Reduction In Competition Research Articles

Enhancement of CH4 oxidation potential in bio-based landfill cover materials

This study evaluated the efficacy of two compost materials, yard waste and leaf compost (YWLC) and biosolids compost (BSC), as bio-based landfill cover materials for oxidizing methane (CH4). A series of laboratory batch incubations were conducted to assess the CH4 oxidation potential of the composts and potential enhancement of CH4 oxidation under different conditions. Higher initial rates of CH4 oxidation were yielded in a sample of YWLC cured beyond the maturity standard at the compost site due to a reduction in raBOD and subsequent reduction in heterotrophic competition for oxygen. Results showed that the YWLC already had methanotrophic bacteria within the compost community with an initial CH4 oxidation rate of up to 95.9 μmol g(d.w.)−1 d−1. An optimum moisture content (MC) of 65 % and 50 % ww was obtained for YWLC with CH4 oxidation rates of up to 175−180 μmol g(d.w.)-1 d-1. In an assessment of long-term CH4 oxidation rates, a sample of BSC showed a long lag (60 days) to start consuming CH4; however, after this lag, it reached a CH4 oxidation rate of 160−170 μmol g(d.w.)-1 d-1, which was similar to that of the YWLC (130−140 μmol g(d.w.)-1 d-1) at the end of the 100 day experiment. While very little initial CH4 removal was detected in the BSC, different blends of BSC with YWLC were found to enhance CH4 oxidation indicating that there was a benefit to mixing the two composts. The highest long-term CH4 oxidation rates were observed in 1:1 and 1:4 (YWLC:BSC) mixing ratios (360−380 μmol g(d.w.)-1 d−1). Neither the in-situ MC, heavy metals concentrations, nutrient content, nor the in-situ population of methanotrophs were determined to be limiting variables for CH4 oxidation start-up in the BSC.

Seedling recruitment in mountain grassland restoration: Effects of soil preparation and grazing

AbstractQuestionsSeedling recruitment is a key step in any seed‐based ecological restoration project. There is a controversial discussion (a) whether soil preparation is required to reduce competition of pre‐existing vegetation, or whether vegetation cover facilitate seedling recruitment, and (b) whether grazing should be excluded in initial stages of grassland restoration to protect seedlings, because grazing exclusion may also favour competitive ruderal species. We set up a combined soil preparation and grazing experiment to evaluate the effect of both factors on seedling recruitment of seeds transferred from a species‐rich donor site.LocationUpper Durance valley, Hautes‐Alpes, France.MethodsThe experiment was set up using a full factorial split‐plot design with five replicate sites. The treatments included soil preparation (harrowed or not) and grazing (excluded or not). Seeds were transferred using plant material brushed in a non‐degraded reference grassland. The individuals of all occurring species were counted on the restoration sites, and the survival and reproduction of two focal species, Bromopsis erecta and Rhinanthus alectorolophus, were recorded for three months.ResultsSoil preparation by harrowing reduced the density of spontaneously emerging species and increased the seedling density of species transferred from the donor site. Grazing had only a weak negative effect on the recruitment of transferred species. The main effect of both treatments on seedling survival was not significant, but a significant interaction indicated that the grazing effect depended on soil preparation, with a negative effect of grazing only in non‐harrowed plots.ConclusionsThe reduction of competition by soil preparation before seed addition of brush material had a positive effect on the seedling recruitment of transferred species and can thus clearly be recommended in our study system. The weak negative effect of grazing may not always justify fencing costs.

