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In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni based alloys, and compares this with the performance of composites: polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix systems. Engineering assessment of each failure problem is described and the associated micromechanical failure modes, understanding of which allows improved materials design and selection for a wide range of service environments.

In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni based alloys, and compares this with the performance of composites: polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix systems. Engineering assessment of each failure problem is described and the associated micromechanical failure modes, understanding of which allows improved materials design and selection for a wide range of service environments.

In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni based alloys, and compares this with the performance of composites: polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix systems. Engineering assessment of each failure problem is described and the associated micromechanical failure modes, understanding of which allows improved materials design and selection for a wide range of service environments.

In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni based alloys, and compares this with the performance of composites: polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix systems. Engineering assessment of each failure problem is described and the associated micromechanical failure modes, understanding of which allows improved materials design and selection for a wide range of service environments.

In this module, the emphasis moves away from alloy development and design, and focuses on the performance of structural materials in a range of engineering applications. The lectures draw on examples from applications of ceramics, steel, Al, Ti and Ni based alloys, and compares this with the performance of composites: polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix systems. Engineering assessment of each failure problem is described and the associated micromechanical failure modes, understanding of which allows improved materials design and selection for a wide range of service environments.

Debates between believers and non-believers are often fierce and can appear intractable, while the differences between them leads to social tension, conflict, and even war. Non-believers frequently charge believers with irrationality; in response, believers either try to show that faith has a rational basis or, more radically, deny that faith is a matter of reason at all. This module aims to introduce you to competing views concerning the nature of religious belief, and to give you the chance to explore critically some of the reasons given for and against it.

Debates between believers and non-believers are often fierce and can appear intractable, while the differences between them leads to social tension, conflict, and even war. Non-believers frequently charge believers with irrationality; in response, believers either try to show that faith has a rational basis or, more radically, deny that faith is a matter of reason at all. This module aims to introduce you to competing views concerning the nature of religious belief, and to give you the chance to explore critically some of the reasons given for and against it.

This module recognises the increasing importance of family businesses given their substantial contribution to the economy of each nation across the globe. It responds to the increasing need for scholars and practitioners of developing an awareness and understanding of family businesses’ peculiarities, which differentiate them from non-family businesses, and inherent issues, by adopting a multi-theoretical approach that draws on established theoretical perspectives of strategy, entrepreneurship and general management. Family firms are heterogeneous due to the variation of family and business goals and varying institutional contexts in which they are embedded. Such heterogeneity often requires scholars and practitioners to approach the ubiquitous phenomenon of family business through a comparative analysis of theoretical approaches and practical applications to strategic decision-making in family businesses.

Specifically, this module examines relevant strategic models of family firms’ competitive advantage to account for the influence of family-business interface and varying macro-institutional contexts across the globe. Particular attention will be given to family events that mark the family business’ life trajectory. For instance, inter-generational change is an opportunity for value-creation and renewal in family firms, yet at the same time, if not managed properly, it can undermine the socio-emotional wealth which is key to family firms’ longevity. Succession, equally, can lead to a leadership vacuum with the potential to undermine the future sustainability of family businesses. Choosing the right calibre of successor to lead and ensure continuity of the family firm is a complex task that every family firm, regardless their size and country of origin, has to face. It is increasingly recognised that such a task needs to be professionally managed. In order to survive, governance models need to untangle the issues of family members' involvement (and possibly non-family members depending on the context) in the decision-making, ownership and management of family businesses. Furthermore, the social structure of family businesses can represent a source of family conflicts that might threaten not only the family but also the business. The ability to detect potential conflicts before these arise and manage them is critical to the day-to-day management of family businesses and their sustainability in any country context and industry.

In summary, this module provides a holistic comprehension of family business, particularly of the family-business interface, at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship and management perspectives, by paying particular attention to the institutional context where family businesses are embedded. Practical applications will be drawn from leading examples of family businesses in the USA, Western Europe, China, India, and other emerging economies in Central and South America, Africa, and other Far-Eastern Asian countries where applicable.

This module recognises the increasing importance of family businesses given their substantial contribution to the economy of each nation across the globe. It responds to the increasing need for scholars and practitioners of developing an awareness and understanding of family businesses’ peculiarities, which differentiate them from non-family businesses, and inherent issues, by adopting a multi-theoretical approach that draws on established theoretical perspectives of strategy, entrepreneurship and general management. Family firms are heterogeneous due to the variation of family and business goals and varying institutional contexts in which they are embedded. Such heterogeneity often requires scholars and practitioners to approach the ubiquitous phenomenon of family business through a comparative analysis of theoretical approaches and practical applications to strategic decision-making in family businesses.

Specifically, this module examines relevant strategic models of family firms’ competitive advantage to account for the influence of family-business interface and varying macro-institutional contexts across the globe. Particular attention will be given to family events that mark the family business’ life trajectory. For instance, inter-generational change is an opportunity for value-creation and renewal in family firms, yet at the same time, if not managed properly, it can undermine the socio-emotional wealth which is key to family firms’ longevity. Succession, equally, can lead to a leadership vacuum with the potential to undermine the future sustainability of family businesses. Choosing the right calibre of successor to lead and ensure continuity of the family firm is a complex task that every family firm, regardless their size and country of origin, has to face. It is increasingly recognised that such a task needs to be professionally managed. In order to survive, governance models need to untangle the issues of family members' involvement (and possibly non-family members depending on the context) in the decision-making, ownership and management of family businesses. Furthermore, the social structure of family businesses can represent a source of family conflicts that might threaten not only the family but also the business. The ability to detect potential conflicts before these arise and manage them is critical to the day-to-day management of family businesses and their sustainability in any country context and industry.

In summary, this module provides a holistic comprehension of family business, particularly of the family-business interface, at the intersection of strategy, entrepreneurship and management perspectives, by paying particular attention to the institutional context where family businesses are embedded. Practical applications will be drawn from leading examples of family businesses in the USA, Western Europe, China, India, and other emerging economies in Central and South America, Africa, and other Far-Eastern Asian countries where applicable.

Family law touches all of our lives at some point. This module considers the legal regulation of family life, in particular the extent to which relationships between parents and their children should be seen as a private matter free from State interference, and simultaneously reflects on the ways in which various types of family are treated differently, for example marital, civil partnered, non-marital, including same-sex relationships and families. It considers the extent to which English family law is based on the Judaeo-Christian tradition and how easily it accommodates family patterns and beliefs from different ethnic and faith traditions.

As well as examining the substantive rules governing the main aspects of family life, as they pertain to the regulation of relationships between parents and children, this module also examines the difficulties that the law has in balancing the need for clear and objective rules to govern behaviour, with the need to take the variety of individual circumstances into account. This has led to considerable use of judicial discretion and the strengths and weaknesses of this approach are considered during the module.