We focus on backup agreements between a catalog company and manufacturers---a scheme to provide upstream sourcing flexibility for fashion merchandise. A backup agreement states that if the catalog company commits to a number of units for the season, the manufacturer holds back a constant...

Quick Response (QR) is a movement in the apparel industry to shorten lead time. Under QR, the retailer has the ability to adjust orders based on better demand information. We study how a manufacturer-retailer channel impacts choices of production and marketing variables under QR in the apparel...