"Sister with Sister, Like a Fish with Water": Individual Psychological Characteristics and Relationships of Women-Siblings Depending on the Growth Conditions in Their Family

Relationships and individual psychological features of siblings are one of the least studied areas of family psychology. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of interpersonal relationships of sisters, the connection of these relationships with the order of sisters’ birth, other probable family factors and the ability of sisters to coquetry. Methods: 1) Osgood's method of semantic differential was used to identify attitudes towards herself and her sister; 2) the form of growth factors in the family developed by the authors, and 3) questionnaire of women’s adaptive potential in relationship with men (questionnaire of women coquetry) to measure the ability to coquetry of O.L. Lutsenko, V.V. Volchanova. The form collected data about women’s age, education, social status, presence and number of children, marital status, presence of divorce in the parental family, religious affiliation and the degree of religion significance in life (open questions). Questions with a 5-point Likert scale were about: satisfaction with physical condition (health status), satisfaction with financial status, satisfaction with social relations, spiritual satisfaction, the degree of attachment to a sister, father, mother; degree of support from the father, mother; degree of competition with a sister in childhood - up to 18 years old; the degree of envy (unfair luck) towards the sister; degree of loyalty to free discussion of sexual topics in the family; the degree of participation in the teaching of coquetry by a sister, mother, others. As a result, the adaptive and compensatory role of female coquetry to increase the financial position of women was confirmed. In conditions of low welfare, lack of parental support, the degree of coquetry increases. Mother also teaches her daughter more coquetry in the case of divorce. Women value learning to be coquettish: a sister rates her sister higher if she teaches her to be coquettish. The highest level of coquetry is associated with the perception of herself as a strong woman, i.e. as a resource. The assessment of a sister’s activity was found to be included in various relationships with other family factors, which indicates the importance of this characteristic in the relationship of female siblings. When sisters have the greater age difference, they treat each other better, that was explained by the reduction of competition between them. The older sister traditionally performs more functions in the family, because of which she may feel more envious of her sister, jealous of her mother, and consider herself as more active. At the same time, older sisters treat younger ones better, evaluate them higher than their younger counterparts.

Natural Disasters and Economic Growth: The Role of Banking Market Structure

Following a natural disaster, the rate of economic growth recovers faster in less competitive banking markets. A 10% reduction in competition increases the rate of economic growth by 0.3%. In less competitive markets, banks respond to a disaster by increasing the supply of real estate credit by refinancing mortgage loans but do not lend more to businesses or consumers. Instead, government agencies provide disaster loans to affected businesses and households. Smaller, profitable and well-capitalized institutions that rely more on traditional retail banking originate most mortgage credit.

Information Design for Selling Search Goods and the Effect of Competition

I study optimal information provision by a search goods seller. While the seller controls a consumer's pre-search information, which decides whether she will search for the product with a cost, he cannot control the consumer's post-search information because the consumer inevitably learns her match upon inspecting the product. Importantly, I allow the consumer to have private information on her best alternative to the seller's product. To accommodate this, a relaxed problem approach is developed, which fully characterizes the seller's optimal design under certain regularity conditions. Based on this characterization, I consider how consumer privacy, revealing of post-search information, reduction in search cost and competition by a large number of sellers would affect the equilibrium information provision. My approach also helps to highlight the key similarity and dissimilarity between information designs for search goods and experience goods.

Rural Migration and Relative Deprivation in Agro-Pastoral Communities Under the Threat of Cattle Rustling in Nigeria

Pastoral livestock production as a primary source of livelihood is increasingly becoming unsustainable due to the rapidly changing social context, perennial cattle rustling, unpredictable climatic conditions, and rapid population growth. Migration in response to these changes in social context has often increased competition for land and natural resources between the farmers and pastoralists. Using survey data from 1,750 agro-pastoral households, this study examines the impact of cattle rustling and relative deprivation on shaping the patterns of migration in Nigeria. The results of linear regression show that the loss of livestock, cattle rustling, income diversity, literacy, and herd size are significant determinants of migration patterns. These factors were instrumental in the households’ decision to migrate transitorily or permanently. While the findings indicate that relative deprivation is a significant push factor, migration in response to deprivation and cattle rustling may not necessarily decrease inequality due to weak social capital among the agro-pastoralists. In this sense, increasing pastoral social and economic capital is critical to the reduction of inequality and competition for natural capital. As such, rural livelihood enhancement intervention embedded within the context of a conflict mitigation mechanism is required to decrease the perceived relative deprivation.

