Faculty of Business and Law
Specialisation in Business Administration
DOCBA-2021-01: NEUROECONOMICS / NEUROMARKETING
There is a connection between Neurosciences and Business Administration and is a trendy area in management, marketing, and people’s development research. The marketing industry classically based its analysis on the effectiveness of campaigns and advertisements on surveys or A/B tests. Although those have proved some level of understanding of the general results, several details of consumer behaviour and reactions are still relevant to research. The monitoring of human reactions based on biological signals and images is based on pure data analysis and is not biased by any kind of consumer external opinion, deceive or trick during some experiment. This research topic is broad and we are focused on: (1) how the neurosciences can help companies and professionals to sell more and better; (2) how to create more effective campaigns, which includes target population, effectiveness, and branding; (3) in a more personal approach, how can executives improve their performance, decision-making process and stress management.
Supervisor: Alexandre Lobo (alexandre.lobo@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Business Analytics; Neuroeconomics; Neuromarketing; Innovation
DOCBA-2021-02: PROJECT, PROGRAM AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
The application of Project Management frameworks is continuously increasing in the corporate environment, groups are being trained and professionals are getting certified and the demand is still very high. Nevertheless, several problems in organizations still persist during a project execution such as poor scope definition, lack of communication and superficial use of project management methodologies. Our research is focused on analysis, processes and techniques that may effectively and successfully manage projects, programs and portfolios in different dimensions, according to the management areas: scope, time, cost, quality, risk (including Monte Carlo simulation and quantitative analytical tools), change, people, among others.
Supervisor: Alexandre Lobo (alexandre.lobo@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Business Analytics; Project Management; Artificial Intelligence; Innovation
DOCBA-2021-03: BUSINESS ANALYTICS; DATA SCIENCE AND APPLIED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
With the rapidly increasing amount of data in organizations; the importance of effective information extraction and visualization are critical to any company. Several possibilities of tools and techniques for data analysis and visualization are available; but which approach is efficient to one specific bunch of data? On the other hand; the AI – Artificial Intelligence is also an important trend to be considered by companies to help solve complex problems; not only in Production or Engineering but also in Finance and Management. Research areas: (1) Decision making based on AI; (2) Business Analytics (including HR; Finance; other applications); (3) Data Analysis and Visualization tools and techniques; (4) time series analysis based on linear and nonlinear approaches.
Supervisor: Alexandre Lobo (alexandre.lobo@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Business Analytics; Artificial Intelligence; Smart Cities; Innovation
DOCBA-2021-04: CASE STUDIES OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN THE GREATER BAY AREA
Social entrepreneurship is a rather new area which has been widely studied only from the beginning of this century. Since the idea of “social entrepreneurship” was brought to attention among scholars by J. G. Dees (1998); research in the area has grown rapidly in the West; with most of the researches focusing on conceptualizing social entrepreneurship and on defining the term; or on individual case studies of successful social enterprises (Dacin et. al.; 2010). The application of social entrepreneurship has also been highly promoted in China; Hong Kong; and lately in Macau. However, there is both a lack of understanding of this form of enterprises and a lack of empirical research of social enterprises in this part of the world. Therefore, this project aims to look at social enterprises in the Greater Bay Area from the perspectives of identity and perception; organisational networking and social capital; in the form of case studies.
Supervisor: Jenny Phillips (jennylao@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Social Entrepreneurship; Identity; Networking; Social Capital
DOCBA-2021-05: TRANSGENERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE FAMILY BUSINESSES
Family businesses is a dominant form of business in the Chinese world. Although 90% of local SMEs do not consider themselves family businesses; the effect of family in businesses; especially the longer surviving businesses in Macao cannot be ignored. It is our research interest to study Chinese family businesses; or Chinese SMEs in the region or in the global context from the point of view of transgenerational succession; family and business synergy; human and social capital development in family businesses and non-family SMEs; and innovation in traditional family and non-family SMEs.
Supervisor: Jenny Phillips (jennylao@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Family Business and SMEs; Transgenerational Succession; Social Capital
DOCBA-2021-06: ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS
The recent financial crisis such as the one in 2008; brought back the issue related to the importance of ethical behaviour in business organizations.
Setting ethical standards in organizations is considered today as a condition for success. Adopting Ethical standards in an organization on one hand; create more confidence in the current or potential investors as for the sustainability of the business, and on the other hand; it improves the level of loyalties of the customer to the business. Having ethical standards are one thing but implementing them might face challenges. In that regard, the focus of this research area is to conduct a thorough case study and an assessment of the role of organizational leaders in the implementation and deepening of ethical behaviours in their organizations.
