INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BUSINESS Research Paper - 1

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BUSINESS - Research Paper Example The Ottoman Turks started their conquest of Turkey in the early 13th century by overpowering the Turkish and Mongol bands and taking over the Christian Balkan states (Rhodes, 2004). The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and conquered Vienna about 200 years later. The Ottoman Empire, which dominated the region for approximately 600 years, collapsed politically, administratively, and economically after its defeat in World War I (Szczepanski, 2014). National hero Mustafa Kemal founded present day Turkey in 1923. Mustafa Kemal was honored with the title Ataturk which means ‘Father of the Turks’ Turkey is besieged with corruption and favoritism in government and daily life (Eroglu & Picak, 2011). The government has initiated some anti corruption measures; however the stringent implementation of these strictures still remains an issue. Turkish is the official language of the country. A vast majority, 90 percent, of the people in the country speak Turkish. In addition to Turkish, the Kurdish language is spoken by around 6 percent of the population. The other minority languages include Arabic, Circassian, Greek, Armenian and Judezmo (BBC Monitoring European, 2009). The Turkish society has a rich culinary culture which is evident from the vast variety of food items including eggplant dishes, salads, kebab, hamsi,  and pastrami  available in the country. The food habits of the Turkish vary according to geographic regions, socio-economic status, and religious structures and norms. The business culture in Turkey is pretty formal. Exchanging cards during the introductions is a norm. The Turkish are extremely hospitable and view foreigners as their guests. Meetings in person are preferred over telephonic conversations. Businesses thrive on relationships, trust and rapport with other stakeholders. Informal dresses in a business meeting are deemed to be lack of seriousness (Business Culture, 2014). Turkey is fundamentally a free-market economy where the