The chapter sets the stage for the book. It defines the mission, central questions and scope of the book and summarises the content of the other chapters. The chapter shows that the differences between CSR orientations in more advanced countries and developing and emerging economies can be explained by the institutional model. the peculiar institutional contexts of the developing and emerging markets present both challenges and opportunities for CSR, especially as a mechanism for advancing sustainable development.

The preceding chapters have argued that Soho’s distinctive history and location, its architectural character and its spatial layout dynamically combine to make it the workplace that it is. Its rhythms are less a pause in the flows of traffic, people and capital in the spaces that surround it and more a change of tempo – its constant resurgence and reinvention characteristic of its past, present and, no doubt, its future. The grand commercial thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street and the theatre districts of Leicester Square and Shaftesbury Avenue have, throughout their existence, backed onto Soho’s narrow streets and alleyways. The latter have provided the sites of production for these commercial front stages, and they have endured as an escape from their conventional pleasures and performative pressures. The rush of public transport that surrounds Soho has never cut through its streets, many of which remain largely pedestrian or relatively inaccessible to fast-moving traffic.

Soho has a long history of embracing gender fluidity. One of its more famous eighteenth-century residents was the Chevalier d’Eon, who moved relatively seamlessly between living as a man and as a woman and, in doing so, set the foundations for Soho’s subsequent association with sex and gender as categories to be played with.

The chapter examines the social and cultural factors influencing CSR in India, the key drivers shaping the legislation mandating CSR in India, and the impact of this legislation on corporate social performance. It underscores the influence of culture, values, religion, traditions, and the role of ‘Dharma’ for CSR in India. It sheds light on the dynamics of CSR over time by examining how its nature evolved from the Ghandian trusteeship model into a more strategic version of CSR in the face of increasing FDI and growth of MNCs in India. The chapter suggests that such a shift in CSR has impacted the social contributions of firms necessitating formal legislation of CSR in India. Furthermore, it highlights that the lack of a binding code at the global level along with the voluntariness of CSR has compelled the Indian government to reshape CSR to prioritise local needs. It examines the impact of this mandatory CSR legislation on CSR activities along with its limitations. The chapter concludes by discussing the role of legal transplant theory, inventive interventionism and reflexive law for the development of a global CSR policy framework.

The research evidence is unmistakable: deep learning is most powerful, and often necessary, in social discourse. Learning in the presence of others allows us to understand the world as others see it, and to try on perspectives that we would not have known about otherwise. Learning with others is perilous, often leading to the hardening of beliefs and attitudes, and so the chapter also includes a discussion of how social discourse can be most productive, focusing on four facilitators: empathy, social capital, participatory forms of engagement and learning, and minimal power differentials and shared responsibility.

Aesthetic experience is a compelling tool for social change. The arts can serve to create constructive disorientation in ways that probe our innermost values and bring them to the surface. The arts offer paths that are closed to logic and argument, and as such have enormous potential for promoting deep learning. The chapter includes examples from both visual and performing arts to show how, by inviting a vision of how things could be different, one is empowered to imagine how things might be different.

An integration is offered of the book’s previous chapters, shifting from a review of prevailing theories and empirical evidence to a more practical set of recommendations. How might I become a better deep learner? And, how might I encourage deep learning in others? Principles for cultivating a deep learning mindset include: (1) pay attention; (2) confront your biases; (3) engage the tensions; (4) maintain a humble curiosity; (5) see complexity everywhere and don’t let it scare you; (6) learn how to learn with others; (7) harness the power of politics; (8) invite disorientation through aesthetic experience; (9) engage in thought leadership.