ABSTRACT
The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2003, and particularly the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, was intended to make farmers more market-oriented and competitive. In this context, the purpose of this chapter is to discuss whether 84performance-related communication strategies offer the possibility of improving farmers’ market orientation. This possibility 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 its encounters with Qboxanalysis, a performance-related communication system that was 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 Producer Club’s wider activities. However, additional efforts are required to engage producers that are less proactive.
In this chapter, we will first present a brief background of the marketing of cattle in Scotland and the challenges presented by the 2003 reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Second, we discuss whether performance-related communication strategies offer the possibility of improving farmers’ market orientation. Third, we study the case of Qboxanalysis, a performance-related communication system introduced by McIntosh Donald, a Scottish beef processor, with the assistance of Tesco. Fourth, we present conclusions summarising the benefits and challenges of the performance-related communication system for different supply chain stakeholders.
