods research identified critical success factors, including aligning OSH goals with corporate objectives, utilizing diverse communication platforms, and establishing a safety culture. Areas for improvement were also uncovered. The findings provide valuable insights for hospitality organizations, emphasizing the critical role of internal communication in driving effective OSH Management. By integrating communication strategies with OSH initiatives, organizations can cultivate a robust safety culture, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance employee well-being and customer satisfaction - key factors for long-term business success
Keywords: Communication; Hospitality; Occupational Safety and Health; Organization; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

The Strategy Christian Chruches Use in Marketing and Building Brand in Macau: A Case Study of Macau Baptist Church - Chan, Ka Yue (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This research chooses Macau Baptist Church in Macau as the research object, studying the brand and marketing strategy adopted by the church and determining what is essential for Christian churches when they do marketing to build brand awareness. Branding is essential in church communication mechanisms to recruit members and build loyal membership to reach sustainability. This topic is a relatively new study in the research field; the Macau Baptist Church case filled the gap of lack of Asia sampling and provided the perspective from the Baptist in branding church. The research sets off to answer the question of what marketing strategies Christian churches in Macau can adopt to build brand awareness, adopting a qualitative case study research method. The primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with leaders involved and included in the marketing effort of recruitment and evangelisation in Macau Baptist Church. Secondary materials are analysed and collected through printed materials published by Macau Baptist Church, an online social media platform and monthly meeting minutes. Participant observation notes are used in the process of analysing the effectiveness of the strategy used by the church. In branding a Christian church, the key is to understand and accurately interpret the church identity and build a God-centred church to help attendees have a strong relationship with God with the a posteriori of understanding the word of God. A priori experience with God through the services and evangelical campaigns hold by the church. Then, the vision and mission, goal setting, review, and reform will be determined so the church can sustain itself in modern days and achieve church growth
Keywords: Asian church marketing; Church branding; Church marketing; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF BASIC FAMILY RELATIONS INVENTORY (BFRI) IN MACAO - Chan, Kuai Ian (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
By discussing various aspects of family functioning, including the intricate nature of family functioning, family dynamics’ impact on adolescent growth and lifelong development, and the COVID-19’s effects on family relationships, it reveals the importance and necessity of assessment instruments in the field of family counselling. And concerning the gap between family research and clinical practice as well as the absence of a singular tool capable of evaluating various family functions comprehensively in the Macao context, the study introduced the Basic Family Relations Inventory (BFRI; or ‘Cuestionario de Evaluación de las Relaciones Familiares Básicas’, CERFB), a self-reported questionnaire based on Linares’ Basic Family Relations Theory. This valuable tool consists of 25 items, assessing simultaneously the quality of family relationships in two basic dimensions—marital and parental functioning. This study aimed to develop the Chinese version of the BFRI and investigate its psychometric properties in the context of Macao. By employing a quantitative research approach, it evaluated the normal distribution, exploratory factor analysis and reliability of the BFRI in a non-clinical snowball and convenience sample of 165 participants with at least one biological child from 12 to 18 years old. In the exploratory factor analysis, the initial factor extraction resulted in four components, reflecting both marital and parental items. This suggested potential overlap and interconnectedness between the marital and parental subsystems. Subsequent analysis identified a three-factor solution, separating marital, negative parental, and positive parental components. This aligned with the factor structure of the original Spanish version of the BFRI. A two-factor solution was also explored, replicating findings from the previous Italian and Portuguese validation of the BFRI despite some inconsistencies in item alignment. The EFA results revealed that the three-factor structure of the Chinese version of the BFRI was the best fitting model for the Macao population. Reliability analysis, assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, indicated satisfactory internal consistency of the scales. The results of the analyses demonstrate promising psychometric properties, supporting the tool’s effectiveness in assessing marital and parental relationships in a Macao population. The study contributed to the development of the valuable family assessment instrument. It suggested that the Chinese version of the BFRI could serve as a useful instrument to concurrently assess the quality of marital and parental relationships and systematically collect the data of family functioning in both dimensions. It’s also believed that this instrument could benefit the evaluation of family dynamics and comprehension of family relations not only in family research studies, but also in counselling intervention and clinical therapy, preventing risks to the health of children as well as promoting healthy family contexts in Macao
Keywords: Basic Family Relations Inventory (BFRI); Marital relationship; Parental relationship; Psychometric properties; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

A STUDY ON JOB BURNOUT AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN MACAO DURING THE POST- PANDEMIC ERA - Chan, Wat (2024)
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between job burnout and subjective well-being among primary school teachers in Macao during the post- pandemic era. The research questions included understanding the current status of teachers' job burnout and subjective well-being, analyzing the differences in these aspects across different background variables, and examining the relationship between them. Data were collected through an online questionnaire designed to measure teachers' job burnout and subjective well-being. SPSS 25 and Mplus 8 statistical software were used to ensure the reliability and validity of the questionnaire through Cronbach's alpha analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, ensuring that both were within acceptable ranges. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and linear regression. The results indicated that Macao primary school teachers' job burnout and subjective well-being were both at a moderate level. There were no significant differences in job burnout and subjective well-being among teachers of different genders, ages, school types, and school sizes. Moreover, there was no significant relationship between different educational backgrounds and subjective well-being among Macao primary school teachers. However, regarding educational background and teaching experience, primary school teachers with a "Master's degree or above" and those with teaching experience of "1-3 years" showed significant differences in the "Emotional Exhaustion" dimension. Additionally, the data revealed a significant relationship between job burnout and subjective well- being among Macao primary school teachers, with job burnout predicting subjective well-being. Teachers, as frontline educators, deserve attention to their mental health, particularly in the post-pandemic era. Therefore, this study provided empirical evidence for educational authorities, schools, and the public to reduce job burnout and enhance the well-being of primary school teachers in Macao, thereby supporting the development of primary education in the region. 本研究旨在探討後疫情時期澳門小學教師職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感之間的關係。研究問題包括瞭解教師的職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感現況，分析不同背景變量對教師職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感的差異。透過線上問卷形式蒐集資料，以測量教師的職業倦怠感和主觀幸福感。通過SPSS25和Mplus8統計軟件，以克隆巴赫係數分析和驗證性因子分析確定問卷的信效度均在可接受的範圍內，並對蒐集所得之數據進行描述性統性、獨立樣本 t 檢定、單因子變異數分析、皮爾森積差相關分析及線性迴歸進行分析。 研究結果顯示，澳門小學教師的職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感分別處於中位程度。不同性別、年齡、任教學校類型及學校規模對教師職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感無顯著差異，而且不同學歷的澳門小學教師在主觀幸福感無顯著差異。然而，在學歷和教師年資方面，除主觀幸福感外，具備「碩士或以上」學歷及教學年資為「1-3 年」的小學教師與「情感耗竭」維度之間呈現顯著差異。此外，數據也顯示，教師的職業倦怠感與主觀幸福感之間存在相關關係，且教師職業倦怠感對主觀幸福感有預測作用。 教師作為教育工作的前線人員，其心理健康值得被關注，尤其在後疫情這特殊時期，教師的心理健康問題更突出。因此，本研究為教育行政當局、學校、 社會大眾提供實證依據，為減輕澳門小學教師職業倦怠感，提高主觀幸福感提出建議，以促進本澳小學教育事業的發展。

THE USE OF AI TECHNOLOGY IN MACAO JOURNALISM: A CASE STUDY - Chan, Weng Fai (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; generative AI; journalism; journalists; media; multicultural; multilingual; newsroom

EFFECTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED INTO 5E INQUIRY INSTRUCTION ON THE LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT AND ATTITUDE OF JUNIOR STUDENT IN BIOLOGY LEARNING: TAKING "IMMUNE SYSTEM" AS AN EXAMPLE - Chao, Kuan Peng (2024)
With the continuous reform of education and the ongoing development of teaching methods by the Macao government, the teaching model of biology is also constantly evolving. The “5E” instructional model, proposed and developed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) in the United States, consists of a learning cycle divided into five phases: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. Each phase begins with the letter “E,” hence it named as the 5E teaching model. This model is currently widely applied in inquiry-based teaching across multiple countries. This article is a research study on practical teaching, where the researcher attempts to integrate information technology with the 5E learining method in an 8th Grade biology class. The aim is to explore whether the learning attitudes and academic performance of middle school students can be enhanced in the context of the 21st century. The focus of this study is on the chapter about the “Immune System,” selecting two parallel classes of 8th Grade students from a secondary school in Macao as research subjects. One class uses the 5E model, while the other teaching with traditional lecturing methods. Through Document Analysis, equivalent-group design, and questionnaire surveys and lesson plan based on 5E model, statistical software SPSS 22 is used to analyze the data regarding students’ biology learning attitudes and academic performance, thereby assessing the effectiveness of teaching using the 5E model and identifying issues encountered during the teaching process to provide targeted teaching strategies. The research findings indicate: (1) There is no significant difference in the learning attitudes and performance of students in the experimental class compared to the control class regarding the immune system unit. (2) There is no significant difference in the learning attitudes and performance of students in the experimental class before and after receiving 5E teaching. (3) For students with average academic performance, the experimental class shows significant differences in learning interest and strategies compared to the control class after undergoing 5E teaching. (4) Among students with average academic performance in the experimental group, there is a significant difference in learning interest after 5E teaching compared to before. (5) Students express high satisfaction with the teacher’s integration of information technology into the 5E teaching model, which can stimulate their interest in learning natural sciences.

Exploring the Emotional Connection Through User Interfaces and Aesthetic Design to Improve User Experience in Macau's Mobile Food Delivery Apps - Cheang, Hoi Kan (2024)
In the everchanging environment of the digital era, incorporating new technologies has become a critical engine for company development and progress Mobile applications, for example, have emerged as important tools for reaching and engaging a diverse client base These apps° user interface ¥UI¦ design is essential to this engagement since it directly influences the ease of use, user experience ¥UX¦, and, ultimately, the organisation°s overall reputation Macau has experienced a significant shift in food delivery service in recent years, with a quick transition to an online platform Three significant companies have emerged in this fastpaced atmosphere, each vying for a piece of the market These platforms act as meal order brokers, linking customers and restaurants, with most eateries available on all three apps In this situation, it is vital to identify the factors that influence clients to pick one application over another Simultaneously, pinpointing the pain points inside competitors° applications that generate unhappiness among certain customers becomes a crucial goal This research aims to uncover the primary factors influencing user app preferences in the Macau food delivery business, providing insight into the strengths and weaknesses that impact customer choices and, as a result, the trajectory of these organisations

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS’WORK STRESS AND SCHOOL SUPPORT IN MACAU INTRGRATED SCHOOLS - Cheang, Ka Wa (2024)
The purpose of this study is to examine the current situation of work stress and school support among teachers in integrated schools in Macau, to analyze the differences and correlations between work stress and school support among different background variables. This study utilized the questionnaire survey method as the research method, with secondary, primary and kindergarten teachers of integrated schools in Macau as the research subjects. The research instrument was a self-administered questionnaire on the relationship between work stress and school support among teachers of integrated schools in Macau, which was filled out in the form of an electronic questionnaire. A total of 253 questionnaires were collected and 253 questionnaires were usable, with a usability rate of 100%. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, single factor analysis of variance, and Pearson's cumulative difference correlation analysis, among other statistical methods. Based on the analysis, the following conclusions are as follows: (1) The overall work stress of Macau's integrated teachers is moderately high, and the mean values of each level are ranked from highest to lowest as workload, professional knowledge, and administrative cooperation, among which workload and professional knowledge belong to the medium-high level, and administrative cooperation belongs to the medium level. (2) The overall school support of Macau's integrated teachers is of medium-high level, with the mean values of each level ranked from high to low as family and friends' support, peer support, parents' support and administrative support, among which family and friends' support, peer support and parents' support are of medium-high level, while administrative support is of medium-low level. (3) The overall work stress of Macau's integrated teachers varies significantly across the highest level of education and stages of education. (4) The overall school support of Macau's integrated teachers varies significantly by marital status, highest academic qualification, years of teaching experience, position held, integrated education courses pursued, number of students in the classroom, and the size of the school. (5) The relationship between total work stress and total school support of Macau's integrated teachers was found to be low and negative. In Macau, there are no systematic research has been conducted on these two topics. Through this study, the authors localize these existing research findings, explore their applicability in Macau, and make recommendations for the education sector, school units, and integration teachers respectively, based on the actual situation in Macau. 本文旨在探討澳門融合學校教師的工作壓力及學校支持之現況，分析不同教師背景變項在工作壓力及學校支持的差異情況及兩者之間的相關性。 本研究以問卷調查法為研究方法，以澳門融合學校的中、小、幼教師為研究對象。研究工具為自編的澳門融合學校教師工作壓力與學校支持關係之研究問卷，以電子問卷的方式進行填寫。共回收問卷253份，可用問卷為253份，可用率為100%，回收的數據以描述性統計、獨立樣本t檢定、單因數變異數分析法、皮爾遜積差相關分析等統計方法進行分析。 根據分析所得結論如下：（一）澳門融合學校教師總體工作壓力屬於中等偏高程度，在各個層面平均值由高至低排列為工作負荷、專業知能及行政配合，其中工作負荷及專業知能屬於中高水準，行政配合屬中等水準。（二）澳門融合學校教師總體學校支持屬於中等偏高程度，在各個層面平均值由高至低排列為親朋支持、同儕支持、家長支持及行政支持，其中親朋支持、同儕支持及家長支持屬於中高水準，行政支持屬中低水準。（三）澳門融合教師總體工作壓力在不同學歷及任教教育階段有顯著差異。（四）澳門融合教師總體學校支持在不同婚姻狀態、學歷、教學年資、擔任職務、融合教育課程進修、任教班級學生數目及校部規模有顯著差異。（五）澳門融合教師總體工作壓力與總體學校支持兩者之間的關係為顯著低度負相關。 在澳門地區，目前尚未進行過針對這兩個主題相關的系統性研究。作者透過本研究，將已有的研究成果進行本土化，探索它們在澳門環境下的適用性，結合當地的實際情況，分別為教育部門、學校單位及融合教師提出建議。

EMERGENCY REACTION AND FEARS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS FROM MACAU: PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE ERQ-CA AND FSSC-R-SF - Cheang, Kuan Leng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph; children and adolescents; emergency reaction; fears; natural disasters; psychometric properties

KINGERGARTEN TEACHER’S ATTITUDES TOWARDS CHINESE EARLY LITERACY IN MACAU - Cheang, Pui U. (2024)
This study aims to explore the attitudes of kindergarten teachers in Macao towards early Chinese literacy. Using semi-structured interviews and purposive sampling, eight kindergarten teachers from seven different private schools in Macao were invited as study participants. Based on the interview data, the study further understands teachers' cognition, emotional experiences, and support towards early Chinese literacy, as well as their behavioral tendencies in practicing early Chinese literacy. The research findings indicate: (1) Kindergarten teachers have insufficient cognition of early Chinese literacy, mainly due to a lack of awareness and understanding of early Chinese literacy. (2) From the perspective of emotional experiences and support, all interviewed teachers support the development of early Chinese literacy at the kindergarten stage. (3) Kindergarten teachers exhibited positive, negative, and neutral emotions in the process of organizing early Chinese literacy, with emotions influenced and transformed by students' performance, from negative to positive emotions. (4) Kindergarten teachers face shortages of resources, such as teaching aids and training, in practicing early Chinese literacy. Based on the study results, recommendations were made for kindergarten teachers, the government, and schools. It is hoped that schools can provide sufficient teaching materials for early Chinese literacy and conduct relevant research activities. Kindergarten teachers should enhance their professional knowledge of early Chinese literacy. Additionally, the Macao government should formulate related policies and training courses for early literacy, enabling kindergarten teachers to design appropriate teaching curricula. 本研究旨在探討澳門幼稚園教師對中文早期讀寫的態度，研究採用半結構式訪談，透過立意取樣的方式，邀請到來自本澳七所不同的私立幼稚園的八位前線幼稚園教師作研究对象，依據訪談所獲得的資料，深入瞭解教師們對中文早期讀寫的認知，其情感體驗與支持度，以及在實踐中文早期讀寫的行為傾向。 研究結果顯示：（一）幼稚園教師對中文早期讀寫的認知不足，造成認知不足的原因主要有幼稚園教師缺乏對中文早期讀寫的認知。（二）從情感體驗及支持度來看，全部受訪教師都支持在幼稚園階段發展中文早期讀寫。（三）幼稚園教師在組織中文早期讀寫的過程，會呈現出正面、負面及中立的情緒，而情緒表現亦會受到學生的表現而發展轉變，由消極的情緒轉化為正面情緒。（四）幼稚園教師在實踐中文早期讀寫會受到資源短缺，如：缺乏教學用具，欠缺中文早期讀寫的培訓。 本研究依據研究結果，研究者對幼稚園教師，政府及學校等提出相關建議，期望學校能夠提供充足的中文早期讀寫教學材料，以及開展相關的教研活動，而幼稚園教師應提升對中文早期讀寫的專業知識。同時，澳門政府應該制定相關早期讀寫政策及培訓課程，使幼稚園教師能設計適切的教學課程。

Feasibility Study on the R&D and Production of VOCs Environmental Protection Equipment - Chen Le Qi (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study focuses on China's volatile organic compound treatment industry and deeply analyzes the current situation, challenges, and development trends of the volatile organic compound environmental protection industry. This study discusses technological advancements in reducing VOC emissions, environmental regulations' impact, and market demand changes. The market size, growth potential, and primary driving factors were analyzed by studying the business scope and competitive advantages of VOC management companies. Predict the company's operational status, investment return rate, and other related financial data through financial analysis. Finally, emphasis was placed on technological innovation, market positioning, and risk management while pointing out the industry's principal risks and response strategies. The research findings indicate that, in the context of increasing environmental awareness and policy support, China's VOC ecological protection industry has enormous growth potential. The company is expected to achieve significant success in both business and finance through technological innovation and market adaptation. The research and production of VOC environmental protection equipment is feasible
Keywords: China; Equipment; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; VOCs

IMPACTS OF CHINA’S ENTRY ON THE PRODUCT LINE RIVALRY IN THE GLOBAL CIVIL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY - Chen, Yawen (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Capacity allocation; Civil aircraft; Comac; Duopoly; Oligopoly; Product line rivalry; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); Triopoly; University of Saint Joseph

The Financial Valuation of Chevron Corporation - Chenda, Elisa Francisco; Lao-Phillips, Jenny Oliveros (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Chevron Corporation (CVX) is one of the world’s largest energy companies, which operates across the entire Oil and Gas industry, including exploration and production as an Upstream operation and refining and marketing as a Downstream operation. Chevron has a strong presence worldwide, with operations in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe, which includes more than 180 countries, where the US, in terms of production, represents 39.4% of the net oil-equivalent production in 2022. Its global presence, sustained by its competitive advantages, is challenged by its worldwide competitors, industry factors, and the economic environment. It is essential to understand the impact of such changes on the industry and the Company to accurately assess the intrinsic value of Chevron and its future positioning. To provide investors with helpful information, comparing the intrinsic value resulting from three valuation models with the Company's market share price as of December 31st, 2022, is essential
Keywords: Intrinsic value; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; forecast; stock market price

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MACAO EMPLOYEES’ DECISION TO PARTICIPATE IN CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING ACTIVITIES: FROM THE SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY PERSPECTIVE - Cheong, Ieng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation aims to shed light on the factors derived from employee identity that contribute to corporate volunteering participation. The study explores the influence of perceived organizational support (POS), group cohesion, perceived volunteering meaningfulness, and transformational leadership on engagement in corporate volunteering activities. The study employed a correlational quantitative design, collecting data through a questionnaire survey. The findings reveal that POS and group cohesion positively impact corporate volunteering, with volunteering meaningfulness mediating these relationships. Transformational leadership moderates the effect of volunteering meaningfulness on the relationship between POS and corporate volunteering. This research adds to the literature on identity and corporate volunteering by establishing a connection between employee identity and engagement in corporate volunteering activities. It emphasizes the importance of volunteering meaningfulness as a key factor in this relationship, highlighting the positive influence of POS and group cohesion. By considering both POS and group cohesion as antecedents, this study offers new insights into the understanding of identity and corporate volunteering. Practically, organizations can enhance employee participation in corporate volunteering by cultivating a supportive work environment, showing care for employees' well-being, and recognizing their contributions. Promoting group cohesion through effective communication of organizational goals can increase employee identification and motivation for volunteering. Emphasizing the personal significance of corporate volunteering and highlighting its impact can boost employees' intrinsic motivation and sense of purpose. To implement successful corporate volunteer programs, organizations should provide support and appreciation for employees' efforts, utilize transformational leadership to inspire commitment, and consistently reinforce the value of corporate volunteering. The practical implications of this research provide guidance for organizations seeking effective implementation of corporate volunteer programs as part of their corporate social responsibility strategies. It also holds relevance for researchers interested in exploring the intersection of employee identity and corporate volunteering
Keywords: Corporate Volunteering; Group Cohesion; Mediator; Moderator; POS; Perceived Organizational Support; SIT; Social Identity Theory; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); Transformational Leadership; University of Saint Joseph; Volunteering Meaningfulness

“LET’S READ TOGETHER”: SHARED PICTURE BOOK READING, CHILDREN’S EMOTIONAL COMPREHENSION AND PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP, A CASE STUDY WITH A GROUP OF NURSES IN MACAU - Cheong, Wai Lai (2024)
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of parents engaging in dialogic reading with their children while reading picture books on children's emotional understanding and parent-child relationships. The study also attempted to investigate the potential of picture books as useful instruments for parent-child communication, fostering meaningful parent-child connection and augmenting children's emotional comprehension. The study lasted for 11 weeks. The initial three weeks were focused on a parent-child reading session specifically designed for mothers, and the next eight weeks consisted of a picture book reading program in the participants' homes. Convenience sampling was employed to choose 11 families for participation in the study. Throughout the 8-week reading program, families actively participated in parent-child picture book reading sessions at home, ensuring a minimum frequency of once per week. The study used a combination of multiple case studies and a case study-mixed methods design. The data collection process involved gathering quantitative data through various means, including administering primary background surveys, utilizing the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (CPRS), and employing the Children’s Emotional Development Scale. The qualitative data consisted of interviews conducted before the intervention and records documenting parental reading observations. The analysis methodologies used in this study encompassed thematic and content analysis, which involved combining qualitative and quantitative findings to facilitate comparison. The quantitative data analysis of the Child Emotional Development Scale revealed notable disparities in emotional cognition, comprehension, expression, and overall emotional competence scores between the initial and final examinations. Although the CPRS results did not reveal any notable disparities in family intimacy and conflict; it is worth noting that seven families had higher post-test scores in family intimacy, indicating that mothers perceived an improved level of closeness with their children. Qualitative data analysis revealed that through shared reading of picture books on various emotional themes, children learned more emotional vocabulary and engaged in deeper parent-child conversations beyond daily interactions. This increased children's opportunities for emotional expression and helped mothers better understand their children's emotional needs, reflect on their parenting skills, and foster parent-child interaction and communication. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the significant impact of engaging in dialogic parent-child picture book reading on emotional understanding in preschool children. Furthermore, it is believed to be a valuable parent-child interaction strategy for dual-income families in Macau, enhancing parent-child relationships.