Supervisor: Ansoumane Douty DIAKITE (doutyk@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Ethics; Leadership and Business
DOCBA-2021-07: TRADE IN SERVICES: NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE WTO- OECD BATIS DATASET
From the newly launched WTO-OECD Balanced Trade in Services (BaTIS) dataset of over 200 regions from 2005 to 2019; this study identifies the stylized facts regarding the current environment of trade in services (OECD; 2021). To highlight the features of trade in services in contrast to trade in merchandise; this study focuses on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) modes of trade in services: i) cross-border trade; ii) consumption abroad; iii) commercial presence and iv) presence of natural persons as well as their comparison (World Trade Organization; 2021). Based on these observations; this study constructs a unifying framework of existing models of trade suitable for analysing the main research questions of trade in services – why (the determinants); how (the patterns) and who (the welfare effects on consumers and producers). The theoretical framework motivates regression models appropriate for estimating the empirical relationship between total trade in services and its determinants; including but not limited to GDP and distance between countries; trade barriers or their liberalization; geographical characteristics; and cultural factors of the trading partners.
Supervisor: Lei Weng Chi (florence.lei@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: International Economics; Industrial Organization
DOCBA-2021-08: INTRA-INDUSTRY SPILLOVER IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRIAL CLUSTER OF MACAO
Firms in a Marshallian industrial district exploit external economies of scale. In the agglomeration, these firms benefit from i) a skilled labour pool; ii) specialized suppliers and iii) knowledge spillover across firms. The resulting industrial organization is a cluster of small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). As a world-class tourist destination, Macao was named by UNESCO as a “Creative City of Gastronomy” (UNESCO Creative Cities Network; 2021). Macao’s food and beverages (F&B) industry constitutes a successful example of a Marshallian industrial district. However, there have been insufficient studies of each of the agglomeration effects on Macao’s F&B industry. In particular, firm-level data are lacking. Therefore, this study aims at surveying a large number of local F&B SMEs in order to identify the magnitude, the channels, and the dynamics of the agglomeration effects. A spatial vector autoregression (VAR) model is suitable for estimating and analysing the externalities across firms. Based on the theoretical implications; the empirical findings and the responses of the participating firms; this study provides management strategies and policy suggestions regarding the future development and sustainability of the local F&B industry.
Supervisor: Lei Weng Chi (Florence) (florence.lei@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: International Economics; Industrial Organization
DOCBA-2021-09: SHORT-RUN AND MEDIUM-RUN IMPACTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TRADE IN SERVICES
Travel restrictions during the global pandemic made trade in services in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) modes of ii) consumption abroad and iv) presence of natural persons infeasible in many countries (World Trade Organization; 2021). However, it appeared that the other two modes of trade in services: i) cross-border trade and iii) commercial presence have grown significantly during the pandemic (World Trade Organization; 2021). This study questions whether services traded through the different modes were complements; substitutes or unrelated before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. For example, some service providers that required foreign consumers to visit them in person before the outbreak have invested on equipment that enabled them to export services cross-border through the internet during the outbreak. Since the investment were on durable capital goods and services and the consumers have experienced the advantages of the new modes of trade; certain level of “consumption abroad” is expected to be substituted with “cross-border trade” even after the pandemic has ended. In other words, the health crisis might not only have short-run impacts on the relations between different modes of trade in services; but may also have extended medium-run impacts beyond the outbreak. To evaluate both the short-run and the medium-run impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade in services; this study uses econometric methods to analyse data in the newly launched WTO-OECD Balanced Trade in Services (BaTIS) dataset; which covers over 200 regions in the period of 2005 to 2019 (OECD; 2021). The analysis also performs comparative studies over subsets of regions (e.g., developing or advanced economies; economies in different geographic areas; etc.).
Supervisor: Lei Weng Chi (Florence) (florence.lei@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: International Economics; Industrial Organization
DOCBA-2021-10: THE DEVELOPMENT, ROLE, AND IMPACT OF A NEW ECONOMIC PARADIGM AND CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY WITHIN THE BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE
In midst of financial and health crises the research proposal questions a one-sided economic paradigm which is exclusively focused on profit maximization and explores more comprehensive models of finance and economics which would be primarily be oriented towards the common good. However, still no adequate financial reform has been undertaken and new crises such as COVID-19 prove devastating for large sections of the society where the gap between the rich and poor is widening. The research looks at the key components of a new economic paradigm and corporate philanthropy which has not only an impact on beliefs, values and attitudes of individuals but also shapes new institutional cultures. The research has a particular focus on institutional economics and the role leadership plays in Asian environments in shaping a new economic paradigm and corporate philanthropy oriented towards the common good.
Supervisor: Stephan Rothlin (stephan.rothlin@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Leadership; New Economic Paradigm; Common Good; Corporate Philanthropy
DOCBA-2021-11: CASE STUDY RESEARCH ON MEASUREMENT AND KEY PARAMETERS OF RESPONSIBLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ALONG THE BELT & ROAD INITIATIVE
The Belt & Road Initiative has been a major project of the Chinese government to do business and cultural exchange with other countries. Based on the recent research on “ESG”, “Environmental Social and Governmental” the research critically evaluates how significant methods of social analysis which focus on Responsible Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship may have a real impact on sustainable development within the BRI especially in going beyond a destructive old fashioned exclusive attention to economic growth at the expense of ESG factors.
