Page 71 - THEi Student Applied Research Presentations 2025

AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS AND
POSSIBILITIES OF SELF-DRIVING

VEHICLES IN THE OPERATION OF FOOD
SUPPLY CHAINS IN HONG KONG

Poster
YAU Chun Cheung
BA (Hons) in Culinary Arts and Management
Department of Hospitality and Business Management

OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH BACKGROUND

The urban living of Hong Kong makes the food supply chain more challenging; most of the • Examine the perception of the
community with regards to AVs in
food is imported (90%), and the supply process suffers serious inefficiencies because of the food logistics in Hong Kong
traffic jams, the lack of labor force, and elevated operation charges. The traditional solutions subject to familiarity, safety issues,
are based on human logistics which are not scalable and reliable. The transformative future and trust.
of autonomous driving (AVs) is presented by the idea of a better optimization of routes by AI, • Assess economic consequences
24/7 activity, and less human intervention-related drawbacks. This paper examines the case of AV use such as cost reduction,
of AV integration to manage logistical bottlenecks, reduce costs, and support sustainability, in threat to jobs in the transport
Hong Kong and the specific situation of managing difficulties arising, such as the concerns industry, and the necessity to retrain
related to public safety, spaces of regulatory void, and potential displacement of the workforce. the logistics industry workforce.
• Examine the environmental impact
METHODOLOGY of AVs, with the focus being a
1. Quantitative Surveys: It was carried out using structured questionnaires among possible reduction of carbon
202 sample population of residents and stakeholders in food logistics based in Hong footprint and food waste produced
Kong. The measure variables used were AV familiarity (likert scales), safety/trust because of the optimal routing.
perception, economic expectations, environmental benefits and adoption intent. • Between identifying regulatory
2. Statistical Analysis: Analysis was performed with the help of the SPSS v28. gaps and offering context-specific
Techniques included: policy recommendations, they
• Descriptive statistics (demographics, variables distributions). should make sure that successful
• Inferential (Pearson / Spearman correlations, ANOVA, linear regression). integration of AVs facilitates safe,
• It is expected to conduct the mediation analysis (PROCESS Macro Model 4) ethical, and equitable AV integration.
to investigate trust as a moderating factor between familiarity and the intention • Come up with implementable
to adopt. plans that can enable stakeholders
3. Ethical Compliance: Anonymized data collection, storage which is encrypted and (businesses, policymakers) to
the permission of ethics board at THEi was executed. utilize the benefits of AV and reduce
socioeconomic and operational
FINDINGS challenges.
1. Public Attitudes: Familiarity with AVs strongly correlated with positive attitudes ABOUT THE INVESTIGATOR
(r=.409,p<.001r=.409,p<.001), but cybersecurity concerns reduced willingness to
adopt (r=−.37,p<.01r=−.37,p<.01). Trust mediated 14.8% of adoption intent. I am a motivated person and am
2. Economic Impact: Low-income groups feared job displacement currently in the final year in the
(ρ=−.213,p=.002ρ=−.213,p=.002). No significant link existed between income and Culinary Arts and Management
perceived cost savings. program, exploring the intersection
3. Environmental Benefits: Strong industry adoption intent was driven by environmental of technology, sustainability, and
gains (ρ=.582,p<.001ρ=.582,p<.001), supporting sustainability incentives. effective food systems. My ambition
4. Regulatory Gaps: Ambiguous liability frameworks (e.g., age-linked legal concerns, is to be an urban logistics innovator,
ρ=.164,p=.020ρ=.164,p=.020) and data privacy risks highlighted urgent policy needs. using AI-based services to create a
5. Demographic Insights: Higher education levels predicted greater trust in AV safety resilient and fair food supply chain
(η2=.376,p<.001η2=.376,p<.001), while driver’s license ownership did not affect in high-density cities such as Hong
safety perceptions. Kong. The project indicates my
DISCUSSION determination to integrate cooking
skills with transformational technology
While AVs offer transformative potential for efficiency and sustainability, success to contribute to the real world. My FYP
hinges on resolving cybersecurity, equitable labor transitions, and agile regulations. supervisor is Ms Joyce WONG.
Public education and phased AV zoning are critical next steps.
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