A STUDY OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN JOB AUTONOMY, ORGANISATIONAL JUSTICE, ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN MACAU - Cheong, Wan Sze (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
With the increasing number of tourists coming to Macau after the three years of lockdown period, more quality services are expected. However, organisations are now facing a big challenge in maintaining sufficient employee, managing their employees’ performance and productivity. Employee engagement plays an important role because it will not only affect individual performance but also the performance of an organisation. This is the first study to provide evidence of the engagement level of general employees working in Macau, and of its relationships with job autonomy, organisational justice and organisational culture. The study results revealed that the levels of vigour, dedication and absorption of employees working full time in Macau were slightly above the mid-point value 3 of the scale, with about 30% of employees were found less engaged or disengaged. Criteria autonomy, method autonomy, schedule autonomy, organisational justice and collectivism culture were positively and significantly correlated with all three dimensions of employee engagement (i.e. vigour, dedication and absorption). There is no significant negative relationship between power distance culture and employee engagement. Method autonomy was the strongest positive predictor of all three dimensions of employee engagement, followed by organisational justice, while collectivism culture was a positive predictor for vigour and absorption. The implications for management will be discussed in terms of organisational support and communication
Keywords: Employee engagement; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph; autonomy; organisation al justice; organisational culture

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) GENERATED ART & VISUAL COMMUNICATION: ITS EFFECTS ON HUMANS' IMAGINATION, CREATIVITY, COMMUNICATION, AND CULTURE - Cheong, Weng Chim (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: AI-generated art; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; communication; creativity; culture; imagination

澳門融合教育小學資源教師的工作困難與需求 =: INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN MACAO’S PRIMARY SCHOOL：THE WORK DIFFICULTIES AND NEEDS OF PRIMARY RESOURCE TEACHER - Chong, Hei Tong (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 小學資源教師; 工作困難; 融合教育

Post-pandemic Human Resources Challenges in Macau’s Hospitality Industry: Christy, Chu Ian I - Chu, Ian I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In today's rapidly changing and fiercely competitive environment, talents are the key factor for a company's success and success, and a good strategy for retaining talents is how to use effective management measures to grasp employees' focus, vitality and service on work enthusiasm can generate dedication and loyalty to the enterprise, making the enterprise more consolidated and sustainable. Previous studies have shown that human resource management measures can increase employee contribution. Therefore, this study takes the important role of human resource management as an intermediary to explore how the human resource management of Macau's hospitality industry is affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the changes in post-pandemic human resource management. At the same time, the company's commitment to its employees after the outbreak is further analyzed for the success of the solutions made by the human resource management of the hospitality industry in Macau. The research results are expected to be used as a reference for leaders or managers in the hospitality industry when an unexpected pandemic occurs, by enhancing and improving human resource management. The qualitative research method was adopted, and in-depth interviews were conducted with hotel employees. The key findings of this research were that there are five factors affecting human resource management post-pandemic in the hospitality industry. More importantly, we found that Macau’s hospitality industry needs to transform in the future, which will also have a key impact on human resources management
Keywords: Dilemmas 2; Diversified 1; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; Vulnerabilities 3

COPING WITH WAR TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES: CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM PERSPECTIVES IN EAST TIMOR - Costa, Julieta da (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The researcher aims to understand how Christian and Muslim communities in East Timor cope with and recover from trauma arising from war, violence, and conflict. The research seeks to identify critical spiritual and religious coping mechanisms as present in East Timor (Timor Leste) that could help victims heal and reconstruct their lives after a war trauma experience. The study uses a mixed method, first deploying a quantitative investigation of Christian and Muslim communities in East Timor. The questionnaire aimsto understand how religion and spirituality feature in individuals' coping with trauma and the healing practices prescribed or encouraged by religious institutions and practices. In addition, a qualitative research and thematic analyses have been conducted and added with the facilitation of 6 Interviewees, 3 Muslims, and 3 Christians. This study aimed to investigate trauma levels and religious coping strategies among participants from East Timor. The quantitative findings indicated that the participants experienced a moderate level of trauma, with trouble sleeping being the most significant symptom. The qualitative findings revealed in some participants a high level of traumatic experiences. Recurrent thoughts of traumatic events and feeling jumpy were also prevalent. However, feeling strange around people or objects and feeling personally damaged by the trauma were less common. Regarding coping strategies, participants tended to rely on positive religious coping, seeking a stronger viii connection with God, finding comfort in religious communities and beliefs, and using spiritual interventions to manage emotions and worries, finding healing and a path toward the future. Both Catholics and Muslims employed positive religious coping strategies, with Catholics showing a slightly higher level in their utilization. However, the difference between the two groups was minimal. Positive coping strategies were more frequently used by participants from both religious backgrounds, highlighting their importance in dealing with trauma. Positive religious coping did not significantly impact trauma symptoms, showing no decrease or increase. However, a notable positive correlation existed between negative religious coping and more severe trauma symptoms. Individuals relying on negative coping strategies were more likely to experience heightened trauma symptoms. These findings align with previous research, emphasizing the positive association between Islamic appraisals and religious coping with better post-traumatic adjustment, while trauma-related appraisals are linked to worse adjustment. The study underscores the need to respect individual coping variations and recognizes the impact of negative religious coping on trauma experiences
Keywords: COPING STRATEGIES; COUNSELING; EAST-TIMOR; RELIGION; SPIRITUALITY; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph; WAR

STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING A SMART TOURISM CITY: A CASE STUDY OF MACAO SAR AND THE PERCEPTION OF EXPERTS - Da Rosa Ho, Hoi Lam (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Smart Tourism City; Technology and tourism development; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

THE THEOLOGY OF THE EUCHARIST IN THE WRITINGS OF POPE BENEDICT XVI AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE RELIGIOUS FORMATION OF ADOLESCENTS IN MACAO CATHOLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS - De Carvalho Ribeiro, Daniel Antonio (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Adolescents; Benedict; Catholic Education; Eucharist; Macao; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Religious Studies (D-RS); University of Saint Joseph

Perceptions of Sports Agents in a Small Territory: The Case of Macao - Deng, Hao You (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study aims to investigate the difficulties and challenges faced by sports agents in the development of Macao, as well as the feasibility of the emergence of this industry in Macao. Since there is a lack of research on sports agents and related sectors in Macao, this study analyses the current environment of Macao's sports industry and tries to explore the development of sports tourism projects in Macao as an industrial upgrading and transformation and to promote the emergence of sports agents as a breakthrough, which will help Macao find a better way of development to become a world center of tourism and leisure, in the context of the diversification of the ""1+4"" industries. This study also aims to contribute to developing sports tourism in Macao. This study also provides modest suggestions for the professionalization of sports and the commercialization of the sports market in Macao, as well as for the future personal development of Macao's athletes and the sustainable development of the sports industry. This study adopts a qualitative research approach, starting with a basic introduction to sports agents, the origin and development of sports agents, and the definition of the concepts, and then further insights into the current development status, constraints, and future outlook of sports agents in Macao through industry experiences. The study sought out ten local sports industry practitioners in Macao for in-depth interviews. By analyzing and summarising the data, the study proposes meaningful recommendations for the sustainable development of the sports agent industry in Macao. Overall, the study found that the development of sports agents in Macao is still early. With the improvement of the talent admission system in Macao, society will pay more attention to the development of the sports industry, and the profession of sports agent will be nurtured in the context of a developed sports environment. However, the lack of professional athletes and large-scale sports events in Macao and the lack of innovative thinking of the General Sports Association in cultivating sports talents will limit the emergence of sports agents to a certain extent
Keywords: Macao; Sport Agent; Sport Industry; Talent Introduction; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Analysing The Forms of Aid Delivered to Guinea by The Traditional and Re-Emerging Aid Donors: Contrasting Aid Policies from China and France - Diakité, Ansoumane Douty (2024)

Enhancing consumer purchase intentions for sustainable packaging products: An in-depth analysis of key determinants and strategic insights - Duarte, Paulo; Silva, Susana C.; Roza, Afonso S.; Dias, Joana Carmo (2024)
Environmental concerns drive corporate and consumer focus on sustainable packaging. Research explores key factors influencing consumer intent, emphasizing the importance of strategic integration for enhanced purchase intentions and environmental goals. A comprehensive literature review identifies factors such as perceived value, willingness to pay, environmental concern, and attitude toward sustainable packaging. Empirical validation using survey data demonstrates the statistical significance of these factors on consumer purchase intentions, with the willingness to pay to emerge as the most influential determinant. Stakeholders are urged to incorporate these findings into strategies for sustainable packaging, fostering positive environmental impact, and informing academic and managerial discussions.

Attitude of middle school students toward persons with mental illness in Macau - Fan, In Kuan (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Social Work (MSW); University of Saint Joseph; 污名化; 現象學; 精神疾患; 青少年

SINGERS' ONLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES IN GUANGDONG PROVINCE: HOW TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN A STRONG ONLINE PRESENCE FOR EFFECTIVE MUSIC PROMOTION AND FAN ENGAGEMENT - Feng, Qiuyuan (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Previous research has explored the development of online music and singers in Guangdong Province; however, there is a gap in understanding how singers establish and maintain a strong online presence through effective online marketing strategies. To fill this gap, this study employs a mixed-methods approach to deeply investigate how Guangdong singers leverage digital platforms for effective music promotion and fan engagement. Online questionnaires were distributed via Xiaohongshu and WeChat, collecting 153 valid responses from fans, which were analyzed to understand interaction methods and their impact on singers. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Guangdong singers and one music company employee, and the interview data were thoroughly analyzed.The findings indicate that Guangdong singers utilize specific social media platforms (such as TikTok) to create and share personalized content and establish direct interactions with fans. These strategies are crucial for successful music promotion and fan engagement. In the highly competitive online music market, adopting such targeted digital marketing strategies allows singers to significantly enhance their visibility and fan engagement. This approach not only holds significant importance for the personal development of singers in Guangdong but also has far-reaching implications for the prosperity of the music industry and the creative economy as a whole
Keywords: Guangdong singer; Internet influence; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; audience engagement; music promotion; online marketing; singer fans

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) PRACTICES IN THE MACAU SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES (SMES): A STUDY OF THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY - Fong Wai Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This research used a qualitative approach to explore the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices implemented by SME restaurants in Macau. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight (8) SME restaurant owners and managers to understand their ESG initiatives and their challenges. Key findings include: Environmental Initiatives: Many restaurants have adopted practices such as limiting plastic use, better food management, and organic waste recycling, often driven by government regulations rather than broader ESG considerations. Community Engagement and Social Responsibility: Social practices are less adopted, with some restaurants collaborating with charities, hiring individuals with disabilities, and donating food. However, most do not make monetary donations or engage in sponsorship activities due to financial concerns rather than a lack of consumer trust. Governance Initiatives: Restaurants have adopted electronic workflows, risk management practices, and stakeholder management approaches, including a flexible approach to employee management focused on operational efficiency rather than investor attraction. The findings indicate that for SME restaurants, the key drivers for ESG implementation are more focused on factors such as cost-savings and operational efficiency rather than broader considerations around investor interest or consumer trust. This study provides insights into how SME restaurants integrate ESG elements into their operations
Keywords: Environmental; Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); Social, and Governance (ESG); Sustainable Practices; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

Innovation Analysis and Research on the Mode of KOL Live Commerce - Fong, Hou Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
With the rapid development of digital media, internet celebrity live streaming has become a key factor in influencing the consumer decision-making of adolescents, presenting unique regional characteristics in different socio-cultural and economic contexts. This study investigates the differences in consumption habits among adolescents in Macau and Mainland China and their impact on the innovation and reform of the commercial model of internet celebrity live streaming. The methodology employs a questionnaire survey and data analysis to systematically compare the consumption behavior of adolescents in Macao and mainland China, collecting live streaming consumption habits of adolescents in both regions. Statistical methods are used to compare and analyze the consumption patterns within the regions. The analysis indicates that influencers, as internet celebrities with a large number of fans on social media, have a significant impact on adolescents' consumption decisions through their recommendations and evaluations. Firstly, the convenience and diversity of e-commerce platforms provide adolescents with a wealth of consumption choices, such as characteristics and usage effects of products. Secondly, the recommendations and evaluations of influencers have become an important reference for adolescents' consumption. Results show that adolescents in Macau tend to seek entertainment and interaction in their consumption of internet celebrity live streaming, whereas those in Mainland China place greater emphasis on the practicality of the live streaming content and the cost-effectiveness of the products. Moreover, the study reveals the roles of socio-cultural and economic levels in the differences in consumption between the two regions. Based on these insights, it is recommended that live streaming platforms should advance the innovation and reform of their business models to cater to different market characteristics—such as optimizing content recommendation algorithms, enhancing interactive elements, and improving the integration of e-commerce features, thereby promoting business sustainability and economic benefits
Keywords: Adolescent Consumption Habits; Internet Celebrity; Live Streaming; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

China-ASEAN Student Mobilities along the Belt and Road: New Trends and Implications - Ge, Rochelle (Asian Studies and Indian Ocean Summer School, Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon, 2024)

Chinese Student Flows to Thailand: Thickening of Higher Education Linkages between China and Thailand - Ge, Rochelle (BRISM Conference, 2024)

Global Curriculum Development Trends and Teacher Training Needs: Challenges and Opportunities in Change - Ge, Rochelle (The Seminar of Curriculum Development and Teaching Materials Preparation in Mainland China and Macao SAR, 2024)

Intensifying Higher Education Collaboration between Macau SAR and PSCs: Supporting System and Strategic Implications - Ge, Rochelle (The panel Macau’s Higher Education Collaboration with Portuguese-speaking Countries: Mutual Goals and Challenges, 2024)

Career trajectory and cross-system mobility: Career planning of doctoral students in Macao - Ge, Yun (Higher Education Quarterly, 2024)
This study investigates career trajectory and work locations of doctoral students trained in Macao and analyses how their career paths are shaped by perceived macro-level factors. Respondents from four applied disciplinary areas were selected for semi-structured in-depth interviews. Research results show that doctoral students who graduated from Macao higher education institutions enjoy good career prospects in Mainland China. Their competitiveness in the research-related job market benefits from having a multi-level support system and a training mode that promotes government–university–industry collaboration. Policies and demand from industrial sectors are involved in students' learning experience through channels such as financial support, project collaboration and networks. Doctoral students in Macao are strategic planners and actors in leveraging their human capital. As Macao becomes an emerging destination for cultivating high-level research labour, findings from this study capture a model of human capital formation in China's cross-system context.
Keywords: career trajectory; cross-system mobility; doctoral education; employability; human capital formation

Green Interludes - LANDSCAPES AS TRANSITION BETWEEN MIXED USE ARCHITECTURAL PROGRAMMES - Goh, Henri Racelis (2024)
As cities continue to grow at an unprecedented rate, the need for efficient land use becomes even more critical. Mixed Use Architecture is essential for modern cities because of its efficiency in using land that is prevalent in the rapid urbanization we are facing today. Mixed-use development offers numerous advantages for communities and serves as a crucial approach in attaining sustainable ecosystems (Woo and Cho, 2018). Land scarcity in Macau has made mixed-use architecture essential to city expansion. Mixed-use developments in Macau typically consist of combination of housing and commercial towers, casino and hotel complexes and office buildings. This has improved land use in the city. However, these developments, however, unappetizing living conditions resulting sick building syndrome to its residents. The research question identified and addressed in this study is: How can Mixed Use Architecture respond to the underlying problems Urbanisation has brought? Based on this question, this dissertation develops a new type prototype for mixed use architecture that to resolve the issues prevalent in the current mixed use architecture models using Macau as context for this prototype. This study challenges traditional architecture and uses innovative approaches stemming from biophilic strategies and industry leading green technologies that improve quality of life and the environment. This study proposes a novel solution to urbanization's problems such Sick Building Syndrome, high population density, and land scarcity. This dissertation suggests a space-efficient architecture to meet the needs of rising populations and land scarcity while prioritizing resident well-being.

ECONOMIC AND PREDICTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN MAJOR INDUSTRIES IN THE ECONOMY OF MACAO - Gomes, Sérgio Ricardo dos Santos (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Since early times, the effects of a booming sector in other sectors of a small economy have been of interest to scholars. There is a general perception that the booming Gaming sector has contributed to the overall growth in Macau through the trickle-down effect, passing on the benefits of growth to other sectors. After the liberalization of the gaming industry in 2002, this booming sector experienced several years of exponential growth, becoming the driving industry for Macao’s economy. Several scholars and researchers have dedicated their studies to the effects of the casino gaming industry as a booming sector in such a small economy. However, there is a gap in what concerns measuring the influence of the Gaming sector as a driving industry for several other sectors or following industries of Macau’s economy. The purpose of this research study is to investigate in what measure the Gaming sector in Macao leveraged the other economic sectors and how related or correlated are the different industries of Macao’s Economy. A protocol-driven understanding of the state of the art on the interrelations between economic sectors and different techniques used to study those inter-relations was conducted through a systematic literature review. Given the limited available data on the Gross Value Added (GVA), or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the supply side, as a central measure of economic activity in the different sectors, several possible interpolation models using auxiliary high-frequency data (indicators) were compared, to achieve the optimal model for interpolation of each variable. Several forecasts for the future performance of Macau's four major economic sectors were presented based on different regression techniques. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models were developed to assess the dependence of the future performance of a sector’s GVA on its past performance. Optimal Vector Autoregressive (VAR) models were created to identify the explanatory power of some sectors of Macau’s economy in others. Based on available auxiliary data in high-frequency (quarterly) it was possible to interpolate the quarterly GVA per economic sector, available only in low-frequency (annually), for the major sectors of Macao’s economy. Some sectors have a considerable explanatory power on the performance of other sectors, however, the proposed regression models did not identify a clear relation between the performance of the Gaming sector and the performance of other major sectors from Macao’s economy
Keywords: Econometrics; Economic Sectors; Gaming Industry; Interlinkages; Macau; Regression; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Business Administration (D-BA); University of Saint Joseph

FINANCIAL VALUATION OF WALT DISNEY - Guo, Ying (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Disney is a leading global cross-media entertainment giant. With its diversified business model, Disney has achieved significant success in film production, television programs, theme park and resort operations, product sales, and media networks. Disney not only has strong capabilities in content creation but also excels in distribution channels and platform construction. By continuously expanding its direct streaming services to consumers, such as Disney+, Disney is adapting to the changes in the digital age and further consolidating its leadership position in the global entertainment market. Nevertheless, Disney still faces many challenges, including rising copyright costs, threats from emerging competitors, the impact of global political and economic uncertainty, and addressing the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, an analysis of Disney's financial position considering these internal and external factors will help assess the company's intrinsic value and its future position. Based on the above background, this thesis aims to provide in-depth insights into the current financial situation and future development prospects of Disney Company through detailed financial analysis
Keywords: Disney 2; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; financial valuation 1; pandemic 3

Regulating the Use of Artificial Intelligence(AI): Achievements and Challenges - Hamamoto, Mayumi (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation is research regarding the achievements and challenges in artificial intelligence (A) regulation at a domestic level and international level. This study is important because there are more legal issues regarding the application of AI, and AI has grown to be part of the public’s daily lives. A mixed method has been adopted in this research: doctrinal legal research and a comparative legal research method. AI was invented in the 1950s and in the 2000s, has been more accessible to the public. The first AI regulation, the EU AI ACT, has recently been enforced, an AI regulation that has been around for nearly seven decades after its invention. It is high time that regulators in different states invest more effort in AI regulations
Keywords: AI; Artificial Intelligence; System Learning; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Lusophone and International Public Law(MLIPL); University of Saint Joseph

SenSwave: DRAW YOUR MUSIC BY EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MUSIC, IMAGES, AND EMOTIONS - He, Minghao (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Interaction design; Interdisciplinary; Music generation; Tangible interface; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph; Well-being Emotional expression

