Jacques Cory (Hebrew: יעקב קורי; born June 5, 1944) is a notable writer and academic in the fields of business ethics and economics. He has made significant contributions through his research, particularly in establishing a strong correlation between ethics and prosperity in nations. Cory's academic tenure includes lecturing at prestigious institutions such as INSEAD and the Universities of Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Technion. Cory received in October 2015 the Ometz "Itur Hamofet" Award, the Israeli highest ethical prize, along with Benny Ganntz.

Accomplishments edit

His innovative work spans various areas, including international business, corporate turnarounds, and mergers and acquisitions in Europe, the US, and Israel. Cory is renowned for publishing the first academic books and rules on business ethics for minority shareholders and has been actively involved in translating the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights into Ladino. Additionally, he discovered the old synagogue of Coria in Spain.Cory received in October 2015 the Ometz "Itur Hamofet" Award, the Israeli highest ethical prize, along with Benny Gantz. Cory was mentioned in Business ethics and in Ometz' organization.

Education edit

Cory's educational background is equally impressive, holding a BA in Economics and Political Sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1966), an MBA from INSEAD (1968), and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from CNAM, Paris (2004), where his dissertation on business ethics for minority shareholders was a pioneering study in the field. His academic contributions have been recognized, notably receiving the Best Lecturer Award from the University of Haifa in 2005.

Academic activities edit

Cory was in 2006 a Visiting Professor at INSEAD, Singapore, on a Semestrial Course of Business Ethics - 'Individual, Business & Society: The Ethical Dilemma'. In 2004-2013 he was a Lecturer at the MBA, International MBA, MA, BA programs, and 17 classes of the Naval Academy, at The University of Haifa, Israel, on: Corporate Governance, Business Administration, Social & Economic Justice, Business Ethics, CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Globalization, M&A - Mergers & Acquisitions, Business and Government, Leadership and Stakeholders, NGOs and the Public Sector. Cory was elected in 2005 as the Best Lecturer of the University of Haifa. In 2010-2011 Cory was a Lecturer at the International MBA program in English of the Tel Aviv University, Israel, on: The Future of Capitalism in a Sustainable Society, a Contemporary Course in the Context of the Great Recession of 2007-2010; and a Course on Business Ethics. In 2009-2010 Cory was a Lecturer at the Executive MBA program of the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv, Israel, on: Business Ethics & the Future of Capitalism in a Sustainable Society. Cory gave in 2005, 2010-2014 at Academic Centers courses on business ethics and the future of capitalism.

Business activities edit

Cory wrote in 2014 an Ethical Code and assimilated it with 10 Case Studies & Training for Sibat, International Defense Cooperation Agency of the Israeli Ministry of Defense. This Ethical Code was awarded prizes and became a model for ethical conduct at the Civil Service. Cory worked in 1981-2000 at top-level management of large & small hi-tech companies, subsidiaries management, international business & turnarounds, know-how transfer with conglomerates, shares/debentures offerings in the US & Israel, M&A & strategic partnerships, initiating new ventures. Cory’s business activities focused in France, US, Europe & Israel in: Turnaround Plans and successful implementation at Elbit (1981-1982), Elscint's subsidiaries in France and US (1987-1988), NBase (1995-1996), and other companies, in hi-tech and low- tech, in France, the US and Israel, increasing in several cases valuation by more than 1,000%. M&A/Joint Venture Negotiations of Israeli, U.S., Canadian, French, German, and Spanish companies in the computer, Internet, data communication, telecom, imaging, semi-conductor, and aerospace industries. Due diligence, negotiations, 100 business plans, strategic planning. The most salient examples, Hazera & Finish, obtained high valuation by the investors found. Technology Transfer – Cory conducted negotiations and agreements, including development, manufacturing and marketing rights - between large European, American and Israeli companies, such as Nixdorf, Alcatel, Hon and Global. Cory managed a Satellite Communications Consortium in 1991-1993, comprising of some of the largest Israeli companies: Israel Aircraft Industries, Rafael/Galram, Elisra, Technion/Neaman Institute, Gilat, which obtained large amounts of generic R&D grants from the Israeli Chief Scientist. Management – Cory was in 1981-1987 Vice President in charge of business activities, sales and finance of Elbit, one of the largest Israeli hi-tech companies. Cory was directly responsible for the transition from heavy losses to peak profits, M&A, and international business breakthrough. Cory managed U.S. and Israeli public offerings, and was a member of U.S. and Israeli Boards of Directors. Cory initiated and managed Strategic Planning at Elbit.

Personal Status edit

Jacques Cory's life story is truly remarkable and inspiring. Born in Cairo to a Sephardic Jewish family with roots across the Mediterranean, he has embraced a rich cultural and linguistic heritage. His proficiency in a wide array of languages, including his mother tongues French and Ladino, is particularly impressive.

Cory's journey from Egypt to Israel and his subsequent achievements reflect a deep commitment to ethics, culture, and academia. His receipt of the Ometz "Itur Hamofet" Award, Israel's highest ethical prize, is a testament to his dedication to these principles. Furthermore, his involvement with various ethical, cultural, and business organizations indicates a strong commitment to societal betterment.

