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Poor access to healthcare and increasing demand for services represent a management dilemma how to balance between needs and costs. Scrutinising the concept of demand management and using a case study from Finnish primary care, the purpose of this paper is to examine the complexities of managing demand for health services.

Convenience has explained the popularity of walk-in clinics (WIC), making it an attractive demand management tool. By analysing the quantitative service utilisation data of frequent attenders at WIC, the paper exemplifies what enhanced access to care means for demand management of public welfare services.

High user rates and satisfaction indicate demand for this type of service; however, the establishment of WIC provided supplementary care for the high users of health services, most suffering chronic diseases.

Better understanding of the structure of service demand is needed in order to develop a more coordinated service system and to manage demand for public welfare services.

The study demonstrates the importance of identifying service utilisation patterns in managing demand. Instead of single solutions, a wider system-level perspective is essential.

Managing demand and facilitating access are core primary care attributes but there is little evidence about the impact of demand management strategies. The paper ties together important healthcare management issues: how to control demand and improve the access? Moreover, few studies have examined the frequent attendance at WIC. This paper presents a practical illustration of demand management tool and indicates some demand management problems to be considered in healthcare management.

The purpose of this research is to argue that a number of organisations focused their efforts on developing sophisticated supply chains such that their managerial focus became myopic, and many lost sight of their markets and their customers, missing the fact that the customers, failing to realise their expectations, switched their loyalties. Thus it is argued here that it is essential to understand the demand chain prior to making supply chain structure decisions.

The first step is to reinforce the point that both supply chain management and demand chain management are about process management. The second step is to re‐validate the notion of the demand chain as a separate entity from the supply chain.

It is interesting to postulate that the differences between the demand chain‐led organization and the supply chain‐led organisation are based on emphasis. The paper attempts to make this point by suggesting that, while supply chain management is to a degree customer‐focused, the emphasis is on efficiency. Management concern is cost‐led and attempts to provide an adequate level of service. The danger here is that customers may be “aggregated” or fitted into categories that appear to be nearly relevant. Thus the link between supplier relationship management and customer relationship management is tenuous. By contrast the demand chain approach is a broader view of relationship management, taking a view that supplier and customer relationship management overlap, and that effective management is to integrate the two. If this is achieved, it results in bringing often conflicting objectives more closely together.

Contrasting the demand chain approach as a broader view of relationship management, and taking the view that effective management is to integrate the two. The view is that, if this is achieved, it results in bringing often conflicting objectives more closely together. Clearly more research is needed before such a view can be held with conviction.

This paper argues that a number of organisations focused their efforts on developing sophisticated supply chains such that their managerial focus became myopic, and many lost sight of their markets and their customers, missing the fact that the customers, failing to realise their expectations, switched their loyalties.

It is argued here that it is essential to understand the demand chain prior to making supply chain structure decisions.

The purpose of this research is to understand the current developments in business models that are aimed at meeting changing market characteristics, many of which require specific customer service responses.

The paper presents a conceptual model that is based on research into the applications of response management.

This paper suggests validity of the proposed model but also identifies the need for further research.

The paper assumes that management has the awareness and the skills set to manage and deliver added value to customers by implementing a more relevant model.

This paper offers examples of organisations that are responding to market and customer expectations using response management models.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the problems with demand management in fresh food value chains and to propose a framework for demand analysis and improved demand management.

The paper draws on empirical evidence from multiple case studies undertaken in the UK food industry.

Evidence from the case studies indicates a consistent misalignment of demand and supply, due to demand amplification, poor production systems and inconsistencies with information and data handling procedures.

The case study evidence is limited to the UK context and is therefore unlikely to be representative of the global situation in fresh food value chains. The proposed framework is based on the case study evidence but has not been formally tested.

More collaboration, information sharing and joint planning from primary production through to retailing is critical if fresh food value chains are to function efficiently and effectively in retail environments where promotional activity creates significant uncertainty.

Demand management has received little attention to date, outside the industry framework of ECR. This paper is the first to propose a framework for improvement based on greater collaboration and joint planning that extends beyond the retailer‐manufacturer interface

The literature review aims to facilitate a broader understanding of on-demand service platform operations management and proposes potential research directions for scholars.

This study searches four databases for relevant literature on on-demand service platform operations management and selects 72 papers for this review. According to the research context, the literature can be divided into research on “a single platform” and research on “multiple platforms”. According to the research methods, the literature can be classified into “Mathematical Models”, “Empirical Studies”, “Multiple Methods” and “Literature Review”. Through comparative analysis, we identify research gaps and propose five future research agendas.

This paper proposes five research agendas for future research on on-demand service platform operations management. First, research can be done to combine classic research problems in the field of operations management with platform characteristics. Second, both the dynamic and steady-state issues of on-demand service platforms can be further explored. Third, research employing mathematical models and empirical analysis simultaneously can be more fruitful. Fourth, more research efforts on the various interactions among two or more platforms can be pursued. Last but not least, it is worthwhile to examine new models and paths that have emerged during the latest development of the platform economy.

Through categorizing the literature into two research contexts as well as classifying it according to four research methods, this article clearly shows the research progresses made so far in on-demand service platform operations management and provides future research directions.

