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Center for Applied Business Research

Research. Business. Success.

Who We Are

The center coordinates applied research-related activities in the College of Business at APSU, circulating research updates, creating research opportunities, and promoting the CoB research community.

Mission 

We team up with faculty experts who want to tackle real-world challenges and transform business research to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Vision

Through a collaborative approach, the CABR strives to become a business research network linking scholars, industry leaders, business owners, and students to positively impact business and society.

Spring 2024 Newsletter

We're thrilled to unveil the inaugural edition of the CABR newsletter, introducing our new faculty fellows at the Center for Applied Business Research (CABR).

View Newsletter

Meet the Director

Dr. Vikkie McCarthy headshot

Dr. Vikkie McCarthy
Director of the Center for Applied Business Research
Professor of Management


Dr. Vikkie McCarthy is a Professor of Management and studies how business impacts society and business sustainability. She is the author of peer-reviewed research journal articles, case studies, and books. Her research has been published in academic and business journals to include the Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, the Journal of Business Leadership, Journal of Business Pedagogy, and the International Journal of Business Education.

 

Faculty Fellows

Asit Bandyopadhyay

Dr. Asit Bandyopadhayay
Assistant Professor of Business Analytics


Asit Bandyopadhayay, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Business Analytics and MIS. His research interests include blockchain applications in ensuring data privacy; blockchain applications in supply chain management; information literacy and cybersecurity challenges among Gen Z; cybersecurity breaches and privacy policy, Generative AI, big data analysis, and sustainable supply chain management. His work has been published in academic journals such as International Journal of Social and Humanistic Computing, International Journal of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management Journal. He loves to work with local businesses to solve their data, supply chain, information systems and cybersecurity related problems.


 

Dr. Terry Damron

Dr. Terry Damron
Associate Professor of Marketing


Terry Stringer Damron is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, USA. Damron is published in the areas of preventive health care marketing, social media marketing, consumer behavior, supply chain management, and marketing education. A champion of undergraduate research and experiential learning, she was the 2020 recipient of the AJ Taylor Distinguished Professorship Award for Excellence in Teaching. Damron holds an M.A. in Communication Arts (2007), an Ed.D. in Leadership and Professional Practice (2011), and an M.B.A. in Marketing (2022).


 

Dr. Elif Demiral Saglam

Dr. Elif Demiral Saglam
Assistant Professor of Economics


Elif Demiral Saglam is an Assistant Professor of Economics at Austin Peay State University, specializing in behavioral and environmental economics. Her research is rooted in understanding the behavioral factors driving gender disparities within the labor market while also developing policy recommendations to mitigate these discrepancies. Dr. Demiral Saglam’s research has been published in prestigious economics journals like the American Economic Review and covered by media outlets such as The New York Times. She holds her Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University and completed a research fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School.


 

Dr. Matt Farrell

Dr. Matt Farrell
Assistant Professor of Management


Matthew Farrell is an Assistant Professor of Management at Austin Peay State University. His research focuses on the intersection of governance, strategy, and innovation. Working with teams of talented coauthors, he aims to produce rigorous research that both advances theory and yields practical applications. Dr. Farrell’s expertise in set-theoretic methodologies such as qualitative comparative analysis or analytical induction facilitate the unique insights produced by his research efforts. He holds a master’s degree in education as well as a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Virginia Commonwealth University. His work has appeared in outlets such as Technological Forecasting & Social Change and the International Journal of Emerging Markets.


 

Dr. Elizabeth Rankin

Dr. Elizabeth Rankin
Instructor of Business Law


Elizabeth Rankin is an Instructor of Business Law at Austin Peay State University. She has been a practicing attorney in Clarksville, TN, for over thirty years. Dr. Rankin has served as a former Trust Officer for First Federal Savings Bank of Clarksville, a General Sessions Judge for Montgomery County, and an attorney in the Law Offices of Cunningham, Mitchell, and Rocconi. She has taught business law classes at APSU since 1995.


 

Dr. Tim Self

Dr. Tim Self
Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management


Dr. Tim Self serves as an Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management at Austin Peay State University. Dr. Self has a Ph.D. in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Purdue University, a master's degree from the University of Alabama, and a bachelor's degree from California State University, Chico. He also has extensive industry experience in recruitment in Atlanta, GA, collaborating with Fortune 500 companies, and gained hands-on experience in the hospitality sector. Dr. Self specializes in research focused on employee attraction and retention within the hospitality industry.