"Anyone in business today who hopes to be in business tomorrow needs to understand the rules of the new marketplace," says Roger Blackwell, one of the most sought-after authorities on consumer behavior and marketing. The traditional approach to retailing, beginning at the point of manufacture and ending with the sale to the consumer, is out of date and unrealistic. "In an ultracompetitive marketplace, manufacturers can no longer dictate what consumers will buy. The savvy consumer is more educated than ever as to what he or she wants and where to get it at the best price. Using this information to develop the products consumers are looking for is demand-chain management."

Featuring visionary companies like Wal-Mart, AT&T and Kinko's, whose leadership as demand-chain managers is helping them to create the marketplace of the 21st-century, Blackwell illustrates the cutting-edge concept of demand-chain management and its role in revolutionizing retailing in the new millennium.