| 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:
| 1. Is
it the TRUTH? |
| |
| 2. Is
it FAIR to all concerned? |
| |
| 3. Will
it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? |
| |
| 4. Will
it be BENEFICAL to all concerned? |
|
