Competitive Discipline Research Articles

A systematic review protocol of injuries and illness across all the competitive cycling disciplines, including track cycling, mountain biking, road cycling, time trial, cyclocross, gravel cycling, BMX freestyle, BMX racing, e-sport, para-cycling and artistic cycling

IntroductionThe sport of cycling has witnessed phenomenal growth over the past decade. Globally, over 200 million television hours across five continents watched the recent inaugural World Championships in Glasgow, in 2023. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world cycling governing body, has highlighted its mission to “promote and support research in cycling epidemiology and medicine, especially for the benefit of lesser-known disciplines” within its 2030 Agenda. This paper outlines a proposed protocol to conduct a systematic review that comprehensively analyses and synthesises the existing literature about cycling-related injuries and illness across all competitive disciplines.MethodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines will be followed through each stage of this systematic review. Cycling is an umbrella term used for many individual disciplines. Investigation of all types of injuries and/or illnesses sustained during training and/or competition among competitive athletes across all disciplines will be included in this review. A computerised, systematic literature search will be conducted in electronic databases MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Independent screening by two reviewers in a two-step process: title/abstract screening followed by full-text review. The reference lists of included articles will be searched to identify any other potentially relevant articles. Narrative synthesis and tabular/charted presentation of the extracted data will be included.DiscussionThis protocol paper outlines the methodology to conduct a systematic review of injuries and illness across all competitive cycling disciplines. The aims of outlining this systematic review protocol are to aid research transparency, help reduce publication bias, prevent selective publication, and prevent the selective reporting of results. Future systematic reviews based on the proposed protocol will summarise the known prevalence, incidences, locations and burden of injury and illness across the sport of cycling.Trial RegistrationThis study has been registered with the PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (registration number CRD42024502703).

Adverse Events in Competitive Freediving – Clinical Presentation, Management, and Prevention

Freediving (synonyms: breath-hold diving, apnea diving) has become a popular leisure activity and continues to gain popularity and recognition as both a competitive and recreational sport. Formal freediving competitions are sanctioned by the international Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) or the Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée (AIDA). Both organizations have set up rules and guidelines for competitive pool disciplines where athletes compete for maximum submerged breath-hold time or underwater swimming distance with or without fins. In freshwater disciplines athletes strive for maximum depth using different freediving techniques. These aquatic breath-holding activities carry unique medical risks that are related to environmental factors eliciting extreme physiological challenges. Pool disciplines carry an increased risk of hypoxemia and, consequently, loss of consciousness, particularly in untrained individuals. Hypoxic complications are reported to occur in up to 10% of dives during freediving competitions. Shallow water blackout following hyperventilation to extend breath-hold capability is a serious risk applying to all aquatic breath-hold activities, however, is more common during recreational freediving. Deep freediving poses the athlete to further risks such as barotrauma of ear drums or lungs, immersion pulmonary edema, nitrogen narcosis, and decompression sickness when reaching great depths. While serious complications in competitive freediving are rare, however, the risk clearly rises with increasing depth. Special breathing techniques to increase lung volumes such as glossopharyngeal insufflation carry additional risks. This article reviews possible complications and injury that may occur in competitive freedivers and discusses strategies for management and prevention of possible injury.

Diving Into the Health Problems of Competitive Divers: A Systematic Review of Injuries and Illnesses in Pre-elite and Elite Diving Athletes.

The Olympic sport of diving involves the competitive disciplines of 3 m springboard and 10 m platform. Although it is generally accepted that lumbar spine injuries are common in diving athletes, the existing literature of health problems in diving athletes remains scarce. To identify the incidence, prevalence, and type of health problems that occur in competitive diving athletes. Medline, EMBASE, SportsDiscus, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Studies written in English investigating elite or pre-elite competitive diving (springboard, platform) injuries and/or illnesses were eligible. Two independent reviewers screened for inclusion by title, abstract, and full text in accordance with the eligibility criteria. Systematic review. Level 4. Data extraction was completed by 1 author using a structured form. A second author then independently reviewed and verified the extracted data, any discrepancies were resolved through consensus. The search identified 2554 potential articles, with 28 studies meeting eligibility criteria. The surveillance setting of most studies was restricted to competition-based events, with the reported injury incidence proportion ranging from 2.1% to 22.2%. The reported injury incidence rate ranged from 1.9 to 15.5 per 1000 athlete-exposures. Injuries to the shoulder, lower back/lumbar spine, trunk, and wrist/hand were reported most frequently. The prevalence of low back pain was reported as high as 89% (lifetime), 43.1% (period), and 37.3% (point). The illness incidence proportion ranged from 0.0% to 22.2%, with respiratory and gastrointestinal illness reported most frequently. Up to 1 in 5 diving athletes sustain an injury and/or illness during periods of competition. A reporting bias was observed, with most cohort studies limiting surveillance to short competition-based periods only. This limits the current understanding of the health problems experienced by diving athletes to competition periods only and requires expansion to whole-of-year surveillance.

