Global Business Cultural Analysis: Case of Israel

Abstract

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The purpose of this paper is to assess and analyze the business culture in Israel. The country, which is located in the Middle East, has become of interest to many developed countries due to its technological innovations. However, there are other aspects that these countries and individual investors must look into before commencing their business operations in the country. For instance, the religious disparities in the country may favor certain businesses and lock out others. This paper will cover all key aspects of entrepreneurial culture including education, corruption, healthcare, violence, communication, gender, and sex. After compilation of the latter elements, a comparison will be made between the country's business cultures with that of the United States. The comparison establishes the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that are presented to foreign investors.

Keywords: Israel, cultural, business, gender, United States, European Union

Introduction

The personal characteristics, as well as the cultural background of an individual, determines how they interact at the economic front. International trade has become one of the leading facilitators of globalization. Intensified trade between the countries has increased the exchange of cultural aspects among the participants. Globalization has created opportunities which have been introduced by the divergence in the culture of nations (Helbe 2006). Other than personal disparities, culture is the main driving force that separates individuals. The main cultural differences during business are exhibited by religion and language. For example, different religions show variations in eating habits hence not all commodities can be exchanged across different areas that have different religions. Also, there is an observed trend where nations fail to trade due to differences in their religions and other cultural backgrounds (Helbe 2006).

Israel is a Jewish community with an influx of Christians. In such a state, there are many aspects of culture that influence its political life as well as the trading culture. The interaction between the majority Christians and the minority non-Christian population shapes the mode of business conducted within the country. The recurrent conflicts between the Christians and the Arabs in the region can be partially attributed to the religious differences between the two communities (Wald 2002). The political front in Israel is highly influenced by the cultural differences regarding religion. While it has the capability of promoting national cohesion, religion may also bring divisions that separate a country into rival camps.

Other cultural aspects that play a pivotal role in the business sector in Israel include the gender disparities. How the community views the role of women and men in the society is important in the progression of business. The aspect of women's role is of more importance in many communities since they are deemed inferior to men. The emergence and rise of feminism have created a differentiation in the business culture of the Israeli nation. The knowledge, practice and attitudes of sex in a community have a role in shaping the culture of individuals. Other important aspects to be considered during the assessment of culture influence on the business world include education, corruption, violence, communication, and healthcare.

Dimensions of Culture in Israel

Gender

Theories of Gender

Gender is one of the primary sources of inequalities in the contemporary world. Gender is the social structure that defines the ideologies and norms that establish the actions of both women and men. The problems associated with gender inequality are glitches that are visible during power sharing within organizations, government positions, and private firms (Agassi 1989). In most occasions, the women are the victims of gender inequality. The discriminatory norms and inequalities have led to women being poorly represented in the world. On a global view, it is evident that there very few women leaders at the helm of many countries. For example, there are thirteen women country heads in the world out of a hundred and seventy-eight. Also, it is estimated that two-thirds of the one and a half billion persons living in abject poverty are women.

The Emergence of Feminism, Women as Commodities, and Women as EnterpreneursIn Israel, the declaration of independence clause in 1948 called for the establishment of equality by disregarding people's gender, race, or religion. However, even after decades after the establishment of the clause, gender equality in the country has yet to be recognized. Women were have not fully been integrated into the workforce of the country. In the past three decades, women in Israel have been required to retract to the older household duties. The first prime minister of the country, David Ben-Gurion, emphasized on the issue of women being used for the purpose of procreation to increase the number of Jews in the nation, who had been wiped out during the Holocaust. There have been several advancements and struggles by the Israeli women to ensure that they have been given consideration in the country's workforce and other sectors (Agassi 1989). Also, there exists a discriminatory perception in the labor market where the Arab women in the Israeli market are denied chances when compared to Jewish women. The disparity occurs as a result of Jewish seniority complex that exists in the country (Yashiv & Kasir 2013).

Sex

Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes

The subject of sex is perceived as hard by many parents across the world. In Israel, the issue of sex is addressed from a perspective of consideration as to whether or not the teenagers come from a religious background. Primary and secondary level students in Israel were found to have little knowledge reserves in the subjects surrounding sex. The adolescent boys have more knowledge regarding the subject as compared to the girls. The definition of sexual health has been given more detail to encompass the bio-physiological aspects on top of risk behaviors, sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy (Ronny et al. 2008). The Jewish Israelis and Arab teenagers conform to their cultural perceptions regarding the subject.

Women as Commodities in Israel

Cases of human trafficking in the world have been increasing in the past one decade. The victims of the practice are mainly children and women from the third world countries. Many of these victims are sold as sex slaves in the industrialized nations. In Israel, cases of human trafficking have also increased. Human trafficking in Israel sprouted in the early 20th century. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union after the cold war, Jewish women had a higher demand' for prostitution. Trafficking in Israel has also been on the increase due to the high numbers of brothels in the country. The authorities do not interfere with the operations of brothels other than during incidences that may involve criminal activities (Levenkron & Dahan 2003). The Israeli society tends to Condor these forms of prostitution which increase the occurrence of human trafficking in the country. Most of the trafficking is conducted by cartels. Most of the women are fetched from Ukraine and other neighboring countries.

Comparison of Human Trafficking Between Israel and the U.S

In the United States, human trafficking is linked to organized crime cartels. They traffic women from the Far East Asian region such as Thailand and Burma (Leevan 2007). In Israel, there is local trafficking that involves the movement of the women from one region of the country to another (Levenkron & Dahan 2003). Many emigrants in the US are lured by good jobs but end up being subjected to slavery in the form of prostitution and other illegal activities such as transporting banned substances. The demand for forced cheap labor is high in the American economy as compared to the request in the Israeli brothels. The response by the relevant authorities in the United States has been vigorous but has not adequately addressed the issue (Bales & Lize 2005). There is yet to have an established procedure that governs how persons rescued from the slavery are handled in the US. The human trafficking process in the US is organized by Chinese who are outside the country hence making it tough for the government to apprehend the heads of these operations.

Education

Education in Israel

One of the valuable resources that Israel possesses is the educational background among its citizens. The larger portion of the population is endowed with the necessary knowledge, techniques, and creativity. Despite these progress in the current education system in the country, Israel is faced with an impending threat of weakening primary and secondary education. The language proficiency among the students has also played a significant role in the poor performance of Israel in international tests (Wolff 2012 p.1). There exists a major disparity between the country's progress in the science and technology industry and the primary and secondary education. The school system in Israel is a 6-6-3 curriculum that translates to six years of primary, six years secondary, and at least three years higher education. The secondary and primary education are classified into four systems namely the religious Jewish, secular Jewish, ultra-orthodox, and...