The public Macau Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) said in a statement yesterday that it continues its effort to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic through student projects.
According to the statement, one of the projects began in January and used virtual approaches to guide and lead students towards their learning. The project helped a new startup called LESS IS MORE that offers environmental-friendly products to stimulate lifestyle changes and healthier living, the statement said.
The project was part of an entrepreneurship course led by IFTM Visiting Assistant Professor Fernando Lourenço to help LESS IS MORE research and develop its strategic vision for the coming five years. Towards the end, full business plans were developed and a wide range of strategies and ideas offered by the students who participated in this project, the statement said.
Lourenço led IFTM student Jennifer Loi Mei Keng to complete her final year thesis to explore the views of 369 millennials (year of birth 1982 - 2000) in terms of their attitudes and behaviour towards green products and purchasing.
The main findings, according to the statement, suggested that the quality of the product, the value for money of the product, convenience of shopping as well as environmental knowledge were among the strongest factors that influenced purchasing behaviour.
The founders of LESS IS MORE, Rachel Wong Ka Leng and Ken Ha Chon Ieng, ”were impressed with the thesis findings and the results of the whole student project and believed that the students could also benefit greatly from this real project,” the statement said.
Startuppers Rachel Wong Ka Leng (right) and Ken Ha Chon Ieng pose at their MORE IS LESS eco-friendly shop last month. – Photo: IFTM
