Dear Reader, 

This edition of BdiCode is marked by continued economic growth in Israel in the years 2010-2011. Despite the positive performance of the Israeli economy in recent years, the fruits of growth have not been evenly distributed. Extremely large layers of the Israeli society did not benefit from the newly achieved wealth. Proof of that may be found in OECD studies, where Israel is one of five lowest rated countries in terms of income distribution based on the Gini index. Beyond real significant gaps in the distribution of income in the economy, the existence of very large sectors of the population which do not participate in the labor force, such as the Ultra Orthodox Jews, also partially accounts for the considerable income gaps in Israel. Therefore, in order to achieve continued sustainable growth in Israel, a targeted policy for bringing such large sectors into the labor force and employment must be set.
 
Political changes in the Near East, featured by democratization, constitute additional challenges facing Israel in the near future. Despite the positive impact of these trends, it is possible that in the short run, the geo-political uncertainty will grow. Although the Israeli economy is not significantly dependent on the region in economic terms, foreign investors, credit rating companies, credit insurers and foreign banks may raise the prices of services rendered by them. The financial crisis experienced in Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain is another factor of uncertainty in its anticipated impact on world economy. It seems that this crisis has yet to find the path toward a solution, and insofar as it carries on, the greater the likelihood that banks and other financial entities with large exposures to these countries, will be seriously affected causing a global crisis that would, off course, impact Israel. All of the aforesaid requires special attention and planning both by the business sector and the Israeli Government.
 
BdiCode 2011 edition presents, through the analysis of the business code for business excellence and leadership, the leading companies in the economy, in cross-sectional view (all sectors and branches in the economy), by sectors: holding companies, industry, services, construction, commerce, capital market, law and accounting firms, and by branch cross-section in each sector. BdiCode rankings weigh quantitative and qualitative parameters, such as profitability turnover, growth rates, payments morality, as well as highly admired and "best to work for" companies. The ranking of "Highly Regarded Companies" reflects the perceptions of managers about Israeli companies based on various parameters which create a successful leading company. The rankings of "Highly Regarded Companies" and "Highly Regarded Managers" have been based on a survey of 500 managers of the leading companies. The ranking of "Best Companies to Work For" has brought "investment in human capital" to the top of the agenda among managers of leading companies. The ranking's power is reflected, among others, in the fact that it makes companies "look into the mirror" to benchmark themselves. Other special rankings are: Senior Citizens Sheltered Housing – companies providing sheltered housing in Israel were ranked by the services provided by them. Another special ranking is the ranking of leading municipalities and local councils in Israel
 
BdiCode 2011 is distributed in tens of thousands of copies (Hebrew and English) in Israel and abroad and presents the leading companies in Israel – the backbone of Israeli economy, sector overviews and economic analyses – an essential business tool for examining and becoming familiarized with the economy.
 
Many companies have decided to appear in this publication with extended profiles. These profiles provide them with the opportunity to detail their activities, products, technologies, position in the market and international relations.
 
We would like to thank all BdiCoface employees who invested major efforts in the preparation of BdiCode 2011 and allowed us to present you with this quality edition.
 
Enjoy,
BdiCoface Management
 
Eyal Yanai
 
Tehila Yanai
 
Amnon Altman