SLEEP PROBLEMS IN MACAU CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: ASSOCIATION WITH BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - Hio, Sam U. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The adverse impact of sleep problems on children and adolescents’ health and development raises concern in the community. Although some studies have examined the association of sleep problems with behavioural problems and academic performance, few have been done in Macau, especially for the children population and regarding academic performance. Hence, the primary purpose of the present study was to identify sleep problems of children and adolescents in Macau and explore its relationship with behavioural problems and academic performance. 948 participants (466 children and 482 adolescents) from Macau were included in the study. Data was collected using the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) forms: CBCL, TRF and YSR. Children sleep problems were assessed by the reports of mother and father, in addition self-report was also included to measure adolescents sleep problems. Behavioural problems were reported by mother, father and teacher for children, as well as self-report for adolescents. Academic performance was the average of teacher’s rating of all academic subjects. The prevalence of sleep problems was 10.1% in children and 17.4% in adolescents. The results showed significant difference between children’s sleep problems and their mother and father-reported total behavioural problems, but not with teacher-reported total behavioural problems. However, whereas the t-test found that adolescent’s sleep problems significantly predicted all informants reported total behavioural problems, the chi-square test found no significant relationship between the two factors in teacher’s ratings, suggesting that while adolescents who had more sleep problems did show a higher frequency of total behavioural problems in the teacher’s perspective, but they may not be severe enough to be considered clinical. In addition, significant association between academic performance and sleep problems were only observed in children but not in adolescents; and no significant relationship was found between sleep problems and grade retention. Findings provided further support for some associations of sleep problems with behavioural problems and academic performance. In general, the findings of Macau were similar to those in other countries. Given that chronic sleep problems create multiple negative consequences to students’ lives, practical implications are provided to help lower it through the collaboration between parties, education about sleep hygiene and the development of healthy sleeping habits. Keywords: sleep problems; behavioural problems; academic performance; children; adolescents
Keywords: Macau; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph; academic performance; adolescents; behavioural problems; sleep problems

Work-family balance: Research on strategies for coordinating work and family among dual-career families in Macao - Ho, Iok Cheng (2024)
澳門於1994年頒佈《家庭政策綱要法》，旨在支持家庭提升工作、房屋等的生活條件。澳門特區政府於2020年中修改《勞動關係法》，增加對家庭的支援，以回應澳門的發展需要。回顧有關工作與家庭衝突的文獻，大多針對弱勢家庭作探討，忽略雙職家庭也同樣面對困境。本研究之目的是為探討本澳雙職家庭的工作與家庭衝突情況，並在家庭友善政策推行不足的情況下，雙職家庭為求達致工作與家庭能夠平衡的協調策略。 　　為了作出深入的了解，本研究採用質性研究，邀請了20位雙職家庭的父母作為研究對象，與他們通過半結構式訪談收集資料。獲得資料後，以紮根理論進行編碼及分析。 本次研究發現有利於平衡雙職家庭的工作與家庭，與三大要有密切關係，包括1)家庭協調與資源；2)時間管理及3)社會支持。雙職父母運用自身家庭的資源協調模式，訂立出屬於個別家庭獨有的時間管理模式及分工；工作單位的友善氛圍及相應的彈性工作協調措施，也扶助了雙職家庭，達致家庭與工作中取得較為平衡的狀態。研究者根據以上的研究發現，為優化家庭友善政策作出一些建議，使雙職家庭能減少工作與家庭衝突的發生。

ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE, COMMITMENT, AND TURNOVER IN MACAO - Ho, Ka Lon (2024)
The present study explored the effect of organisational culture on turnover intentions of full-time workers in financial sector in Macao, and the mediating effect of organisational commitment. The following research questions were examined in this study: (1) how do organisational cultural values affect workers’ turnover intentions? (2) what is the role of organisational commitment in the relationships between organisational cultural values and turnover intentions? A cross-sectional design was used by applying a self-response bilingual (Chinese and English) questionnaire to a sample of 123 full-time workers in the financial sector in Macao. Results show that the organisational culture factors with a stronger impact on turnover are entrepreneurial, hierarchical and team cultural values. Entrepreneurial values (ßa=-.323, p=.004), followed by team values (ßa=-.260, p=.011), show the strongest effects and a negative relationship with turnover intentions. Meanwhile, hierarchical values (ßa=.208, p=.012) show the weakest effect and a positive relationship with turnover intentions. Regarding the affective commitment in the relationships between organisational cultural values and turnover intentions, the values with the strongest impact were entrepreneurial, followed by hierarchical and team values. Affective commitment fully mediates the effects of entrepreneurial and hierarchical values and partially mediates the effect of team values on turnover intentions. Regarding theoretical implications, our findings seem consistent with the social exchange theory. Regarding practical implications, we discuss some strategies to promote entrepreneurial and team values and prevent hierarchical values as strategies to increase affective commitment and decrease turnover in the financial sector.

EXPLORING MUSLIM STUDENTS LIVED EXPERIENCES IN MACAU: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH - Ho, Kit Ieng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Muslim community is one of the minority groups in Macau SAR China. Muslims are an interesting group in terms of research because of its diversity in respect to language, nationality, social status, and education level. Groups of people migrate for various reasons such as religion, politics, economy, and education. Individuals experience the age in between nineteen and twenty-four, which fall in the category of youth. Studies of Muslim youths have gained more attention in scholarship, statistical data, and research. The study seeks to understand Muslim students’ life and the needs of this minority group and explores how Muslim students perceive Islam and their own ability to cope with school related cultural pressures through qualitative, phenomenological approach, and focuses on exploring the common experiences of Muslim students in this city. This study used a conceptual framework based on critical race theory (CRT). We use in-depth interviews of five Muslim youth, ages between 19 and 24, to investigate their school life experiences and Islamic practices. We also administered questionnaires and field note to understand their social mobility, social capital and to gain a deeper understanding of their daily lives. A thematic analysis of the interview data produced the following themes: 1) Social mobility; 2) Social capital Relationship with friends; 3) Discrimination and micro-aggressions; and 4) Religion Identity. The study found that the Muslim status of the participants did not have a significant impact on their school experience, as they were able to find accommodation in their practice of religion and school life. However, the multiple identities of the participants as Macau citizens and their ethnic backgrounds did affect their social capital and sense of belonging. The study also examined the experiences of the participants within Macau society, including social factors such as racism. The results indicated that language and ethnicity were factors that hindered their integration into the community. In addition to the original themes, the analysis of the participants' stories in this research revealed two counter-narratives that challenge prevailing narratives. These counter-narratives include the deconstruction of oppressed Muslim women's narratives and the influence of local mainstream religious schooling on Muslim students' religious loyalty. These alternative narratives provide new insights into the lives of Muslim youths and challenge conventional stories. The findings of this study have important implications for educators, academics, and members of both Muslim and non-Muslim communities. By allowing youth to establish broader connections with society and increasing their motivation to participate in and contribute to the community, this study highlights the need for inclusive educational environments that support the diverse identities of students. Furthermore, the study provides young Muslims with a voice in society, empowering them to challenge dominant narratives and promote counter narratives that reflect their experiences and perspectives to meet critical race theory ethos of ongoing active struggle
Keywords: Critical Race Theory; Muslim youth; School experience; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph

EDUCATION AND PATRIOTICISM: CHEN ZIBAO’S EDUCTIONAL PRACTICE IN MACAU FROM THE LATE QING TO THE EARLY REPUBLIC = 教育與愛國 – 晚清至民國初年陳子褒在澳門的教育實踐 - Ho, Kuong Lei (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations PhD in History (D-HIS); University of Saint Joseph; 愛國教育; 澳門; 陳子褒

Balancing Economic Development and Environmental Protection in Macau Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - Ho, Nga Lai (2024)
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.

The Impact of Monetary Rewards and Employees’ Benefits on Frontline Staff Motivation in the Retail Industry - Ho, Un Ian (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Macau's retail industry was familiar to all sectors. Retailers take up massive responsibility for the Macau economy. There are few manufacturers in Macau, so products and goods are imported. As the front-line staff of a retail store, employees would need to face many people daily; it can be tiring and stressful for them. Therefore, this study examined the motivational factors of front-line staff in the retail industry. It is crucial to understand various motivational factors, as one of the challenges that retail entrepreneurs face is employee retention. This study evaluated the characteristics of motivation so that managers can develop some strategies for their employees. The qualitative research method was adopted in this study. In-depth interviews were conducted to determine various motivators and the reasons behind their motivation. This study used purposive sampling, and eight candidates were selected to conduct the interview. The results of the interviews concluded that monetary rewards like salary and sales incentives have the most significant effect on motivation. Relationships with colleagues and superiors also affect their motivation in the working environment. Moreover, employee benefits like public holidays, maternity leave, etc, are also one of the motivators. Different participants mentioned other motivators, such as recognition, teamwork, learning and growth opportunities, teamwork, and fit of interest. Based on the research question, this study concluded that monetary rewards have a larger effect on employees' motivation than job benefits. Managers and leaders can develop strategies based on this research, and future research can also examine some other motivational factors with a larger sample
Keywords: Frontline Staff; Macau Retail; Motivation; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

A Narrative Study on the Professional Development of Inclusive Teachers of Preschools in Macao - Hong, Sut Mui (2024)
The purpose of this study is to understand the problems and experiences of Macao's regular classroom pre-school teachers in teaching and counseling children with special needs, in order to further explore the professional growth and development process of regular classroom pre-school teachers in the orientation of integrated education. This study adopts a qualitative narrative research methodology, using semi-structured in-depth interviews and textual data collected from the research participants' research journals and teaching diaries to analyze the stories related to the three preschool teachers in the educational field, and according to the results of the data analysis were as following: 1. The professional growth and development of the three teachers in pre-school integration, from novice teachers to professional teachers, need to go through a long period of exploration and adaptation, where teachers continue to refine their professional knowledge and teaching skills to cope with the challenges of problems in the education process, but the progression from professional to expert teachers is affected by both internal and external factors, that teachers are unable to make the transition into it. 2. The three teachers' dilemmas are at different stages. It was found that among the four major dilemmas faced by the teachers, there were teaching, classroom management, support system and professional knowledge in IE, and among them, the support system and professional knowledge in IE were the ones that the teachers considered the most desirable to get in order to have good conditions for implementing IE in ordinary classes. 3. This study suggests that teachers need to be able to adapt their mindset to face different challenges at work. Active Enhancement of IE Knowledge to Cope with Various Educational Issues; schools should assist teachers in the implementation of IE and act as a bridge between parents and teachers. Define the development intention of the school so as to establish a clear direction and avoid internal confusion; government needs to consider the extension of the policy to safeguard the learning rights of Pupils with Special Educational Needs (Pupils with Special Educational Needs). Promote the concept of IE in the community so that it can be widely recognized by the public, thereby gaining more support. There must be a comprehensive training and continuous growth and development for IE Teachers, in order to establish a clear and standardized curriculum. Organize cross-school professional exchanges for qualified IE teachers to enhance their professional knowledge. 本研究旨在透過瞭解澳門普通班學前教師對特殊需要幼兒教學與輔導的問題與經驗，以進一步探討普通班學前教師融合教育導向的專業發展歷程。 　　本研究採用質性敘事研究方法，使用半結構式深度訪談，並透過研究參與者的研究日記、教學日誌等蒐集文本資料，分析三位學前教師在教育現場內的相關故事，根據資料分析結果發現如下： 一、三位教師的學前融合專業成長發展，從新手型教師到專業型教師需要經歷一段漫長的時間探索和適應，在此教師持續精進自己的專業知識和教學技能，以應對教育過程中的問題挑戰，但從專業型教師到專家型教師這個進階過程受到內在和外在的因素影響，因此，教師雖然初現這階段的特質，但未具備相應的專業力能。 二、通過三位教師不同階段的困境問題發現，所面對的四大困境中，包括有教　 　　學方面、班級管理方面、支援系統方面和融合教育專業知能方面，而當中 　　支援系統和融合教育專業知能方面是教師認為最希望獲得的支持，才能讓 　　教師擁有良好的條件在普通班中實施融合教育。 三、本研究建議，教師需要懂得調適心態，以面對工作上的不同挑戰。積極增 　　進融合教育知能，以應對各類的教育問題；學校方面應協助教師開展融合 　　教育的工作，做好家長與教師的橋樑。明確學校的發展意向，從而建立清 　　晰的目標走向，避免造成內部混亂；政府方面需要考量政策的延伸性，以 　　保障普特幼兒的學習權益。將融合教育的理念推進社區，讓大眾廣泛認 　　識，從而獲得更多的支持力。建立明確標準化的融合教育教師培育模式， 　　使融合教育教師的培育過程有着全面性和連續性的成長發展。組織合資格 　　的融合教育教師跨校專業交流，以提升教師專業知能。

Integrating digital technologies during the COVID-19 kindergarten suspension period in Hong Kong. - Hu, X.; Yelland, N.; Leung, W. M. V.; Liang, Y.; Sun, C. R.; Graham, C. R. (Digital Technologies and Early Childhood in China: Policy and Practice, 2024)

THE IMPACT OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ON PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES STOCK RETURNS - Iam, Hou In (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In early 2020, the COVID-19 virus spread rapidly around the world within months. After countries around the world announced the outbreak of COVID-19, many industries suffered a severe recession, but a few industries were able to buck the trend and maintain good performance. The outbreak has driven strong demand for medical products and pharmaceuticals. As the epidemic continues to spread, people are in urgent need of drugs and vaccines to treat COVID-19, which directly promotes the development of the pharmaceutical industry (Alam et al., 2021). This study aims to explore the impact of announcements from the World Health Organization (WHO) or similar official agencies on the development of the epidemic during the COVID-19 epidemic on the stock prices of specific pharmaceutical companies. The study uses event study methodology to analyze the impact of events in the COVID-19 pandemic on these companies. Through an event study on 7 major events during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study found that the stock price changes of different pharmaceutical companies are not uniform. The WHO announcement of a global pandemic and the emergency authorization announcement of drugs have had different significant impacts on different types of pharmaceutical companies. This study provides new information for understanding the stock return change of specific pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 epidemic
Keywords: COVID-19; Theses and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; pharmaceutical; stock returns

THE LIFE DILEMMA AND ADJUSTMENT OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN MACAO =: 澳門自閉症類群障礙幼童的家長生活困境與調適 - Ieong, I. Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 困境; 特殊教育; 自閉症兒童家長; 調適

AI in Counselling: Perceptions on Human vs AI Generated Chat Counselling - Ieong, Ka U. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: AI (Artificial Intelligence); Chat counselling; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph; human perceptions

EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: THE MODERATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN PUBLIC SECTOR AND GAMING SECTOR IN MACAU - Iu, Pek Wa (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The current study examined responses from 342 full-time and part-time employees in Macau’s gaming and public sector. The intention was to examine the relationship and explore the effect of organizational culture (innovative, supportive, and bureaucratic) and organizational leadership (transformational and transactional) on employee work engagement (cognitive, emotional, and physical) with the moderating role of organizational commitment (affective and continuance). The objectives of this study are mainly: 1) to explore the relationship between organizational culture and leadership with employee engagement respectively; 2) to further investigate employee engagement and the difference between the gaming sector and the public sector, and 3) to explore the moderating role of organizational commitment between the organizational culture and leadership to employee engagement respectively. Understanding the relationship between these essential elements is crucial for the individual and organization which ultimately leads to a sustainable and utmost performance for the benefit of Macau's constant economic development. While regression analysis represented transformational leadership as the powerful predictor of the three facets of work engagement to employees in both sectors. Though there was no relationship between the variables and the moderators, there was a positive interaction between transformational leadership, affective commitment (TFL x AC), and emotional and physical work engagement of the employees from the gaming sector, there was a positive interaction between innovative culture, affective commitment (IC x AC) and cognitive work engagement and a negative interaction between transactional leadership, continuance commitment (TL x CC) and emotional work engagement in the public sector subgroup. Results were interpreted concerning the organizations, leaders, and employees in both sectors in Macau, followed by a discussion on the implications of enhancing work engagement
Keywords: Macau; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Organisational Psychology (MOP); University of Saint Joseph; gaming sector; organizational commitment; organizational culture; organizational leadership; public sector; work engagement

Financial valuation of coca-cola company (NYSE: KO) - Jiang, Ye (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; financial statement; intrinsic value; valuation models

THE COMMUNICATIVE-RECIPROCAL STRUCTURE OF THE FLESH: AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE LATER MERLEAU-PONTY’S ONTOLOGY OF THE BODY - Kan, Nga Lon (2024)
Though Cartesian dualism has been criticized for decades, it still prevails as a strongly dominant cultural mindset rooted in people’s minds, especially in the social environments that we experience. Along with it, there is not only a loss of attention to our own bodies but also a loss of the recognition of the experience of inter-subjective reciprocity. Therefore, I hope, through the methodology and virtue of phenomenology, especially from the phenomenological-ontological account of the body/flesh from the modern French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, to help my readers to overcome convincingly and detach themselves from the traditional Cartesian mindset. I argue that the body is born as a communicative-reciprocal being that sustains a priori connection with all other things in the world, and with the world. The body is a lived body and a transcendental being that cannot be reduced to fit in the present reductionistic mathematical-scientific idealized frameworks. After pointing out the insufficiencies in traditional mathematical scientific and Cartesian accounts of the body in Chapter One, my argument will be unfolded along with reflections on the common experiences in daily life and the textual analyses respectively contributed by Merleau-Ponty’s works The Phenomenology of Perception, especially in Chapter Two, and The Visible and the Invisible, especially in Chapter Three.

CONSUMER PROTECTION POLICY IN MACAO'S FINANCIAL SERVICES SECTOR: ANALYSIS OF THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN COMPARISON TO GLOBAL PRACTICES - Kuan, Ho Tong (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This research is to assess the current status quo, strengths, and weaknesses of financial consumer protection mechanisms in Macao. According to the World Bank, financial consumer protection can bring positive impact on the development of financial sector, broadening financial inclusion and fostering economic growth. In 2022, under the backdrop of COVID-19 and downturn in economy, Macao Government announced its ambition to recover and diversify the economy of Macao by leveraging “1+4” Diversified Development Strategy, in which developing modern finance is one of the main priorities. The new Financial System Act took into effect on 1st November 2023 and this Act will enable non-financial institutions to apply for temporary licenses on fin-tech innovations within a controllable risk area. In the local context, does Macao have a strong financial consumer protection mechanism in place to goal for developing modern finance and face challenges brought by fin-tech? In this research, a mixed method consisting of doctrinal legal research method and comparative legal research method is adopted. 10 jurisdictions (Ireland, Singapore, Australia, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, European Union, Canada, and United States) were selected in comparison of rights for financial consumer protection based on the G20/OECD High-Level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection and the results of which were then compared to the rights for financial consumer protection in Macao. The findings of this study show that the main strength of financial consumer protection mechanisms in Macao lies on the supervision of the Monetary Authority of Macao (AMCM) on the banking sector and insurance sector, other financial institutions according to international principles; however, the in-depthness of work done by Macao in financial consumer protection is not as much as those done by other jurisdictions: in Macao, there is no policyholder protection scheme in the event of failure of insurance companies; no mystery shopping and consumer survey done by oversight bodies; narrow range of definition of vulnerable consumers; no financial literacy survey; no in-depth competition law; no in-depth guidelines to monitor advertising materials for financial products; no database for consumers to search for unregulated firms and scammers; no in-depth financial educational materials about the rights of financial consumers. It is recommended that Macao Government can learn from United Kingdom, Canada and European Union to adopt behavioural insights in developing financial consumer protection policy to protect financial consumers from being exploited by the financial service providers based on the consumers’ behavioural biases. Some literature suggested that consumers are vulnerable in digital landscape. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that Macao Government shall take proactive actions to strengthen the current financial consumer protection mechanism by adhering to the G20/OECD High-Level Principles on Financial Consumer Protection, in order to develop modern finance and protect consumers from the risks posed by fin-tech
Keywords: Macao; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Lusophone and International Public Law(MLIPL); University of Saint Joseph; financial consumer protection; financial education; financial inclusion; financial literacy

澳門幼兒教師勝任力調查研究 - Kuan, On Kei (2024)
As Macau's society rapidly develops, the education system of Macau also continues to develop, including early childhood education. The competency of early childhood teachers in Macau plays an important role in the future development of education. Teacher competency includes four main dimensions: educational ability, work attitude, psychological factors, and motivation. This paper focuses on exploring these dimensions and the differences in teacher competency among Macau's early childhood educators, considering their personal background variables. Moreover, this research investigates the factors such as the working attitude of teachers, their professional development needs, and motivation that affect their teaching in early childhood education. Historically, understandings of teacher competency in Macau's early childhood education were primarily analyzed through t-tests and one-way Anova of survey data, which tend to have lower reliability and validity. This paper employs confirmatory factor analysis among other methods to conduct empirical research on the current state of teacher competency, aiming to advance the development of teacher competency in Macau with more reliable data. This paper uses literature review methodology to gather relevant research and analyzes the information gathered, by using a self-assessment questionnaire on early childhood teacher competency to conduct a survey among 187 early childhood teachers in Macau. This can help to understand their competency levels and how these correlates with their personal background variables. The integrated data from the teacher self-assessment questionnaires indicate that the overall level of teacher competency in Macau is acceptable. In terms of the 4 early childhood teacher competency factors, the psychological factors got the highest score, while their educational abilities got a lower score. The differential analysis conducted on the evaluated teachers shows there are significant differences in early childhood teacher competency among different age groups and years of teaching experience. This research aims to provide more data and information to Macau's education related departments and kindergarten management, to formulate targeted teacher training and career development plans of teachers, which can help to improve the overall teaching quality and job satisfaction of teachers in Macau's early childhood education. The research suggests that future research should expand the research subjects to early childhood teachers from different cultural backgrounds, increase the use of interviews and case analysis (adopting mixed research methods), and analyze the differences in personal background variables and the competency of Macau's early childhood teachers. 澳門社會飛速進步的同時，其教育體系也在不斷發展，而幼兒教育在塑 造孩子未來發展的基礎上扮演著至關重要的角色。故澳門幼兒教師勝任力對於 幼兒教育的未來發展具有不可忽視的重要性。教師勝任力(Teacher Competency) 包含教育能力、工作態度、心理因素和動機等四大維度。本文著重探討這四個 維度和教師的個人背景變項與澳門幼兒教師勝任力的差異性。同時，也會關注 教師的工作態度、專業發展需求及動機等因素對幼兒教師教學的影響。過去， 人們對澳門幼兒教師勝任力的了解較多使用 t 檢驗及單因數變異數進行問卷數 據分析，其有效性及可靠性相對較低。針對上述問題，本文採用驗證性因素分 析等方法對幼兒教師的勝任力現狀進行了實證研究，期望以更可靠的數據推動 澳門幼兒教師勝任力的發展。本文使用文獻分析法整合相關文獻及就研究資訊 進行分析，並使用幼兒教師勝任力自評定問卷對澳門 187 名幼兒教師進行問卷 調查，以了解澳門幼兒教師的勝任力及個人背景變項與澳門幼兒教師勝任力的 差異性。整合教師自評問卷數據後結果如下: 澳門幼兒教師勝任力總體水準尚可， 就勝任力特質表現而言，幼兒教師的心理因素最好，幼兒教師的教育能力較差。 而對被評價幼兒教師進行差異分析的結果顯示：不同年齡段和教齡與幼兒教師 勝任力有顯著差異。 本研究有望為澳門教育相關部門和幼稚園管理層提供更多數據和資訊， 以制定針對性的教師培訓和職業發展計劃，提高澳門幼兒教育整體教學品質和 教師職業滿意度。建議未來研究擴展研究對象至不同文化背景的幼兒教師、增加訪談和個案分析的部分(採用混合研究方法)和分析個人背景變項與澳門幼兒 教師勝任力的差異性。

