From tokenism to social justice: rethinking the bottom line for sustainable community development

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become the new flagship programme of businesses and corporations. Much as the idea and practice of social responsibility is good and appreciated in most communities, it is the manner in which they are carried out, especially in voiceless communities that call for a critical evaluation of the discourse. In the current era of globalization and neoliberalism, where sustainable development has also become a global quest, it is imperative that CSR practices are located within the wider discourse of social justice. In doing so, the bottom line needs to be redefined; this paper, therefore, calls for approaches that are knowledge based and have the potential to enhance the capabilities of local people to pursue transformative and emancipatory possibilities for sustainable development.