| From the
earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with
promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of
the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business
ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian
Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was
asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This
24-word test for employees to follow in their business and
professional lives 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.
Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into
more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It
asks the following four questions:
"Of the things we think, say or do:
- Is it the TRUTH?
- Is it FAIR to all concerned?
- Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
- Will it be BENEFICIAL to all
concerned?"
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