澳門小學教師對融合教育態度之研究 =: A Study on Macao Primary School Teachers ’Attitudes towards Inclusive Education - Kwok, Siu Kam (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 小學教師; 澳門; 融合教育

Aspects that constitute citizens’ trust in e-government - A review and framework development - Lai, Chimeng; Marques, Alexandre Joao Lobo (Multidisciplinary Reviews, 2024)
The extent of citizens' trust in government determines the success or failure of e-government initiatives. Nevertheless, the idiosyncrasies of the concept and the broad spectrum of its approach still present relevant challenges. This work presents a systematic literature review on e-government trust while elaborating and summarizing a conceptual analysis of trust, introducing evaluation methods for government trust, and compiling relevant research on e-government trust and intentional behavior. A total of 26 key factors that constitute trust have been identified and classified into six categories: Government trust, Trust in Internet and technology (TiIT), Trust in e-government (TiEG), Personal Beliefs, Trustworthiness, and Trust of intermediary (ToI). The value added of this work consists of developing a conceptual framework of TiEG to provide a significant reference for future in-depth studies and research on e-government trust.
Keywords: Systematic Literature Review (SLR); framework; trust; trust in e-government

Teachers' Perspectives, Challenges, and Strategies for Integrating STEM Education into the Curriculum - Lam, Chi Seng (2024)
"This study investigates the perspectives, challenges, and strategies of STEM teachers in Macau as they integrate STEM education into their curricula. STEM teachers in Macau generally consider the integration of STEM education essential for enhancing students' creativity and problem-solving abilities. However, during the implementation process, they face challenges such as insufficient resources, limited opportunities for professional development, and difficulties in interdisciplinary collaboration, which restrict the effectiveness of STEM teaching. This study employed a qualitative research approach, conducting in-depth, semi-structured interviews with STEM teachers in primary and secondary schools in Macau to understand their experiences and needs. Purposeful sampling was used to ensure diversity and representativeness of the sample. The findings indicate that schools lack sufficient STEM teaching resources (such as equipment and materials), and limited professional development opportunities prevent teachers from effectively mastering new technologies and teaching methods. Furthermore, interdisciplinary teaching is constrained by challenges in collaboration and curriculum design. Low student engagement and insufficient parental support also affect the effectiveness of STEM education. The results suggest that schools should enhance resource allocation, promote professional development for STEM teachers in Macau, and encourage interdisciplinary teaching collaboration to improve the quality of STEM education, thus strengthening students' creativity and problem-solving skills. These findings offer valuable insights for STEM educators and policymakers to foster the comprehensive development of STEM education.

小學資源教師教學成效及影響因素之研究 =: A STUDY ON THE TEACHING EFFECTS AND INFLUENCING FACTORS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL RESOURCE TEACHERS - Lam, Iok Ian (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Inclusive Education; Resource Teachers; Teaching Effects; Teaching and Learning Situation; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education(MED); University of Saint Joseph

An Empirical Analysis of the Role of Xiaohungshu [Little Red Book] on Chinese tourists' Visiting Macao - Lam, Ka Kit (2024)
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.

Adapting the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2) to the Acceptance of Public Policies - Lampo, Alessandro; Diakite, Ansoumane Douty; Ip, Emil Chi Hang (18th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AGBRP - Leading Sustainability Transitions: Risk, Collaboration, and Technology, 2024)
The understanding of how people accept and embrace new policies is vital in today's world. This paper introduces an original way of looking at this by adapting the widely recognized Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT-2). The goal is to provide a foundational model for assessing policy acceptance. More specifically, we adapted the UTAUT-2 framework to study how Macau residents perceive the "Northbound Travel for Macau Vehicles" policy, which allows cars with Macau registration plates to enter China. Using structural equation modeling software (SmartPLS), we analyze data collected from 136 respondents who experienced the policy.Our findings reveal that Performance Expectancy (PE) and Habit (HB) significantly influence individuals' intention to take advantage of the policy. In other words, people are more likely to embrace policies they perceive as beneficial and that align with their existing habits. Effort Expectancy (EE) and Facilitating Conditions (FC) do not significantly impact acceptance, perhaps as a result of participants' familiarity with the policy and their resource availability. Surprisingly, while not directly tied to usage, Social Influence (SI) shows a high mean value, suggesting its potential role in policy acceptance when influential individuals adopt the policy. This pioneering research contributes to the field by bridging the gap between technology acceptance models and policy studies. Most importantly, it validates the use of the UTAUT-2 as a technology framework that is adapted for assessing policy acceptance.

The Moderating Effect of Food Neophilia on Consumers’ Intention to Use Insects as Food - Lampo, Alessandro; Sun, Hou Tong (18th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AGBRP - Leading Sustainability Transitions: Risk, Collaboration, and Technology, 2024)
In a world where sustainable food choices are becoming increasingly important, this study explores the connection between food neophilia — the desire to experiment with new foods — and people's willingness to include insects in their diets. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), our research delves into how neophilia (NP) moderates respondents’ attitude (ATT), social norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) concerning the adoption of insects as a food source. The analysis draws from 160 self-administered surveys and employs structural equation modeling. Conducted in the context of Macau SAR (China), our study reveals the pivotal role that neophilia plays in shaping consumer attitudes and intentions. Notably, respondents generally expressed a willingness to explore novel culinary experiences. A positive moderating effect of neophilia on attitudes toward insect consumption is observed, suggesting that individuals with higher neophilia scores are more inclined to hold favorable intentions regarding insects as food. However, neophilia's influence on moderating SN and PBC exhibits contrasting effects, implying that a strong inclination for food neophilia may not necessarily leadto increased social pressure or perceived control in adopting insect-based diets. In light of these findings, this study recommends that practitioners and policymakers promote insect consumptionas an innovative and adventurous means of achieving sustainable nutrition. While the primary focus is on the impact of food neophilia on people's intention to consume insects as food, the study underscores the urgent need for diversified and sustainable dietary choices to address escalating environmental concerns and secure a resilient food supply for future generations.

A STUDY ON THE CURRENT SITUATION OF CLASS TEACHERS IN MACAO PRIMARY SCHOOLS CREATING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT IN INTEGRATED EDUCATION - Lao, In In (2024)

A STUDY ON THE PERCEPTIONS AND PRACTICES OF GENDER EQUALITY AND GENDER STEREOTYPES AMONG KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN MACAO - Lao, In Kam (2024)
This study employs a qualitative research method to explore kindergarten teachers' perceptions of gender stereotypes, their views on gender equality education, and how these concepts are implemented in their teaching practices. Additionally, it analyses the challenges faced in promoting gender equality education in Macao and offers relevant recommendations. The study participants comprised eight in-service kindergarten teachers (four males and four females) working at four kindergartens in Macao. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews, the study delves into the teachers' experiences and perspectives on implementing gender equality education in kindergartens. The study concludes with the following findings: 1. Teachers have a basic understanding of gender equality; however, influenced by societal traditions and family cultures, gender stereotypes still persist in their teaching. While teachers can recognise and reflect on the presence of these stereotypes and understand the core concepts of gender equality education, they still lack a comprehensive grasp of its substantive content. 2. When practising gender equality education, teachers exhibit varying degrees of gender stereotyping and bias. Male teachers, in particular, display more evident gender bias compared to female teachers, especially in their disciplinary approaches towards male and female students, with male teachers being more stringent with boys. However, no significant gender differences were observed in classroom performance, behavioural discipline, academic achievements, or task distribution. This suggests that teachers treat students of both genders relatively equally, with no clear link to their personal backgrounds. 3. Regarding gender equality and social status, male teachers generally express higher satisfaction levels than female teachers. Male teachers believe that gender equality has been achieved, whereas female teachers feel that women remain at a disadvantage in terms of work conditions and family responsibilities. 4. Teachers identify several challenges in promoting gender equality in education in Macao. This includes deep-rooted societal cultures, insufficient awareness and understanding of gender equality education among the government, the public, teachers, and parents; gender stereotypes in textbooks and school environments; the lack of gender-related content in textbooks; and the gender imbalance among kindergarten teachers, with a marked shortage of male teachers. 5. Teachers suggest that the government should collaborate with experts to provide more relevant teacher training or community seminars for teachers and the public. These initiatives should aim to challenge gender stereotypes, re-evaluate the content of textbooks and the setup of school environments, and promote the feasibility and necessity of male kindergarten teachers. Based on the study's findings, the researcher offers several recommendations for advancing gender equality education in Macao, providing concrete ideas and reasonable references. It is hoped that these suggestions will serve as valuable references for future related research. 本研究採用質性研究法，旨在探討幼稚園教師對性別刻板印象的看法、性別平等教育的理念以及在教學中實踐的情況，並分析在澳門推行性別平等教育所面對的挑戰及相關建議。研究對象來自澳門四所幼稚園的八位在職幼稚園教師（4男4女），研究透過半結構式深度訪談，深入探討教師在幼稚園推行性別平等教育中的經驗和觀點。本研究得出以下結論： （一） 教師對性別平等已有基本概念，但因受到社會傳統文化及個人家庭文化的影響，在教學中仍存在性別刻板印象。教師能察覺和反思這些刻板印象的存在，並瞭解性別平等教育的基本核心概念，然而對其實質內容的理解仍有不足之處。 （二） 在實踐性別平等教育時，教師表現出不同程度的性別定型及性別偏見。其中，男教師相較於女教師表現出更為明顯的性別偏見，尤其體現在針對兩性的學生的管教方式上，男教師對男生的態度較為嚴厲。然而，教師在課堂表現、行為紀律、學業成績、職務分配等方面則未顯示出顯著的性別差異，能相對平等地要求及對待兩性的學生，這與教師的個人背景因素並沒有明顯關聯。 （三） 在兩性平等與社會地位問題上，男性教師的滿意度普遍高於女性教師。男性教師認為兩性地位已達至平等，而女教師則認為在工作待遇和家庭層面上，女性仍處於較為不利的地位。 （四） 教師認為在澳門推行性別平等教育面臨的挑戰包括：根深蒂固的社會文化，政府、大眾、教師及家長對性別平等教育的關注和認知不足；教科書及學校環境設置存在的性別刻板印象，以及教科書中缺乏性別議題內容；幼稚園教師的性別比例失衡，男教師明顯偏少。 （五） 教師建議政府需要與專家合作，提供更多相關的師資培訓或社區講座，供教師及市民參與，並以突破性別刻板印象為目標，重新審視教科書及學校環境的設置，同時加強宣傳男性幼稚園教師的可行性及必要性。 基於上述研究結果，研究者對澳門性別平等教育的推行提出了若干建議，並提供了具體的思路和合理的參考依據。期望這些建議能為未來相關研究提供參考。

VERTICAL POCKETS - HOUSING DESIGNED FOR SOCIAL ENCOUNTERS - Lei, Ka Hou (2024)
Macau, as a densely populated city, has been facing a prominent challenge in fulfilling the rapidly growing demand for land due to its small geographical size. The limited availability of land exacerbates the conflict between urban development needs and land supply, leading to an imbalance in land resource allocation. This scarcity of land not only hinders the city's ability to meet its growing population's housing needs but also contributes to a lack of social space. The absence of adequate outdoor gathering areas and communal spaces has resulted in the fragmentation of communities and a fading sense of community in the society of Macau. As the urban environment undergoes relentless development, the social fabric of Macau is undergoing a transformation. Communities are becoming fragmented into smaller groups, and chance encounters and serendipitous social interactions are being neglected or excluded. Social events primarily take place within dedicated indoor spaces that cater to groups, further isolating different segments of the population due to the limited and subpar outdoor gathering space available. This dissertation aims to examine the possibility of developing a new housing prototype that could provoke connections between segregated communities. By introducing a combination of communal spaces and vertical circulation spaces, the design seeks to create opportunities for social interaction and the revitalisation of community bonds that could eventually fit into a hyperdense city. To achieve this, the dissertation will begin with a comprehensive site analysis of the site, considering both the physical constraints and the potential benefits for social space creation. Furthermore, the study will draw insights from relevant literature and architectural projects that have addressed relevant challenges, exploring effective strategies for fostering community engagement and creating inclusive social spaces. The design process will emphasise the integration of communal spaces that encourage spontaneous interactions and vertical circulation spaces that facilitate movement and connectivity between different community segments.

澳門教師自我效能感、集體效能感與融合教育態度之相關研究 =: A STUDY ON THE CORRELATION BETWEEN TEACHERS’ SELF-EFFICACY, COLLECTIVE EFFICACY AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN MACAO - Lei, Man Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 教師自我效能感; 教師集體效能感; 融合教育態度

Consumer Purchase Intention towards Floral Products: A Study Based on the Five Consumption Values - Lei, Si Nga; Phillips, Jenny O. L. (Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 2024)

DAOIST PERSPECTIVES ON TEACHER-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP: TAKING MACAO AS AN EXAMPLE = 道家視角下的師生關係-以澳門為例 - Lei, Sok Fan (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Teacher-student Relationship; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Philosophy (MPH); University of Saint Joseph; Wuwei; the Dao De Jing

Impact of Education on Green Fintech Adoption in a Smart City: Evidence from the Newly Developed Sub-city Center of Beijing. - Lei, Weng Chi; An, Boyang (18th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE AGBRP - Leading Sustainability Transitions: Risk, Collaboration, and Technology, 2024)
Integrating financial technologies with green initiatives is critical to the sustainable development agenda. This is particularly true for newly developed smart cities like Tongzhou, the sub-city center of Beijing. To assess the adoption of green fintech in Tongzhou, this paper extends the EnergyAugmented Technology Acceptance Model (EA-TAM) to incorporate two green factors – environmental awareness and green knowledge. This paper applies structural equation modeling techniques to analyze data from 403 respondents who live, work, or study in Tongzhou and finds allhypothesized constructs significant. Since green knowledge is significant to the adoption of green fintech, this paper further divides the sample into a high-education group (162 respondents with university-or-above degrees) and a low-education group (251 respondents with post-secondary-orlower degrees) to evaluate the impact of education. All the hypothesized factors are significant to the high-education group,but environmental awareness and perceived usefulness are insignificant to the low- education group. Hence, the results provide evidence that people in the newly developed smart city adopt green fintech due to their environmental sensitivity. The adoption of green fintech is more environmentally sensitive for people with high education levels.

Impacts of Central Bank Digital Currency on Regional Economic Integration: Evidence from the Greater Bay Area of China - Lei, Weng Chi; Wang, Xinru (The Chinese Economy, 2024)
An increasing number of countries have launched their central bank digital currencies (CBDC) in recent years, but the economic impacts of CBDC adoption are underexplored. To empirically assess how CBDC adoption influences regional economic integration, this paper investigates the Greater Bay Area, where China carried out one of its first digital renminbi pilot programs. The Greater Bay Area provides a good example because the growing acceptance of digital renminbi in the area can potentially mitigate transaction costs and risks due to the exchange rate volatility of the Chinese renminbi, Hong Kong dollar, and Macao pataca. CBDC adoption can lead to greater real and financial integrations by facilitating cross-border trade in goods and services. This paper evaluates deviations from uncovered interest rate parity, purchasing power parity, and real interest rate parity across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao based on monthly interest rate and price data from January 2016 to December 2022. The time series have mean values near zero, which validate the parity conditions and indicate high degrees of financial, real, and economic integrations. The Markov regime-switching regression model identifies three regimes: (1) pre-Covid, (2) post-Covid, and (3) post-CBDC. The Covid-19 outbreak brought lower integration and stability, but the launch of the CBDC restored some of the pre-Covid integration and stability. Regimes 1 and 2 are persistent, and transitions from Regime 3 back to Regime 1 are probable. Hence, this study finds evidence that CBDC adoption improves regional economic integration in the short and long run.
Keywords: Central bank digital currency; Greater Bay Area; digital renminbi; economic integration; financial integration

「融合教育下澳門小學普通班教師班級經營面對的困難及可行策略之研究」 =: "A Study on the Difficulties Faced by Macau Primary School General Education Classroom Teachers in Class Management and Possible Strategies" - LEI, WENG KIT (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Class Management; Inclusive Education; Macau Primary Schools; Qualitative Research; Teacher Attitudes; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 教師態度; 澳門小學; 班級經營; 融合教育; 質性研究

Factors Affecting Teacher Turnover in Private Schools in Macau - Leng, Ao I.; Phillips, Jenny O. L. (Proceedings of the 2024 SSEME Workshop on Social Sciences and Education (SSEME-SSE 2024), 2024)

YOUNG ADULTS' USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN MACAO: A CONTRIBUTION TO UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEINGS IN THE DIGITAL ERA - Leong, Cynthia (2024)
A greater amount of existing literature suggests that personal electronic devices (PEDs), such as smartphones, are detrimental to individuals in different aspects; a smaller amount of existing literature looks at the positive impacts of PEDs. Also, most of the literature used a quantitative approach, whereas very few of them used qualitative and mixed methods approaches. Based on my observation and experience, and talking to some young adults, it seems that what the existing literature suggests may not be truly revealing what is actually happening nowadays. With this, the present study was conducted to answer the questions: 1) What is young adults' PED use? 2) How does PED use affect (associate with) young adults' development? The present study used explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, with quantitative survey conducted first, and then followed by qualitative interviews in which questions were developed based on the findings in the quantitative phase. A sample of 736 undergraduates from five universities in Macau (M = 21.9, SD = 4.1) participated in quantitative phase, and a subsample of 13 participants from quantitative phase participated in the qualitative phase interviews. Respondents’ scores on a self-report measure of personal electronic device (PED) use were compared sociodemographic factors (i.e., age, gender, maternal language, and type of family). Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Quantitative results showed that PED use is a continuous and integral part of young adults' daily lives in Macau. Increased internet use and specific activities correlate with developmental outcomes, but only extreme use is associated with negative outcomes. Interaction and communication with others are key to happiness, regardless of call duration. Using diverse devices relates to less smartphone addiction and more happiness and social satisfaction, but mobile phones and laptops are not linked to positive or negative outcomes. PED use itself is not harmful; it is only problematic when used excessively. Qualitative results showed that PED use is an integral part of young adults' daily lives in Macao due to the powerful characteristics of PEDs that enable various tasks (Theme 1), and the necessity of PED use across different contexts and with different people (Theme 2). PEDs are used for fundamental purposes like communication, productivity, and psychosocial needs (Theme 3), leading to both positive and negative impacts on individuals' lives (Theme 4). PED use is a spectrum, not a dichotomy, distinguished by factors like maladaptation, compulsivity, overuse, and attachment (Theme 5). This qualitative study deepens the understanding of PED use beyond the quantitative findings. By linking and integrating quantitative and qualitative data and applied the theoretical framework of the present study, an extension of the bioecological theory, cloudsystem is proposed. It is believed that the cloudsystem contributes to a better understanding of the person in this specific moment of human’s existence. Practical implications, strengths and limitations of the study, suggestions for future studies were also discussed.

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AMONG MACAU BAPTIST COLLEGE SCHOOL STUDENTS: ATTITUDE TOWARDS LEARNING AND RELATIONSHIP WITH PEOPLE - Leong, Fong Hio (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study explores the attitudes of students at Macau Baptist College toward social media usage and its influence on their relationships and academic performance. The research utilized mixed methods to incorporate focus group discussions, in-depth interviews with eight students, eleven teachers, and seven parents, and an online questionnaire administered to 341 students across all college levels. Findings reveal that WeChat is the primary communication tool among college members, significantly facilitating relationships within the school community. Students reported spending extensive time online, especially during holidays, which raises concerns about its impact on academic performance and mental well-being. While many students acknowledge the potential benefits of social media for learning, they also express skepticism regarding the reliability of online information and experience challenges in seeking help due to fears of judgment. The study highlights students' mixed attitudes toward social media, emphasizing the need for digital literacy and guidance to navigate online interactions safely. Ultimately, this research underscores the importance of fostering a supportive environment for students, enabling them to balance their digital engagements with academic responsibilities. Recommendations for parents, educators, and policymakers include: - Promoting responsible social media use. - Enhancing media literacy education. - Facilitating open communication to address online challenges. By addressing these aspects, stakeholders can optimize the positive effects of social media while mitigating its potential drawbacks on students' well-being and academic success
Keywords: Attitude; Learning; Relationship; Social Media; Students; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

Examining Primary School Teachers’ Pedagogical Expertise and Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in Macao: A Mixed-Methods Investigation - Leong, Hio Cheng (2024)
As the number of students with diverse learning needs continues to rise in Macau, teachers face numerous challenges in addressing individual differences in the classroom. This research aims to explore the awareness and implementation of differentiation instruction among Macau primary school teachers, as well as the challenges encountered in its practice. Differentiation instruction is an instructional approach that seeks to cater to the individual learning needs of students by adapting teaching methods, content, and assessment strategies. It involves recognizing and responding to the readiness, interest, and learning profile of students within a classroom. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, primarily utilizing questionnaires to assess the knowledge and skills of Macau primary school teachers in both regular and inclusive classrooms regarding differentiation instruction. Additionally, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a purposive sample of eight professional Macao primary school teachers who have implemented differentiation instruction. The findings were organized and analyzed, revealing as follows: （1） Macau Primary School Teachers' Knowledge and Skills in Differentiated Instruction: The motivation of Macau primary school teachers to receive training in differentiated instruction is relatively low. However, most teachers have gained a basic understanding of the definition and concept of differentiated instruction through participation in professional development courses and school training. Teachers also accumulate experience in teaching practice, enhancing their ability to implement differentiated instruction. （2） Models of Differentiated Instruction Implementation by Macau Primary School Teachers: Macau primary school teachers primarily reflect students' learning profile through basic background information, classroom observation, and reviewing assignments and tests. When designing teaching content, teachers adjust according to learning profile, personal interests, and readiness, aligning with the differentiated instruction practices. （3） Macau Primary School Teachers' Attitudes Toward Implementing Differentiated Instruction: Most Macau primary school teachers have a positive attitude towards differentiated instruction, agreeing that adjusting teaching according to individual student needs can enhance learning outcomes and motivation. However, they face numerous challenges during implementation. （4） Challenges Faced by Macau Primary School Teachers in Implementing Differentiated Instruction: The educational policies in Macau pose challenges to the implementation of differentiated instruction. Schools lack clear guidelines, teachers face heavy workloads, have limited knowledge and experience in differentiated instruction, parents have insufficient understanding of the concept and purpose of differentiated instruction, and unbalanced educational resource limit its effective implementation. （5） Favorable Conditions for the Development of Differentiated Instruction: Positive progress in the allocation of human resources, resource distribution, and tiered assessments in schools, as well as cooperation between families and schools, has promoted the successful implementation of differentiated instruction. Based on the research findings, specific recommendations are provided offer recommendations to optimize teaching effectiveness and better address the diverse learning needs of students, ultimately ensuring optimal learning outcomes. 隨着本澳有着不同學習需要的學生的數量漸增，教師在課堂上面對不少困難與挑戰，因此教師關顧學生間個別差異不容忽視。本研究旨在瞭解澳門小學教師對於差異化教學概念的認知程度、如何作教學實踐，及當中遇到的問題。 根據研究目的，本研究以「詮釋主義」作理論框架，採用混合研究法，「以質性研究為主，量化研究為輔」，先以問卷調查瞭解本澳小學普通班和融合班教師對差異化教學的知識與技能，繼而透過半結構訪談法，並經立意採樣，選取曾實踐差異化教學的小學教師進行訪談，整理和分析研究結果顯示： （1） 本澳小學教師對差異化教學的知能程度：澳門小學教師對差異化教學的培訓動機較低。通過參加專業發展課程和校本培訓，大多數教師對差異化教學的定義和概念有一定程度的掌握。教師亦可在教學實踐中累積經驗，提升實施差異化教學的能力。 （2） 本澳小學教師實施差異化教學的模式：澳門小學教師查閱學生的基本背景資料、觀察課堂學習進度，以及通過批改作業和測試檢視學生能力，主要反映學生的學習水平。教師在設計教學內容時，根據學習風格、個人興趣和學習準備度進行調整，符合差異化教學實踐形式。 （3） 本澳小學教師對實施差異化教學的態度：多數澳門小學教師對差異化教學持積極態度，認同根據學生個別需求進行教學調整能提升學習效果和動機，但在實施過程中面臨諸多挑戰。 （4） 本澳小學教師在實施差異化教學時面對的困難：澳門的教育政策對差異化教學實施造成阻力，學校缺乏清晰的指導方針，教師面臨繁重的工作負擔，教師對差異化教學的知識與經驗有限、家長對差異化教學的概念與目的理解不夠，和有限的教學環境和統一教材，限制了差異化教學的有效實施。 （5） 有利發展差異化教學條件：學校在人力資源配置、資源調配和評估分層等方面的積極進展，以及家庭與學校的密切合作，推動了差異化教學的成功實施。 基於研究結果，提出具體建議，從而讓本澳的教育工作者有所參考，使得學生能獲得最適合的學習方式。

Macau school counselors’attitude toward inclusive education and challenges - Leong, Mei Ian (2024)
隨著教育理念的不斷發展，融合教育作為一種包容性強的教育模式，逐漸受到全球教育界的關注。在澳門，融合教育的實踐也逐步展開，而學生輔導員作為教育團隊中的重要一員，在融合教育工作中扮演著舉足輕重的角色。然而，在融合教育的實施過程中，學生輔導員也面臨著諸多挑戰，並因而需要不斷進行改正和完善。本文正是圍繞這些內容對澳門融合教育過程中學生輔導員角色作用的發揮方面的相關課題通過訪談調查等方法進行研究分析。 論文認為，從澳門學生輔導員對融合教育的認知與態度看，他們普遍認同融合教育的理念，認為這是一種促進學生全面發展、提升教育質量的有效途徑。然而，在融合教育的實際操作中，他們也深感責任重大，需要不斷學習和提升自己的專業能力，以更好地滿足融合生的多樣化需求。 在融合教育的實踐過程中，學生輔導員面臨著多方面的挑戰。一方面，他們需要識別融合生的多樣性與教育需求，制定個性化的教育計劃，並確保這些計劃的有效實施。這需要他們具備深厚的專業知識、豐富的實踐經驗和敏銳的觀察力。另一方面，他們還需要與教育團隊、家長以及社會資源進行有效的溝通和協作，共同為融合生創造一個良好的學習環境。 論文認為，當前澳門學生輔導員在融合教育的實踐中已經形成了一些有效的策略。例如，他們注重個性化教育計劃的制定與執行，通過多維度的輔導與激勵，激發學生的學習興趣和積極性；同時，他們也積極尋求家校合作與社會資源的整合，為融合生提供更多的支援和幫助。然而，學生輔導員在融合教育中仍然面臨著一些挑戰。首先，融合教育對學生輔導員的角色定位提出了更高的要求，他們需要不斷適應角色多樣性的挑戰，同時保持專業能力的提升。其次，融合教育中的特殊技能需求也讓學生輔導員感到壓力，他們需要在日常工作中不斷學習和提 升。最後，外部支持的不足也是學生輔導員面臨的一大挑戰，他們需要更多的政策支援和資源保障來更好地開展融合教育工作。 針對以上挑戰，澳門教育部門和學生輔導員團隊需要共同努力，明確學生輔導員的定位和職責，提升他們的專業能力和水準，並增強外部支援和保障。只有這樣，才能確保融合教育在澳門順利實施，為所有學生創造一個公平、包容、和諧的學習環境。 "With the continuous development of educational ideologies, inclusive education, as a highly inclusive educational model, has gradually garnered attention from the global education community. In Macau, the practice of inclusive education has also gradually expanded, and student counselors, as vital members of the educational team, play a pivotal role in the implementation of inclusive education. However, during the implementation process, student counselors face numerous challenges and are required to continually make improvements and enhancements. This paper focuses on these aspects and conducts research and analysis on the role of student counselors in Macau's inclusive education through methods such as interviews and surveys. The paper argues that from the perspective of Macau student counselors' cognition and attitudes towards inclusive education, they generally agree with the concept of inclusive education, believing it to be an effective way to promote students' comprehensive development and enhance the quality of education. Nevertheless, in the practical operation of inclusive education, they also feel a significant sense of responsibility and need to continuously learn and upgrade their professional skills to better meet the diverse needs of students with special educational needs. In the practical process of inclusive education, student counselors confront multifaceted challenges. On the one hand, they need to identify the diversity and educational needs of students with special needs, develop individualized educational plans, and ensure their effective implementation. This requires profound professional knowledge, rich practical experience, and keen observation skills. On the other hand, they must communicate and collaborate effectively with educational teams, parents, and social resources to create a favorable learning environment for these students. The paper posits that currently, Macau student counselors have developed some effective strategies in the practice of inclusive education. For instance, they emphasize the formulation and execution of individualized educational plans, stimulate students' interest and motivation through multidimensional counseling and incentives, and actively seek home-school cooperation and integration of social resources to provide more support and assistance to students with special needs. Nevertheless, student counselors still face challenges in inclusive education. Firstly, inclusive education imposes higher demands on the role positioning of student counselors, requiring them to continuously adapt to the challenges of role diversity while maintaining professional competence. Secondly, the special skill requirements in inclusive education create pressure for student counselors, who need to continually learn and improve in their daily work. Lastly, insufficient external support is also a significant challenge faced by student counselors, who require more policy support and resource guarantees to better carry out inclusive education work. In response to these challenges, the Macau education sector and student counselor teams need to work together to clarify the positioning and responsibilities of student counselors, enhance their professional capabilities and standards, and strengthen external support and guarantees. Only in this way can we ensure the smooth implementation of inclusive education in Macau, creating a fair, inclusive, and harmonious learning environment for all students. "

Variational Approaches and Mathematical Models for Food Waste Management - Leong, Mei Kei (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Circular Economy; Consumer behaviour; Environmental; Food Waste Management; Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence; Quantum Mechanics; Social and Governance (ESG) principles; Sustainable Business Strategies; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); Transportation Mathematical Modeling; University of Saint Joseph

A Mixed-methods Study on Teachers' Perceptions of the Use of Drama-in-education In Secondary English Classrooms in Macau - Leong, Si Kei (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Drama; Drama-in-Education (DiE); English language teaching (ELT); English teachers; Macau; Secondary schools; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph

An Investigation In The Theory And Boundaries Of The Firm And Their Possible Application To Public Institutions - Leong, Victor (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Industrial organization, theory of the firm and boundaries of the firm are well established fields of study involved in the size, structure and scope of a corporate entity (i.e. firm) to the market. However, a key characteristic of corporate entities is that economic concerns (costs and profit) is the overriding or dominant factor. This paper attempts to apply the above mentioned concepts to organizations such as public institutions where economic concerns are secondary considerations, to seek a more objective analysis on what the structure and scope of such organizations should be
Keywords: Hamiltonian Formulation; Theory of the Firm; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

Study of the Policies Regulating Juvenile Delinquency in Macau - Leung, Weng Tong (2024)
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.

A CONTEMPORARY VENUE FOR TRADITIONAL CANTONESE OPERA IN MACAO - Li, Zebin (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Cantonese opera has a long and profound history and has evolved over 700 years, making it unique and distinctive. In a diversified media and entertainment, Cantonese opera culture in Macao, like many other aspects of traditional Chinese cultures, is facing a general decline. Specific challenges include loss of audience, the decline and disintegration of professional groups, and reduced scope of the active repertoire. How can a new venue for traditional Cantonese opera promote a positive response to the contemporary challenges that threaten its cultural vitality? How can a new design approach respond to local issues and contemporary architectural production? Can programmatic diversification of a performance venue (cultural exchange, art display, education) be a useful strategy? This thesis consists of five parts. Part 1 of this thesis outlines the background of research, describes the purpose and significance of the research, and deal with issues of research method. Part 2 considers the artistic characteristics of Cantonese opera, including the spatial characteristics of traditional Cantonese opera theatres, the characteristics of Cantonese opera costumes, and the changing characteristics forms of performance. Part 3 is focused on the uses of parametric models in architectural design. Part 4 offers three case studies of opera houses in China, the Guangzhou Opera House, the Harbin Grand Theatre, and the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong. Part 5, the core of this thesis, proposes a design of a new performance venue for Cantonese Opera House in Macao. Overall, this thesis offers an account of main considerations in the transformation process from traditional Cantonese opera venues to modern Cantonese opera houses and situates these considerations in the context of contemporary discussions of parametric architecture
Keywords: Architectural Parametric; Cultural Characteristics of Cantonese Opera; Design of Cantonese Opera House in Macao; Modern Opera House Design; Theses and Dissertations Master of Architecture (MARCH); University of Saint Joseph

A Design Research Perspective on Exploring Interactive Augmented Reality Children's Illustration Books in Macau: Case Study - Macau Temple Legends - Liang, Shi Yue (2024)
This project represents a comprehensive study of an interactive picture book employing augmented reality (AR) technology, focusing on the narratives of the A-Ma Temple and Nezha Temple in Macau. The target audience comprises children aged 6-9 years to enhance their concentration on aesthetic development and deepen their understanding of Macau's historical and cultural heritage. The study resulted in the creating of a picture book that integrates an interactive AR experience, resulting in highly satisfactory user feedback. The findings suggest the potential for further development of interactive picture books as a valuable medium for disseminating Macanese culture. Future efforts should prioritise continuous attention to user feedback and the AR technology's stability to ensure the work's long-term effectiveness and impact.

FROM STREETS TO SHOPS: INTEGRATION OF STREETS AND THE MALL - Liang, Zi Jun (2024)
Traditional malls often suffer from isolated and inward-focused designs that disconnect them from their urban surroundings, hindering pedestrian integration and community engagement. This dissertation addresses these issues by exploring the concept of integrating streets and malls to create a more cohesive and vibrant urban environment. The research examines contemporary architectural approaches that emphasize seamless connections between exterior streets and mall interiors, blurring the lines to foster social interaction and enhance walkability. Central to this study is an architectural design project that illustrates the practical application of these concepts. Through a detailed analysis of urban design principles and case studies of successful integrated malls, this research investigates the potential benefits and challenges of such integration. The design project provides a tangible example of how thoughtful interventions can activate public spaces, promote pedestrian flow, and cultivate a strong sense of place. The research highlights best practices and achievements in the area of integrated mall designs, offering valuable insights for urban planners, architects, and stakeholders involved in mall and urban space development. Findings suggest that integrating streets and malls can lead to improved community engagement and create more vibrant urban destinations that meet the specific needs and aspirations of the local community. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of how these designs can enhance urban vitality, iii pedestrian activity, and social interaction. Future research could focus on additional case studies or pilot projects to further implement and evaluate this approach in different contexts, providing practical insights and refining the understanding of its benefits and challenges. By reimagining the traditional mall structure and its relationship with the urban environment, this dissertation contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable and inclusive urban development, proposing strategies that make urban retail spaces more responsive to contemporary needs. 傳統購物中心常常受到孤立和內向設計的困擾，這些設計使它們與城市環境脫節，阻礙了行人融入和社區參與。本論文透過探索整合街道和購物中心的概念來解決這些問題，以創造一個更有凝聚力和活力的城市環境。該研究探討了當代的建築方法，強調外部街道和購物中心內部之間的無縫連接，模糊界限以促進社會互動並增強步行能力。這項研究的核心是一個建築設計項目，它說明了這些概念的實際應用。透過對城市設計原則的詳細分析和成功綜合購物中心的案例研究，本研究探討了這種整合的潛在好處和挑戰。這個設計計畫提供了一個具體的例子，說明深思熟慮的干預措施如何激活公共空間、促進人流並培養強烈的地方感。該研究重點介紹了綜合購物中心設計領域的最佳實踐和成就，為參與購物中心和城市空間開發的城市規劃者、建築師和利益相關者提供了寶貴的見解。研究結果表明，整合街道和購物中心可以提高社區參與度，創造更有活力的城市目的地，滿足當地社區的特定需求和願望。這項研究對這些設計如何增強城市活力、行人活動和社會互動進行了全面分析。未來的研究可以專注於其他案例研究或試點項目，以在不同的背景下進一步實施和評估這種方法，提供實用的見解並加深對其好處和挑戰的理解。透過重新構想傳統的購物中心結構及其與城市環境的關係，本論文為可持續和包容性城市發展的持續討論做出了貢獻，提出了使城市零售空間更能滿足當代需求的策略。

FUTURE OF MACAU GAMING INDUSTRY AFTER THE NEW GAMING LAWS: A study on the development of the non-gaming initiatives - Liao, JianFeng (2024)
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.

STOCK INVESTMENT STRATEGY PREDICTION USING MACHINE LEARNING MODELS AND SENTIMENT ANALYSIS: A HYBRID APPROACH - Lin, Chin Yang (2024)
The stock market's inherent volatility and complexity pose significant challenges for investors seeking to optimize their strategies. This thesis addresses the critical need for improved forecasting methods in stock price prediction by proposing a hybrid approach that combines traditional machine learning (ML) techniques, specifically Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, with sentiment analysis derived from financial news and social media platforms. The research establishes a theoretical framework integrating quantitative data, such as historical stock prices, with qualitative sentiment data to enhance prediction accuracy. The study involves the collection of a comprehensive dataset covering stock prices and sentiment scores from various sources, including news articles and social media posts, from January 2010 to December 2023. Rigorous data preprocessing techniques, including normalization and feature engineering, are employed to prepare the data for analysis. A comparative analysis of the SVM and LSTM models uses multiple performance metrics, including Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and classification accuracy. The findings reveal that the LSTM model significantly outperforms the SVM model in predictive accuracy, demonstrating its capability to capture complex temporal dependencies inherent in financial time series data. Furthermore, integrating sentiment analysis significantly enhances the predictive performance of both models. Notably, transformer-based sentiment analysis techniques, such as BERT and DistilBERT, provide superior sentiment classifications compared to traditional methods like VADER and TextBlob. The empirical results indicate that incorporating sentiment data leads to an average accuracy improvement of 12.8% over models that rely solely on historical price data. This research contributes to the evolving field of financial forecasting by emphasizing the importance of a hybrid approach that amalgamates quantitative and qualitative data. The implications of these findings extend beyond academic research, offering valuable insights for investors and financial analysts seeking to leverage advanced predictive models to navigate market uncertainties. Ultimately, this dissertation advocates adopting sophisticated hybrid models that enhance stock investment strategies and decision-making processes in the finance sector.

An Exploratory Comparison of Stock Price Prediction: Using Multiple Machine Learning Approaches based on Global Stock Indices - Lin, Chin Yang; Lobo Marques, Joao Alexandre (Palgrave Studies of Entrepreneurship and Social Challenges in Developing Economies, 2024)
Predicting stock prices is difficult because of their multiple input variables, volatility, and unpredictable nature. To provide a suitable model for forecasting the global stock market, this study conducts an exploratory analysis comparing two models based on Artificial Intelligence: Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Networks. The work considers a publicly accessible dataset and uses feature engineering to extract time-series features. Stock price predictions are made using the SVM and LSTM algorithms. For this purpose, Accuracy (ACC) and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) are considered accuracy and performance measures. According to the results, LSTM with mean accuracy (ACC) = 0.9061 achieved better accuracy than SVM with mean accuracy (ACC) = 0.881. SVM with mean RMSE = 0.729 achieved better performance and the degree of fit to the data than LSTM with mean RMSE = 427.1. According to the results, the study demonstrates the effectiveness and applicability of machine learning methods for estimating the values of the global stock market and providing valuable models for researchers, analysts, and investors.

ANALYSIS AND MODEL PROPOSITION OF USER WILLINGNESS TO ADOPT MOBILE BANKING FINANCE+ SCENARIO SERVICES UNDER THE BACKGROUND OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION - Lin, Jingying (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In the wave of digital transformation, Chinese banks have taken digital and scenario-based finance as primary strategic goals. The goal is to revolutionize the mobile banking experience and encourage frequent use of mobile banking services. However, assessing customer satisfaction with the various financial and contextual services mobile banking provides is crucial. The main objective of this study is to propose a model based on users' perception of financial usage in mobile banking scenarios and how the development of mobile banking finance and scenarios affects users' choice motivations. The study examined the interview records of 12 mobile banking users through qualitative in-depth interviews and utilized Nvivo qualitative analysis software to analyze the interview content. Through repeated thinking, sorting, and differentiating the data, nine core coding categories were formed. The coding was further refined and deepened to include Financial professionalism, Security, Marketing Stimulation, Innovative Products, Use Experience, Strong Relationship, Trust, Perceived usefulness, and Willingness to use. Based on these categories, a theoretical model of user willingness in the financial scenario of mobile banking has been proposed by referring to the optimized TAM model. The results may provide support to the banking industry in Macau in understanding customers' needs and fostering the positive development of mobile finance and the scene field in Macau
Keywords: Banking in Macau; Finance+ scenarios; Grounded Theory; TAM model; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; Willingness to use

Optimising User Experience in Game-Based Language Learning: Interface Design for Chinese and English Learners – App Prototype - Lin, Rongsi (2024)
In today's rapidly changing educational landscape, parents and children demand personalised, innovative, and engaging learning experiences beyond the standard curriculum. Modern education places a premium on igniting curiosity, encouraging critical thinking, and cultivating creativity. Collaborative learning between parents and children is critical for improving academic performance and strengthening relationships. This article discusses the "Yay Island" platform's game-based technique, which combines Mandarin Chinese and English in a multicultural and multilingual setting. Initial study shows that digital technologies dramatically increase children's motivation and interest when paired with peer and parent participation and game-based teaching, resulting in a pleasant learning environment. Further research demonstrates that collaborative and game-based learning and teaching improves motivation, respects individual differences, and strengthens parent-child connections. As a game, "Yay Island" uses integrated learning, child psychology concepts, modern educational methodologies, and user-centred design. It seeks to develop a collaborative learning environment and encourage growth in children, parents, and educators. The game emphasises knowledge, personal discovery, and innovation, laying the groundwork for children's growth and future competition. Through constant research and optimisation, "Yay Island" solves digital transformation concerns in education by providing personalised, efficient, and entertaining learning experiences.

