North Colorado Springs Rotary Club Foundation
The
Four-Way Test
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?
10,000
Students
The Four-Way Test has become the cornerstone of our Ethics Training Program given over the past 16 years in high schools in our community. Variations of the program have been tailored for elementary schools, for second graders, and middle school students in the seventh grade.
Since the Program began we have put over 10,000 students through the training.
Origins
Why Ethics?
One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary FOUR-WAY TEST. Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor created it in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of the Chicago-based Club Aluminum Company, which 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 Four-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy.
