The word Turkey essentially came from the term “Turk” and is used as a noun and an adjective. After a long period of nationalistic indoctrination, a lot of citizens in the country recognize themselves as Turks despite the cultural background. Some of the major cultural groups in turkey include: the Laz, Kurds, the Arabs, and the Georgians. In the Islamic world, Turkey is the only secular country. The secularism is enshrined in the constitution of the country and states that religion does not have a place in the governing of the country. Like most countries in the world, the weekly holiday of the country is on Sunday and not Friday as many had mistaken. The calendar used in Turkey is that of Gregorian. The constitution of Turkey safeguards the rights of citizens to worship and belief (Turan, 1991).
The main religion in the country is Islam and is believed to have originated from what is now the united Arabs emirate. Like all the Muslims across the world, the Prophet Mohammad is considered the last of God’s messenger who was sent to bring revolution to the world. When people meet in turkey they shake their hands firmly and it is not customary to shake when departing. Gift giving does not have a real place in the business relationship (Tessler, 2004). Being a Muslim country, one is not supposed to give alcohol to anybody unless one is 100% sure that they drink. Turks fancy doing business with people they know and admire; they therefore use much time creating close relationships. Many Turks prefer taking their vacations during July and August, so they do not enjoy appointments made in such a time. According to them, promptness is anticipated from you although you should be ready to be kept waiting (Turan, 1991).
The Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory is a structure created to determine the cross-cultural communication between different countries. It also describes the effects of the culture on the values of the members and how the values relate t the behavior. The center compares the Turkish and the American culture (McSweeney, 2002). When it comes to power distance, it means that all persons in the society are not identical. It also expresses the attitude that people have towards thus dissimilarities in the society. In this dimension, Turkey scores high than the United States. This implies that the Turks are dependent on their leaders who seem to be inaccessible. Also, the authority is held by few and all employees look up to their bosses for rules.
Workers anticipate to be given orders on what to do and what not to do. When it comes to the aspect of individualism, the dimension addresses the extent the society has on interdependence among its members. Turkey scored 37 in this dimension which implies that it is a collectivistic culture. Turkey scores 45 on the feminine side of the scale. It implies that the less important factors in the society such as consensus, equality, and compassion for the underdogs are appreciated. The final dimension is that of uncertainty avoidance. This aspect talks about how the society handles the fact that the future is not predictable (McSweeney, 2002). Turkey scores 85 in this aspect which means that the country requires a lot of rules and regulations. One of the biggest challenge that humanity faces is the degree in which young children are being socialized. It is a fact that if people are not socialized then they do not become human beings. The rate at which children are socialized as they grow to become mature human beings is alarming. Therefore, every particular culture is expected to socialize its children as they prepare to become mature people.
There are advantages and disadvantages of starting a business in Turkey. Some of the advantages of starting a business in Turkey include its turmoil. There is a continuous turmoil and discontinuities in turkey which may be seem to be a demerit because of its unpredictability nature. However, the constant changes in the society bring about a lot of opportunities with it. Secondly, there is weak competition in the Turkish market. Most markets in the country have a lot of potential for new products and designs as long as they offer better customer services. This is especially advantageous when starting a new business. The Turks are hungry for new and great designs of products which will make a new business stand out. Thirdly, there is a strong consumer spending in the country. The young population in the country does not think twice when it comes to spending on new products in the market (Price et al., 1985).
Finally, there are high retail prices and low operating costs. The prices of the products are same or high from one would experience at the US. Most brands imported from developed countries are expensive because of the tax and customs. Starting salaries and the cost of labor is relatively low compared to the developed countries in Europe and the United States. There are also challenges associated with starting a business in Turkey. The main demerit of starting a new business in Turkey is bribery and corruption. Anyone starting a business in Turkey has to part way with a bribe in order to develop a good relationship. The level of corruption in Turkey also varies according to the sector, the type of business to start and region of the country. However, a corrupt country is never a positive environment for conducting business (Price et al., 1985). The second biggest challenge to starting a business in Turkey is terrorism. There is a direct threat of terrorism in Turkey from global terrorism networks and the local terrorists groups. There is also the aspect of organized crime and insurance in the country.
References
Turan, I. (1991). Religion and political culture in Turkey. Islam in modern Turkey: religion, politics and literature in a secular state, 42.
Tessler, M., & Altinoglu, E. (2004). Political culture in Turkey: Connections among attitudes toward democracy, the military and Islam. Democratization, 11(1), 21-50.
McSweeney, B. (2002). Hofstede’s model of national cultural differences and their consequences: A triumph of faith-a failure of analysis. Human relations, 55(1), 89-118.
Price, Waterhouse Center for Transnational Taxation, & Waterhouse, P. (1985). Doing Business in Turkey. [New York]: Price Waterhouse Center for Transnational Taxation.
