About Rotary - The Four Way Test

The Mission of Rotary is to encourage the ideal of Service as a basis of worthy enterprise with the following objectives:

First- The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.

Second- High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his/her occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

Third- The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his/her personal, business and community life.

Fourth- The advancement of international understanding, good will, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional people united in the ideal of service.

The 4-Way Test

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 code of ethics 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.

Information on this page came from:

The The 4-Way Test page on the Rotary International web site.