Although prior research underscores the benefits of external collaboration for a firm's innovative output, little research has examined the role that collaboration plays across the different stages of the innovation process. Drawing from organizational learning theory, this article examines (1) how collaboration with domestic partners assists in the formation of collaborations with foreign partners, (2) how knowledge from these collaborations is associated with product innovation at different levels of novelty, and (3) how the relationship between the level of innovation novelty and firm growth is influenced by whether the focal firm engages in open or closed innovation and the origin of the collaborator (foreign or domestic). Three key findings emerge from the econometric analysis of a sample of 1684 Taiwanese firms. First, domestic collaborations assist in the formation of foreign collaborations when the partner type is the same. Second, the level of innovation novelty is associated with the type and geographic location of partners. This study differentiates among noninnovating firms, incremental innovators, and radical innovators and demonstrates that the role of partners changes as the number of countries in which a firm collaborates with each partner type increases. Third, only radical innovation is relevant to firm growth, regardless of whether it is developed internally or through collaboration with domestic or foreign partners. Practitioner PointsManagers will find it easier to form foreign collaborations with types of partners that a firm has engaged in collaboration with domestically.

Few studies have clearly evaluated the perceptions of healthcare organization management regarding patient safety culture. Healthcare managers enable to take more effective actions to improve the level of patient safety by investigating key characteristics (either strengths or weaknesses) that healthcare organizations should focus on.

We used importance-agreement analysis to identify critical factors of the hospital survey on patient safety culture from the perceptions of physicians and nurses of a regional teaching hospital in terms of major strengths, minor strengths, minor weaknesses, and major weaknesses. In addition, we collected the raw data from 2011 to 2013 such that the advantages and deficiencies can be traced on a timely basis to enhance patient safety culture. The results show that there are 22, 21, and 21 items belonging to major strengths in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. In contrast, there are 4, 5, and 5 items classified into major weaknesses in 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. This study also summarized the similarities and differences in this three-year period. Twenty items are the major strengths. On the contrary, only three items belonged to major weaknesses. Another viewpoint was also provided by taking into account genders in this three-year period. In summary, the hospital management can organize strategic adaptations to improve patient safety by observing the trends of strengths and weaknesses, as well as the similarities and differences in this three-year period. Therefore, hospital management can take appropriate actions to maintain the advantages and address deficiencies in order to enhance patient safety culture in this case hospital.

Work-related stress (WS) can result in considerable and extensive changes in physiological and psychological performance. WS beyond the optimal levels induces anxiety, confusion, exhaustion, and burnout. Chronic WS affects neurocognitive performance, particularly attention and visuospatial memory. Essence of chicken (EC) has been reported to improve neurocognitive function after mental stress.To investigate the beneficial effects of EC in improving neurocognitive performance under WS, we conducted a randomized, double blind trial. Total 102 young workers in New Taipei City with high WS, evaluated using the Individual Subjective Perception Job Stress Scale scores (>36 for job leaders and 33 for nonleaders) were recruited. Fifty-one participants received 70 mL of EC and 51 received a placebo daily for 2 weeks. Blood tests and neurocognitive assessment were performed before treatment, at the end of treatment, and 2 weeks after treatment.EC improved the performance of participants with high depression scores in the form-color associative memory test, used for assessing short-term memory. Although creatinine and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) levels increased in week 2, but the levels returned to the baseline in week 4. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels decreased in week 4.EC significantly improved short-term memory in participants with high WS and concomitant depressive mood, although it slightly increased GPT and creatinine levels and reduced BUN levels. The long-term treatment effects of EC warrant further investigation.

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