Stock Liquidity and Algorithmic Market Making During the COVID-19 Crisis

Much of the liquidity supply in modern markets comes from algorithmic traders (ATs). Prompted by concerns of fragility induced by such voluntary market making, we examine ATs’ liquidity-provision role during the COVID-19 crisis. We find that amidst the turmoil as market liquidity declined ATs did not (disproportionately) withdraw liquidity supply. Stocks with the highest algorithmic trading (AT) experienced lower liquidity reduction compared to stocks with the lowest AT activity. High AT stocks did not experience greater reduction in either competition for liquidity provision or price improvements than low AT stocks. Multiple tests indicate that high AT did not associate with any greater deterioration in price efficiency vis-à-vis low AT stocks. Stocks in the industries hardest hit by COVID-19 did not see any less AT competition for liquidity supply or price efficiency than stocks in the least affected ones. Overall, our results allay some concerns that the current levels of AT make markets more susceptible to liquidity withdrawal in times of crises.

Loss of potential competition through a minority stake? Takeaways from Amazon/Deliveroo

On 4 August 2020, after a Phase 2 investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority cleared Amazon's proposed minority investment in Deliveroo. The CMA's original concern had been that the investment could damage competition by discouraging Amazon from re-entering restaurant food delivery in the UK and altering its competitive incentives in respect of online delivery of ‘convenience’ groceries. However, the CMA concluded that whilst it was likely that, absent the transaction, Amazon would have re-entered, it was not sufficiently likely that the transaction would have had a material impact on Amazon's incentives to re-enter or its approach following re-entry. Therefore, the transaction would not have resulted in a substantial reduction in potential competition. This article provides some background on the case and analyses the competitive effect of minority shareholdings between potential (as opposed to existing) competitors and discusses some broader factors in the assessment of potential competition concerns.

Big Data and Competition Policy in the European Union

Because of the specific features of digital markets and the emergence of new business models in the digital economy, competition often takes on a rather distinctive form, challenging competition authorities in the assessment of merger controls and anticompetitive behaviour. Several competition authorities have concluded recently that although generically formulated competition law provisions can be adapted to the particularities of a data-driven market, big data may require the use of somewhat specialized tools and methods in law enforcement, especially in the assessment of market power during merger control proceedings. One particular issue is whether data protection concerns might be covered by the scope of competition law. Recent case law suggests that national law enforcers are becoming increasingly flexible regarding privacy policies as a non-price competition factor in merger control in order to prevent future anti-competitive practices and a general reduction of competition in the relevant market.

Multitasking strategies make the difference: Separating processing-code resources boosts multitasking efficiency when individuals prefer to interleave tasks in free concurrent dual tasking.

Previous research has shown that individuals differ with respect to their preferred strategies in self-organized multitasking: They either prefer to work on one task for long sequences before switching to another (blocking), prefer to switch repeatedly after short sequences (switching), or prefer to respond almost simultaneously after processing the stimuli of two concurrently visible tasks (response grouping). In two experiments, we tested to what extent the choice of strategy and related differences in multitasking efficiency were affected by the between-resource competition (Wickens, 2002) of two tasks to be performed concurrently in a self-organized manner. All participants performed a set of dual tasks that differed with respect to the kind of stimuli (verbal vs. spatial) and/or responses (manual vs. vocal). The choice of strategy was hardly affected as most individuals persisted in their response strategy independent of the degree of resource competition. However, the efficiency of individuals preferring a switching or response-grouping strategy increased especially when the reduction in resource competition was response related (manual vs. vocal), leading even to considerable dual-tasking benefits under these circumstances. In contrast, individuals who preferred to block their responses did not achieve any considerable benefits (or costs) with either of the different dual tasks. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Reducing Flower Competition for Assimilates by Half Results in Higher Yield of Fagopyrum esculentum.

