The Object
of Rotary is to encourage
and foster the ideal of
service as a basis of worthy
enterprise and, in particular,
to encourage and foster:
One of the most
widely printed and quoted
statements of business ethics
in the world is the Rotary
4-Way Test. It was created
by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor
in 1932 when he was asked
to take charge of a company
that was facing bankruptcy.
Taylor looked for a way
to save the struggling company
mired in depression-caused
financial difficulties.
He drew up a 24-word code
of ethics for all employees
to follow in their business
and professional lives.
The 4-Way Test became the
guide for sales, production,
advertising and all relations
with dealers and customers,
and the survival of the
company is credited to this
simple philosophy.
Herb Taylor
became president of Rotary
International in 1954-55.
The 4-Way Test was adopted
by Rotary in 1943 and has
been translated into more
than a hundred languages
and published in thousands
of ways. Here it is in English:
Of
the things we think, say
or do:
