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:
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 of each Rotarian's occupation as an
opportunity to serve society;
THIRD. The
application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's
personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH.
The advancement of international understanding, goodwill,
and peace through a world fellowship of business and
professional persons united in the ideal of service.
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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Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions |
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The Declaration of
Rotarians in Businesses and Professions was adopted by the
Rotary International Council on Legislation in 1989 to
provide more specific guidelines for the high ethical
standards called for in the Object of Rotary:
As
a Rotarian engaged in a business or profession, I am
expected to:
• Consider my
vocation to be another opportunity to serve;
• Be faithful to
the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my
vocation, to the laws of my country, and to the moral
standards of my community;
• Do all in my
power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest
ethical standards in my chosen vocation;
• Be fair to my
employer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the
public, and all those with whom I have a business or
professional relationship;
• Recognize the
honour and respect due to all occupations which are useful
to society;
• Offer my
vocational talents: to provide opportunities for young
people, to work for the relief of the special needs of
others, and to improve the quality of life in my community;
• Adhere to
honesty in my advertising and in all representations to the
public concerning my business or profession;
• Neither seek
from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage
not normally accorded others in a business or professional
relationship.
An association of
some 31,000 autonomous clubs in 166 countries Rotary
International is one of the world's largest service
organizations. The goal for a club's membership is an
up-to-date and progressive representation of the community's
business, vocational, and professional interests.
An important
distinction between Rotary and other organizations is that
membership in a Rotary club is by invitation.
Membership is vital
to a Rotary club's operations and community service
activities. A primary goal of the club is to continually
expand the club with committed members who have the interest
and ability to get involved in service and humanitarian
projects. Prospective members must:
• hold —
or be retired from — a professional, proprietary, executive,
or managerial position;
• have the
capacity to meet the club's weekly attendance or community
project participation requirements;
• live or work
within the locality of the club or the surrounding area.
The membership
process
Often a person being
considered for membership is invited by a member to attend
one or more club meetings to learn more about Rotary. The
sponsor may then submit the name of the candidate to the
club's membership committee.
An individual who is interested in
becoming a member of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong South, but
doesn't know any Rotarians, can
contact
our club directly.
Classifications:
professional representation
Rotary uses a
classification system to establish and maintain a vibrant
cross-section or representation of the community's business,
vocational, and professional interests among members and to
develop a pool of resources and expertise to successfully
implement service projects. This system is based on the
founders' paradigm of choosing cross-representation of each
business, profession, and institution within a community.
A classification
describes either the principal business or the professional
service of the organization that the Rotarian works for or
the Rotarian's own activity within the organization. Some
examples of classifications include: schools, universities,
eye surgery, banking, pharmaceutical-retailing,
petroleum-distribution and insurance agency.
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Responsibilities of Membership |
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Rotary club
membership carries with it certain responsibilities.
Members are expected
to attend weekly programs of the club. Opportunities to make
up attendance include attending the regular meeting of
another Rotary club, attending various other Rotary
meetings, or attending a club service project authorized by
the club board of directors.
Members are required
to pay annual dues to their clubs, their districts, and to
Rotary International.
Members are expected
to participate in local or international activities or
projects of the Rotary club.
Clubs encourage
members to aspire to leadership or committee roles within
their clubs.
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Prospective Member Contact Form |
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Thank you for your
interest in becoming a Rotarian. Rotary International
is an association of individual clubs that operate
autonomously. Membership development is extremely important
to us, and we are always eager to hear from individuals
interested in our mission and in joining our club.
Rotary’s universal premise is that
each club's membership constitutes an accurate
representation of the business and professional population
within the community served. Membership in a Rotary club
requires an invitation and sponsorship by a member of the
club as well as an available business or professional
classification. Sometimes an individual cannot be invited or
sponsored for membership. For more details, please visit
Becoming a Rotarian
and
Responsibilities of Membership
Please
contact us and
provide us with your name and contact information. Any
comments are appreciated.
Note: All fields are required for submission.
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