A FAMILY of Darwen academics could be helping students across the country pass their degrees after writing two text books on marketing and business.

Professor Dr Claudio Vignali, 56, of Hillside Gardens, has previously written books about retail, marketing and management, one of which has been translated into Croatian for students at the University of Zagreb Graduate School of Business and Economics.

Now, for the first time, the former Akzo Nobel export manager has teamed up with his children to produce two works Retail Fashion Marketing and International Entrepreneurship Prospectives.

His son, Gianpaolo Vignali, 24, also of Hillside Gardens, studied at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology and is now a lecturer at the International Faculty at Leeds Metropolitan University.

And daughter Daniella Vignali-Riding, 32, of Astley Heights, Darwen, studied at Manchester University, from where her father also graduated, and is a senior lecturer at the Business School at the University of Central Lancashire.

Mr Vignali senior said: "We have been working on these books for a couple of years and both are cutting-edge text books in the sense that one has 15 case studies and the other 32 case studies which are very up-to-date.

"They will be used by degree students at universities.

"Between the three of us during our studies and research, we have covered a variety of subjects, including marketing, strategic decision making, consumer behaviour and retailing, and my daughter and I have 12 degrees between us."

The trio travelled to the University of Zagreb recently to launch the books.

Claudio, whose parents emigrated from Italy to Darwen after the war, has been offered jobs in America, Italy and Kenya, but his roots have remained firmly in the town where he was born.

He has been employed as visiting professor at universities in Zagreb, Poland and Austria.