Rethinking and reimagining corporate social responsibility as legislation in South Africa using a qualitative document analytics approach

Abstract

South African legislation does not obligate companies to fulfill their corporate social responsibilities. Understanding the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on social inclusivity is crucial in ensuring trade-offs between companies and the citizens residing where development takes place. There is a need for a national consensus on a CSR policy framework within a social cohesion and nation-building compact. The inclusion of the legislation for ensuring compliance towards fulfilling the purpose of the country’s sustainable development agenda is fully referred to in the discussion. The unparalleled position requires collective energies with the public to actualize strategies. This chapter underpins the importance of having CSR as a standalone legislation and seeks to contribute to the world of science by leveling the ground with the rhetoric discussion. The document analysis was the backbone for a qualitative research methodology where the related intricacies were revealed. The research will embark on an empirical investigation to publish evidence-based results based on the document analysis and legislative framework. The gap of a lack of legislation in South Africa has been identified notwithstanding the related legislation, which corroborates the direction the country is taking towards CSR. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable development on the transformation agenda. However, this study is limited in the sense that it did not embark on a largescale data collection from the implementers and the communities for empirical research which could be measured. This shall be employed in future research for evidence-based information and knowledge sharing.