Daring to travel

Research grants, contracts, and awards are pivotal in assisting graduate students by covering crucial research expenses, facilitating knowledge mobilization, and nurturing their professional development.

D-AIRing Research: Our team's core projects

D-AIRing to improve air travel for passengers living with dementia
2023-2025 ($124,556)

We integrate recent developments in services marketing, emphasizing the temporal, emotional, and holistic aspects of air travel experiences. This alignment is supported by evidence derived from participative ethnography and stakeholder interviews. Our ongoing research endeavors aim to yield fresh insights into the dynamics of service encounters to generate solutions catering to the unique needs of older adults with dementia. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to improving aging in place and promote active participation in travel among this growing demographic.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey and Dr. Linda Garcia

Canadian airport services and programs for people living with dementia and their travel companions
2023-2024 Contract ($39,980)

We identified the airport-related programs and services available to persons with hidden or invisible disabilities (i.e., people living with dementia), noted planned or future initiatives in this space, and the availability and accessibility of these programs online (websites). The findings will assist Transport Canada in ensuring that the national transportation system is accessible to persons with disabilities.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey and Dr. Linda Garcia

Invited Conference Delegate
2023 Valentina Primossi & Michael Mulvey

Grant of conference registrations.

Chicago, USA

Invited Conference Delegate
2022 Michael Mulvey

Grant of conference registration.

Manama, Bahrain

Canadians D-AIRing to travel: Air travel and passengers living with dementia
2021-2022 Contract ($39,750)

We engaged key stakeholders in discussions and workshops to identify accessibility barriers for older passengers living with cognitive impairment or dementia using air transportation. Its purpose is to stimulate awareness and develop strategies and recommendations for dementia-inclusive air travel within Canada and abroad.

Contacts: Dr. Linda Garcia and Dr. Michael S. Mulvey

A netnographic approach to identifying the barriers that persons with dementia and their air travel companions face
2021 Telfer Research Grant ($10,000)

Online forums provide a rich public archive of authentic conversations where travelers openly discuss challenges and strategies employed to navigate adversity. Leveraging a netnographic approach, this study explores the barriers encountered by persons with dementia and their air travel companions. The research maps out the diverse physical, social, and digital factors that either diminish or enhance the overall travel experience by examining interactions across the pre-purchase, purchase, and post-purchase stages.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey

Prequel - Projects preceding team formation.

Profiling the emotional peaks and valleys in stories of cross-border shopping
2019 School of Management Travel Fund ($3,500)

Travel and Tourism Research Association Canada – Annual Conference, Saskatoon.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Dr. Charles Gengler

Using text analytics to detect peak experiences in cross-border shopping
2018 School of Management Travel Fund ($3,500)

AMA/ACRA Triennial Conference, Toronto.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Dr. Charles Gengler

Discerning differences in cross-border shopping occasions
2017 School of Management Travel Fund ($3,500)

Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) International Conference, Quebec

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Michael Lever

Goal pursuit and conflict resolution: evidence from online travel forums
2016 School of Management Travel Fund ($3,500)

International Research Meeting in Business and Management (IRMBAM), Nice.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Xin (Judy) Ye

A netnographic analysis of tensions in snowbirds' travel lifestyle decisions
2015 School of Management Research Fund ($4,100)

We studied social media conversations to investigate differences in travel lifestyle preferences, comparing vacation home and recreational vehicle ownership. The results surfaced differences in retirees' goals and values, offering insights into the tourism industry's need to anticipate and adapt to diverse traveler needs.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Xin (Judy) Ye

Cross-border shopping: Meanings, rules and practices
2013 School of Management Research Fund ($10,000)

An ethnographic study employed diverse research methods to investigate variations in cross-border shopping occasions and motives. These included participant observation, structured and unstructured shopper interviews, in-depth shopper interviews, and interviews with inside sources. The study explored a range of influencers beyond economic factors, such as social dynamics, generational trends, spatiotemporal considerations, and the impact of technology.

Principal Investigators: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey with Michael Lever

Team member collaborations on related research

'They say that I'm vulnerable': older adults' perceptions of disaster resilience and pandemic-related media discourse
2022-2024 ($191,977)

The label ‘vulnerable populations’ is commonplace in disaster management, and it has become a mainstream discourse in news and social media during the COVID‑19 pandemic. But who wants to be labeled ‘vulnerable’? This deficit-oriented term is stigmatizing and influences how people see and act toward this heterogeneous group of people. We explore the opposite concept of 'resilience' and expect this research will stimulate discussion about ageist labels that have stigmatized older adults.

Contacts: Dr. Tracey O'Sullivan with Dr. Michael S. Mulvey

Stronger Together: Making Canada Dementia Inclusive
2022-2023 ($50,000)

We designed and pilot-tested an innovative data collection approach that adopts a co-design citizen science approach, where participants (older people and people living with dementia) are actively involved in building knowledge about and improving the dementia friendliness of their communities using a smartphone app to audit places they visit and their interactions with people while there.

Contacts: Dr. Annie Robitaille with Dr. Kimberly Campbell, Dr. Garcia, and Dr. Mulvey

Stronger Together: Making Ottawa and Renfrew County Dementia Inclusive
2021-23 Dementia Strategic Fund ($700,000)

We created dementia-aware communities and individuals where all people living with dementia feel valued, supported, and included. Also, we reduced the stigma that leads to social isolation and improved the quality of life for all people living with dementia, their caregivers, and their families.

Contacts: Catharina van Es with Dr. Garcia, Dr. Robitaille, and Dr. Mulvey

Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility

Dementia Inclusive Business Strategies (DIBS)
2021-22 Seniors Community Grant Program ($25,000)

We increased the number of businesses that have received dementia-inclusive training, making organizations and individuals aware of the challenges of dementia (including during COVID-19).

Contacts: Catharina van Es and Dean Henderson with Dr. Michael S. Mulvey and Dr. Linda Garcia

DSORC Dementia613 Website and Marketing
2021 Mitacs Business Strategy Internship ($10,000)

An undergraduate intern helped grow the DSORC's referral network by identifying needs and barriers to improve the website user experience.

Contacts: Dr. Michael S. Mulvey and Dr. Linda Garcia

Award

Telfer Knowledge Mobilization Excellence Award 🔗
2025 Michael Mulvey

This award recognizes faculty members who have disseminated knowledge generated through their research to users beyond the scientific community in impactful and innovative ways to strengthen the links between academic research and society.

Student Performance Grants

Michael Brady Young Service Scholar Award
2025 Valentina Primossi

Recognized for an outstanding doctoral research proposal at the world’s leading annual conference on service research, highlighting excellence and innovation.