Blackwell Reference Online

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In Israel's business world and academia there is little awareness of Business Ethics as a specific field of inquiry and activity. Few businesses have either a formalized code of ethics or a specialized organizational function to deal with issues of social responsibility. Furthermore, the need for such measures to promote business ethics is not an issue with any priority on the public agenda. This is not to say that Israeli business practice is unethical. On the contrary, studies of ethical attitudes and behaviors among business professionals reveal that Israelis have relatively high ethical standards ( Izraeli, 1988 ; Izraeli and Glass, 1994 ). These are infused with the ideals and standards of over 3,000 years of the Jewish tradition of law and ethics, reenforced with turn‐of‐the‐century socialist ideals of a free and just society that imbued the founders of modern Israel ( Eisenstadt, 1985 ) ( see judaism, business ethics and ). Compared to other Western democracies, Israel has a more centralized, state‐regulated economy, with a high level of government control and intervention in many aspects of economic life. Most of Israel's capital comes from abroad and is funneled through government bodies. Centralized control of resources was functional for massive immigrant absorption and military defense. However, the widespread dependence of business on government and the close ties ... log in or subscribe to read full text