Transitional Spaces of a Community Center in Macau - Lin, Yanzi (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
In a fast-paced and densely populated city, community activity centers can provide a social place for residents. This thesis is a study of this promise of social life for a new urban development in Macau. Community centers play an important role in promoting community cohesion and resident participation. Yet, public space for Macau residents is increasingly unable to meet growing and diversified needs. In what ways can the development of activity centers improve the quality of life of residents? Can transitional spaces between different functional areas in community centers play a more effective role in promoting social interaction within the community? The principal tasks of this thesis are as follows: (1) an in-depth examination of the impact of shared transitional spaces on the overall design of community activity centers, (2) a discussion of transitional spaces in community centers in terms of the functional efficiency of these centers and the interactive experience of users, and (3) articulation of principles and recommendations for the design of transitional spaces in community centers. Overall, this thesis argues that, by designing efficient and user-friendly shared transitional spaces, architects can better serve the community and its users, and foster a closer connection between architecture, people, and communities
Keywords: Community Centers; Social Interaction; Social Space; Theses and Dissertations Master of Architecture (MARCH); Transitional Spaces; University of Saint Joseph

小學聽覺障礙學生的融合教育現狀： 以澳門C學校為例 =: CURRENT STATUS OF INTEGRATED EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS: TAKE MACAU SCHOOL C AS AN EXAMPLE - LIO, I TENG (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 支援服務; 澳門; 聽障學生; 融合教育

ASSESSING ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE (ACEs) IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENT: TRANSLATION AND ADAPTATION OF ITEM-CA FOR CHINESE POPULATION IN MACAO - Lo, Antonio Man Ho (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are common in life trajectories, and continued exposure to childhood adversities has long-term consequences that can lead to lifelong physical, mental, and emotional deficiencies. This study aims to address the research gap in the ACEs context in Macao by enhancing our understanding of the cultural sensitivity, applicability, and acceptability associated with assessing ACEs among Chinese childhood and adolescents in Macao. The study utilized the Chinese version of The International Trauma Exposure Measure – Children and Adolescents (ITEM-CA) to facilitate the exploration of cultural adaptation needs related to ACEs measurement tools in Macao. Employing a qualitative methodology with an explanatory and descriptive design, the study collected opinions and suggestions through an online questionnaire from professionals working with children aged 7-17 years old, as well as parents or caregivers of children within the same age group. Several key findings emerged from the study. Firstly, it underscored the adequacy and pertinence of the Chinese ITEM-CA in covering the topics of traumatic events and deeming it more suitable for children aged 12 or above. Secondly, it emphasized the importance of maintaining anonymity and the involvement of dedicated and trained personnel throughout the ACEs assessment process. Lastly, it highlighted the need to increase public awareness regarding traumatic events and ACEs in Macao society. These findings have significant implications for researchers studying the prevalence of ACEs in Macao and for policymakers in Macao implementing ACEs surveillance. Additionally, there is a recommendation for organization, especially schools, to respond to ACEs using trauma-informed approaches, supporting the well-being of children, fostering resilience, and minimizing the risk of re-traumatization
Keywords: ACEs; Adolescent; Adverse Childhood Experiences; Chinese; ITEM-CA; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

EXPLORING COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN PROMOTING EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND COLLABORATION IN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOMS: A CASE STUDY - Loi, Man Hong (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study presents a case study that explores teachers’ perspectives on the role of cooperative learning as a pedagogical approach in promoting equity, inclusion, and collaboration within inclusive classrooms. Additionally, it identifies both the perceived benefits and challenges associated with its application. The researcher sought data from primary school teachers in one inclusive school in Macau and employed in-depth semi-structured interviews. Twelve participants were involved in this qualitative study. The findings underscore the significant impact of cooperative learning in creating inclusive, engaging, and equitable educational environments, particularly for students with special educational needs. Overall, the participants viewed cooperative learning as a valuable pedagogical approach that fosters equity, interaction, student engagement, and collaboration in inclusive classroom settings. While cooperative learning presents several benefits in promoting an inclusive and equitable learning environment, the findings also reveal unique challenges that require careful management and adaptation by teachers. Some of these challenges include certain students dominating group work, difficulties in integrating students with different disabilities, and time management issues for effective cooperative learning implementation. Overall, the case study contributes valuable insights into to the complex dynamics of cooperative learning in mixed ability classes
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; cooperative learning; inclusion; inclusive education; inclusive practice

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL ELEMENTS IN BRAND COMMUNICATION IN MACAU CASE STUDY: DESIGN OF CULTURAL AND CREATIVE PRODUCTS - Long, On Nei (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Brand Communication; Cultural and Creative Products; Images of Macau; Souvenirs; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

粵繡工藝及修復研究: 以私人收藏的一組四件樣品為例 = THE CRAFT AND CONSERVATION OF CANTONESE EMBROIDERY: A CASE STUDY OF A SERIES OF FOUR SAMPLES FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION - Lou, Fong I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Bainiaochaofeng; Cantonese embroidery; Cantonese embroidery in Macau; Embroidery’s preservation; Guangzhou embroidery; Thesis and Dissertations Master of History & Heritage Studies (MHHS); University of Saint Joseph; 刺繡修復; 廣繡; 澳門粵繡; 百鳥朝鳳; 粵繡

The Production of Marketspaces: Urbanization and Street Vendors in Areia Preta, 1970 - 1994 - Lou, Ka U. (2024)
This thesis applied Henri Lefebvre's “Production of Space” to analyze two productions of marketspaces to understand the urbanization of Areia Preta (黑沙環) between 1970 and 1994. In the early 1920s through the 1980s, Areia Preta (黑沙環) underwent land reclamation and urbanization, but its development lagged behind other reclaimed areas. The government seemed to lack a clear development plan for Areia Preta (黑沙環) and instead used it as a reserve land for future city expansion. From the 1940s to the 1960s, large numbers of refugees and immigrants flooded into Macau, overwhelming the government's ability to properly settle the population. As a result, Areia Preta (黑沙環) became an agricultural area with informal settlements. In 1966, the government announced an Urbanization Plan for Areia Preta (黑沙環), but it was limited in scope and did not fully develop the area. Another wave of immigrants arrived in the late 1970s, further increasing the shanty settlements in Macau. It was not until 1985 that the government began establishing “economic housing” to settle the shanty area inhabitants, marking the start of Areia Preta (黑沙環) ’s transition from agricultural to urban residential development. As more immigrants settled in Areia Preta (黑沙環) in the late 1970s, informal marketspaces emerged organically, with hawkers and street vendors occupying public spaces. This led to issues around 5 traffic, hygiene, crime, and food safety. In 1986, the government formalized these informal markets by establishing designated hawker zones and registering vendors. The culmination of this process was the opening of Iao Hon Market in 1994, which combined the functions of a marketplace, park, and social facilities. This influenced the development of market buildings in Macau in the 21st century.

The relationship between family education environment and children’s online behavior-the mediating role of parents’ intervention in children’s online behavior - Lou, Si Man (2024)
In the era of data, Internet use has become the most forward-looking way of education and interaction for children. How does parental upbringing and Internet cognition in the family education environment affect children's Internet use behavior? The different influences derived from parental intervention. The different influences of parental intervention models are also of concern to parents. Children's Internet use is not only related to personal growth, but also involves family education models and effects. Most of the past research has focused on children rather than parents’ opinions and feelings. Through this research gap, we explore parents’ own opinions and evaluations on their children’s upbringing and Internet cognition. The research aims to expand the attention of policy advocates, social sectors and parents on issues related to parenting in Macao. During the period from April to June this year, quantitative research and statistical analysis will be used to provide targeted and convenient information to primary school students in Macao. Parents of children in high school and high school were taken as targets. Questionnaires were filled out in person and collected on online platforms. A total of 224 samples were collected. The study will further discover the relationship between parental upbringing and Internet cognition and children's Internet behavior. Parents' involvement in their children's Internet behavior may have an impact on these associations. Derived intermediary effects. Through data collection and research analysis, regression analysis is conducted on variables to determine the relationship between variables, explore the family upbringing and Internet cognition factors behind the Internet behavior of Macao children, and increase the theoretical and practical reference basis for parents. Provide reference for practical promotion of education, social services and family relations, and improve parents' insight into their children's online behavior. The research results emphasize that there is a correlation between parenting styles and children's online behavior. Authoritative parenting represents a higher defensive ability of children's online behavior, while authoritarian and permissive parenting represent weak defensive capabilities. The results also show that parents' involvement in online behavior is a pathway in relationships and affects the relationship between parenting and children's online behavior to a certain extent. Since there are not many related studies in Macao, the survey results are conducive to enriching the data on education, Internet cognition and Internet behavior in Macao, and can provide relevant people with beneficial data support to better understand the education methods in Macao. and family relationships. 數據化時代下，網絡使用成為子女最前瞻性的教育和互動方式，在家庭教育環境下的父母教養和網絡認知如何影響著子女網絡使用行為，在父母介入干預下所衍生的不同影響力，當中父母介入模式的不同影響亦是父母所關注的。子女網絡使用不僅關乎個人成長亦牽涉到家庭教育模式和效果。過往研究大多傾向子女身上而非父母觀點和感受上，透過本研究缺口探討父母自身對子女的教養、網絡認知等看法和評價。 研究旨在探討本澳子女網絡行為背後的家庭教養和網絡認知因素，增加父母在理論和實踐上的參考依據，提供教育、社會服務和家庭關係等的實務推動上的參考，提高父母對子女網絡行為的洞察力。本論文透過今年4至6月期間以量化研究。以有目的性和方便性向本澳育有初小至高中子女的父母作為對象，以當面填寫及網絡平台收集問卷，共收取樣本224份，研究將進一步發現父母教養和網絡認知與子女網絡行為的關係，而父母介入子女網絡行為對這些關聯可能衍生之中介效果。透過數據整埋和研究分析等在變數上進行迴歸分析，確定變數之間的關係。 研究結果強調，父母教養方式與子女網絡行為具有相關關係，權威型教養代表著子女網絡行為的防禦能力較高，相反專制型和寬容型教養則呈現防禦力較弱。結果亦顯示，父母介入網絡行為是關係中的途徑，一定程度下影響著父母教養和子女網絡行為的關係。由於本澳相關的研究並不豐富，調查結果有利於本澳在教養、網絡認知和網絡行為上的數據資料豐富，可以為相關人士提供有利的數據支援，更好地瞭解本澳的教養方式和家庭關係。再者，可透過研究結果擴大政策提倡者、社會業界和父母等對本澳父母教養等相關問題的關注。

Resale value of used electric vehicles-based on consumer perception in Zhuhai area - Lu, Yueying (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
China leads in global automobile production and sales, but fuel vehicle usage causes energy crisis and pollution. Electric vehicles, as energy-saving and environmentally friendly transportation, can alleviate urban ecological pressure and reduce dependence on non-renewable energy. Development of electric vehicles is thus prioritized. However, the current electric vehicle market is immature and faces slow growth due to various constraints. Despite state policies, market performance lags, and consumer acceptance is low, leading to a mismatch between praise and sales. Therefore, exploring factors influencing consumer demand and purchase intention for electric vehicles is crucial. This paper focuses on consumer perceived value to study factors affecting second-hand electric vehicle resale value, offering practical relevance and value. Consumer behavior theory suggests that consumers' purchase decisions hinge on their perception of a product. Consumer perception involves a subjective, overall evaluation of a product or service based on usage purposes and needs, and an analysis of relevant information from various channels. For used electric vehicles, perception includes understanding of appearance, function, cost, and performance.This study aims to analyze factors affecting the resale value of used EVs and explore consumers' perception of this value. Guided by consumer perception, the study conducted a literature review-based comprehensive analysis and qualitative exploration of used EV resale value. The findings reveal that price, battery performance, endurance, environmental protection, and safety significantly impact the resale value of used EVs. Finally, combined with the research conclusions of this paper, management suggestions are put forward, and countermeasures are summarized from the two levels of government and second-hand electric vehicle marketing enterprises
Keywords: Resale value of used electric vehicles; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; Zhuhai area; consumer perception

DEVISING THE IMPACT OF THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE IN THE GAME DESIGN - Luo, Min (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Female Characters; Feminism; Game Design; Stereotypes; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Design (MDG); University of Saint Joseph; Video Games; Women

A Financial Valuation of Hewlett-Packard Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) - Ma, Heng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
As one of the world's leading technology companies, HP occupies an essential position in the printer and personal system markets. In order to analyze HP's current market value and predict its future financial performance, this thesis values HP by applying three models: EDCF, DEP, and APV. Based on the financial statement from 2019 to 2023, this thesis conducts a common size analysis of the financial data to facilitate the comparison between various indicators. HP's asset structure and profitability are analyzed and the company's beta is also tested. To analyze HP's position and environment in the technology industry, Dell Inc. will be analyzed as its main competitor. At the same time, the intrinsic value of HP is estimated based on the financial statements for the next ten years which is predicted. The valuation results are compared with HP's stock price at the end of 2023 to determine whether HP's stock price is overvalued or undervalued. In order to improve the accuracy of the valuation, sensitivity analysis is also used to evaluate the impact of variables such as internal factors and external market factors on the company's value. Studies have shown that HP's intrinsic value is greatly affected by the market risk premium. This thesis also uses SWOT and PESTEL to analyze the company's strengths, weaknesses and operating environment which will help to identify the company's competitiveness. It also helps to identify HP's potential opportunities and risks in technological innovation and market expansion. The impact of the macro-economy on HP's development is also analyzed. The results of this thesis provide a reference for investors and management, which helps to understand the market positioning and future development potential of HP and other technology companies. The limitations of the study are the subjectivity of data forecasts and the uncertainty of the market environment
Keywords: Case Study; Customer Satisfaction; Fitness Club; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph

THE MARKET AS SOCIAL LANDSCAPE IN MACAU - Ma, Jianjun (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Markets in Macau are not merely places for commercial retail, they are also social spaces. As a centre of communal life, markets are of great significance to the lives of Macau residents. However, with the rise of supermarkets and online shopping, the role of traditional markets has been reduced. At the same time, the messy and unkempt nature of traditional markets has become a negative factor of their social viability. The result has been a downward spiral of poor operation, decline in rental yield and loss of customers. Can the markets be revitalized for Macau residents? Can the social attributes of markets be reactivated? How can the experience of markets be re-imagined for different user groups? The present thesis is organized into 5 parts. The first part deals with the background of research. It also describes the purpose and significance of the research and discusses research methodology. The second part details market pressures in Macau, including insufficient land and space resources, poor sanitary environment, and tourism promotion needs. The third part examines the idea of “walkable cities” in terms of four concerns—usefulness, safety, comfort, and spatial interest—and in terms of specific case studies. The fourth part concerns a design project for a market at ZONE A in Macau. The thesis details the needs of a market in this zone and considers them in the light of the idea of walkable cities. Overall, this thesis attempts to contribute to public discussion of the future of markets in Macau in terms of service, socialisation and promotion
Keywords: Markets in Macau; Social Spaces; Theses and Dissertations Master of Architecture (MARCH); University of Saint Joseph; Walkable Cities

The Exploration of the Methadone Treatment Program in Heroin-Dependent: The Perspective from Users and the Quality of Life - Ma, Sara Vanessa (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This thesis explores the impact of the exploration of methadone treatment programs in heroin-dependent the perspective from use and the quality of life. The primary objective of this research is to investigate how different types of participants that methadone will affect their quality of life. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to gather comprehensive data from a sample of 59 participants, 8 female, and 51 male, for the questionnaire to know about their quality of life and well-being. A structured questionnaire was used to quantitatively assess participants' quality of life, well-being, and satisfaction with methadone treatment. The survey included standardized scales measuring various dimensions of quality of life, such as physical health, mental health, social functioning, and overall life satisfaction. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods to provide a comprehensive understanding of treatment efficacy and genetic influences. In the course of this research on the impact of methadone treatment programs on the quality of life for heroin-dependent individuals, several key findings emerged from both the quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews. To overall improvement in quality of life the participants reported significant improvements in various dimensions of quality of life after starting methadone treatment. On average, scores for emotional well-being, social functioning, and physical health showed marked increases over the treatment period
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); University of Saint Joseph

GLOBAL ADOPTION OF CRYPTOCURRENCY: A THEMATIC NETWORK ANALYSIS OF EXTANT DOCUMENTS - Man, Tak Wa (2024)
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.

COUPLE THERAPY IN MACAO: SOCIETY AND PROFESSIONALS’ PERCEPTION - Nascimento, Do; Maria, Rejane (2024)
The current quantitative study aims to understand/investigate the perception of Macao society towards couple therapy and therapists and the perception of Macao's professionals working with couples about couple therapy services in Macao. Given the small sample of this study of professionals who work as therapists for couples in Macao, this indicates that there is not a large number of them. The result of the research indicates also a general positive attitude of professionals towards clients but also indicates that couple therapy needs improvement. The sample used to measure the society shows that the society manifested moderate positive attitudes toward couple therapy. However, the findings may reveal that there are still weak points of societal knowledge and contact for couples therapy services. The outcome manifested that Macao has limited literature about Family and Couple Therapy which may be relevant to understand the poor knowledge of the society related to this field. The current study suggests the elaboration of future studies about Couple Therapy services and about the concept of couple therapy to promote therapeutic service to couples and academic researchers that promote governmental support to offer professionals validation.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY OF MACAO ‘s PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT DURING THE COVID-19 - Ng Pui Weng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
The aim of this study is to analyze the crisis management of Macao SAR and the extent to which the community were engaged in the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. There are some issues found that when the pandemic breaks out and after outbreaks, such as poor information communication, low efficiency of prevention and control work, unsatisfactory compliance of the public, lack of pandemic prevention materials which affect the government's control of the pandemic in the past study. In Macao SAR, densely residential areas and dense population are the main considerations for pandemic prevention and control. Communities, as the main first line of defense for pandemic prevention and control, are also the bridge for communication between the government and the residents. The community have the advantages of timely and accurate information collection and accurate implementation of prevention and control measures. In this study found that the involvement of the Macao community may not be the key to the success of epidemic prevention in Macao. Community participation also faces many challenges, such as uneven distribution of facilities and services, lack of medical expertise of community workers, shortage of manpower and other shortcomings of community participation. It is possible that the Macao community is not playing a key role in the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control. Given this scenario, the government needs to give full play to social forces and the role of the community in pandemic prevention and control. Currently, there are few studies on community involvement in COVID-19 prevention and control. Through COVID-19, this study puts forward some ideas that the government needs to pay attention to community development and improve citizens' community awareness to promote the Macao community. Improving the Macao community is conducive to Macao in the future crisis and community cooperation
Keywords: Digital Finance; Digital Financial Infrastructure; Greater Bay Area; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Community Development (MCD); University of Saint Joseph

The Conditions of Achieving Interactive Mindfulness Through Virtual Reality Single User: A Case Study Experience in Macao - Ng, Ka Man; Caires, Carlos (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Virtual reality (VR), a computer-generated 3D environment, allows one to navigate and possibly interact, resulting in real-time simulation of one or more of the user’s five senses (M. Gutierrez et al., 2008; Vince, 2004). Despite its history through past decades, this technology has quickly developed recently. Virtual tours and spaces have been widely used in the education, arts, and rehabilitation industries. According to research, it has significant effects on mindfulness (improving mood), cognitive development (better learning ability), and embodiment (relieving pain and medical conditions). This thesis aims to identify the conditions for Macao's single-user experience to achieve mindfulness in virtual reality through immersion and interactivity. With their various definitions, this research uses the two spectrums on the levels of immersion and interactivity, conducts four experiment settings with Macao residents, and collects qualitative questionnaires and quantitative survey data. The four settings differ as they tackle different aspects: spiritual memory, historical memory, aesthetic appreciation, and meditation through concept. The analysed results were then evaluated to seek better conditions for the local community to achieve mindfulness by immersing themselves in virtual reality
Keywords: Single user experience; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Global Studies (D-GLS); University of Saint Joseph; immersion; interactivity; mindfulness; virtual reality; well-being