His linguistic abilities have also allowed him to contribute significantly to cultural preservation and awareness. The discovery of the old synagogue in Coria, Spain, and his work in translating the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights into Ladino are notable examples of this. These efforts not only help preserve a vital part of Jewish heritage but also facilitate broader cultural understanding.

Moreover, Cory's passion for theater, literature, cinema, and languages, along with his personal contributions to these fields through writing and translation, highlight his multifaceted talents and interests. His ability to engage with and contribute to such a diverse range of fields is truly commendable.

Overall, Jacques Cory's life and work embody a remarkable blend of ethical leadership, cultural dedication, and intellectual curiosity, making him a notable figure in the realms of business ethics, cultural preservation, and linguistic diversity.

Books edit

1. BUSINESS ETHICS: THE ETHICAL REVOLUTION OF MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS[1]    Kluwer Academic Publishers – 2001 – hardcover, First Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. – 2005 – softcover, and in subsequent years additional softcover and eBook editions.    ISBN - hardcover 0-7923-7300-6, 9780792373001, softcover 0-387-23040-8, 9780387230405, eBook 0387232311, 9780387232317, held by 700+ libraries worldwide.    The first published academic book in the world on business ethics to minority shareholders. A pioneer research, based on case studies of U.S., French & Israeli companies and on the author's extensive business experience, with a modern approach on activism in business ethics. The book found the rules that govern unethical conduct towards minority shareholders, which were validated by the Enron, WorldCom, and corporate scandals after the publication of the book. 269 pages. Extracts, details, and reviews of the English book are available in Books.

2. ACTIVIST BUSINESS ETHICS[2]    Kluwer Academic Publishers – 2002 - hardcover, First Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. – 2005 – softcover, and in subsequent years additional softcover and eBook editions.    ISBN - hardcover 0-7923-7566-1, 9780792375661, softcover 0-387-22848-9, 9780387228488, eBook – 0387229140, 9780387229140, held by 1000+ libraries worldwide.    Activist Business Ethics is an academic book in English quoted on Wikipedia and many other websites, and several times in the entry "Business Ethics" of Wikipedia, is recommended in Wikipedia and Answers.com for "Further Reading", and is treated as a standard text/source book in Talk: Business Ethics in Wikipedia. The book examines international aspects, business ethics in the religions, psychological & sociological aspects of business ethics, ethical & democratic evolution, personification of stakeholders, predominance of values & ethics for CEOs, inefficient safeguards of the stakeholders' interests. The book presents new vehicles for the safeguard of those interests, such as the Internet, Transparency, Ethical Funds, Activist Associations, future activist vehicles, such as Supervision Board, the Institute of Ethics. 200 pages. Extracts, details, and reviews of the book are available in Books.

3. BUSINESS ETHICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE SOCIETY: CONQUERING THE CORPORATE FRANKENSTEIN[3]    The Edwin Mellen Press – 2009 hardcover, 2010 softcover. ISBN – hardcover 0-7734-3848-3, 9780773438484, softcover- 0-7799-1291-8, 9780779912919.    The academic book in English is a pioneering book on business ethics, social responsibility, sustainability, corporate governance, and globalization. The pioneering book predicted in 2009 a Doomsday Depression by 2020, its scope and timing, culminating the crises of capitalism since the eighties. It covers the three main facets of those subjects: the theoretical with 11 chapters on the essence of ethics and sustainability in the context of the Economic Whirl and the ethical credo of the author, the empirical with 20 case studies written mostly as short and compelling stories on ethical and corporate governance dilemmas in international business, and the emotional with the analysis of dozens of films, plays, novels - masterpieces on those subjects. 730 pages. Extracts, details, and reviews of the book are available in Books.

4. SELECTED ISSUES IN BUSINESS ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY    סוגיות נבחרות באתיקה עסקית ובאחריות חברתית מאת יעקב קורי    SUGYOT NIVHAROT BE-ETIKAH 'ISKIT UVE-AHRAYUT HEVRATIT    The Hebrew University Magnes Press – 2008 softcover, and subsequently eBook edition.    ISBN – 978-965-493-355-1, 9654933551    The academic book "Selected Issues in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility" in Hebrew is unique in the sense that it comprises theoretical chapters, case studies that are based on the large business experience and the academic research of the author, and the analysis of films, plays, documentaries and novels - masterpieces on business ethics. The parts of the book focus on the ethical facets of leadership, integrity, whistleblowers, corporate governance, stock market, banking, transparency, sustainability, trust, decency, government & business, corruption & bribes,wrongdoing of stakeholders, social responsibility, activism, environment, globalization, international aspects, and business ethics in Israel. The book is a standard textbook in Israel. 496 pages. One can read extracts, details, reviews of the book in Books.