Nutritional Supplements in Alpine Skiing: Enhancing Performance and Managing Risks

Alpine skiing, a sport rooted in ancient history and evolved into a competitive discipline in the late 1800s, imposes significant physical demands on athletes. Negotiating varied terrains and environmental stresses, skiers face unique physiological challenges. This review explores tailored nutritional supplements for alpine skiers, examining their potential to enhance endurance, reduce fatigue, and prevent injuries. Synthesizing current research, it provides insights into effective supplement use for optimal performance and well-being in the demanding alpine environment.

An appetite to win: Disordered eating behaviours amongst competitive cyclists

Competitive cyclists may be vulnerable to disordered eating (DE) and eating disorders (ED) due to perceived body composition optimisation and external influences within cycling culture and from stakeholders. Therefore, this study aimed to assess DE and ED risk in competitive cyclists using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), explore differences in responses based on sex, discipline and level of competition, and to gain insights into contributing factors towards DE via open-ended survey questions. In total, 203 participants completed a mixed-method questionnaire. Eating disorders were reported by 5.7% ( n = 11) of participants, with three being historic cases. The median (inter-quartile range) EAT-26 score was 8 (12) of a total possible score of 78. Disordered eating risk was observed in 16.7% of participants due to an EAT-26 score ≥20. Female participants had significantly higher scores than male participants (12.5 ± 17.5 vs. 6.5 ± 10.0; p = .004). There was no significant difference between road cyclists and off-road cyclists (7.0 ± 13.25 vs. 8.0 ± 10.5; p = .683). There was a significant difference in scores between novice/club/regional and national/elite/professional cyclists (6.0 ± 11.25 vs. 10.5 ± 12.0; p = .007). Thematic analysis of open-text responses found that the social environment of competitive cycling contributed towards DE behaviours and body image issues. These findings indicate competitive cyclists do appear to be an ‘at risk’ population for DE/ED. Therefore, there is need for stakeholders to enhance nutritional services, nutrition education and create supportive athlete environments.

On the Limitations of Michel Foucault’s Genealogy of Neoliberalism

Michel Foucault's genealogy of neoliberalism in Naissance de la biopolitique is surprisingly lacking in critical acumen vis-à-vis neoliberal rationality. Several interpretations explain Foucault's appreciative tone by hypothesising about Foucault's supposed conversion to neoliberalism. In this article, I argue that the problem lies not in Foucault's personal politics but in a disappointing application of the genealogical method. Compared to previous works, Foucault's lectures on neoliberalism focus exclusively on neoliberalism's self-presentation by the likes of Hayek, Becker, and Friedman. It does not explore the subjective effects of neoliberalism on the governed, which would have been impossible for Foucault in 1979. I argue that, by taking into consideration the negative effects of actually-existing neoliberalism, one reveals an immanent critique of neoliberalism at the heart of genealogy. Neoliberalism promises a post-disciplinary order conducive to subjective freedom, but actually requires subjects to adapt to the discipline of free market competition.