A STUDY OF MUSIC CURRICULUM PRACTICES ACROSS KINDERGARTENS IN MACAO - Ng, Ka Sin (2024)
This study employs qualitative research methods, conducting semi-structured interviews with ten kindergarten teachers in Macao. The study further analyses and summarises the participants' perceptions of music teaching, music curriculum design, teaching practices, practical challenges, and the support needed to develop music education. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. The study explores kindergarten teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards music teaching, revealing that all participants recognise the importance of fundamental music knowledge and skills, although there is a noticeable variation in the music proficiency level among teachers. A solid foundation in music is essential for delivering high-quality music instruction. Further to professional skills, teachers' attitudes towards music teaching also vary. While most participants are passionate about music education, some hold neutral or conservative views, and a few lack much interest. Their involvement in teaching is primarily driven by professional duties and school curriculum requirements, with some missing intrinsic motivation or enthusiasm for teaching music. Additionally, some teachers' limited interest in music teaching may be related to a lack of musical talent or confidence. 2. This study analyses the current state of music curriculum teaching in kindergartens. Most music instruction within kindergartens in Macao aligns with the guidelines provided by the Education and Youth Development Bureau, with two music classes arranged per week, each session lasting about 30 minutes. While thematic teaching is a significant model in kindergarten music curricula, over-reliance on it should be avoided. The study suggests that teachers should balance thematic teaching with systematically cultivating fundamental music knowledge and skills. Regarding staffing, music classes are typically co-taught by two classroom teachers, with one required to have instrumental skills. This arrangement supports more professional music instruction, enriches teaching content, and enhances children's musical experiences. However, challenges remain due to heavy teacher workloads and insufficient resources and facilities. Despite these limitations, kindergarten teachers in Macao continue to implement personalised teaching approaches and adopt diverse, innovative, and individualised teaching methods in their music curricula. The interviewed teachers demonstrated a broad and innovative approach to curriculum design and practice, reflecting their deep understanding and professional competence in early childhood music education. 3. Kindergarten teachers in Macao face various challenges in teaching music curricula, most due to the comprehensive and objective assessment of children's musical abilities. The study finds that teachers typically struggle to evaluate musical concepts, rhythm, creativity, interest, and engagement. Additionally, pronunciation accuracy and developmental differences among children are significant factors in the assessment process. 4. This study aims to delve into the challenges and needs faced by kindergarten teachers in music curriculum practice, particularly in music education. The findings indicate that the development of music education in kindergartens is influenced by multiple factors, with the level of importance and support given to music education by schools being a critical issue. Specifically, some participants noted that schools place limited emphasis on music education, prioritising core subjects such as language and English, while others reported that schools provide ample recognition and support for music education. This disparity leads to an imbalance in music teaching resources and environments, affecting teachers' ability to conduct music teaching activities effectively. While some schools place a high value on music education, overemphasising certain aspects of training may lead to an imbalanced development of music education. Furthermore, the study finds that kindergarten teachers have varying levels of musical background and teaching experience. Despite having a basic understanding of music, some teachers fall short in teaching methods and strategies, while others lack systematic music knowledge and skills. These differences in capability limit the quality of music instruction and hinder the comprehensive development of children's musical literacy. Finally, the researcher provides relevant recommendations based on these conclusions to guide future research. 本研究採用質性研究法,通過半結構訪談10位澳門幼稚園教師,並進一步加以分析與歸納探討了受訪者對音樂教學的認知、音樂課程設計、教學實況、實踐困境以及發展支持等方面的情況。研究結論如下： 1. 探討幼稚園教師對音樂教學的認知和態度,研究發現,所有受訪教師均認識到音樂基礎知識和技能的重要性,但教師之間的音樂技能水準存在一定差異。紮實的音樂基礎是開展高品質音樂教學的前提。除了專業技能外,教師對音樂教學的態度也有所不同,大部分受訪者對音樂教學充滿熱忱,但也有部分教師持中立或保守的態度,少數教師則缺乏興趣。他們參與教學主要是出於職責和學校課程安排,可能缺乏內在動力和熱情。此外,個別教師對音樂教學的興趣不足,這可能與其音樂天分不夠或自信心不足有關。 2. 本研究分析了幼稚園音樂課程的教學現狀。大多數澳門幼稚園的音樂教學安排符合教青局的指引,每週安排兩次音樂課,每節課時長約為30分鐘。雖然主題教學是幼稚園音樂課程的重要模式之一,但不宜過度依賴。研究指出,教師在進行主題教學的同時,應重視系統性培育音樂基礎知識和技能,並在兩者之間找出平衡。在教師配置方面,音樂課通常由兩位班主任共同執導,其中一位教師需具備樂器演奏能力,這樣的安排有助於提供更專業的音樂指導,豐富教學內容,並提升幼兒的音樂體驗。然而,問題在於教師的工作負擔較重,且在師資力量和教學設施等方面仍有不足。儘管面對環境的限制,澳門幼稚園教師仍靈活地開展自己的個性化教學,並在音樂課程中採用了多樣化、創新性和個性化的教學方法。受訪的幼稚園教師展現出了多元化、創新性的教學設計理念和實踐,充分體現了他們對幼兒音樂教育的深刻理解和專業素養。 3. 澳門的幼稚園教師在進行音樂課程教學時面臨多種挑戰,這些挑戰主要集中在如何全面且客觀地評估幼兒音樂能力。研究發現,教師們普遍在音樂概念、節奏感、創造力、興趣和參與度的評估方面遇到困難。此外,發音準確性和幼兒之間的發展差異也成為評估過程中的重要考慮因素。 4. 本研究旨在深入探討幼稚園教師在音樂課程實踐中面臨的挑戰與需求,尤其是在音樂教育方面。研究結果顯示,幼稚園的音樂教育發展受到多種因素的影響,其中學校對音樂教育的重視程度和支持力度的差異是關鍵問題之一。具體而言,有部分受訪者指出,學校對音樂教育的重視程度有限,更側重於語文、英語等主學科的教學；而另一些受訪者則表示,學校對音樂教育給予了充分的認可和支持。這種差異性導致了音樂教學資源和環境的不平衡,影響了教師開展音樂教學活動的能力和效果。 儘管一些學校非常重視音樂教育,但如果過度強調某一方面的培養,可能會導致音樂教育的發展失衡。此外,研究還發現,幼稚園教師的音樂專業背景和教學經驗存在較大差異,有些教師雖然具備音樂基礎,但教學方法和策略上有所欠佳,另一些教師缺乏系統的音樂知識和技能。這種能力上的差異不僅限制了音樂教學的品質,還阻礙了幼兒音樂素養的全面發展。最後,研究者依據上述結論據出相關建議,以提供給後續研究者為參考。

A STUDY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TEACHERS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, PERCEIVED STRESS AND TEACHING EFFICACY OF KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN MACAO - Ng, Man Teng (2024)
The purpose of this study was to explore the current situation and the correlations between emotional intelligence, perceived stress and teaching efficacy of kindergarten teachers in Macao. The research method was questionnaire survey that used “The relationship between emotional intelligence, perceived stress and teaching efficacy of kindergarten teachers in Macao.” as a data collection tool, while the research object were the kindergarten teachers in public and private schools in Macao. A total of 269 valid questionnaires are recovered, the valid return rate was 100%. Statistical analysis was performed after the questionnaires were collected, the research results are summarized as follows: 1. The teachers’ emotional intelligence was at a high intermediate level. The significant differences of emotional intelligence were found among teachers with varying background variables such as marital status, teaching experience and inclusive education experience. 2. The teachers’ perceived stress was at a low intermediate level. The significant differences of perceived stress was found among teachers with varying background variables such as teaching experience. 3. The teachers’ teaching efficacy was at a high intermediate level. The significant differences of teaching efficacy were found among teachers with varying background variables such as marital status, teaching experience and inclusive education experience. 4. There was significant negative correlation between teachers’ emotional intelligence and perceived stress. 5. There was significant positive correlation between teachers’ emotional intelligence and teaching efficacy. 6. There was significant negative correlation between teachers’ perceived stress and teaching efficacy. 7. The teachers’ emotional intelligence and perceived stress could predict teaching efficacy. 本研究旨在探討澳門幼稚園教師情緒智力、壓力知覺與教學效能關係之現況及相關情形。研究方法是以問卷調查方式進行，以本澳公立及私立學校的幼稚園教師作研究對象。是次回收有效問卷為269份，問卷回收率達100%，問卷回收後進行統計分析。本研究結果顯示如下： 一、本澳幼稚園教師情緒智力達到中高程度，整體情緒智力因婚姻狀況、教學年資及融合教育經驗的不同而有顯著差異； 二、本澳幼稚園教師壓力知覺呈現中下程度，整體壓力知覺因教學年資的不同而有顯著差異。 三、本澳幼稚園教師教學效能達到中高程度，整體教學效能因婚姻狀況及融合教育經驗的不同而有顯著差異； 四、情緒智力與壓力知覺呈現負相關； 五、情緒智力與教學效能呈現正相關； 六、壓力知覺與教學效能呈現負相關。 七、情緒智力、壓力知覺對整體教學效能具有顯著預測力。 本研究依據上述研究之結果提出建議給予政府、學校行政機關、幼稚園教師及未來研究者作參考。

EXPLORATION OF THE APPLICATION OF MIND INTERPRETATION TRAINING IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM - Ng, Nga Wai (2024)
Nowadays, inclusive education has become increasingly popular in various places. And it becomes more and more common for students with special education needs to be placed in general education environments. However, students with special education needs often have problems getting along with their classmates because of their own physical and mental disabilities and behavioral traits. In schools, social interaction has always been a major issue for students with autism spectrum disorder to integrate into the group. Due to their physical limitations or internal psychological differences, they often encounter difficulties in interacting with classmates. The researcher of this study is a primary school resource teacher in an integrated school. During the teaching process, she found that students with autism spectrum disorder in regular classes have some difficulties in adapting, especially in getting along with others . Therefore, the researcher hopes to improve their social behavior through Mind-Reading training, so that they can develop well in interacting and socializing with others. This study intends to explore the effect of Mind-Reading training on improving the mind reading ability and social interaction ability of five autistic spectrum disorder students in primary school, and conduct research and discussion on their ability to understand others and social interaction . Comparison and data analysis were conducted through pre-test, six-session of Mind-Reading training course, Mind-Reading learning record form filled in by the researcher, and post-test. The pre-test and post-test tools include: "Vinlan Adaptive Behavior Scale 3 (Chinese version) - Children's Version" filled out by the parents of the research participants, interviews with the head teachers of the research participants, and a theory of mind test completed by the research participants (ToMTB test). The study concluded as follows: 1.Children with autism spectrum disorder can improve the ability to understand others after receiving Mind-Reading training. 2.Children with autism spectrum disorder can show the improvement in social interactions after receiving Mind-Reading training. In this study, the researcher hopes to improve autistic students' ability to understand other people 's thoughts and improve their social interaction through Mind-Reading training, so that autistic spectrum disorder students can integrate into ordinary classes and get along with their classmates. They try to use Mind-Reading training to explore whether this method is effective. And the conclusion confirms that Mind-Reading training can improve autistic spectrum disorder students' abilities to understand others , improve their social interactions , and promote social relationships with their classmates. It is recommended that in future research on Mind-Reading training in Macao, the teaching content should be combined with social interaction skills and life experience. In addition, we will increase the understanding of peer perceptions, observations of class entry or recess time, and extend the follow-up time to make the research more complete. 現今，融合教育在各地已漸趨普及化，特殊教育需要學生安置於普通教育環境是越來越常見的現象。然而，特殊教育需要學生因自身的身心障礙及行為特質，導致他們與同儕相處時經常出現問題。在學校，社交互動一直是自閉症譜系障礙學生融入群體的一大重點議題，他們因自身的生理限制或心理內在的差異，導致其在與同儕互動時常遇到困難。本研究的研究者為融合學校的小學資源教師，在教學的過程裏，發現就讀於普通班的自閉症譜系障礙學生在適應上出現了一些困難，特別是與人相處方面，因此，研究者希望能透過心智解讀訓練來改善他們的社交行為，讓他們能在與他人互動和社交方面獲得良好的發展。 本研究擬探討心智解讀訓練對提升五位低小自閉症譜系障礙學生的心智解讀能力與社交互動能力的效果，對他們理解他人的能力及社交互動方面進行研究和討論，通過前測、六節的心智解讀訓練課程、研究者填寫的心智解讀學習記錄表、後測來進行比較及資料分析。前測及後測工具包括：由研究參與者之家長填寫的「文蘭適應行為量表第3(中文版)-兒童版」、研究參與者之班主任訪談，以及研究參與者完成的心智理論測驗(ToMTB測驗)。 研究得出的結論如下： 1.自閉症譜系障礙兒童在接受心智解讀訓練後理解他人的能力有所提升。 2.自閉症譜系障礙兒童在接受心智解讀訓練後在社交互動方面有相對的改善。 本研究中，研究者期望透過心智解讀訓練提升自閉症譜系障礙學生理解他人想法的能力，以及改善其社交互動，使自閉症學生能融入普通課室，與同齡人相處，所以嘗試透過心智解讀訓練來探討此方法是否有效，而結論證實心智解讀訓練能提升自閉症譜系障礙兒童理解他人的能力，以及改善他們的社交互動，促進與同儕之間的社交關係。 建議本澳未來的心智解讀訓練研究中，教學內容結合社交互動技巧及生活經驗。另外，增加了解同儕觀感、入班或小息時間之觀察，以及延長追蹤時間，以令研究變得更為完善。

澳門小學普通班教師實施融合教育的教學困擾與因應策略之研究 =: A STUDY ON TEACHING DIFFICULTIES AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES OF TEACHERS IMPLEMENTING INTEGRATED EDUCATION IN ORDINARY CLASSES OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN MACAO - Ng, Wa Seng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; 因應策略; 小學普通班教師; 教學策略; 澳門

GOVERNMENT PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES IN MACAU: A STUDY ABOUT THE TOURISM PROMOTION - Nip, Si Man (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
I have met many friendly and patient professors and classmates during my two years of university. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the support and encouragement when I encountered difficulties, also professors detailed sharing and explanations in my learning and growing. Taking classes with my job at the same time is a very challenging task, especially in the thesis writing stage, it is difficult to manage the time allocation as well as concentration on thesis writing, and I even had the thoughts of giving up for a few times, but I am very thankful to my supervisor for his continuous support and encouragement during the thesis writing period, and for his attentive guidance whenever I have confusion during the time, he has provided me with a lot of practical and valuable advice, which inspired me a lot. In addition, I would like to thank those who helped me to complete the questionnaire survey. Without their help, I believe it would have been difficult for me to collect enough questionnaires. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the two interviewees who agreed to be interviewed, as it is a difficult task to conduct interviews as a student in Macau. I would like to thank both for their support of the academic research, and the experience that they shared with us is very important to this study. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family, friends, and colleagues for always providing me with positive support, listening to my concerns, and helping me to overcome difficulties one after another. Once again, I would like to thank all those people who have helped me to complete my thesis
Keywords: Government public relations; Public relation in Macau; Public relation strategies; Public relations; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

NEUROCINEMATIC: WALTER MURCH’S VIDEO EDITING PROCESS AND FILM SOUND DESIGN CASE STUDY - Nyögéri, José (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation examines the enduring influence of Walter Murch's seminal editing principles and techniques on contemporary film editors, highlighting how his ideas continue to shape the craft even among those who may not be directly aware of his work. Central to this study is an exploration of Murch's ""Rule of Six,"" which prioritizes emotion, story, rhythm, eye-trace, two-dimensional plane of the screen, and three-dimensional space of action in editing decisions. Additionally, the research delves into Murch's concepts of rhythm and pacing, as well as his emphasis on preserving the emotional impact of a scene. Through a series of in-depth interviews with working editors, this dissertation investigates the extent to which Murch's theoretical framework is manifested in modern editing practices. The study seeks to identify how contemporary editors incorporate these principles into their workflows, consciously or subconsciously, and how these techniques contribute to the narrative and emotional effectiveness of their films. By analyzing the practical decision-making processes of today's editors, this research aims to uncover the degree to which Murch's legacy endures in the film industry. The findings underscore the significant, yet often implicit, role that Murch's editing philosophy plays in shaping the aesthetic and emotional resonance of contemporary cinema. This dissertation thus provides a comprehensive understanding of the lasting impact of Walter Murch's contributions to the art and science of film editing
Keywords: Neurocinematic; Sound Design; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; Video Editing; Walter Murch

IMPLEMENTATION OF SDG 1 IN CAPE VERDE: AN ANALYSIS OF POLICIES AND ACTORS - Pasquinha, Patrick Delgado (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
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
Keywords: Actors; Cape Verde; Multidimensional poverty; Poverty reduction policies; SDG 1 implementation; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

COGNITIVE PROCESSES IN ENGLISH SOURCE-BASED WRITING OF MACAO ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL) UNIVERSITY STUDENTS - Peralta, Rachel Luna (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Source-based summary writing is an important aspect of academic writing at the undergraduate level; it includes summarizing and paraphrasing when producing texts in essay, report, or thesis formats. For university students whose second language or foreign language is English, source-based writing can be a challenging task as it involves and requires complex cognitive processes as well as reading-and-writing demands. Organized into three phases, this mixed method, small-scale exploratory feasibility case study investigated: (i) challenges and difficulties in online and offline English source-based summary writing of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) university students in Macao, identifying the cognitive and writing processes they experienced in a timed reading-writing task; and (ii) how to design and conduct interventions that could be used to diagnose, assess, and address essay challenges in source-based summary essay writing in everyday classroom sessions. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a summary online writing essay using Inputlog, a keystroke logging software, and retrospective think-aloud protocol in Phase One, a source-based summary essay writing task in a quasi-experiment in Phase Two, and a survey questionnaire and error analysis of pre-test and post-test essays of the control and experimental groups in Phase Three. The processes of reading and writing in English were found to be challenging and complex for EFL university students to perform in a limited time. As an initial exploratory feasibility, efficacy trial, deliberately small scale to address issues of risk, this study found that the diagnostic assessment tools and interventions had the potential to improve the summary writing processes and proficiency of EFL students, focusing on their cognitive writing skills in everyday class sessions. The thesis recommends scaling up the research in future studies, in terms of sampling and the duration of interventions designed to improve source-based summary essay writing and the cognitive writing processes that are part of this
Keywords: EFL university students; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph; cognitive processes; source-based writing

Employee Motivation in Elderly Care Social Enterprises in Macau - Phillips, Jenny O. L.; Mui, UnKei (Journal of Advanced Management Science, 2024)

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN TELEVISION JOURNALISM “TDM (TELEDIFUSÃO DE MACAU, S.A) AND TVS (TELEVISÃO SANTOMENSE)” NEWSCAST CASE STUDIES - Pinho, Silvino Vaz Sacramento (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study delves into the television news practices of TDM (Teledifusão de Macau, S.A.) and TVS (Televisão Santomense) over the past five years (2018-2023), using a systematic approach, this research begins with an introduction outlining the broadcasters' contexts and influences. A content analysis of a representative sample of news programs from both channels forms the core of the study. To gain deeper insights, the research employs a mixed methodological approach. Qualitative data is gathered through interviews with the chief journalist of TVS and 150 residents from Água Grande and Cauê Districts (Angolares ). Additionally, a quantitative analysis is conducted through an online survey targeting the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries in Macao, garnering 150 responses. The findings highlight the need for improvements to increase viewership. While both broadcasters cover similar news topics (politics, economics, social issues), their presentation styles differ. TDM and TVS adopt a formal and structured approach, but their visual storytelling techniques reflect cultural and regional preferences. The study then interprets the results, examining historical context, cultural influences, and audience preferences to understand the divergent approaches to television journalism. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights to enhance news viewership and offers a deeper understanding of the factors shaping television journalism in these two distinct contexts
Keywords: Macao; Media; Sao Tome and Principe; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph; newscasts; television journalism

As Fontes e as Causas da Fraca Protecção das Comunidades Locais no Ecossistema dos Projectos de Investimento Sobre Recursos Naturais. - Rafael, Angelo (2024)

Modelos de Incorporação do Desenvolvimento Sustentável nos Acordos de Comércio - Rafael, Ângelo Patrício; Wei, Dan (Uma viagem Jurídica Entre o Rio das Pérolas e a Pérola do Índico: Publicação Comemorativa dos 25 Anos da Cooperação entre a Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (FDUEM) e a Faculdade de Direito da Universidade de Macau (FDUM), 2024)

TOPOGRAPHIC MALL INTEGRATING NATURE-INSPIRED DESIGN PRINCIPLES IN ARCHITECTURE - Santos, Graça (2024)
This dissertation explores the concept of a topographic shopping mall in Macau inspired by the region's mountainous landscapes and its potential to integrate nature within urban environments. As consumer preferences increasingly shift towards sustainable and health- oriented experiences, the incorporation of nature-inspired design principles emerges as a critical response to these demands. This study investigates how blending natural elements— such as local flora, organic forms, and water features—can enhance the shopping experience, fostering a deeper connection between individuals and their environment. The research addresses key questions regarding the effective integration of nature-inspired design in commercial architecture, the impact of these elements on user experience and well-being, and their influence on economic performance. By examining existing design strategies and their effects on visitor satisfaction, this dissertation aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the benefits associated with nature-inspired retail environments. Ultimately, the findings highlight the importance of creating biophilic spaces that not only fulfill practical needs but also promote health and a sense of community, positioning the topographic shopping mall as a potential model for future commercial developments.