Despite abundant flowering throughout the season, common buckwheat develops a very low number of kernels probably due to competition for assimilates. We hypothesized that plants with a shorter flowering period may give a higher seed yield. To verify the hypothesis, we studied nutrient stress in vitro and in planta and analyzed different embryological and yield parameters, including hormone profile in the flowers. In vitro cultivated flowers on media with strongly reduced nutrient content demonstrated a drastic increase in degenerated embryo sacs. In in planta experiments, where 50% or 75% of flowers or all lateral ramifications were removed, the reduction of the flower competition by half turned out to be the most promising treatment for improving yield. This treatment increased the frequency of properly developed embryo sacs, the average number of mature seeds per plant, and their mass. Strong seed compensation under 50% inflorescence removal could result from increased production of salicylic and jasmonic acid that both favor more effective pollinator attraction. Plants in single-shoot cultivation finished their vegetation earlier, and they demonstrated greater single seed mass per plant than in control. This result suggests that plants of common buckwheat with shorter blooming period could deliver higher seed yield.

Stable isotopes suggest fine-scale sexual segregation in an isolated, endangered sperm whale population

Sexual segregation is common among marine mammals, leading to intraspecific differences in diet, diving behaviour, home range size and even latitudinal distribution and migratory patterns. Sperm whalesPhyseter macrocephaluspresent one of the most extreme examples of sexual dimorphism both in size and social structure, with males and females segregating at different latitudes across most of their range, but the underlying ecological drivers remain unclear. Studying fine-scale dietary and habitat differences where the sexes occur in sympatry could therefore provide insights into the mechanisms underpinning their large-scale segregation. In this study, we analysed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values in the skin of males and females from an isolated, endangered population inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, sampled in a region where the sexes occur and feed regularly in the summer months but show subtle differences in habitat preference. We found marked differences in both carbon and nitrogen isotopic values between the sexes, indicating that they could be targeting prey items in different trophic levels and habitats. Combined with the evidence from habitat modelling studies, our results suggest that female and male sperm whales segregate even in the latitudinally restricted Mediterranean population, at a much smaller scale. This sympatric, fine-scale sexual segregation suggests that reduction of competition may have been a key factor in the evolution of the social structure and large-scale latitudinal segregation of this species.

Site preparation impacts on soil biotic and abiotic properties, weed control, and native grass establishment

In severely degraded systems active restoration is required to overcome legacies of past land use and to create conditions that promote the establishment of target plant communities. While our understanding of the importance of soil microbial communities in ecological restoration is growing, few studies have looked at the impacts different site preparation techniques have on these communities. We trialed four methods of site preparation: fire, top‐soil removal (TSR; removal of top 50 mm of soil), slashing (vegetation cut to 30 mm, biomass removed), and carbon (C; as sugar and saw‐dust) addition, and quantified resulting soil bacterial communities using DNA metabarcoding. We compared the effectiveness of these techniques to reduce weed biomass, improve native grass establishment, and induce changes in soil nutrient availability. TSR was the most effective technique, leading to a reduction in both available nutrients and competition from weeds. In comparison, the remaining methods had little or no effect on weed biomass, native grass establishment, or soil nutrient availability. Both TSR and C addition resulted in changes in the soil bacterial community. These changes have the potential to alter plant community assembly in many ways, such as via nutrient acquisition, pathogenic effects, nutrient cycling, and decomposition. We recommend TSR for ecological restoration of old‐fields and suggest it is a much more effective technique than burning, slashing, or C addition. Restoration practitioners should consider how their management techniques may influence the soil biota and, in turn, affect restoration outcomes.

Mammal population densities at a global scale are higher in human‐modified areas

Global landscapes are changing due to human activities with consequences for both biodiversity and ecosystems. For single species, terrestrial mammal population densities have shown mixed responses to human pressure, with both increasing and decreasing densities reported in the literature. How the impacts of human activities on mammal populations translates into altered global density patterns remains unclear. Here we aim to disentangle the effect of human impacts on large‐scale patterns of mammal population densities using a global dataset of 6729 population density estimates for 468 mammal species (representing 59% and 44% of mammalian orders and families). We fitted a mixed effect model to explain the variation in density based on a 1‐degree resolution as a function of the human footprint index (HFI), a global proxy of direct and indirect human disturbances, while accounting for body mass, trophic level and primary productivity (normalized vegetation index; NDVI). We found a significant positive relationship between population density and HFI, where population densities were higher in areas with a higher HFI (e.g. agricultural or suburban areas – no populations were located in very high HFI urban areas) compared to areas with a low HFI (e.g. wilderness areas). We also tested the effect of the individual components of the HFI and still found a consistent positive effect. The relationships remained positive even across populations of the same species, although variability among species was high. Our results indicate shifts in mammal population densities in human modified landscapes, which is due to the combined effect of species filtering, increased resources and a possible reduction in competition and predation. Our study provides further evidence that macroecological patterns are being altered by human activities, where some species will benefit from these activities, while others will be negatively impacted or even extirpated.