This paper aims to assess the links among these demand chain constructs by conducting a full-scale systematic review of all demand chain management (DCM) literature reviews published in marketing and operations management journals from 2013 to 2020. Marketing and supply chain management are central to DCM; thus, this study briefly describes the contributions to knowledge provided by the papers contained in this issue. In addition, some additional areas of research in which the DCM can be gainfully deployed are outlined.

This paper makes a systematic literature review of 70 literature samples by means of content analysis and comprehensive analysis. These approaches guarantee a replicable, rigorous and transparent research process and minimize researcher bias. The analytical categories required for the content analysis are defined along the constructs of marketing and supply chain management.

As can be expected, this paper highlights the key role of the two constructs in the strategy of DCM. In this light, the paper claims to provide evidence of a link between the constructs of marketing and supply chain management. This paper reviews the connotation of DCM through literature review, distinguishes the relationship between DCM and supply chain management from a strategic management perspective and discusses the future research direction.

This study assesses the link between the strategic constructs of marketing and supply chain management through research embedded in literature reviews, pinpointing research gaps and potential future research directions in the field. Contributing to DCM theory building, a thorough review provides qualitative comparison of the link between marketing and supply chain management.

Although some literature reviews have been conducted in the past on the constructs of DCM, no full review of literature reviews aiming to test a strategic theoretical link in the demand chain related to supply chain and marketing.

Managing demand and supply uncertainties is critical for all manufacturers, but it has added importance for companies that intend to achieve mass customization (MC) ability because these uncertainties are an intrinsic characteristic of MC. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how managing uncertainties in a firm's demand and supply affects its MC ability.

Regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are conducted on data collected from 189 manufacturing plants to empirically test two hypotheses.

Both demand and supply uncertainty management have a positive impact on a company's MC ability. However, managing either demand or supply uncertainties independently of the other is not enough to achieve MC ability; instead, a company needs to concurrently manage both demand and supply uncertainties to achieve MC ability.

The current literature lacks a sound theoretical basis to link demand and supply uncertainty management with MC ability. The paper provides such a theoretical foundation, and systematically identifies several demand and supply uncertainty management mechanisms that enable firms to achieve superior MC ability. In addition, it is one of the first large‐scale empirical studies to address the impact of managing both demand and supply uncertainties on MC ability.

Although research attention has been given to the modelling process for simultaneous demand‐output management in manufacturing systems, little interest has been demonstrated in service organisations despite the fact that such organisations face unique conditions that further complicate the demand‐output management issue. In response to this lack of emphasis, we review the relevant research from both marketing and operations management and present a cost‐effectiveness model for balancing demand and service output.

The purpose of this paper is to report findings from a major UK research project covering six agri‐food supply chains, each spanning from farm to consumer.

The paper gives an overview of relevant literature out of which three research questions are posed. The research methodology is then outlined, followed by an overview of the methods used to collect and analyse the case study data. A summary of the research findings is then presented followed by a discussion of the findings in the context of the research questions. The paper concludes with an assessment of the validity of the research followed by some tentative suggestions regarding the need for, and potential benefits of, improving demand management in agri‐food chains.

The research has found that demand management is an area, which in practice is beset by difficulties and inefficiencies, which in turn affects the operational performance of the supply chains. Analysis of the characteristics of demand along the chains demonstrates a propensity for misalignment of demand and activity due to issues such as demand amplification and inappropriate production policies. The paper also identifies a number of operational inefficiencies and inconsistencies, which typically occur in the information systems and data handling procedures within these chains.

Suggestions are given as to how demand management processes could be improved through cooperative efforts across the supply chain.

This case study aims to examine the role of demand management in balancing distribution efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs in the downstream of a retail supply chain.

A major machine part supplier in Australia is used as a case study to investigate the challenges faced by the industry in distributing goods to customers. The use of demand management techniques to help improve distribution efficiency without significantly impacting on responsiveness is also explored.

The findings of the case study reveal that appropriate demand management measures, such as customer segmentation and price discrimination, can help improve overall distribution efficiency of the supply chain while providing the required responsiveness to meet genuine customer needs. Other management attempts, such as vendor‐managed inventory and rationalisation of retail network, can facilitate demand aggregation and improve vehicle utilisation in distribution with minor impact on customer service. These changes require a full understanding of customer requirements and supply capabilities of the company as well as corresponding adjustments in business strategy, leadership style, and organisational culture.

This study lends insight into the use of demand management techniques to improve efficiency in downstream wholesale and retail distribution, thereby enhancing sustainability and profitability of business. To serve mainly as a case study and an illustration of the approach, the scope of the study is limited to six stores in the distribution network of the case company.

Retailers can explore the use of demand management techniques to increase distribution efficiency and hence competitiveness of the company. The approach can also assist managers in adopting best practices among stores and facilitate more effective allocation of distribution resources to serve different market segments.

Using demand management techniques to increase distribution efficiency can reduce delivery frequency and total travel distance. This will help lessen energy usage, carbon emission, traffic congestion, and other negative impacts on the environment.

Research in retail distribution efficiency to date focuses mainly on delivery optimisation through routing and scheduling. Attempts to link demand with supply and use demand management techniques to improve distribution efficiency are relatively limited. This paper fills the gap in the literature by investigating the value of demand management in distribution and explores empirically the significance of the approach to achieve higher wholesale and retail distribution efficiency.