We like BusinessWeek. We direct readers of The Beat to it for coverage on airlines and other travel industry matters. Unfortunately, today, a BusinessWeek.com intern and her editors published a misleading and misinformed take on corporate payment systems. As if they are new--rather than more than 60 and 70 years old, as are Diner's Club and UATP, respectively--corporate cards are described as "Orwellian" because they are "helping your company keep tabs on you" by tracking your purchases. Huh?
What "began as a way to ensure that employees could pay for what they needed," according to the report, now includes "new reporting software" with which "businesses can tighten up their expenses and stop the wastage by both more closely monitoring employee spending and reducing the costs of processing the payments. It is progress with an Orwellian twist, however. Big Brother might not know what you're thinking, but he sure knows how you spend your time--and the company's money."
Now, "1984" was one of my favorite books, but I'm not reaching here to say that companies should be allowed to track and analyze expenses that they are paying even if the purchase decision is made by an individual. Is BusinessWeek.com covering business travel in 2008? It looks like all BusinessWeek.com was really trying to do was summarize for business leaders the benefits of corporate cards. Believe me, I know how boring it can be to write articles on corporate payment systems. But isn't a boring, accurate story more useful to the reader than an awfully misplaced headline attempting to catch eyes?
P.S. Attention American Express: You might want to contact BusinessWeek.com. They left you off the list of the top four T&E card issuers.
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