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  AVON: AN INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON ITS ARCHIVE In the 20 years since Avon Products, Inc., deposited its records at Hagley Library they have become one of our most popular research collections. A virtual event on May 7 will bring attention to their contribution to history. Avon Products, Inc., is one of the oldest direct selling companies in America. It traces its origins to 1886, when David H. McConnell bought the Union Publishing Company and started manufacturing perfumes to give away with his books. McConnell discovered that his customers were more interested in the fragrances than the books, so he decided to concentrate on selling perfumes. The business was renamed the California Perfume Company (CPC) in an effort to associate its products with the perceived beauty of the Golden State. From the beginning, CPC sold directly to the consumer through a national network of sales representatives, primarily women, who were looking for economic opportunity and flexible part-time employment.

CALL FOR PAPERS Special Issue of Essays in Economic & Business History (EEBH) THE ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICANS Special Issue Guest Editors : Gary Hoover+ (Tulane University) and Matthew Mitchell‡ (University of the South) EEBH Editors : Mark Billings (University of Exeter) and Dan Giedeman (Grand Valley State University) EEBH, the journal of the Economic and Business History Society (EBHS), will be publishing a special issue on the economic and business history of Black Americans. This subject remains significantly understudied despite its importance in United States history. The primary goal of the special issue is therefore to encourage and bring greater awareness to research concerning Black American economic and business history. It is hoped that the special issue will stimulate continued research in these areas. We invite paper proposals on all aspects related to this subject. The following potential themes are suggested to indicate the breadth of possible

  OVER THE COUNTER NO.5 8 The Business History Conference April newsletter includes New issues in academic journals Links to recent Interviews and Podcasts A new  MEET THE OFFICERS  interview with Dr. Laura Phillips Sawyer #BHC2021online Award Ceremony Report Reach out to the editor  Paula A. de la Cruz-Fernández Help us amplify our audience by connecting with us and sharing this newsletter BHC LinkedIn Page H-Business BHC Twitter BHC blog  The Exchange

Professor Neil Rollings' (University of Glasgow) Presidential Address   "The Vast and Unsolved Enigma of Power": Business History and Business Power is now in the Business History Conference's YouTube channel:  https://youtu.be/8jbDW2u9vI4

Virtual AHA Seminar: Business History Today April 13th, 2021 2 pm  Colloquium--An assessment of the doing of business history at the beginning of the 21st century, sketching new trends and themes. Chair:  Philip B. Scranton , Rutgers University-Camden Presenters: Business History, Theory, and Globalization by Kenneth J. Lipartito , Florida International University Rethinking Chinese Economic Life and Business History by Philip Thai , Northeastern University Economic Life and the Margins of Business History by Alexia Yates , University of Manchester Histories of Business in Africa: Lessons from Ghana by Bianca Murillo , California State University, Dominguez Hills

The Spanish Association of International Economics and Finance (AEEFI) and the University of Murcia are pleased to announce that the 22nd Conference on International Economic s will take place in Murcia on June 17th and 18th, 2021. The keynote speakers are: Paul De Grauwe   (The London School of Economics and Political Science) Gabriel Pérez-Quirós   (European Central Bank) The conference will have a hybrid format with online sessions and in-person sessions (which will be also accessed remotely through the Zoom platform for those prevented from traveling by COVID-19 or any other cause). All authors who participate in the conference will have the opportunity to submit the papers presented to be considered for publication in the Special Issue of the journal Economics-The Open Access Open-Assessment E-Journal.  Topics: International Trade, International Capital Movements, International Finance, Open Economy Macroeconomics, Migration Flows, International Flows of Services, Trade and Firm B