Plant Community Shifts in Response to Fire and Bison in a Restored Tallgrass Prairie

To redress prairie loss, managers seed former agricultural lands and reinstate key ecosystem processes with prescribed fires and reintroduction of native grazers to create restored prairies. Bison (Bison bison) were almost hunted to extinction in the late 1800s but are recovering and have recently been reintroduced to restored prairies for their ecosystem engineering roles. The effects bison and fire have on remnant (never-plowed) prairie vegetation are well documented. However, there is little known about how bison will impact plant communities in restored prairies. These effects are most likely driven by reduction of competition from grasses and increased heterogeneity from disturbance. This study aimed to quantify bison impacts on vegetation in a chronosequence of restored prairie with varied burning regimes. We found that plant diversity decreased with restoration age and did not differ among either grazing or fire treatments. However, grazed sites displayed more variation within plant community composition. Older restorations tended to be more similar in species and functional group composition in comparison to younger sites. Although the roles of bison and fire were not as important in these first three years after reintroduction as predicted, changes in composition suggest that bison effects may become more apparent in later years as grazing drives different compositional trajectories.

Variable thinning and prescribed fire influence tree mortality and growth during and after a severe drought

California’s high density, fire-excluded forests experienced an extreme drought accompanied by warmer than normal temperatures from 2012 to 2015, resulting in the deaths of millions of trees. We examined tree mortality and growth of mixed-conifer stands that had been experimentally treated between 2011 and 2013 with two different thinning treatments, one with more structural variability (HighV) and one with less structural variability (LowV), applied alone or in combination with prescribed burning. Tree mortality between 2014 and 2018 varied by species ranging from 42% of white fir (Abies concolor) to 18% of sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), 12% of incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens) and 10% of yellow pine (P. ponderosa and P. jeffreyi). Lower overall tree mortality rates at this location relative to drier locations in the southern Sierra Nevada suggested that drought effects may have been ameliorated by lower water deficits due to our site’s more northerly location and deep, productive soils in combination with reductions in tree competition following thinning and burning. Averaged across burn treatments, thinning reduced the overall mortality rate between 2014 and 2018 from 34% to 11%. A total of 23% of the basal area was lost in the unthinned control treatments during this time period, while basal area was unchanged in the thinned treatments, with growth offsetting mortality. There was no significant difference in mortality or basal area change between LowV and HighV, suggesting that leaving trees at variable spacing may not compromise growth or resilience of the stand during a drought. Overall tree mortality was greater in the prescribed burn treatments, most pronounced in the smaller tree size classes, and varied by species, with burning having a significant effect on incense cedar and all pines, but not white fir. Trees with greater competition (Hegyi index) were more likely to die, particularly when also burned. Burning, however, consumed surface fuels and lowered fire hazard. With predictions of warmer droughts and greater weather variability, reducing forest density (basal area) and keeping surface fuel loads low will be important for building greater resilience to future drought stress and wildfire.