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN WRITTEN COMMUNICATION COMPETENCE AND CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (CQ): A CASE STUDY OF EFL LEARNERS IN MACAO - Sin, Man Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Although Macau students received years of English lectures as compulsory, the outcome could be more favorable when applied to English written performance. In that written communication requires the individual to consider audience perception of the message, a challenge for ESL writers, this study explores whether different forms of feedback can enhance one’s cultural intelligence.The current study looked into the effect of incorporating peer involvement and instructor feedback in written communication, gaining insight into cultural nuances. In order to attain the objective, data were gathered through the utilization of an action research methodology employing a mixed-method design. Grade twelve local students attended a six-week six-week intervention consisting of two cycles. The focus of the intervention nurtured essay writing; the topics of which were inspired by popular musical lyrics, and involved a drafting process that incorporated feedback both from peer editing and the instructor.. The data collected throughout the study involved analysis of written samples (scores of draft and final version) using a paired samples t-test. In addition, students completed a pre-test and post-test survey of the cultural intelligence instrument (CQ), which measured their performance across four domains. There were statistically significant differences between cognitive CQ and motivational CQ between the scores attained before and directly after the intervention.. This study's findings suggest that the written communication of ESL students may be enhanced by adjusting . These findings enriched our understanding of how peer editing and teacher feedback with songs affected the outcomes of second language learners
Keywords: Music; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; cultural intelligence; foreign language anxiety; writing competence

EXPLORING MACAU SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDING, PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, AND CHALLENGES TO INCLUSIVE EDUCATION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES/SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS - Sin, Sam I. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Quality inclusive education creates educational opportunities for all students to achieve enhanced educational outcomes, and the quality of inclusive teaching depends on teachers’ knowledge, skills, resources and school support. However, not all schools are implementing inclusive education well enough to cater to the learning needs of students with special educational needs. This phenomenological case study explored the perspectives and experiences of five teachers in one inclusive secondary school in Macau. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the in-depth semi- structured interview data revealed four themes: varied conceptualisations of inclusive education, professional training in inclusive practice, professional knowledge and practice experiences, and challenges to implementing inclusive education. Generally, while the teachers demonstrated awareness and some understanding of inclusive education, they also expressed the need for more knowledge and skills to implement inclusive education effectively in their schools. Additionally, they referred to time pressure, workload and insufficient professional development as impeding their personal processes of evolving inclusive teaching in their school. Recommendations were made considering Booth and Ainscow's (2002) Index of Inclusion to enable effective development and practice of inclusive education in the Macau secondary school and extend this to other schools
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Education (MED); University of Saint Joseph; students with special education needs; teachers' professional skills; teachers' understanding

EXPLORING THE IMPACTS ON MENTAL WELL-BEING OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS UNDER COVID-19 PANDEMIC. A QUALITATIVE STUDY - Sit Chin Pok (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a public health emergency happening worldwide. It brought tremendous impacts to the global economy and people’s mental health (Jiaqi Xiong et al., 2020). Many people suffered physically and psychologically with the sudden arrival of COVID-19. Among the different age groups, studies identified that undergraduate students as a vulnerable group with a higher risk of mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety (Silva et al., 2022; King et al., 2022; Mansor & Ahmad, 2022). This qualitative study collected data from six focus group interviews with undergraduate students studying in Macao. Thematic analysis was used to understand the COVID-19 impact on students' mental well-being and coping strategies, as well as to explore the protective and risk factors that contribute to students’ mental well-being in the local context of Macao. Results showed four themes with 15 contributory sub-themes: COVID-19’s impact on students’ mental well-being, key impacting sources, coping strategies, and risk and protective factors. This study provides a picture of the mental health condition of undergraduate students during the zero-COVID period in Macao and raises an urgent call for extra attention to university students’ mental health during crises, showing the social and mental needs of undergraduates. This research also uniquely contributes insight into how the dysfunctionality of families could be a significant risk factor for students’ mental health during the crisis, which is rarely found in other COVID-19 studies. This research suggests a promotion of future programs or workshops that would strengthen and benefits students’ relationship with their family. Future research could explore the family function in Macao and its relationship with students’ mental well-being
Keywords: Mental Well-being; Qualitative; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Couselling and Psychotherapy (MCP); Undergraduate Student; University of Saint Joseph

ACQUISITION OF HIGHER-ORDER THINKING SKILLS IN SECONDARY EDUCATION: A CASE STUDY IN A MACAU SECONDARY ESL CONTEXT - Siu, Ka U. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This study examined the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills in an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom at a secondary school in Macau. It included an investigation of the way teaching might affect the development of higher-order thinking skills and language proficiency. This study also included an examination of the degree to which existing societal practices or values might have influenced the acquisition of higher-order thinking skills. Research instruments such as a questionnaire, a twelve-week experiment, pre-and post-tests and interview sessions were used for the data collection. The findings suggested that after twelve weeks the experimental groups developed higher synthetical and evaluative skills than the control groups which instead demonstrated better language skills. The results also identified incongruences between the curriculum and the expectations of the parents and employers
Keywords: ESL Learning; Thesis and Dissertations PhD in Education (D-SE); University of Saint Joseph; critical thinking; higher-order thinking skills

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE DRIVERS OF CONSUMER SHOPPING BEHAVIOR IN LIVE-STREAMING COMMERCE - Song, Wilson (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation identifies factors driving consumer shopping behavior within the realm of live-streaming commerce, an area fast emerging in the e-commerce domain. Live-streaming shopping or commerce involves real-time interaction and entertainment with traditional online shopping, forming a unique endogenous environment where consumers can contact sellers or influencers directly. The study employed quantitative surveys that identified some of the main determining factors of consumer behavior within this context. The findings show that the significant factors in determining consumer behavior are trust and engagement, which are strongly influenced by the credibility and authenticity of the live streamer. Another significant finding is the role of social interaction and community building in providing consumers with a sense of belonging and validation, enhancing their confidence and purchase intention. Moreover, it highlights how marketing strategies of flash sales, limited-time offers, and partnerships with influencers make their way into the system to help invoke engagement and impulsive buying behavior among consumers. The implications of these findings extend to e-commerce platforms and marketers. Any improvements in features leading to trust, engagement, and interactivity within the community would drive higher customer satisfaction and sales. According to researchers, working partnerships with believable influencers and more extensive integrations of real-time marketing might further activate live-streaming commerce. This study thus fills a gap in the existing body of literature by detailing the drivers of consumer behavior toward live-stream commerce. It also identifies areas of future research on the current studies, including developing technologies and the cultural variances in the impact of live-stream commerce, including ethical considerations. These results are principle for guiding work on potential live-stream commerce in the digital age for anybody from workers to academicians
Keywords: E-Commerce; Live-Streaming; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Business Administration (MBA); University of Saint Joseph; consumer behavior

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERNALIZING PROBLEMS, GENDER AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF BOTH PARENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS - Sou, Fernandes; Marcelo, Joel (2024)
The current study aimed to analyse the differences in the internalising problems including anxious/depressed, withdrawn-depressed and somatic complaints, from the perspective of parents and high school students. Considering varying levels of academic achievement. Additionally, the gender differences in the level of internalising problems will also be examined. Finally, we analysed the different perspectives of parents and high school students according to internalising problems. The Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) was used for data collection in Macao. The sample consisted of 698 high school students (316 males and 382 females). There were no significant differences in internalising problems according to three levels of academic achievement (low, average and high) from the perspective of parents and high school students. Furthermore, from the high school students' perspectives, adolescent females present more interesting problems than males. Finally, the findings indicate a low agreement between parents and students concerning internalising problems. It is suggested that parents should learn and explore different parenting styles in order to reduce their children's internalising problems.

EXPLORING THE CURRENT SITUATION OF MACAU KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IMPLEMENTING GAMIFICATION FOR CHILDREN'S LEARNING IN AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM - Sou, Iok Heng (2024)
In Macao, the curriculum guidance based on games as the basic learning method in early childhood education, that has been in place for almost 10 years. In recent years, there are many studies in Macao which have proved the positive impacts of implementing gamification for children's learning. Under gamification for learning education policy implemented by the government, the purpose of this study is to explore the teachers’ current situation of implementing gamification for children’s learning in an inclusive classroom. This study focuses on Macau kindergarten teachers to explore their current situation of implementing gamification for children’s learning in an inclusive classroom. The research is divided into four aspects to conduct the explanation and elaboration: firstly, the aspect of teachers’ cognition of gamification for children’s learning, secondly, the aspect of their attitude towards the implementation of gamification for children’s learning in an inclusive classroom, thirdly, the aspect of the challenges or difficulties encountered in practices, and fourthly, the teachers’ strategies to cope with challenges. Through the method of semi-structured in-depth interviews of qualitative research, are the perspectives and opinions of 14 kindergarten teachers, from 10 schools that provide inclusive education services in Macao. The results are as follows: Firstly, the teachers have a clear understanding of the connotation of gamification for children’s learning in general. They understand that the games must be designed, based on the teaching objectives and teaching content. The teachers also recognize that gamification for learning has two characteristics of both education and pleasure. Secondly, regarding the attitude of teachers, most of them hold a positive attitude towards this approach, which can be attributed to the positive impact of gamification for learning on students with special educational needs, the school’s supporting system, parents’ trust, and the accumulation of practical experiences. However, one of the teachers does not agree with the implementation of gamification for student’s learning in an inclusive classroom, and holds a negative attitude of passive acceptance, which can be attributed to the lack of teaching strategies to support students with special educational needs as they participate in games, the relevant training experiences are not helpful, and unfavorable with school policies. Thirdly, in regards to the challenges faced by teachers implementing this approach, there are six aspects: firstly, it is challenge to support the whole class students participation in a gamification activity; secondly, it is difficult to design the playing method of games; thirdly, the negativity influence of gamification for learning increases the burden of classroom management; fourthly, it is necessary to support students with special educational needs to participate in games; fifthly, there might be some misunderstandings of gamification for learning from peer teachers or parents; sixthly, classrooms are limited with space and the resources of schools are insufficient. Fourthly, as for teachers’ strategies to cope with challenges, the strategies used by teachers are related to their attitudes. When teachers have a positive attitude to the approach, they are willing to try and solve the difficulties while implementing gamification for children’s learning with positive strategies. Vice versa, if teachers have a passive acceptance attitude, they may struggle to establish effective coping strategies. Finally, according to the results of this study, the researcher summarized the issues that need to be further addressed, and made several specific suggestions for the government, schools and teachers to implement gamification for children’s learning in future. At the same time, according to this study, the researcher would also like to make some suggestions for a future study, which can provide some references for the scholars of the related research field. 澳門幼兒教育階段以遊戲為基本學習方式的課程指引將近有10年時間，近年本土也有不少研究證實遊戲教學法應用於孩子的學習上，能帶來正面的影響。在政府推行遊戲為本的教育方針下，本研究目的旨在探討幼稚園教師對應用遊戲教學法於融合教育班的現況。 本研究以澳門幼稚園教師為焦點，探討其對遊戲教學法應用於融合教育班的實踐現況，分為四方面論述，一是教師對遊戲教學法的認知層面，二是其對遊戲教學法應用於融合教育班的態度，三是其實踐過程遇到的挑戰或困難，四是其應對挑戰的策略。透過質性研究的半結構式深度訪談法，了解來自本澳10所有參與融合教育學校的14位幼稚園教師之想法及意見。研究結果如下： 第一，整體教師能釐清遊戲教學法的內涵，明白遊戲活動須按從教學目標及教學內容為依據，其普遍認同遊戲教學法兼具教育性與愉悅性的特色。 第二，關於教師態度方面，大部份教師抱持積極正向的態度，歸其原因包括肯定遊戲教學法對特殊教育需要學生的正面影響、校方支持體系、家長的信任、實踐經驗的累積；同時，亦有個別教師是不贊成遊戲教學法應用於融合教育班，抱持被動接納的負向態度，歸其原因包括缺乏支援特殊需要學生參與遊戲的策略、相關培訓經歷幫助不大、學校政策的不利因素。 第三，關於教師面對的挑戰，包括六方面，一是遊戲活動需支持全班參與，二是難以構思遊戲活動的形式；三是遊戲教學負面的影響造成課堂管理的負擔；四是需要支援特殊需要學生在遊戲活動的狀況；五是同儕教師或家長對遊戲教學的誤解；六是教室空間狹窄以及學校資源配備不足。 第四，關於教師應對挑戰的策略，教師使用的策略與教師態度相關，當教師抱有積極正向的態度，便具信心，並會嘗試以正向的策略解決遊戲教學的困難；反之亦然，若教師產生被動接納的態度，便會感到退縮，未能建立有效的應對策略。 最後，根據本研究的結果，研究者總結出需進一步解決的問題，藉此對政府、學校及教師提出具體的建議，供日後推行遊戲化教學參考。同時依據本研究，提出研究展望，供未來進行相關研究領域的學者提供一些意見。

Las Vegas Sands Corporation in Macau - Spooner, Paul B. (2024)
This study sought to determine the strategy that allowed the Las Vegas Sands Corporation (LVS) to attain its leading status in the casino industry and to gain insight whether this status would continue given (i) the passing of the LVS founder, Sheldon Adelson, in January 2021, (ii)the sell-off of the company's Las Vegas properties early in 2022, and (iii) the firm's greater sensitivity to events in China caused by the company's increased reliance for most of its customers on the mainland China market. The study first identified the nature of the LVS competitive advantages when Adelson was directing the firm and then assessed whether these had been adversely impacted due to changes in the firm's markets, management or strategy. The study relied initially on the work of David Baron, Professor of Political Economy and Strategy at Stanford University who as early as 1981 advanced the view that corporate strategy needed to be divided in a Marketing Strategy (MS) and a Non-Market Strategy (NMS). The NMS component for LVS was critically important since government determined who could acquire a Macau casino concession and what level of visas would be provided to Mainland China gamblers to fill the Macau casinos. The key question became the nature of Adelson's Political Effectiveness as determined by the NMS he directed towards the China market. To resolve this issue, we adopted the Wellner & Lakotta proposal to extend Porter's Five Forces analytical framework by two additional dimensions, Government Interventors and Complementor Organizations. We concluded that it was highly likely that Goldman Sachs, the long-term financial backer of Sheldon Adelson, played a significant if not the major role in the success Adelson was able to achieve in the Greater China market.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' PERSPECTIVE OF RELIGION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EVERY NATION IN THE PHILIPPINES AND MACAU - Tabilas, Analeah Marie R. (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This research analyzed and compared the Instagram content of Victory Philippines and Every Nation Manila to evaluate its impact on the faith perception of university students associated with these churches. In this digital age, institutions have embraced the shift towards online interactions, including adapting religious practices such as worship services to online platforms. Religious organizations are navigating the dynamics between online and offline communication methods as they adapt to engaging with their audience through social media channels. While previous research has delved into online religious content and virtual church services, no prior studies have specifically compared the social media communication strategies of Every Nation churches in Manila, Philippines, and Macau. The research employed a mixed-method approach, compromising interviews, focus groups, and quantitative content analysis. As per the interviews, these took place with four pastors and four media content creators within the Metro Manila region of Every Nation Philippines, commonly recognized as Victory Philippines, and one pastor and one content creator of Every Nation Macau. These interviews helped gather insights into their thought processes and analyze their social media strategies and plans. Three distinct focus group discussions were carried out, involving 15 undergraduate students from Manila and Macau affiliated with Victory Philippines and Every Nation Macau. The participants were equally divided into three groups. These students also actively engage with the Victory Philippines and Every Nation Macau Instagram posts. These focus group discussions were employed to analyze patterns to understand their thought processes. Furthermore, a quantitative content analysis was carried out on Victory Philippines and Every Nation’s Instagram account as part of the study. Despite the active engagement on social media platforms by Victory Philippines and Every Nation Macau, both organizations maintained a strong offline church community. Interviews conducted indicated that the online activities of these churches significantly influenced the faith of students, while their spiritual growth was further supported by an inclusive offline community. This approach exemplified a multi-generational ethos, fostering collaboration between younger and older members towards the shared objective of evangelism. This research validates the Figuring and Disfiguring theoretical framework of Taylor (2007, apud Åhman and Thorén, 2021). The results of the empirical data may provide strong practical guidance to churches of any size as they build and develop their online presence while strengthening their offline presence
Keywords: Thesis and Dissertations Master of Communication and Media (MCM); University of Saint Joseph

PUBLIC POLICIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN MACAO: LOCAL PERSPECTIVES AND EXPERIENCES - Tai, On Teng (University of Saint Joseph, 2024)
This dissertation explores Macao residents' experiences and perspectives regarding Macao's public policies and infrastructure for electric vehicles. It delves into residents' viewpoints on the effectiveness of electric vehicle policy implementation, the layout and convenience of public facilities such as charging stations and designated parking spaces for electric vehicles, and their actual experiences and feedback while using electric cars. This study is significant because it provides valuable insights into Macao residents' fundamental attitudes and needs toward electric vehicle policies and public facilities. By understanding these perspectives, policymakers can make more informed decisions to optimize electric vehicle policies and improve public facilities, ultimately promoting the healthy development of the electric vehicle market in Macao and facilitating the construction of a green transportation system. In terms of research methods, this study primarily employed questionnaires to collect data from road users in Macao. The questionnaires were designed to gather comprehensive information on their experiences and feedback related to electric vehicle policies, infrastructure, and usage. The findings of this study are intriguing. Firstly, it was discovered that Macao residents have a relatively low awareness of electric vehicle policies, but generally, they believe these policies contribute to environmental protection. Secondly, regarding public facilities, some residents reported issues such as uneven distribution and insufficient number of charging stations, as well as inadequacies in using and managing designated parking spaces for electric vehicles. Additionally, residents provided specific opinions and suggestions regarding the purchase costs of electric vehicles and government subsidy policies. Based on these findings, my conclusion is that there is an urgent need to optimize and improve Macao's electric vehicle policies and public facilities. Policymakers should increase publicity efforts to raise residents' awareness of electric vehicle policies and reasonably plan the layout of charging stations and designated parking spaces for electric vehicles to enhance their convenience and availability. Furthermore, the government could consider providing more subsidies and preferential policies for purchasing electric vehicles to reduce the financial burden on residents. These measures will help promote the further development of the electric vehicle market in Macao and facilitate the construction of a green transportation system
Keywords: Electric vehicles; Green transportation; Macao; Public infrastructure; Public policies; Thesis and Dissertations Master of Government Studies (MGS); University of Saint Joseph

Canvas Topography - Library as a Spatial Journey - Tam, Chi Pok (2024)
Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China, is an impressive destination known for its unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese influences. With a history dating back centuries, Macau’s architecture tells the story of its rich former times. In recent years, Macau has faced a growing challenge due to its status as an overpopulated city. With limited land resources and a rapidly increasing population, there is a critical need to create additional spaces that cater to the intellectual and cultural development of its residents. Due to the increasing demand on housing, most of the available land is currently occupied and in consequence of that, the government had no choice but to develop innovative and expanding solutions. They established a ‘’reclamation area”, which is a land built from scratch that has the purpose of relieving the tension of insufficient land with entertaining facilities that can gather and attract communities. On this dissertation will concentrate on the social-educational aspects of the new Zone A development. The libraries will act as a focal center for all future residents in zone A, The fact that libraries are changing and becoming more than just places for preserving books is a major problem. It is important to think of the library as a multifunctional place that can accommodate not just traditional study spaces but also collaborative work, the development of digital media, events, and social gatherings in response to the evolving demands of the community, above all, the library should be the center for all the community involvement. Also would be used as a prototype to test this new form of library that explores the benefits and feasibility of implementing additional libraries and unusual architectural spaces in Macau while integrating them with other recreational facilities. Macau, known for its thriving tourism and entertainment industry, currently faces a scarcity of public spaces that promote intellectual and leisure activities. This study investigates the potential advantages of the implementation of recreation facilities that have the potential to meet the diverse needs of the community. To conclude, the implementation of more recreational facilities within libraries in Macau holds significant benefits for both residents and tourists. By combining these two elements, libraries can evolve into dynamic community hubs that fulfil a wide range of needs and interests.

探討澳門普通班幼稚園教師對融合教育的態度及面對融合教育生的困難和挑戰 - Tam, Hio U. (2024)
現時澳門全力推行融合教育，促使融合教育逐漸普及化，幼稚園教師是學 前融合教育實踐的主力軍，因此在融合教育發展中，幼稚園教師的態度是重 要的因素。本研究以澳門普通幼稚園教師對融合教育的態度及面對融合教育 生的困難和挑戰為目標，透過對七位澳門普通幼稚園教師進行訪談，瞭解研 究對象對融合教育的認知與瞭解、情感體驗與支持度、行為傾向及面對融合 教育生的困難和挑戰。 從研究結果發現：在教師態度的認知分析結果中，有超過一半的受訪教師 對融合教育的認知都能夠符合融合教育的精神及理念，但是，仍然有少部分 受訪教師的認知是偏離融合教育的理念。在態度的情感分析結果中，過半數 的受訪教師對融合教育出現被動消極的負面情感，亦有近過半數教師主動積 極接納融合教育。值得一提的是，教師對融合教育的情感體驗會發生動態轉 變的特徵，當中包括教師初期對融合教育的情感是正面主動的或負面抗拒 的，經過對自身實踐融合教育後，教師會對融合教育的情感形成轉變，初期 對融合教育的情感是正面積極的教師可能因為在實施融合教育上遇到不同的 困難或問題從而對融合教育的接納度由主動積極轉變為被動消極。另一方面 初期對融合教育的情感是負面消極的教師因為在實踐融合教育後積極報名參 加與融合教育有關聯的課程，提高自我的能力，有實踐的經驗累積增強了實 施融合教育的信心後對融合教育產生了由被動消極變為主動積極的情感轉 變。在行為傾向來看，大部分受訪教師會以個性化針對性教學方式對融合生 進行教學，同時亦會調整教學環境、教學準備、評核標準調適，亦注重與家 長及駐校社工的合作溝通。 最後結合本研究結果，分別對回應研究問題提出具體的建議，旨在為政 府、教育機構、教師和學生提供參考，以促進澳門的融合教育。 Macao is fully committed to promoting integrated education and promoting the gradual popularization of integrated education. As the frontline workers of education, kindergarten teachers’ attitude towards integrated education is the key to the success or failure of the development of integrated education. This study aims at the attitudes of Macao ordinary kindergarten teachers towards inclusive education and the difficulties and challenges faced by students in inclusive education. Through semi-structured interviews with seven Macao ordinary kindergarten teachers, we have an in-depth understanding of the research subjects’ cognition and understanding of inclusive education. Understanding, emotional experience and support, behavioral tendencies, and the difficulties and challenges faced by students in integrated education. From the research results, it is found that: from a cognitive perspective, most of the interviewed teachers’ cognition of inclusive education is in line with the spirit and concept of inclusive education, but there are still some interviewed teachers whose cognition of inclusive education deviates from the spirit and concept of inclusive education. Spirit. At the emotional level, more than half of the teachers surveyed have passive and negative feelings towards inclusive education, while nearly half of the teachers actively accept inclusive education. It is worth mentioning that teachers’ emotional experience of inclusive education will undergo dynamic changes, including whether teachers’ initial emotions towards inclusive education are positive or negative. After practicing inclusive education, teachers will have different feelings about inclusive education. Emotions change. Teachers who initially had positive emotions towards inclusive education may change their acceptance of inclusive education from proactive to passive because they encounter different difficulties or problems in implementing inclusive education. On the other hand, teachers who had negative feelings towards inclusive education in the early stage have actively enrolled in courses related to inclusive education to improve themselves after practicing inclusive education. The accumulation of practical experience has enhanced their confidence in the implementation of inclusive education. There was an emotional change from passive to active. In terms of behavioral tendencies, most of the teachers interviewed will teach integrated students with personalized and targeted teaching methods. They will also adjust the teaching environment, teaching preparation, and assessment standards, and also focus on cooperation with parents and school social workers. communicate. Finally, combined with the results of this study, specific suggestions are put forward to respond to the research questions, and some reference opinions are provided for the government, schools, teachers, etc., in the hope of promoting Macao's integrated education to further progress.

Conflicts Of Jurisdiction Over Transnational Cybercrime A Case Study of China Approach - Tam, Pou Leng (2024)
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.