FERN, William G

Type

Person

Related Items

None

Biographical Text

Fern was active during the 1920s and 1930s. A letter to The Times in October 1931 gives a London address. He founded and ran the Fern Business Institute, also based in London, which acted as his publisher and seems also to have run correspondence courses in business by post. He claimed to have both a PhD and DSc, and in his Rowntree lecture referred to once having been a foreman. Beyond that, we have no information about him.

Fern was a prolific writer of self-help books. Salesmanship seems to have been a particular interest, and in his Rowntree lecture he alludes to his own role in training salesman, although on behalf of whom is not known. His lecture alludes to the need for more training for salesmen, and suggests that foremen and managers can also use sales methods to motivate their workforce.

Major works 

Developing Man-Power, 1927. 

Twelve Golden Keys to Success, 1929. 

The Art of Getting On, 1929. 

The Master Salesman, 1929. 

The Master Personality, 1930. 

The Master Speaker, 1930. 

Are You Upward Bound?, 1931. 

Marvels of Will Power, 1933. 

The Master Manager, n.d. 

Original Source

Lecture:
‘Salesmanship’, September 1933, Balliol College

Citation

“FERN, William G,” The Rowntree Business Lectures and the Interwar British Management Movement, accessed April 26, 2024, https://rowntree.exeter.ac.uk/items/show/605.