Businesses -as the most important actors of free market economy- are supposed to be sensitive about social issues while invigorating the economy and providing employment. Businesses turn to corporate social responsibility activities in order to both respond to the expectations of their stakeholders and to benefit themselves. This subject has become more important for businesses because it has been considered as a requirement of corporate governance, and successful social responsibility activities have been perceived as a management skill by stakeholders and shareholders. Through various research, it was revealed that corporate social responsibility performance affects the financial performance positively by increasing the brand and market value of the business, it has a positive effect on the customers’ product evaluation and purchasing intentions, and attracts and retains qualified human resources. In this context, it is observed that corporate social responsibility serves not only as a social purpose but also as a means of sustaining businesses’ existence in the long term by giving a more positive impression to the stakeholders, cutting down on costs, and earning more income. In this study, the expressions of corporate social responsibility were investigated. Definitions were firstly given to shed light on the different aspects of the concept and then, stakeholders and levels of responsibility were discussed in relation to the scope of the corporate social responsibility activities. On top of that, two different approaches of corporate social responsibility, classical and modern approach respectively were discussed in the study. Later on, the advantages and disadvantages of corporate social responsibility activities for businesses were mentioned. Corporate social responsibility activities in Turkey were interpreted from a historical point of view and the results of a research in which the most successful businesses and projects in this area were evaluated, were given as an example.