Supervisor: Stephan Rothlin (stephan.rothlin@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Environmental-Social-Governmental; Responsible Entrepreneurship; Belt & Road Initiative
DOCBA-2021-12: VISUAL MEDIA AND THE PEDAGOGY OF NARRATIVE VIRTUE ETHICS
The discourse of ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility seems often not effective enough as it evolves too much on the normative side without adequately involving all stakeholders into a genuine dialogue. The research explores story lines in visual media which highlight the importance of narration in visual media as a key element to drive moral imagination and the motivation to act in an ethical way. More specifically the Confucian term of a morally inspiring leader, the “Junzi”, “君子” is used as a methodological framework of a practical approach to leadership ethics as the inspiring leader “walks the talk”.
Supervisor: Stephan Rothlin (stephan.rothlin@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Visual Media; Narrative Ethics; Junzi; Leadership Ethics
DOCBA-2021-13: CONSUMER INTENTIONALITY TOWARD HUMAN-CHATBOT INTERACTION
The aim of this study is to investigate the consumer intentionality toward human-chatbot interaction. The focus of this thesis is on the important subdiscipline within AI applied for marketing communication that is human-chatbot interaction. Chatbots are interactive, virtual agents that engage in verbal interactions with humans through the usage of natural language. As chatbots have become increasingly popular over the past years, many companies have recognized their far-reaching potential for commercial purposes (e.g. customer support, e-commerce guidance). However, despite their widespread usage, it remains mostly unknown which factors affect users’ perceptions and use of chatbots.
Supervisor: Susana Costa e Silva (susana.costa.silva@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Human-Chatbot Interaction; Technology Adoption; Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
DOCBA-2021-14: GUILT’S IMPACT IN CONSUMPTION – COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT CULTURAL SETTINGS
Guilt in the scope of consumption is a rather complex construct that has never been comprehensively disentangled and measured in a complete way. We aim at understanding in which way this source of guilt guides individuals’ decisions in what concerns their buying and consumption options. We are interested in understanding this construct better in its different dimensions and understand if the predisposition to feel guilt varies across age groups/generations or contextual settings. Are there any differences in the way consumers of different generations experience guilt associated to consumption?
Supervisor: Susana Costa e Silva (susana.costa.silva@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Consumer Behaviour; Marketing, Consumer Psychology; Cultural Differences
DOCBA-2021-15: SECOND-HAND MARKET FOR CLOTHING
Due to economic recessions, political instability, rise of the conscious consumption and generational development, second-hand markets have conquered appreciation among consumers (Rucker et al., 1995; Park, et al. 2020. Along with these factors, Clarke (2016) states the growth of certain sites, such as eBay, as potentiator of the development of these markets. However, there has been a recent trend in the development of websites for selling second hand specific products that are gaining popularity. One of these trends includes products specifically for kids. The focus of this thesis is on the study of the market of second-hand products for kids. We aim at understanding how consumers of this products decide.
Supervisor: Susana Costa e Silva (susana.costa.silva@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Consumer Behaviour; Consumer’s Preferences; Sustainability; Social Embarrassment
Specialisation in Government Studies
DOCGS-2021-01: BEHAVIOR TOWARDS E-GOVERNMENT
The Macau government has been investing a vast amount of time and resources in developing Macao into a smart city through the application of e-government over the last 15 years or more. These efforts have seen successes in other cities. We are currently applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour to study the adoption of e-government by different groups of citizens in Macau, and civil servants involved in the implementation of e-systems for different government departments. For a more comprehensive understanding of the behaviour and action of citizens, we call for studies applying different theories or framework to analyse the behaviour of e-government application and adoption in Macau.
Supervisor: Jenny Phillips (jennylao@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: E-Government Adoption; E-Government Implementation; Behavioural Theory
DOCGS-2021-02: ETHIC AND PUBLIC GOVERNANCE
The constant mutations in the public administrations have raised important ethical issues. These mutations are the result of the changing expectations of the citizens in government to adopt a new form of governance and principles governing the delivery of public services. Therefore, through a case study, this research focuses on the following 4 areas: Ethics and E-Government; Ethical issues in Public-Private Partnership; Implementation of Ethical standards; Comparative ethical problems solving.
Supervisor: Ansoumane Douty DIAKITE (doutyk@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Ethics in Public Administration
DOCGS-2021-03: FINANCIAL CRIME MANAGEMENT
Today, economically motivated crimes have been on rise. Financial institutions and the users of the information and technology systems are either used as a medium to commit business crimes or victims of business crimes such as fraud, corruption, money laundering and cybercrime. The impacts of these crimes are not only felt at the micro level (the individual and financial sector) but also at the macro level when we talk about the impact on the entire economy of a given country and also the transnational impact of such crimes. This area of research focuses on: (1) evaluating the effectiveness of both national and international responses against financial crime and the capacity of countries to adopt, implement national strategic plan and create financial intelligence system; (2) analyse the possibility and challenges associated with the use of public and private partnership as strategy to tackle financial crime; (3) the risks and opportunities presented by new technologies when it comes to deal with financial crimes; (4) the financial crime control and human rights.
Supervisor: Ansoumane Douty DIAKITE (doutyk@usj.edu.mo)
Keywords: Law; Financial Sector and Crime
