Chinese Expatriates Working with African Partners: Power Struggles and Knowledge Hiding

Purpose: The study explores African partners’ experiences regarding Chinese expatriates’ knowledge control practices in 29 Sino-African joint ventures (JVs) in 12 countries. It provides insights into power dynamics and knowledge transfer (KT) from African partners’ perspective. Methodology: The qualitative paper mobilized semi-structured interviews with Africans who worked with Chinese expatriates across Africa. The study focused on understanding the experiences of African partners when collaborating with their Chinese expatriate colleagues on assignments in JVs in Africa. Findings: Chinese expatriates employed five tactics, as described by African partners, to control knowledge based on power, behaviors, and knowledge type. Particularly, through the lens of unofficial power, this study explains knowledge hiding tactics between knowledge-holding Chinese expatriates and host country knowledge-seeking locals. A new dimension of authority-based knowledge hiding is discovered. Originality: The paper brings new insights to the analysis of power (official and unofficial) boundaries regarding knowledge control mechanisms in JV collaborations between employees from China and Africa. Unofficial power appeared as a major leverage for expatriates in monopolizing their strategic knowledge. The study recommends mobilizing African diaspora and repatriates from China to improve knowledge transfer for Africa

Increased SPARC expression in primary angle closure glaucoma iris

Molecular Vision141886-189

SPARC Deficiency Results in Improved Surgical Survival in a Novel Mouse Model of Glaucoma Filtration Surgery

Glaucoma is a disease frequently associated with elevated intraocular pressure that can be alleviated by filtration surgery. However, the post-operative subconjunctival scarring response which blocks filtration efficiency is a major hurdle to the achievement of long-term surgical success. Current application of anti-proliferatives to modulate the scarring response is not ideal as these often give rise to sight-threatening complications. SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine) is a matricellular protein involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) production and organization. In this study, we investigated post-operative surgical wound survival in an experimental glaucoma filtration model in SPARC-null mice. Loss of SPARC resulted in a marked (87.5%) surgical wound survival rate compared to 0% in wild-type (WT) counterparts. The larger SPARC-null wounds implied that aqueous filtration through the subconjunctival space was more efficient in comparison to WT wounds. The pronounced increase in both surgical survival and filtration efficiency was associated with a less collagenous ECM, smaller collagen fibril diameter, and a loosely-organized subconjunctival matrix in the SPARC-null wounds. In contrast, WT wounds exhibited a densely packed collagenous ECM with no evidence of filtration capacity. Immunolocalization assays confirmed the accumulation of ECM proteins in the WT but not in the SPARC-null wounds. The observations in vivo were corroborated by complementary data performed on WT and SPARC-null conjunctival fibroblasts in vitro. These findings indicate that depletion of SPARC bestows an inherent change in post-operative ECM remodeling to favor wound maintenance. The evidence presented in this report is strongly supportive for the targeting of SPARC to increase the success of glaucoma filtration surgery

Learning and Knowledge Transfer in Africa-China JVs: Interplay between Informalities, Culture, and Social Capital

This study examines 29 Africa-China JVs from 12 African countries to explore the ways in which African partners gain knowledge and learn from their Chinese counterparts. Based on the perspectives of social capital, cultural difference, and informalities, we analyze the strategies, behaviors, and tactics employed by Africans both at the individual and at the organizational levels to gain knowledge within JVs. By using a multiple case study method with semi-structured interviews, we find that African partners actively take advantage of multiple cultural and social capital-related factors to support learning. Africans often use informal, even clandestine, mechanisms to manage cultural differences and build trust in order to gain knowledge. Theoretically, the structural, relational, and cognitive aspects of social capital are found to be important in exploiting opportunities through informal actions and the creation of informal contexts more conducive to learning and knowledge transfer. The presented findings provide new insights into knowledge-seeking JVs, particularly in the Africa-China context, because they propose a not-yet-explored perspective that explains learning through the exploitation of informalities

Learning and knowledge transfer in China-Africa alliances: a social capital perspective

This study is conducted on 29 China-Africa alliances from twelve African countries and explores learning management by African partners and the transfer of knowledge from their Chinese counterparts. Based on six social capital knowledge transfer dimensions from three types of network, we analyze dimension applicability and relevance for Sino-African alliances. Using multiple case study method with semi-structured interviews, we found that African partners actively take advantage of multiple facilitating conditions to support learning. Theoretical application of the six social capital dimensions requires adjustment because of interaction dynamics. Strategic alliance network appeared to use or even mix the facilitating conditions from other networks, not necessary at the same level, to gain knowledge. This research provides insights to knowledge-seeking strategic alliances particularly in China-Africa context. Additionally, the paper juxtaposes social capital and organizational theory with empirical perspectives on learning strategies

In vitro analyses of the anti-fibrotic effect of SPARC silencing in human Tenon’s fibroblasts : comparisons with mitomycin C

Failure of glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) is commonly attributed to scarring at the surgical site. The human Tenon’s fibroblasts (HTFs) are considered the major cell type contributing to the fibrotic response. We previously showed that SPARC (secreted protein, acidic, rich in cysteine) knockout mice had improved surgical success in a murine model of GFS. To understand the mechanisms of SPARC deficiency in delaying subconjunctival fibrosis, we used the gene silencing approach to reduce SPARC expression in HTFs and examined parameters important for wound repair and fibrosis. Mitomycin C-treated HTFs were used for comparison. We demonstrate that SPARC-silenced HTFs showed normal proliferation and negligible cellular necrosis but were impaired in motility and collagen gel contraction. The expression of pro-fibrotic genes including collagen I, MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-14, IL-8, MCP-1 and TGF-β2 were also reduced. Importantly, TGF-β2 failed to induce significant collagen I and fibronectin expressions in the SPARC-silenced HTFs. Together, these data demonstrate that SPARC knockdown in HTFs modulates fibroblast functions important for wound fibrosis and is therefore a promising strategy in the development of anti-scarring therapeutics