Purdue Northwest business professor pens textbook

Now, he’s distilled many of his teachings into his first textbook, “The Business Enterprise: In Search of Profits.” Green River Learning published the business textbook, an introductory guide that can be used for business classes at colleges and universities and that Sindone, a clinical associate professor of finance and economic development, thinks would impart valuable lessons to small business owners, entrepreneurs looking to get a company off the ground and master of business administration students looking to get a primer. 

“What started the whole thing was polling students on why they don’t read textbooks,” he said. “I got interesting responses over the past couple years: the books are too long or they don’t cover things that are relevant. So I contacted a publisher about writing a shorter, more relevant textbook that covered all the topics we do in class.”

Sindone spent more than 18 months writing the book, writing at night, on weekends and in between classes at school. He worked with the publisher’s graphic designers to present all the information.

“We peppered each chapter with websites and videos that complement what I teach in class,” he said. “The chapters are short and as relevant as possible. It’s a basic business survey that covers nearly everything: starting a business, doing marketing, understanding pricing, those sorts of things.”

He uses the textbook in his Introduction to Business 101 at Purdue University Northwest.

“Outside of my lecture notes, the research from my book came from a lot of different sources. I use a lot of real sources outside of academia, like the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Society of Quality Engineers and things of that nature. It covers economics, finance, accounting, marketing, management, workforce, how to hire people, how to manage people, how to operate your business, how to price your goods and services.”

Another professor at Purdue University Northwest is data-testing the work. Sindone donates royalties to fund a scholarship at the College of Business.

Sindone has taught there for 15 years and has been a college professor for 35 years.

“I hope students take away a basic understanding of business and its relevance to society,” he said. “It not only covers my intro class but my practical knowledge. I’ve had a business. I’ve consulted for businesses. I want a textbook that will be read. Too often students just buy textbooks they don’t use.”

Students’ attention spans have shortened over time. Distractions have proliferated along with technology like smartphones and streaming services.

“There’s so much stimulus out there,” Sindone said. “I try to get their attention. I kind of call it an un-texbook. I keep the chapters short and sweet so they get something out of it. I give them references if they want to know more or take a deeper dive on a particular process.”

The textbook is in an ebook format, so he can constantly update the references to make sure they remain relevant in future editions. It’s filled with assignments and exercises. 

“At Purdue Northwest, business is part of the general education curriculum,” Sindone said. “It’s not just business students taking it. It’s English majors and psychology majors as well. I wrote it with that in mind. I kept the language easy to understand.”

The book will mostly be ordered by professors who find it aligns with their curriculum, but it would also be of interest to anyone generally interested in the subject of business, such as someone pursuing an MBA for professional development in their careers, Sindone said.

“I started to write like I teach the class,” he said. “I’m always getting feedback from the students and trying to find different ways to explain things. I love what I do. The subject matter is the easy part. It’s just a matter of sitting down, writing and editing to where people get an understanding.”