A study of the use of "proteksia," a system of securing personal influence in Israel, is discussed in this article and is related to concepts of intercultural ethics. The information on the study is taken from an article "On Proteksia," by B. Danet and H. Hartman, focusing on "proteksia" as it relates to bureaucratic norms and nonbureaucratic behavior. "Proteksia" is defined as the manipulation of role impingements to obtain benefits or services that might otherwise not be forthcoming. A survey of persons in Israel is cited that found that in spite of a negative attitude toward "proteksia," a majority of people felt the need for it, and a high percentage of them reported using "proteksia" during the prior year. Similar uses of both the word and the practice of "proteksia" are noted as existing in Poland, Yugoslavia, and Russia, and similar meanings and practices are noted as they occur in Bulgaria, Iran, Arab countries, Turkey and North America. Descriptive studies such as the one cited are advocated as necessary precursors to prescriptive ethics in the study of communication ethics. (MKM)