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National award for business textbook
A 630-page business textbook co-authored by a University of the Sunshine Coast academic has won its category of the 2010 Australian Educational Publishing Awards.
The awards were presented by the Australian Publishers Association at a ceremony at the University of Sydney.
USC Associate Professor Kathy Lynch was the adapting author of Business Driven Information Systems, an expanded and updated version of the popular American business technology textbook.
Dr Lynch, who is an Associate Professor in Information and Communication Technology research and development, used many examples of business information practices from Sunshine Coast businesses and information from USC and other local experts.
The book won in the category of “Tertiary (adaptation) teaching and learning”.
Judges said: “This excellent text presents a refreshing perspective in that the focus is on business activity models, rather than on the systems used to drive them.”
The book was praised for neatly integrating business management and information technology and for avoiding jargon. Judges said the currency of the topic also made it a valuable student resource.
Dr Lynch, one of four co-authors, said the book had been picked up by universities across Australia and New Zealand, with its broad appeal reflected in sales of more than 4,000 copies so far.
“That means undergraduate and postgraduate students as far as New Zealand are learning about USC staff and graduates and Coast businesses such as Buderim Ginger, the Innovation Centre and Action Tanks,” she said.
Dr Lynch said the publisher, McGraw-Hill, also was delighted by the publishing award.
— Julie Gatehouse