To celebrate the launching of its new journal, Enterprise & Society: The International Journal of Business History, the Business History Conference will organize its next meeting around the theme "Enterprise in Society." This conference will meet from March 10 to 12, 2000, in Palo Alto, California. The conference host is The Prologue Group.

We invite proposals for papers that explicitly situate business enterprises within larger social, cultural, and political contexts. Papers might explore, for example, how these contexts shape decisions by business men and women, influence entrepreneurs' organization of their enterprises, and even affect business leaders' goals for their firms. Papers also could explore how these larger systems channel information flows within and among business enterprises and between businesses and the environment in which they operate. Submissions on topics outside this theme also are welcome.

Proposals may be submitted for individual papers or for entire panels. All proposals should include one page abstracts and one page CVs or resumes for all participants. Panel proposals also should have a cover letter containing a title, a one paragraph panel description, suggestions for a chair and commentator, and contact information for the panel organizer.

In addition to submitting regular paper proposals, graduate students in the process of writing their dissertations may apply for inclusion in a special works-in-progress session. Interested students should submit a one page abstract of their project and a one page CV. All graduate student presenters (except for previous grant recipients) are eligible for a Newcomen Travel Grant.

Some of the papers presented at the conference will be selected for inclusion in the annual proceedings issue of Enterprise & Society. The best conference paper published in this journal will receive the Newcomen Prize ($1,000).

The deadline for submission is October 15, 1999. Please send five copies to Roger Horowitz at the address below.

Dissertations completed in the previous three years (1997-1999) are eligible for the conference's dissertation session. Proposals are welcome from Ph. D recipients in history, economics, history of technology and other fields whose work is on business history, broadly defined. Completed dissertations should be sent by October 15, 1999 to Dr. Kenneth Lipartito.

The Program Committee consists of Colleen Dunlavy (chair), Glenn Bugos, and Regina Blaszczyk. Naomi Lamoreaux (BHC president-elect) and Roger Horowitz (BHC secretary- treasurer) are ex officio members. Address questions about the program to Colleen Dunlavy by email (dunlavy@alum.MIT.edu) or by phone (until June 24, [212] 750-6031; after July 2, [608] 257-4206).

Acceptance letters will be sent by 30 November. Presenters are expected to submit abstracts of their papers in electronic form for posting on the BHC website. Authors also are encouraged to post electronic versions of their full papers in advance of the March meeting.