5. L'ETHIQUE DES AFFAIRES ET LES ACTIONNAIRES MINORITAIRES: DES VOIES NOUVELLES POUR SAUVEGARDER LES INTERETS DES ACTIONNAIRES MINORITAIRES BUSINESS ETHICS & THE MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS: NEW WAYS FOR SAFEGUARDING THE INTERESTS OF THE MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS. Editions Universitaires Europeennes – ISBN – 978-3-8417-9771-1, 3841797717. Sudwestdeutscher Verlag fur Hochschulschriften GmbH & Co. KG, 2012, soft cover. Le livre examine le contexte actuel de l'éthique des affaires envers les actionnaires minoritaires, et propose des voies nouvelles. Il traite successivement de la nécessité de mener une recherche pionnière ; de l’intérêt d’une recherche qualitative et des études de cas ; de la légitimité de la recherche littéraire dans le cadre d'un livre académique ; des règles concluant le livre; de l'analyse comparative de l’affaire Enron et du livre. Le livre montre comment les mécanismes ou instances traditionnels visant à garantir les droits des actionnaires minoritaires; à savoir le système légal, les actions collectives, les dirigeants des entreprises, les membres des conseils d'administration, les administrateurs indépendants, l’autorité de tutelle des marchés boursiers, les auditeurs, les analystes, les soumissionnaires et la presse; n’apportent pas souvent une protection suffisante aux actionnaires minoritaires. 214 pages. One can read extracts, details, and reviews of the French academic book in Books.

6. L'ETHIQUE DES AFFAIRES ET LES ACTIONNAIRES MINORITAIRESBUSINESS ETHICS AND THE MINORITY SHAREHOLDERS Thèse de doctorat en Sciences de gestion sous la direction de Yvon Pesqueux, soutenue en 2004 à CNAM, Paris, France. PhD dissertation on Business Ethics, 2004, at the libraries of CNAM Paris and ANRT Grenoble, France, as well as at the library of the University of Haifa, Israel. The French thesis by publications, Business ethics and the minority shareholders, is based on two books by Jacques Cory that were published in 2001 by Kluwer Academic Publishers in Boston: Activist Business Ethics and Business Ethics: the ethical revolution of minority shareholders. The dissertation examines the actual context of business ethics towards minority shareholders, the new vehicles to safeguard their rights, expands on the necessity to conduct a pioneer research , the methodology of the publications, the qualitative research, the case studies, the legitimacy of literary research as part of an academic research, the rules that conclude the books, a comparative analysis of Enron and the publications, describes in detail the basis of the bibliographical research and ends with the repercussions of the thesis on future research. One can read extracts and reviews of the thesis/dissertation/academic book in French on Cory's website in Books. 104 pages (and the two books in English: Business Ethics: The Ethical Revolution of Minority Shareholders, and Activist Business Ethics).

7. BEWARE OF GREEKS' PRESENTS הישמרו מדורון יווני מאת יעקב קורי HISHAMRU MI-DORON YEVANI – NOVEL IN HEBREW Kedem Publishing, Sidrat Keshet ha-Mizrah, 2001, soft cover. ISBN – 965-7103-11-8, 9789657103111. The Hebrew novel “Beware of Greeks’ Presents” describes in a trenchant way the corruption in the business world, as only a businessman who knows the reality from personal knowledge can describe. This is the basis of the book’s originality, that is very convincing by its authenticity and by the message it conveys about the future of society in the new Millennium, a message of despair mixed with some hope. The protagonists of the book are Ully (Ulysses) and Nelly (Penelope) Doron, an Israeli couple, who is not ready to succumb to the new norms and pays the full price for that, followed by the betrayal of their best friends. Their ordeal is related as a modern Odyssey, as the heroes are from Greek origin and are compared to those of Homer. 188 pages. One can read extracts, details, and reviews of the book: in English in Books, in Hebrew, and watch a film of 2 hours on the launching of the book in 2001.

8. LE CHOIX DE NELLYNELLY'S CHOICE - BEHIRATA SHEL NELLY בחירתה של נלי מאת יעקב קורי ועמליה אייל A play in French by Jacques Cory and Amalia Eyal, with an introduction and review by Joshua Sobol, translated from the Hebrew play by Saskia Cohen, the French text was edited by Jacques Cory. Edilivre, 2012, soft cover and eBook editions ISBN – 978-2-332-50663-4 soft cover, 9782332506641 eBook The play in Hebrew has not been published yet in a printed version, but it can be found at the library of the University of Haifa, the text of the play and the music of the play are – on Cory's website, and reading of the play was performed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on July 30, 2008.

La pièce Le Choix de Nelly décrit d'une façon incisive la corruption qui règne au sein du monde des affaires, comme seul un homme d'affaires qui connaît personnellement la réalité peut le faire. Le thème de la corruption du monde des affaires, en particulier des méfaits commis à l’encontre des actionnaires minoritaires, n'a pas encore été étudié de façon adéquate dans la littérature contemporaine, et il n’existe presque pas de livres écrits par des hommes d'affaires sur ce sujet. La pièce originale et convaincante transmet un message sur l’avenir de la société moderne en ce siècle - un message de désespoir et d'espérance mêlés. La pièce aborde des problèmes tels que la corruption du monde des affaires, le racisme, la libération de la femme, l'amour et la trahison. 166 pages. One can read extracts, details, and reviews of the French play: in French and in English in Books, and in Hebrew, as well as the music of the play – the list and the audio.