The relationship between mindfulness and athletes’ mental skills may be explained by emotion regulation and self-regulation

BackgroundAlthough numerous psychological determinants of sports success have been identified in the scientific literature, research on the contribution of mindfulness and interoceptive awareness to sports achievements remains limited. This study investigates the relationship between self-reported mental skills determining sports success (i.e., flow state, attention, technique, sensitivity to error, commitment, and achievement), state mindfulness for physical activity (of the mind and the body), and interoceptive awareness (including scales of noticing, not distracting, not worrying, attention regulation, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body listening, and trusting).MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of elite athletes in speed skating (n = 54) and university students of physical education (n = 102) representing various sports disciplines and competitive levels. The Sports Success Scale (SSS), the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA), and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) were used to assess psychological determinants of athletic achievements, state mindfulness, and interoceptive sensitivity, respectively.ResultsOur findings indicate some small-to-moderate differences in particular dimensions of psychological traits related to sports success, mindfulness, and interoceptive awareness between athletes of different genders, groups, and competitive levels. A chain mediation model showed that the relationship between body mindfulness and psychological variables determining sports success is fully explained by two dimensions of interoception: self-regulation and attention regulation.ConclusionsCultivating the mindfulness state of the body can improve self-regulation and attention regulation, which in turn may increase the mental skills required for successful sports participation. Therefore, mental training should focus primarily on body mindfulness, attention regulation, and self-regulation to improve the mental skills responsible for athletes’ sports achievements. In addition, individual differences in athletes’ gender, sports discipline, and level of sports competition should be considered during mental training.

Competition and Reputation in an Online Marketplace: Evidence from Airbnb

This paper studies how competition affects the role of reputation in encouraging sellers to exert effort. More competition disciplines sellers, but at the same time, it erodes reputational premia. This paper identifies whether one effect dominates the other using data from Airbnb. I exploit the introduction of a short-term rental regulation effective in San Francisco in 2017 that halved the number of short-term listings on the platform. I focus on hosts who are present on the platform before and after the regulation, and I identify a negative causal effect of the number of competitors on ratings about hosts’ effort. I extend this result with two other measures of effort: hosts’ response rate and response time. I confirm that hosts exert less effort when the number of competitors increases. The rate of responses within 24 hours decreases, and response time increases. This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing. Funding: This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Spain) [Grant ECO2016-78632-P]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4758 .

The Impossibility of Party Unity in Peru: Party Affiliation, Subnational Electoral Competition and Party Discipline (2011–2019)

Party division in Peru is a constant event and has become an expected feature of Peruvian parliamentary politics. For instance, in 2016, the elected Congress was composed of six parliamentary groups, and at the moment of its dissolution, that number doubled. This article explores the factors that produce such rapid division in the Peruvian Congress during two parliamentary periods (2011–2016, 2016–2019). It argues, through quantitative analysis, that there is a direct and negative relationship between the fragmentation of parliamentary groups and party discipline due to party affiliation and the dynamics of subnational party competition.

Morphological Characteristics as Predictors of Competitors Selection in Karate

The research was aimed at determining the predictive values of morphological characteristics in the competitive selection of young karatekas. The research included a total of 79 karatekas, aged 11 to 13 (± 0.5 years) of which 37 were competitors in kumite, 23 in kata, and 19 participants who competed in both disciplines. It was expected that certain differences between the examined groups of karatekas in morphological characteristics would appear, which was confirmed by the obtained results. The hypothesis that participants of different competitive orientations will differ significantly in the results of morphological characteristics has been partially confirmed. However, the tendencies of some differences registered in the oldest age of the participants, as well as the analysis of some researches conducted on the population of elite karate players, indicate the importance of forecasting definite morphological characteristics for success in a specific competitive discipline (kata or kumite).

Testing and Refining the Ethical Framework for the Use of Horses in Sport.

In 2021, in response to an acknowledged need for universal, consistent ethics to guide decision making in the horse sport sector, Campbell published a theoretical ethical framework for the use of horses in competitive sport. The research reported here tested the applied usefulness of that theoretical ethical framework through stakeholder engagement in a three-round modified Delphi study and refined it to develop a practical decision-making tool which can be applied consistently across multiple equestrian disciplines. Stakeholders from a broad range of equestrian competitive disciplines participated in the research. Participants were required to apply the ethical framework to a pre-determined ethical dilemma, individually (Rounds 1 and 2) and within a group (Round 3), and at the end of each round to complete a questionnaire designed to gauge opinion and user experience. At the completion of each round of testing, the theoretical framework was refined based on stakeholder feedback. Results showed that participants perceived useability and application of the framework to generally increase with each round. Qualitative content analysis identified key concepts, including cognition (e.g., broadens/deepens thinking) and application (e.g., considers multiple angles from a variety of information sources, needs to be a short/simple process). Results suggested that the refined framework is beneficial for group decision making across a wide variety of ethical issues and equestrian competitive disciplines. The framework thus has the potential to improve equine welfare through facilitating consistent ethical decision making in which the interests of the horse are prioritized.

