Combinations of supply-side and demand-side gaps are also possible because of the interlinking between supply-side (allocation of channel flows) decisions and the provision of service outputs on the demand side. The principle of postponement and speculation, developed by Louis P. Bucklin, is a good example of this phenomenon. Postponement refers to the desire of both firms and end-users to put off incurring costs as long as possible. For a manufacturing firm, postponement often means delaying production until orders are received, thereby avoiding differentiation of like into finished goods (e.g., iron ore into carbon steel).Postponement minimizes the manufacturer's risk of selling what is produced and eliminates the cost associated with holding relatively expensive inventory, thus helping to control total channel costs. But suppose that end-users have a high demand for quick delivery; in other words, they too want to postpone (that is, they want to buy at the last minute). In this situation, manufacturers engaging in postponement cannot meet the service output demands of the target end-users, and while they may not face a supply-side gap, they most certainly will face a demand-side gap.