The state of demand management in Czech enterprises

Abstract

The article is based on systems of demand management in conditions of Czech enterprises. Market knowledge and operative planning are two phenomena which appear to be more and more interlinked and the changes in planning should reflect the future events on the free market. Estimating future demand is a necessary prerequisite for satisfying customers' needs in a more efficient way. It allows companies to focus on more economical resources and cut overheads in the pursuit for rationalization. The article presents the results of a research conducted in 2011 among 271 enterprises in the Czech Republic. The research was focused on analyzing the current state of implementation of demand management in domestic companies and also how this concept of management is perceived in these companies. The research has shown that companies take a very narrow approach to the term demand management seeing it solely as a process of demand forecasting. As a result of this, the companies are limited in gaining potential benefits which the concept of demand management can bring.