Effect of Irrigation Levels and Some Soil Applied Herbicides on Weeds, Water Use efficiency and Productivity of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

Two field experiments were conducted during 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 winter seasons in clay soil at El-Kanater El-Khiria, Horticulture research station to study the effect of two irrigation water regimes i.e. 75 & 100 % of potential evapotranspiration (ETc) under six weed control treatments by Pendimethalin (Stomp extra 45.5% CS at the rate of 1.7 l/fedden), oxyfluorfen (Roal 24% EC at the rate of 750 cm3/fed. and/ or supplemented with additional hand hoeing once and hand hoeing twice addition to unweeded check on weeds , garlic yield and their water relationship i.e. consumptive use (Cu) and water use efficiency (WUE).Experimental design was split plot where the two treatments of water regime were allocated in the main plots and weed control treatments in subplots in four replicates. The main findings show that the experimental field was infested by annual weeds for the unweeded check by 1.35 and 1.47 ton/feddan dry weight of weeds, exhibited yield loss of 16.1 and 15.1% of garlic yield per feddan than hand hoeing twice in both 2016 /2017 and 2017/2018 seasons, respectively.Also all various weed categories as well as various yield components and yield of garlic tended to increase significantly in both seasons with adding irrigation water by 100 % from potential evapotranspition (ETc) treatment, meanwhile, water use efficiency for irrigation treatments tended to increase by 75 % from potential evapotranspition (ETc) 19.9 and 25.2% of ETc in 2016 /2017 and 2017/2018 seasons, respectively, and economically feasible. The reduction in garlic yield under irrigation level by 75 % equal 7&4 % in 1st and 2nd seasons and can consider non mean full difference with saving irrigation water476 &579 cubic meter which equal two irrigation. While, water use efficiency for Stomp at 1.7 L/fed, Stomp + h. hoeing once, Roal at 075 L/fed, Roal+ h. hoeing once and h. hoeing twice tended to increase by 34.0 & 53.8 & 28.8 & 43.4 and 29.7%, respectively more than unweeded check in the first season and by 29.2 & 38.4 & 27.0 & 31.9 and 26.5%, respectively, more than unweeded check which attributed the reduction of weed competition for water consumption. All weed control treatments gave significant effect on controlling weeds and increased growth characteristics and bulb garlic yields. Stomp at 1.7 L/fed h plus hand hoeing once gave the highest increase in net income (LE) by 118.3 and 94.4% respectively, more than unweeded check. Regarding, the interaction between irrigation water levels and weed control treatments, there was a little significant effect with soil moisture 100 % and herbicide residue of Stomp and Roal herbicides which in weed control elements used in garlic bulb less than allowable level.

Income inequality and technological progress: The effect of R&D incentives, integration, and spillovers

AbstractRecent years witnessed an increase in income inequality. Several explanations have been put forward. In the present paper, we consider a series of technologically related events that have been crucial for the increased income inequality, that is, public R&D incentives, increasing horizontal integration and spillover effects. We found that public R&D incentives and the increasing horizontal integration have biased the income distribution towards the top income group. In particular, the high‐skilled workers involved in the R&D process have benefited enormously from this process. Similarly, capital owners have seen an increase in their profits, because of the reduction in product market competition and technological improvements in the production process. We found the effect of knowledge spillovers to be less clear‐cut. We conclude discussing the implications of our results and suggesting possible solutions to the increasing income inequality. We call for the creation of supranational institutions, and for stricter legislation on competition and antitrust policy.