How the CYBATHLON Competition Has Advanced Assistive Technologies

Approximately 1.1. billion people worldwide live with some form of disability, and assistive technology has the potential to increase their overall quality of life. However, the end users’ perspective and needs are often not sufficiently considered during the development of this technology, leading to frustration and nonuse of existing devices. Since its first competition in 2016, CYBATHLON has aimed to drive innovation in the field of assistive technology by motivating teams to involve end users more actively in the development process and to tailor novel devices to their actual daily-life needs. Competition tasks therefore represent unsolved daily-life challenges for people with disabilities and serve the purpose of benchmarking the latest developments from research laboratories and companies from around the world. This review describes each of the competition disciplines, their contributions to assistive technology, and remaining challenges in the user-centered development of this technology.

Karate Sports Disciplines from the Spotlight of the Paradigm Shift of Japanese Combat Systems: Analytical Study

Background: Nowadays, many karate organizations hold their own competitions at various levels, up to and including the world championships. They are positioned as separate sports, although the content, rules and regulations of many of them differ only in details. A large number of similar sports versions of karate interfere with the correct understanding and objective assessment of karate in the modern world. Materials and Methods: Based on 40 years of practical experience in studying and teaching karate and on the results of his own research in 2019-2022, the author presents his point of view on the unification of sports versions of karate based on common systemic features into three separate sports. Like any sport, karate reflects the social phenomenon from which it originated. Using civilization-historical, functional and social approaches, the author suggests that the paradigm shifts in combat systems lead to the emergence of new forms that have deep systemic differences. Accordingly, these differences are also manifested in sports disciplines that have arisen on the basis of these forms. Results: Three forms of karate have a component with pronounced features of modern sport and form three systemically different competitive disciplines: 1) Style (Traditional) karate; 2) General karate; 3) Sports (Olympic) karate. The differences between them stem from the differences between the forms of karate from which they arose. Conclusions: Style, General and Sports karate are sports which require consideration in different paradigms. They are selfsufficient and equal in value and public demand.

The discipline vs complement role of product market competition and market power: Evidence from real earnings management in an emerging market

We empirically study the role of product market competition and market power, discipline vs complement role, on real earnings management (REM) in Indonesia. Using 1800 firm-year observations from 2012 to 2020, we discover that the competition has an inverse association with REM, implying that product market competition plays a role in disciplining managers from engaging REM. Despite the negative association observed, we do not have evidence of any significant relationship between market power and REM. These findings hold for a set of robustness tests. We also evidenced that the discipline role of competition in REM will be more pronounced after the Economic ASEAN Community (EAC) period and pre-COVID-19 as well as in small firms and income-increasing firms. Although we cannot include corporate governance variable in our model due to data constrain, to the best of our knowledge, the current study will be the first study examining the role of market competition and market power on REM by considering the external shock, EAC period and COVID19, in emerging market such as Indonesia. This study implies that government and capital market regulators need to design and issue new laws or regulations that can encourage the internal governance structure to maximize the potential role of market power to mitigate REM.

The eSports Medicine: Pre-Participation Screening and Injuries Management-An Update.

Recently, electronic sports (eSports) became one of the growing forms of new media due to the wide diffusion of games and online technologies. Even if there is still a debate about the definition and characterization of eSports, eAthletes train heavily, compete in tournaments, must abide by competition, association, and governing body rules, just like all other athletes. Furthermore, as in any other competitive discipline, there can be injuries. Aberrant sitting posture, repetitive movements, screen vision, prolonged playing hours, and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to several medical hazards in musculoskeletal, ophthalmology, neurological, and metabolic systems. Moreover, several cardiovascular changes occur in eAthletes. This paper aims to explore the different injuries that can occur in a professional eAthlete, suggesting how every high-level gamer could benefit from a pre-participation evaluation and a correct injury prevention strategy.

КІНЕМАТИЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ ТЕХНІКИ РУХОВИХ ДІЙ СПОРТСМЕНІВ (НА ПРИКЛАДІ ПРАКТИЧНОЇ СТРІЛЬБИ)

Relevance of the research. Since ancient times, man's thirst for rivalry and selfdevelopment has given birth to various competitive disciplines. Practical shooting is a type of shooting sport that aims to organize, within the framework of sports competitions, shooting exercises that require the shooters to implement the techniques and methods of firing that most fully correspond to various cases of using firearms. In practical shooting, competitions are held for several types of firearms: "Pistol", "Rifle", "Carbine". The purpose of the article is to determine the angular indicators of biopairs of the musculoskeletal system at different moments of time while athletes who specialize in practical shooting with a pistol, using the "ski", "X-shaped" and "low" steps are moving. Research material and methods. 10 qualified athletes who specialize in practical pistol shooting took part in the research. Each athlete made 5 attempts using the "ski", "X-shaped" and "low" steps. It is important to note that there were no restrictions on the choice of the speed of movement of the athlete, the speed of execution of a series of shots during the attempts. Athletes were oriented to ensure that each shot was accurate in a series of shooting, with its execution in a minimum period of time, which actually largely determines the sports result in practical shooting. We conducted an experimental study in laboratory conditions using the opticalelectronic 3D system of registration and analysis of human movements "Qualisys". The results obtained in the research process were processed using the methods of mathematical statistics. Work results. The conducted biomechanical analysis revealed differences in the biomechanical structure of the technique of different ways of movement ("ski", "X- shaped" and "low" step) of athletes during shooting. Prospects for further research include the development of technology for the formation of the technique of moving athletes in practical shooting.

The homology between the private and the public fields in higher education

External privatisation of public education has emerged in Finland in the admission to higher education. A field analysis of thematic interviews (N = 22) with powerful actors in the private educational market and middle-class young people applying for places at universities in the highly competitive disciplines of medicine and law was conducted. The research task was to examine the discourses that construct the limits of the public and private fields, and the kind of homology that emerges. Four discourses were identified: support, business, social responsibility, and personal responsibility. The private field distinguished itself from the public fields through the discourse of business and attached itself to it through the discourse of support. The dominance of the symbolic power of transformed economic capital in the private field mobilised in the public field was misrecognised during the admission process as ‘motivation’. The homology between the two fields was strong yet hidden.

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING MODEL COMBINING RESEARCH PROJECTS, SUBJECT COMPETITIONS, PAPERS AND EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR CHANGE EDUCATION: A MULTI CASE STUDY

