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.
Check out the latest edition of the CABR newsletter! In this issue, you’ll find updates from our director, learn more about our faculty fellows and their research, and stay informed with the latest news from the Center for Applied Business Research (CABR).
Meet the Director
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Dr. Vikkie McCarthy |
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
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Dr. Asit Bandyopadhayay |
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.
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Dr. Terry Damron |
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).
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Dr. Elif Demiral Saglam |
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.
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Dr. Matt Farrell |
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.
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Dr. Elizabeth Rankin |
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.
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Dr. Tim Self |
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.
