IMPROVING MARKET ORIENTATION IN THE SCOTTISH BEEF SUPPLY CHAIN THROUGH PERFORMANCE-RELATED COMMUNICATIONS: THE CASE OF THE MCINTOSH DONALD BEEF PRODUCER CLUB AND QBOXANALYSIS

The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2003 and particularly the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) is intended to make farmers more market orientated and competitive. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to discuss whether performance-related communication strategies present the possibility of improving farmers’ market orientation. This is studied through the case of McIntosh Donald, a beef processor located in the North East of Scotland and a major red meat supplier for Tesco, and Qboxanalysis, a performance-related communication system, introduced by the processor to its beef Producer Club members in March 2005. Results indicate that the enhanced communication strategy has the potential to increase farmers’ performance and market orientation, not only through the use of the Qboxanalysis system but also through the Producers’ Club activities. However, additional efforts are required to engage producers that are less proactive