BackgroundScientific research projects and discipline competitions play a vital role in cultivating postgraduates' innovation ability and engineering practice ability. Thesis writing is an important part of postgraduate training. Mental health education is an important part of graduate education. It is of great theoretical and practical significance to construct the postgraduate training mode combining the above four elements to realize efficient and high-quality education. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of the model in promoting the changes of students' emotional behavior.Topics and MethodsUsing the text survey method, this paper analyzes the award-winning projects of graduate innovation fund project undertaken by graduate students of Xijing University, Chinese graduate innovation practice series, Chinese “Internet” student innovation and entrepreneurship competition and other disciplines. Competition and papers. At the same time, the study investigated the students' emotional behavior towards the training mode. This study adopts (1) positive emotion scale. Panas emotion scale developed by Watson et al. It is widely used to measure emotions. The scale includes two dimensions: positive emotion and negative emotion. Assessing regulatory emotional self-efficacy in three countries (RES) was compiled by Caprara in 2008 and applied by many scholars to measure emotional regulatory self-efficacy. Considering the cultural differences, Tian Xueying revised the scale in China in combination with the current social situation in China. The total score of the test result scale is consistent with Cronbach's of all dimensions α the coefficients are > 0.7, with good acceptability and high reliability. The scale has a total of 12 items, including four dimensions: expressing positive emotional self-efficacy (POS), regulating positive emotional self-efficacy (MPOs), regulating depression / pain emotional self-efficacy (DES) and regulating anger or anger emotional self-efficacy (ANG). Using the five-level scale method, the scores correspond to 1 ~ 5 points respectively. The correlation between each dimension is low and has a certain independence, but it is closely related to the total score, which reflects the good structural validity of the scale.ResultsFrom 2012 to 2019, mechanical graduate students applied for the establishment of 77 graduate innovation fund projects, and 92.8% of the students received the support of innovation fund. From 2014 to 2021, a total of 122 discipline competition teams for postgraduates majoring in machinery were established. A total of 76 awards were won in the series of Chinese graduate innovation practice competitions, accounting for 62% of the total awards. Based on the analysis of the papers of graduates from 2015 to 2020, 34.3% of the papers were funded by the innovation fund and participated in the discipline competition with the results of the fund. It can be seen from table 1 that the average score of the total score of emotional regulation self-efficacy is (42.31 ± 7.59) (the score range is 16 ~ 60), indicating that the emotional regulation self-efficacy of college students is higher than the midline level, the score of POS dimension is (12.14 ± 2.39) (the score range is 3 ~ 15), the score of MPOs dimension is (10.94 ± 2.45) (the score range is 3 ~ 15), and the score of Des dimension is (9.50 ± 2.98) (the score range is 3 ~ 15), The score of ang dimension is (9.72 ± 2.63) (the score range is 3 ~ 15), indicating that there is a certain structural imbalance in the process of dealing with emotions.ConclusionXijing University has explored and constructed an efficient and high-quality professional postgraduate training mode from the four dimensions of scientific research projects, discipline competitions, dissertations and mental health education, so as to make graduate education pay more attention to the cultivation of innovation and engineering. Practice provides a useful reference for the cultivation of high-level applied technology talents.AcknowledgementsSupported by a project grant from the Research and Practice Project of Comprehensive Reform of Graduate Education in Shaanxi Province (YJSZG2020095), and the Education Science Planning Project of Shaanxi Province during the 13th Five-Year Planning period (SGH18H578).

Renovación de los Juegos Olímpicos y apropiación cultural del parkour Apoyos y resistencias

Parkour emerged in French suburbs as a development of a group of individuals. As from 2006, it reached a massive audience through online video platforms, leading to multiple local appropriations. Parkour’s community ethics include several values, shared (or not) by its members, such as: non-competition, utility of the movements and creativity. We will be calling both, the community, and the whole of knowledge, ethics and arts shared by it, parkour’s culture, aware of its divergences and diffuse boundaries. The International Olympic Committee, committed to engage younger audiences, upgraded the Olympics 2020 Agenda, by adding action or extreme sports to its programe. In 2017, the International Gymnastics Federation announced the development of a new competitive discipline based on parkour, to be added to the Olympic Games programe, called FIG Parkour. That development was immediately categorized as misappropriation by parkour groups, organizations and federations. We will relate these allegations with the idea of cultural appropriation and summarize some supports and resistances concerning the development of FIG Parkour within parkour culture and gymnastics.

Does product market competition discipline managers? Evidence from an exogenous trade shock and corporate acquisitions

AbstractResearch question/issueThis study uses the 1989 Canada‐United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to study the effect of increased foreign competition on the efficiency of major corporate investment decisions. The analysis builds on the disciplining theories of competition that suggest that managers facing greater competition should make better investment decisions, resulting in more wealth created for shareholders.Research findings/insightsUsing a sample of more than 2000 mergers and acquisitions, the study finds that acquirers exposed to greater increases in foreign competition experience better acquisition performance. The positive impact of increased competition is stronger in acquirers with relatively higher agency costs prior to the FTA. Managers of acquirers exposed to greater foreign competition are more likely to be terminated following value‐destroying acquisitions.Theoretical/academic implicationsThis study provides novel empirical evidence showing that increased foreign competition results in better investment decisions and that the result is likely due to the disciplining effects of competition. This evidence adds to a growing body of work on the disciplining role of competition and on the effects of increased foreign competition on corporate decision‐making.Practitioner/policy implicationsThis study is relevant to policymakers because the extent of competition can be influenced by policy decisions. For regulators, it is worth considering that reducing import tariffs and other entry barriers into product markets may lower agency costs and increase the efficiency of corporate investment. This is a topical issue due to the increase in globalization and ongoing debates about further liberalization of trade relations.