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This paper aims to provide information about the state of the art of University Social Responsibility (USR) from a regional perspective, based on a theoretical and practical development proposed by a wide net of Latin-American higher education institutions (HEIs): the USR Union of Latin America (URSULA).

The state of the art was performed through a two-year measurement process (2018–2019) conducted in 80 HEI from 12 Latin-American countries. The state of the art was constructed through a self-reported diagnosis concerning four HEI scopes of action, twelve goals, and sixty-six indicators to measure the accomplishment of USR goals.

The study's primary results were twofold: first, the verification of a dynamic model for USR consensual management and second, the understanding of USR's challenging nature for standard practices in HEIs.

This study's results contribute to creating a practical framework for USR measurement based on a regional context (Latin America). Moreover, this research underlines the discrepancy between HEIs' social performance and the need to commit to the 2030 UN sustainable development goals.

This is the first study to examine the state of USR in a region such a Latin America.

At present, Higher Education Institutions around the world are developing and implementing university social responsibility(USR) as part of their strategy. They do so because they seek to assure the quality of higher education systems, as well as to positively impact their surrounding environment. This chapter aims to analyze the university’s role in the process of building social responsibility in line with efforts to adequately fulfill its three missions of teaching, research, and linking with society. The case study herein refers to the Universidad Panamericana (UP), a private university in Mexico with humanistic and Christian roots, which recently celebrated its 50th year. The analysis demonstrates the UP’s significant efforts to build a social responsibility system and its achievement of significant social impact through programs that support the community, healthcare, and people with disabilities. However, management of USR should be done at an institutional level and across the board.

This article develops a review of the university social responsibility literature to identify the most influential countries, authors, journals, and institutions, their structure, and research lines.

The review was carried out from a bibliometric and network analysis of documents published in the Web of Science database.

In total, 192 documents were found that were scientifically mapped in this field. From the network analysis, four research perspectives were identified: strategic impact management policy, user and its stakeholders, service-learning and its contribution to user, and theories, approaches, and strategies of University Social Responsibility (USR). Finally, the agenda for future research are presented.

The present work carries out a bibliometric and network analysis that seeks to contribute to the literature on USR, identifying its current perspectives and future lines of research.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) really adds value to corporate financial performance (CFP) in the pharmaceutical industry. Most pharmaceutical companies currently practice CSR by taking a “triple bottom line” approach of environmental, social, and economic strategies to manage their businesses and produce an overall positive impact.

A survey was developed based on professional experience, Carroll’s construct, the study’s hypotheses, and industry studies. The survey, composed of 45 questions using a seven-point Likert scale, was conducted among pharmaceutical professionals to evaluate whether CSR affects performance. Responses totaling 140, including 20 companies, were coded, taking into account the respondent’s corporate position and firm size.

Survey respondents strongly agreed that CSR adds value to CFP and should be viewed as a long-term investment. CSR programs should be implemented regardless of company size. CSR is effective because it invests in stakeholder management, such as with customers, government, investors, and activists, creating positive relationships which improve reputation and profitability.

This perception study shows the need for further quantitative analysis of CSR and CFP metrics specific to the pharmaceutical industry.

CSR programs should be implemented regardless of company size, and sheer size does not dictate whether CSR programs can be successful. This paper also sheds light on potential managerial implications that originate from these findings that may help pharmaceutical companies manage their scarce resources more effectively.

In today’s competitive economic environment, where increasingly stakeholders including investors scrutinize pharmaceutical firms’ environmental and social performance, CSR is a crucial strategy. The findings can help corporate managers make strategic CSR decisions to optimize benefits for their organization.

While numerous studies have addressed the link between CSR and corporate performance across industries, definitive studies have not examined the pharmaceutical industry.

Zech’s so-called Nachdichtung or ‘adaptation’ Die lasterhaften Lieder und Balladen des François Villon is one of the most printed books of German lyric poetry and has been widely misinterpreted as a translation of French medieval poet François Villon. The erroneous attribution of these texts has caused an immense amount of confusion and misinformation to spread in relation to the authorship of several poems due to the popularisation of these supposedly medieval texts by medieval metal bands In Extremo and Subway to Sally. Zech’s fascinating artistic fraud forms the framework for questioning how source material, which ranges from authentic historical texts through to ex nihilo pseudo-medieval writings, is situated between the related, at times conflicting, norms and traditions of medieval market music and mittelalter metal.

The purpose of this paper is to trace the dispersed yet influential presence of the French in the Australian wine industry from the beginning of the industry until the present day. It looks at the physical presence of the French on Australian soil (e.g. winemakers, companies, vines) and the French cultural influence (e.g. publications, stereotypes, promotion). It aims to provide an historical context in which to place questions concerning contemporary Australian attitudes to French wine and to wine in general.

Historical review of French presence and influence on the Australian wine industry using historical and contemporary documents and records.

While the French presence in Australia has always been minimal, it exerts a powerful influence on the Australian wine industry. Throughout the history of the industry, French individuals and culture have maintained the image of “French expertise”, thus French wine is still the point of reference for the Australian wine industry and consumer. The high status enjoyed by French wine can be attributed in part to the historical influence of the French on Australian wine.

Further research into attitudes to French wine in Australia is needed to understand consumer preferences.

The paper represents one of the first attempts to investigate the presence and influence of French wines and winemaking in the Australian wine industry. It presents an historical account of the French in the Australian wine industry and the influence of French culture on Australian wine.

Past research has emphasised the potential for conversational artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt services. Conversely, the literature recognises customer expectations as fundamental to service quality and customer satisfaction. However, the understanding of users’ expectations for conversational AI services is currently limited. Building upon previous research that has underscored the importance of users’ expertise, this study aims to provide valuable insights into the expectations of users with varying levels of expertise.

Forty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted, on three populations: experts, quasi-experts and non-experts from various countries including Japan, France and the USA. This includes 10 experts and 11 quasi-experts, as in professionals in conversational AI and related domains. And 25 non-experts, as in individuals without professional or advanced academic training in AI.

Findings suggest that users’ expectations depend on their expertise, how much they value human contact and why they are using these services. For instance, the higher the expertise the less anthropomorphism was stated to matter compared to technical characteristics, which could be due to a disenchantment effect. Other results include expectations shared by all users such as a need for more ethics including public interest.

The study provides insights into a key yet relatively unexplored area: it defines three major expectations categories (anthropomorphic, technical and ethical) and the associated expectations of each user groups based on expertise. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it also highlights expectations never detected before as such in the literature such as explainability.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the origins and the business model of department stores in Mexico between 1891 and 1910.

Primary and secondary source material support an historical and comparative study of retailing and marketing evolution in a market on the global periphery.

This paper finds that Mexico's vanguard position in establishing the first purpose‐built department stores in Latin America is closely linked to the strong presence of an immigrant entrepreneurial class from the Barcelonnette region of France in the retailing and textile manufacturing sectors. Mexican department stores followed Parisian models, policies, and innovations closely, yet accommodated local customs and conditions. The stores served as showcases for the success of the national government's economic and cultural modernization program and as cultural primers for Mexican consumers.

Scholarly work on department stores, consumerism, and the influential French community in Mexico is extremely limited, especially so in English. This is the first work that brings these together and analyzes them within – and in relation to – the context of Mexico's rapid modernization during the era of President Porfirio Díaz from 1876 to 1911. It also undermines the notion that the USA is the first and most influential foreign influence on modern Mexican consumer culture.