Although Ghana has developed institutional frameworks and has enacted legislations which among other things seek to guarantee the cooperation and coordination of key stakeholders in disaster prevention, compliance is still a mirage. This has resulted in increased susceptibility of national assets to preventable disasters. This article discusses what might have caused the inferno that razed down one of West Africa's largest medical storage facilities-the Central Medical Store (CMS). The disaster did not only manifest in property lost, basic medical supplies to neighboring countries were also severely interrupted. By exploring the responses of key stakeholders, the emerging evidence indicates that preventive measures that could have potentially averted the disaster or reduced its impact were not in place. The results further highlighted the apparent weak institutional arrangements toward disaster risk prevention, preparedness, and mitigation, viewed as cross-cutting themes in disaster management. The article argues that the scale of losses from this catastrophe epitomizes how the neglect for building risk reduction can consign an entire region to the mercy of disaster events.
Despite the widespread use of modern social media, relatively less is known about the impact of social media on the acculturation processes of international students in China and their engagement in school activities. Accordingly, this research intends to assess the influence of social media usage while answering questions such as how using social media can improve international students’ acculturation process from both psychological/mental and behavioural standpoints, as well as whether international students’ acculturation promotes students’ engagement in school activities, among other questions. The role of self-identification in mediating the connection between social media usage and international students’ acculturation is also investigated. Primary data were gathered from 354 international students studying at various universities around China. The results show that international students use of social media improves their acculturation process and engagement in school activities through information sharing, establishing contacts, and entertainment. The study’s limitations and future directions are also highlighted.
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