Consumers’ choice of the services of Islamic banks in dual banking system

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how the Islamic banks fix their mark-up for Murabaha contract strategically when traditional banks also co-exist in a country. This study also aims to investigate what role the varying degree of Iman (faith) plays in shaping the preferences of the consumers to choose between the services of Islamic banks and the traditional banks. Design/methodology/approach This paper constructs a mathematical model like the Bertrand competition in neo-classical economic theory. A religiosity parameter for the consumers has been inserted into their demand functions for their products. A simple optimization technique from mathematics has been used to arrive at the results. Findings This paper applies game theory to analyze how Islamic banks determine their mark-up when they are facing competition with traditional banks. It considers the demand functions of the consumers for the products of Islamic banks and traditional banks. The demand functions depend on the mark-up, as well as on the interest rate with the difference that they also depend on the religiosity of the consumers. The paper shows that Islamic, as well as the conventional banks charge lower prices for their loans if there is consideration of religiosity aspect of the consumers. Further, it shows that as religiosity increases in a country, the lending rates decrease. The theoretical result is also consistent with the real practices of the banks. Therefore, the dual banking system is welfare enhancing for the customers. Research limitations/implications The Islamic banks can leverage the religiosity aspect of the consumers and expand their business competitively by charging them lower mark-up. The adherence of religious customers to the services of Islamic banks creates some kind of loyalty premium for them. This could lead to the reduction of mark-up price triggering competition between both types of banks to attract more customers. Therefore, it is prudent for the government to develop a system for furthering the quality of honesty that is an integral part of Islam. Originality/value To the best of author’s knowledge, this is the first paper where it has been analyzed theoretically how the Islamic banks determine their mark-up for Murabaha contract strategically. This approach explains why the rate of return of Islamic banks hinges on the interest rates of traditional banks. One of the novel feature of this paper is that religiosity character of the consumer is good for banks because religiosity prohibits the people to default on their loans.

COVID-19 and ENT SLT services, workforce and research in the UK: A discussion paper.

BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic and the UK government's subsequent coronavirus action plan have fundamentally impacted on every aspect of healthcare. One area that is severely affected is ear, nose and throat (ENT)/laryngology where speech and language therapists (SLTs) engage in a diverse range of practice with patients with a range of conditions, including voice disorders, airway problems, and head and neck cancers (HNCs). A large majority of these patients are in high‐risk categories, and many specialized clinical practices are vulnerable. In addition, workforce and research issues are challenged in both the immediate context and the future.AimsTo discuss the threats and opportunities from the COVID‐19 pandemic for SLTs in ENT/laryngology with specific reference to clinical practice, workforce and research leadership.Methods & ProceduresThe relevant sections of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) health systems building blocks framework (2007) were used to structure the study. Expert agreement was determined by an iterative process of multiple‐group discussions, the use of all recent relevant policy documentation, and other literature and shared documentation/writing. The final paper was verified and agreed by all authors.Main ContributionThe main threats to ENT/laryngology SLT clinical services include increased patient complexity related to COVID‐19 voice and airway problems, delayed HNC diagnosis, reduced access to instrumental procedures and inequitable care provision. The main clinical opportunities include the potential for new modes of service delivery and collaborations, and harnessing SLT expertise in non‐instrumental assessment. There are several workforce issues, including redeployment (and impact on current services), training implications and psychological impact on staff. Workforce opportunities exist for service innovation and potential extended ENT/SLT practice roles. Research is threatened by a reduction in immediate funding calls and high competition. Current research is affected by very limited access to participants and the ability to conduct face‐to‐face and instrumental assessments. However, research opportunities may result in greater collaboration, and changes in service delivery necessitate robust investigation and evaluation. A new national set of research priorities is likely to emerge.Conclusions & ImplicationsThe immediate impact of the pandemic has resulted in major disruption to all aspects of clinical delivery, workforce and research for ENT/laryngology SLT. It is unclear when any of these areas will resume operations and whether permanent changes to clinical practice, professional remits and research priorities will follow. However, significant opportunity exists in the post‐COVID era to re‐evaluate current practice, embrace opportunities and evaluate new ways of working. What this paper addsWhat is already known on the subject ENT/laryngology SLTs manage patients with a range of conditions, including voice disorders, airway problems and HNCs. The diverse scope of clinical practice involves highly specialized assessment and treatment practices in patients in high‐risk categories. A large majority of active research projects in this field are patient focused and involve instrumental assessment. The COVID‐19 pandemic has created both opportunities and threats for ENT SLT clinical services, workforce and research. What this paper adds to existing knowledge This study provides a discussion of the threats and opportunities from the COVID‐19 pandemic for ENT/laryngology SLT with specific reference to clinical practice, workforce and research leadership. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in major disruption to all aspects of clinical delivery, workforce and research for ENT/laryngology SLT. Changes to clinical practice, professional remits and research priorities are of indeterminant duration at this time, and some components could be permanent. Significant clinical practice, workforce and research opportunities may exist in the post‐COVID era.