Research

Business and Tourism Faculty Research   

Business and Tourism faculty are actively engaged in a variety of research projects. Some of these research projects are described below.
For more information on research at the Mount, see the Research link. 

2009 - 2011 SSHRC Research grant - Co-applicant, Wanda George,in partnership with researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Ottawa, University of Manitoba, University Leuven, Belgium and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, is working on a project to further advance the research goals of the World Heritage Tourism Research Network (WHTRN) internationally, including developing a searchable database of World Heritage Site (WHS) related tourism researchers from around the world, and a new open access database of bibliographic resources on WHS and related tourism, new logo and revamped web site.  

2009 – 2010  MSVU Internal Grant - Wanda is also the principal investigator in a research project that involves an investigation of tourism development in Îles de la Madeleine, QC.

Atlantic Seniors Housing Research Alliance (ASHRA) - Dr. Don Shiner, Ph.D., Principal Researcherwww.ashra.ca

ASHRA is a five year research project (2005-2009) investigating the housing needs of aging Atlantic Canadians. The study brings together seniors, academics, service providers, housing developers and government departments from all four Atlantic provinces to determine how to meet the housing needs of this rapidly aging population. Principal Investigator is Dr Donald Shiner (donald.shiner@msvu.ca) a member of the Department of Business Administration and Tourism and Hospitality Management. Funding for the study comes from a $1 million dollar grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada - Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) program. An additional $181,000 comes from the government of Nova Scotia-Department of Community Services, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Dalhousie University, the University of Prince Edward Island, Memorial University of Newfoundland, the University of New Brunswick and MSVU."

Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network- Prof. Elizabeth Hicks
Elizabeth is part of the research team for the Social Economy and Sustainability Research Network. This research initiative, guided by principal researcher, Leslie Brown (Sociology & Anthropology), was designed to describe the social economy in Canada. The social economy includes organizations that have been established to meet the needs of communities, but that do not confirm to the traditional business model. These organizations include co-ops, volunteer organizations, and others that strive to meet social needs without a profit motive. MSVU makes up the Atlantic node of the cross-country organization. The project is funded by a $1.7 million, 5-year Social Sciences and Humanities Council grant.

The Nova Scotia Gambling Research Project Prof. Karen Blotnicky (Coordinator), Business & Tourism; Dr. Mallika Das, Business & Tourism; Dr. Michael Fitzgerald, Child & Youth Study; Dr. Fred French, Education; Dr. Deborah Norris, Family Studies & Gerontology; formerly Dr. David Perrier, Sociology & Criminology (SMU); Prof. Elaine Seniuk, Business & Tourism (part-time). In 2009, the project also welcomed the following researchers to its team: Dr. Carmel French, Child & Youth Study; Dr. Peter Mombourquette, Business & Tourism.

The Nova Scotia Gambling Research Project was created to investigate youth gambling in Nova Scotia. The project was started with a $75,000 grant from the Nova Scotia Gaming Corporation. The research agenda employs a multi-stakeholder, integrated framework that enhances understanding of youth gambling from many perspectives, aimed at transforming research findings into programs aimed at prevention and intervention for problem gambling and the development of more responsible gaming practices.

The primary mandate of the project was to create a baseline of understanding of the problem of youth gambling in Nova Scotia. In addition to reviewing existing literature and completing a pilot study, researchers collaborated with other gambling experts in the community. Collaboration focused on sourcing and combining expertise from the treatment community, youth workers, teen health workers, medical and research communities. Researchers have a forward-looking agenda to ensure future involvement in research about youth gambling, intervention and responsible gaming options relevant to Nova Scotia's needs. Project researchers are dedicated to linking an understanding of gambling among youth to responsible gaming approaches.