Constitution
- Name
The name of the society shall be 'The Association of Business Historians' hereafter referred to as the Association
- Objective
The objective of the Association is to promote the study, teaching and publication of all aspects of the history of business and industry, and of the environment in which they operate.
- Membership
Membership is open to individuals on an annual basis. The rate of subscription will be that determined by the Council of the Association, as ratified at a General Meeting of the Association.
- Benefits of Membership
Paid up members of the Association will receive, twice yearly, a Newsletter designed to provide information on developments and events in business history, and to carry news, views and correspondence. In addition the Association will organise a residential conference on an annual basis.
- General Meetings
The General Meeting of the Association will be held alongside the annual conference at the conference venue. An Extraordinary General Meeting may be convened by the voting members of the Council of the Association or at the written request of ten or more members, to be held within six weeks of the receipt of such a request by the Secretary/Treasurer. The quorum for all General Meetings shall be ten members of the Association.
- Executive Committee and Officers
The officers and members of the Executive Committee, to be called the Council of the Association, will usually comprise of nine members: a President; a Vice-President or President-elect (alternate years only); a Past President (alternate years only); a Secretary; a Secretary-elect (alternate years only); a Treasurer; a Treasurer-elect (alternate years only); a Newsletter editor; a Newsletter editor-elect (alternate years only); an Archives Officer; an Archives Officer-elect (alternate years only); the Coleman Prize winner. In addition, the President has the power to co-opt the Association's Webmaster and annual Conference Organiser if they are not already on Council. All elected Council members have voting rights while co-opted Council members do not have voting rights.
- Period of Office
All elected members of the Council of the Association will hold office for a period of three years. The posts of President, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and Archives Officer will be held by members of the Council of the Association for two years. Elected members of the Council of the Association will retire in rotation annually, as required. Retiring elected members of the Council of the Association are not eligible for re-election until two years after demitting office (see clause 9 below). The Coleman Prize winner will hold office for one year. If co-opted on to Council, the Conference Organiser will hold office for one year. If co-opted, the Webmaster will hold office for one year but with the possibility of being renewed by the President on an annual basis. Since these are not elected posts to Council, these postholders are eligible to hold an elected post on the Council at the same time or to stand for an elected post on the Council immediately after demitting office.
- Election of Members of the Council of the Association and Officers
The election of members of the Council of the Association shall be by postal ballot of the currently paid-up members of the Association. Nominations duly signed by the proposed Council members, and seconded, must be received by the Secretary six weeks prior to the date of the General Meeting. A postal ballot will then be conducted and the results declared at the General Meeting and published in the newsletter. At least two elected places on the Council of the Association will become available each year by rotation.There will be different elections for the offices of President and the other office holders. With presidents elected in year 1, in year 2 there will be no Presidential election. In the Presidential ballot, the person obtaining the most votes will immediately become the Vice-President (and hence President in the second year of membership). In the non-Presidential election in year 1 there will be elections for the positions of Secretary and Newsletter Editor and in year 2 elections for the positions of Treasurer and Archives Officer. In the non-Presidential ballots there will be separate ballots for each position. The persons receiving the most votes will take on the respective posts at the commencement of their second year of membership of the Council of the Association.The Council may, at its discretion, choose to co-opt an additional member of the Association on to Council for an agreed period of time. This contingency will be implemented where unforeseen circumstances threaten to disrupt the effective operation of the Council's work. Any fully paid-up member of the Association will be eligible to serve as a co-opted Council member. Co-opted members of Council may subsequently stand for election in the normal way.
- Past postholders
Notwithstanding the arrangements listed in clauses 7 and 8 above, each former President is entitled to serve a fourth (additional) year on the Council of the Association as a non-voting member, immediately on completing their three-year term as a voting member of Council, thereby increasing membership of the Council to ten if the past President should elect to take up this option. Former Presidents will not be eligible for re-election as a voting member of Council until two years after they cease to be a member (voting or non-voting) of the Council of the Association.
- Payment of Expenses
All members of the Council of the Association, including past Presidents serving a fourth year, are entitled to be reimbursed their expenses incurred in attending Council meetings except for any such meeting which is held in conjunction with the Annual Conference/AGM.
- General conduct of affairs by the Council of the Association
Appended to this constitution is a set of current guidelines which, while not binding on members of the Council of the Association, forms a set of practices which have underlined the development of the Association to date and provide guidance as to future development.
- Winding-up and disposal of funds
The Association may only be dissolved by resolution of a General Meeting. Any surplus funds or other assets shall be disposed of for charitable purposes agreed upon by a General Meeting.
The Association may only be dissolved by resolution of a General Meeting. Any surplus funds or other assets shall be disposed of for charitable purposes agreed upon by a General Meeting.