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Online learning has come to stay in a technologically advancing world with increasing populations. The search for ways to make online learning more efficient and effective in some developing countries continues as the accompanying issues in developing country contexts abound. This paper explores the issues that underlie online learning management in a developing country context, focusing on the Moodle, Sakai and Zoom platforms used in some selected public universities in Ghana.

The study relied on the qualitative approach to data collection and a descriptive design for analysis. Using the social constructivism theory, the paper discussed the critical issues students, and to a lesser extent, instructors encounter in their engagement on these platforms for academic learning.

The study found that the inefficient use of these platforms is due to several factors including the high cost of data, poor perception of the quality of online learning compared to traditional in-person contacts, poor attitude of students, low participation in online learning, lack of computers and poor internet connectivity among others.

It is important to mention that this study was limited to some selected public universities in Ghana. Data could have been collected from a wider sample including other Ghanaian tertiary institutions or some other developing countries. The similarity of study outcomes in other developing countries, however, suggests that similar results would have been obtained in an international sample.

Despite the robustness of the Learning Management systems in place, the evidence suggests that their utilisation is far less than optimal. However, with relevant policies and the provision of needed technical support, training, provision of equipment like computers for use by both students and instructors and efficient internet connectivity, the LMS platforms could be more efficient for online learning.

The authors conducted this research using original data from interviews in the selected public universities in Ghana. The data was meant to inform the discussion on some of the critical issues that underlie online learning in a developing country context. Although the study relied on data from selected public universities in a single country, its outcomes reflect fundamental issues of online learning in a developing country context which find relevance in available study outcomes.

This study aims to assess the efficiency of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) countries in achieving sustainable development by analyzing their ability to convert resources and technological innovations into sustainable outcomes.

Using data envelopment analysis (DEA), the study evaluates the economic, environmental and social efficiency of BRICS countries over the period 2010–2018. It ranks these countries based on their sustainable development performance and compares them to the period 2000–2007.

The study reveals varied efficiency levels among BRICS countries. Russia and South Africa lead in certain sustainable development aspects. South Africa excels in environmental sustainability, whereas Brazil is efficient in resource utilization for sustainable growth. China and India, despite economic growth, face challenges such as pollution and lower quality of life.

The study’s findings are constrained by the DEA methodology and the selection of variables. It highlights the need for more nuanced research incorporating recent global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shifts.

Insights from this study can inform targeted and effective sustainability strategies in BRICS nations, focusing on areas such as industrial quality improvement, employment conditions and environmental policies.

The study underscores the importance of balancing economic growth with social and environmental considerations, highlighting the need for policies addressing inequality, poverty and environmental degradation.

This research provides a unique comparative analysis of BRICS countries’ sustainable development efficiency, challenging conventional perceptions and offering a new perspective on their progress.

Globally, over 95% of fire related deaths and injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Within informal settlements, the risk of fire resulting in injury or death is particularly high. This paper examines fire risks in informal settlements in New Delhi and Cape Town, and tented informal settlements in Lebanon.

Our analysis draws on primary sources, secondary literature, statistical data and qualitative interviews.

The distribution of fire risk across urban societies is a fundamentally political issue. Residential fire risk can be tackled by accessible, affordable, safety-compliant housing. That said, important interim measures can be taken to mitigate fire risk. Some of the risks requiring attention are similar across our case studies, driven by high population densities; flammable housing materials; unreliable or inaccessible access to safe power sources; and – in the case of Cape Town and New Delhi particularly – the inability of fire services to reach sites of fire. However, these common risks are embedded in distinct social, economic and political contexts that must be placed at the center of any intervention. Interventions must also be aware that the risk of fire is not spread evenly within informal settlements, intersecting as it does with factors like gender, age, health and disability.

Informal settlement fires have been under-studied to date. The studies that do exist tend to operate within disciplinary silos. This paper represents an important interdisciplinary approach to fire within informal settlements, which grounds technical data, modeling and experiments in political, social and economic realities.

The urgent need to preserve the ecosystem, which faces a threat from non-environmentally-friendly anthropogenic activities, has led to the study of adaptive capacity implementation. There is an indication that the construction industries in developed countries are relatively better equipped to pursue sustainable construction than those in the developing world. Despite this, sustainable construction is yet to be established in developing countries. This research aims to develop a framework to drive and enable small and medium-sized (SME) firms in Ghana to implement adaptive capacity.

The study adopted a quantitative approach, and 400 responses were retrieved as a sample size for which a six-factor adaptive capacity implementation framework was arrived at for SMEs in the Ghanaian construction industry. The data gathered from the respondents were analysed using IBM SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24, and a structural equation modelling was also used to determine the work's validity based on the AMOS software.

The findings revealed that education and training, government support and a centralised information hub significantly influence adaptive capacity outcomes in Ghana.

It is recommended that the government, corporate and professional institutions that desire to preserve the country's ecosystem be guided by this study's adaptive capacity implementation framework.

This study's novelty also lies in the integrated framework for adaptive capacity implementation developed to aid small- and medium- sized enterprises in Ghana's construction industry to ensure environmentally-friendly construction activities.